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What is the Celestial Court? The crowd debated fiercely, each voicing their own opinions. Han Chengxin spent a sleepless night, troubled by the noise around him. He waved his hand and said, "Whether it's the Celestial Court or the Earth Court, let's ask Mr. Wu when he comes tonight, and all will be revealed. Let's all go back to sleep; we have work tonight, don't want to lose energy."
Han Xiaohan returned to his room, threw himself on the bed, and stared at the white ceiling for a while. After a moment, he blinked his eyes, flipped over, sat up, and suddenly found the Frost Knife in his hand.
The blade was icy cold, emitting a chill, with faint wisps of white mist visible around the Frost Knife. He learned from Han Chengxin that the two black-clothed figures he encountered in the square, one tall and one short, possessed skills that were not first-class but second-class top-notch. How could they possibly be defeated by someone trained by a third-class expert like himself? Was his grandfather deceiving him? Or was what Han Chengxin said exaggerated? For a moment, Han Xiaohan was unclear about whether his martial arts were high or low, strong or weak. He sighed softly, put away the Frost Knife, and lay back down on the bed. In fact, Han Changchun and Duan Qi had already been first-class experts decades ago. The former's Heavenly Mechanism Step was unparalleled under heaven, taking a step that even spirits and gods couldn't predict. And the latter's fast sword technique was renowned throughout the jianghu. Back in the day, Duan Qi wielded four swords with both hands, and there was no match under heaven. But these things Han Xiaohan naturally wouldn't know.
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so he jumped out of the window, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began practicing breathing exercises.
Han Xiaohan had been taught authentic internal martial arts techniques since childhood by Han Changchun and Duan Qi. After practicing for more than ten years, combined with his special talent, his abilities had already reached a level where no one could underestimate him. With his eyes slightly closed, he deeply inhaled, feeling the oxygen flow through his trachea into his blood, then being refined into every major meridian in his body. The previously quiet meridians suddenly became active, like still lake water rippling. At first, just a little, but soon, every single meridian in his body was excitedly jumping, fully absorbing energy from the outside world. Han Xiaohan inhaled a breath, holding it for three minutes without exhaling. After a long time, he slowly expelled the waste air from his body.
Two streams of white gas flowed slowly from his nostrils, quickly gathering together to form two clouds of white mist. The mist condensed and did not dissipate, forming white fog rings surrounding Han Xiaohan.
As the mist didn't disperse, he exhaled two more streams of gas, adding them to the fog circle. Two hours later, Han Xiaohan's entire body was completely covered by the white mist. If someone entered the room at this point, they would think a large rock had suddenly appeared in the room. After another two hours, the mist finally started to fade, revealing Han Xiaohan's figure gradually. The mist seemed to come alive, continuously entering his nostrils and then floating out from the top of his head, slowly dispersing until it vanished.
"Huff!" Exhaling deeply, Han Xiaohan stood up. More than four hours of meditation made his whole body feel heavy, full of an indescribable sense of smoothness and comfort. The energy accumulated in his meridians surged up and down, almost reaching the point of explosion. His spirit was full, his eyes shining with a brilliance even he could feel. Unable to stay inside the room, he walked out for a stroll. At this time, there wasn't a single awake person in the bar, all drinking and playing chess with Duke Zhou, sleeping sounder than ever.
Shaking his head with a smile, he lightly stepped out of the bar. It was noon, the weather hot and sultry. The sun at this time seemed particularly enormous, like a blazing fire burning above everyone's heads.
Han Xiaohan rolled up his sleeves and leisurely ascended the pedestrian bridge, crossing the road, and entered the opposite art academy.
The art academy wasn't very large, but it had many students. Some were dressed strangely and eccentrically, others dazzlingly beautiful and radiant, giving Han Xiaohan quite an eye-opener.
He was observing the people around him, and the people around him were also noticing him. He himself was someone who drew attention wherever he went without needing to make any particular effort. One reason was his androgynous beauty, making it hard to tell if he was male or female. Another reason was the fresh, tranquil, and mysterious aura he carried, especially his phoenix-like eyes, clearly defined black and white, naturally emanating a captivating charm as they moved. Han Xiaohan was not someone who liked to show off, but the numerous curious gazes from the students around him made him uncomfortable. He quietly gathered his qi, inadvertently displaying the Heavenly Mechanism Step. Though it looked like normal walking, in an instant, he was already dozens of meters away. With another flicker, he disappeared around the corner of the campus path.
"Am I hallucinating?!?" Not long after he left, someone began rubbing their eyes hard.
"Did you see that? That girl was really beautiful!" A bald-headed boy with no hair on his head shouted excitedly to his companion.
"You idiot, that was obviously a guy!" "That's right! Don't say nonsense if your eyesight is bad!" The female students walking with him called out in unison.
Further away from the school gate, there were fewer people, and Han Xiaohan slowed down, lifting his head and laughing bitterly. This face of his brought about a lot of trouble!
Walking leisurely, he arrived in front of a milky white teaching building. Its design was fresh and unique, with a layer of tiny mosaics embedded on its surface. Under the sunlight, it reflected a brilliant luster. Stopping his steps, he unconsciously climbed the stairs and entered the building. The lighting inside was not very sufficient, slightly cool, but Han Xiaohan breathed a long sigh of relief, marveling that there was such a hidden gem within the school.
On either side of the hall were two large rows of wooden boards, plastered with various sketches, oil paintings, and beautiful patterns designed on computers.
Han Xiaohan rarely came into contact with these things before, so he curiously approached, looking at one and then another, finding it all rather novel.
"Excuse me, classmate." Just as he was engrossed, a sweet and loud voice sounded beside him.
Turning around, he saw a face so pure and beautiful, flawless and delicate, that it seemed almost too perfect to look at.
So beautiful! Han Xiaohan silently marveled at the sight of this twenty-something-year-old girl, whose beauty was beyond compare, his eyes brightening instantly.
At that moment, his eyes truly flashed with light, standing out prominently in the dim hall. The girl was startled, staring at his eyes, which seemed like deep, bottomless pools, mysterious and profound. The two looked at each other for a while, then Han Xiaohan's lips curled into a smile as he asked, "Is there something?"
The girl seemed not to hear, her big, round, almond-shaped eyes moving across his face. Han Xiaohan smiled helplessly, increasing his volume and asking again, "Is there something?"
The girl finally snapped out of it, her milkshake-white oval face turning pink, embarrassed to move her gaze from his face. She lowered her head slightly, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Excuse me, are you a new student?"
Han Xiaohan shook his head and said, "No."
"Then which year are you in? I've never seen you before," the girl asked doubtfully. Someone like Han Xiaohan, once seen, should leave a lasting impression.
Han Xiaohan smiled and said, "I'm not a student."
"Oh?" The girl looked up curiously, examining him up and down. "Then you're...?"
Han Xiaohan smiled and said, "I'm from the Red Ant Bar across the street."
The girl's "oh" sounded somewhat disappointed as she asked, "Why aren't you in school?"
If your family is so poor that there isn't a grain of rice left, only a cellar full of fiery liquor, then you'd understand why I'm not in school. Han Xiaohan thought this way in his heart, but naturally wouldn't say it out loud. Moreover, university life wasn't something he valued much. There are many paths in life, and success can be achieved on any of them as long as you put in enough effort. Seeing the unintentional disappointment in the girl's eyes, his good impression of her diminished greatly. Indifferently, he said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Han Xiaohan sidestepped, flashing past the girl. The girl hurriedly turned around and urgently said, "Please wait a moment!"
Han Xiaohan sighed inwardly, stopping but not turning back or asking.
The girl said, "I'm the vice president of the Patriotic Association of the Art Academy. Would you like to join us?"
Patriotic Association? What was that? Han Xiaohan recalled the massive anti-Japanese protest he witnessed when he first arrived in Nanjing, the young faces filled with fervor vividly etched in his mind. He turned around, blinking his phoenix-like eyes, and asked, "Are you inviting me?"
"Yes..." The girl nodded, even surprising herself as to why she couldn't resist inviting him. The first rule of the association clearly stated that non-students were not allowed to participate in any activities. "Do you agree?" she boldly asked.
Lifting his head and thinking for a moment, Han Xiaohan smiled and said, "I don't seem to have a reason to refuse."
"So, does that mean you agree!?" The girl asked happily. Han Xiaohan nodded. The girl joyfully stepped forward, extending her soft, boneless hand in front of him and smiling, "My name is Tang Rou. Welcome to the Patriotic Association."
Han Xiaohan politely shook the delicate hand in front of him and said, "Thank you. My name is Han Xiaohan."
Han Xiaohan. The girl silently repeated it twice in her mind and smiled, "Come, let me show you our headquarters."
Calling it a "headquarters," it was actually just an abandoned classroom, over thirty square meters in size, half above ground and half underground. The equipment inside was old, parts of the wall paint had peeled off, and the chairs were all wooden, most missing arms or legs. The glass blackboard at the front was still intact, with three large characters written on it: "Patriotic Association."
There were more than a dozen students inside busily working tirelessly. Banners, cloth strips, flyers were everywhere. Upon entering, Han Xiaohan didn't even have a place to stand, so he helplessly leaned against the door. Tang Rou, however, acted without hesitation, skillfully stepping over banners into the classroom, standing on the podium, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention, then clearing her throat and loudly announcing, "Today, we have a new member. Everyone, welcome."
She pointed at Han Xiaohan by the door, and everyone looked over, all surprised to the point of being speechless. Among them, a short-haired, thick-eyebrowed boy shook his head and sighed, "Sigh, another beauty. At this rate, we shouldn't call ourselves the Patriotic Association anymore, but the Beauty Concentration Camp."
Tang Rou casually picked up a piece of chalk from the podium, her slender fingers flicking it, hitting the boy squarely on the forehead. Her red lips curled upward as she huffed unhappily, "Look carefully. He's a guy, not a girl. And what do you mean by 'Beauty Concentration Camp'? Explain yourself!"
The boy rubbed his forehead, looking Han Xiaohan up and down for a while before helplessly sighing, "To be honest, I keep seeing her as a girl."
"You're nearsighted!" An adorable and sweet-looking girl gently pinched his arm, then walked up to Han Xiaohan, her face beaming with a sweet smile as she introduced herself, "My name is Zhao Dan, from the Performance Department. And you?"
"Xiaohan Han. But I don't belong to any department because I'm not a student," Han Xiaohan replied.
"You're not a student?" Zhao Dan widened her eyes, suspiciously looking at Tang Rou and bluntly asked, "Vice President, could you explain what's going on?"
Tang Rou massaged her temples in pain, pondering for a moment, sighed lightly, and helplessly admitted, "He indeed is not a student."
"I know that," Zhao Dan said, "Please get to the point."
Tang Rou's eyes flickered, appealing emotionally and logically, "Our school's Patriotic Association has less than thirty members. Look at the neighboring Engineering College; their Patriotic Association has over three hundred members. We struggle to recruit anyone, while they have so many that they can't accommodate everyone. The difference is too great, so..."
"So you decided to use outsiders to fill the numbers?" Zhao Dan persistently pressed her question. "But haven't you forgotten the rules of the association?"
The boy rubbed his forehead, looking Han Xiaohan up and down for a while before helplessly sighing, "To be honest, I keep seeing her as a girl."
"You're nearsighted!" A cute and sweet-looking girl pinched his arm gently, then walked up to Han Xiaohan, her face beaming with a sweet smile as she introduced herself, "My name is Zhao Dan, from the Performing Arts Department. And you?"
"Xiaohan Han. But I don't belong to any department because I'm not a student," Han Xiaohan replied.
"You're not a student?" Zhao Dan widened her eyes, suspiciously looking at Tang Rou and bluntly asked, "Vice President, could you explain what's going on?"
Tang Rou massaged her temples in pain, pondering for a moment, sighed lightly, and helplessly admitted, "He indeed is not a student."
"I know that," Zhao Dan said, "Please get to the point."
Tang Rou's eyes flickered, appealing emotionally and logically, "Our school's Patriotic Association has less than thirty members. Look at the neighboring Engineering College; their Patriotic Association has over three hundred members. We struggle to recruit anyone, while they have so many that they can't accommodate everyone. The difference is too great, so..."
"So you decided to use outsiders to fill the numbers?" Zhao Dan persisted in questioning. "But haven't you forgotten the rules of the association?"