Volume Two: The Boy of a Thousand Faces, Truth and Illusion Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Ice Dancer

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Qi Mu had been feeling particularly troubled lately. Who was it, after all? Where was the person that Wang was searching for? He had combed through every student’s file, nearly exhausting himself to the point of collapse, yet found nothing. How could this be? Wang had given clear instructions—the person was supposed to be in Bancroft!

In truth, Qi Mu did not even know exactly who he was looking for. It was simply because Wang had asked him, so he followed the clues and searched according to the given traits. But at this rate, when would he ever find them?

The racing tournament was tomorrow night. Huo Ye, meanwhile, had decided to relax in his own way—by fighting. This time, Huo Ye logged into the account of Night Rain Crow. The moment he went online, it was as if he’d logged into Doom again: a flood of friend requests poured in from every direction. Huo Ye frowned. Here we go again!

Cautious as ever, Huo Ye would never add people to this account lightly. If he accepted friend requests simply because he knew someone, others might deduce his true identity from the social connections—after all, almost everyone he knew was a notable figure in the academy; it would be far too easy to piece things together.

But there was one person he felt compelled to add: Shangguan Jade Butterfly, whose account was named "Ice Dancing Princess."

When Huo Ye saw this name, his feelings were a tangled web. Those three words, "Ice Dancing Princess," weren’t a random choice by Shangguan Jade Butterfly; they were the title of a chapter in "Rainy Night Rhapsody." The story told of a noblewoman born mute, who fell in love with a legendary immortal dwelling in the heavens. She danced alone beneath the moon until exhaustion broke her limbs, yet never ceased, ultimately moving the immortal to descend and stay with her forever.

The tale was meant to celebrate the tragic grandeur of love, yet Huo Ye suspected Shangguan Jade Butterfly had cast herself as the heroine—reserved, enamored with a mysterious man who always hid behind a mask, convinced that her persistence would win his heart. To this, Huo Ye mused, “Girl, we’ve known each other for over a decade. Have you moved me yet?”

The truth was, they were nothing more than close friends—not even more than that.

After all, Huo Ye had chatted with her for quite some time as Night Rain Crow; he couldn’t just refuse her friend request. Yet as he clicked “accept,” a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.

Instinctively, Huo Ye turned, reaching for a blade—only to realize he was Night Rain Crow now, and there was no sword at his side. The one who had tapped him was Shangguan Jade Butterfly herself. Huo Ye relaxed. So she was the only one capable of approaching him so quietly, being so skilled at concealing her presence.

Huo Ye greeted her, “Hey, long time no see, little fan.”

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Shangguan Jade Butterfly was brave only behind the screen. Now, meeting Night Rain Crow in person, she was barely able to keep her blush from rising; she could hardly utter a word.

Huo Ye was exasperated. I’m not your familiar "Little Ye" now. Can’t you say something to keep the conversation going? Are you testing my acting skills? Fine, let’s see who wins—whether I can keep my secret or you catch on first.

“Haha, who’d have thought we’d meet so soon after I logged in? We really are fated, aren’t we?” Huo Ye tried to imagine how he’d react if he didn’t know Shangguan Jade Butterfly at all, so as not to give himself away.

“It’s not fate,” Shangguan Jade Butterfly replied. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Good heavens, what is this… Huo Ye was at a loss for words. How did she know he’d come tonight? Waiting like a hunter for prey? Is it really necessary? Where does my charm lie? Tell me, I’ll change!

“Ahaha, you really are… as passionate as ever,” Huo Ye managed to say.

Shangguan Jade Butterfly bit her lip, unable to meet Huo Ye’s eyes. She seemed to wrestle with a decision. At last, she spoke: “Teacher Night Rain, I… I want to team up with you.”

“Team up?” Huo Ye echoed. He knew what that meant—in VRF, there was a team option, where two or more accounts formed a team. Once teamed up, accounts would be bound together until the end of the semester, earning bonus points for collaboration. If all members participated in a battle, their final score would be higher. This was the academy’s way of encouraging teamwork; lone wolves like Eddie Halls, unless exceptionally strong, could easily perish in battle, so the school wanted students to grasp the importance of cooperation.

Huo Ye had no objections to teaming up. Though being with Shangguan Jade Butterfly carried some risk of exposure, as long as his mask remained, the risk was manageable. Besides, since he’d decided to give her a chance, he couldn’t hide from her forever.

So Huo Ye replied warmly, “Alright, then for the coming semester, let’s work well together.” With that, he sent her a team invitation.

Shangguan Jade Butterfly, heart pounding, pressed “Confirm,” smoothed her long hair, and was about to speak when Huo Ye said, “Let’s go. Our first match together—we have to win.”

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“Mm!” Shangguan Jade Butterfly nodded vigorously.

The two entered the battle gates. The right to choose the map belonged to the opponent, who picked one called "Emerald Bamboo Sea." Upon entering, Huo Ye glanced at the opponent’s lineup—there was only one person. The opponent evidently intended to take them both on alone, but Huo Ye dared not underestimate her, for this person was Huo Xialan.

Huo Xialan, president of the Radiant Ring Society, was famously averse to conflict—or rather, averse to fighting fellow humans. She always worked alone, even when hunting calamities, rarely bringing her club members along. Her true strength remained a mystery within the academy. Huo Ye had once asked Alice, the former president, about Huo Xialan’s abilities. Alice only told him a story.

When Alice first arrived at the academy, she met a flamboyantly dressed boy with a wild hairstyle, who tried to woo her. Alice sternly rejected him, yet she continued to receive gifts like roses, which she considered harassment. At the time, Huo Xialan was trying to recruit Alice to her club and noticed her distress. So… she gave the boy a thorough beating.

That boy’s name was Flame Demon Hall Che Dou.

A major club president beating up another club president—a peer—said a lot. It wasn’t that Flame Demon Hall was weak, but that Huo Xialan was too strong.

Now, Huo Ye could only use holy light abilities, and luckily had Shangguan Jade Butterfly with him. The opponent was alone; otherwise, it might have been a sure loss.

Huo Ye casually plucked a bamboo leaf, put it between his lips, and remarked, “A major club president, matched against such a big figure—looks like your hidden ranking isn’t low, little fan.”

He said this, but knew the truth: after Director Jiang learned that Night Rain Crow was actually him, Huo Ye, she had purposely raised his hidden ranking to prevent him from bullying ordinary students. Huo Ye was rather dissatisfied—he barely got to enjoy the thrill of restarting at max level before it was taken away.