Chapter 583 - 570: I Didn’t Mean To

Chapter 583: Chapter 570: I Didn’t Mean To

But to his surprise, Lei Yun’Er’s reaction today completely overturned his expectations.

"So... beautiful?" A thumb-sized drop of cold sweat trickled down Mu Chen’s temple. ’What an unsettling compliment.’

"Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone with such beautiful eyes." Lei Yue’er also stared at Mu Chen’s eyes excitedly. His large, golden eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight.

"You can’t be serious..." Mu Chen rubbed his nose with a wry smile. The very eyes that had always bothered him were seen this way by others. It made him start to question his own sense of beauty.

"They’re really beautiful."

Just then, Chu Aoqing and Mu Junwu also chimed in. Their serious expressions gave Mu Chen no reason to think they were teasing him. With an awkward laugh, Mu Chen quickly put on his mask to hide his embarrassment.

"!!"

This action immediately infuriated Lei Yun’Er and Lei Yue’er. "Why did you cover them up?!"

The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth twitched. ’It’s like they’re addicted.’ He said irritably, "I’m not an entertainer. You’ve had your look, isn’t that enough? What kind of girls just stare at a boy’s face like that? Have you no shame? Keep looking and I’ll have to start charging."

The joke instantly closed the distance between them. Lei Yun’Er snorted. "Hmph, cheapskate. I wouldn’t even bother looking at most people if they asked me to. But you? I grace you with my attention, and you’re not even happy about it."

Mu Chen: "..."

Just as Mu Chen was rendered speechless and extremely awkward, a stirring horn blast suddenly echoed throughout the grand arena hall. It was quite a novelty. Horns were typically only sounded when the great armies of the Empires clashed, used to boost morale and signal that a great battle was imminent. Yet in his entire life, this was the first time Mu Chen had ever heard one in person.

"What’s happening?"

Eager to change the subject, Mu Chen asked.

Chu Aoqing remained unfazed, still sitting leisurely in her seat. "The Faction War is starting," she said calmly. "That’s the signal."

"Uh... what do we do?"

Clearly, while Mu Chen knew the rules of the Faction War, he had no idea what to actually do. Looking around, he saw all the other students just standing in place, not making a move. Mu Chen was suddenly at a loss.

Lei Yun’Er, unable to watch any longer, quickly put her mask on. Grabbing Mu Chen with one hand and Lei Yue’er with the other, she said, "You really are a rookie. Follow me."

Mu Chen was a bit embarrassed at first to have his hand held by Lei Yun’Er, but then he remembered she was just a sixteen-year-old girl, and he relaxed.

Led by Lei Yun’Er, Mu Chen passed through the crowd and arrived before the White Camp’s Teleportation Gate in a matter of moments. Staring at the warped gate, which emanated a soft white glow, Mu Chen was speechless. "We’re from the Black Camp. What are we doing here?"

Lei Yue’er leaned forward slightly, peeking around Lei Yun’Er to look back at Mu Chen. "Brother Mu Chen, for the Faction War, you have to enter through the enemy’s Teleportation Gate."

Mu Chen froze at her words, then looked around. A large crowd of Black Camp students had quickly gathered. Though it was a crowd, it was only about eighty people. In contrast, the White Camp had a force of a full thousand. They were hopelessly outmatched in presence alone. No wonder the Black Camp always lost.

A moment later, another stirring horn blast rang out. The white Gate of Space before them erupted with a brilliant light. Mu Chen felt a powerful pull emanate from within. If he hadn’t reacted quickly to steady himself and hold the two girls steady, they would have been sucked right into the Gate of Space.

However, his act of bracing himself earned him strange looks from Lei Yun’Er, Lei Yue’er, and the entire group of Black Camp students behind them. This left Mu Chen utterly baffled. "What?" he asked, confused.

Lei Yun’Er was exasperated. "What are *you* doing?"

"Bracing myself, wasn’t I?" Mu Chen said. "Otherwise, we’d get sucked in."

"If you don’t get sucked in, how are you supposed to join the Faction War?"

"!@#$%&..." Mu Chen was speechless for a moment. "Then why didn’t you say so earlier?!"

With that, Mu Chen leaned forward, pulling Lei Yun’Er and Lei Yue’er with him as he disappeared into the Teleportation Gate.

A flash of starlight twinkled before his eyes, followed by a dazzling light that pierced them. His consciousness instantly went dark, his mind a complete blank. When he awoke, he found himself lying on a patch of grass. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves above, casting patterns on his face. He was in a forest.

He started to get up, but felt a weight on his chest and abdomen. He looked down and was startled. Lying on top of him were two figures dressed in black Concealing Garments. From their hair color and height alone, Mu Chen knew exactly who they were.

If they were awake, it would be a simple matter; he could at least tell which was Lei Yun’Er and which was Lei Yue’er by their eyes. But now, both girls had their eyes closed. With identical figures and hairstyles, he had no way of telling them apart.

Wiping a drop of sweat from his temple, Mu Chen gently pushed at Lei Yun’Er, who was lying on his chest. "Hey, hey, wake up."

But unexpectedly, his push didn’t wake Lei Yun’Er. Instead, it was Lei Yue’er’s body that stirred. That slight movement was all it took. Mu Chen felt his lower abdomen tighten, and a strange sensation spread from there throughout his entire body. Even for someone like Mu Chen, who had been through all sorts of things, he couldn’t help but blush.

As luck would have it, Lei Yun’Er, the one on his chest, woke up from his pushes. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and her gaze fell upon Lei Yue’er, who was still lying on Mu Chen’s abdomen. At first, she didn’t think anything of it. This wasn’t their first Faction War, after all, and they knew there was a period of deep slumber after entry. Of course, the duration of this slumber varied from person to person. Only those with exceptionally strong Spiritual Power, like Mu Chen, would be the first to awaken.

But when she saw where Lei Yue’er’s hand was, a shriek erupted that sent a flock of birds scattering into the sky. Even Mu Chen jumped in shock. The scream jolted Lei Yue’er awake as well. She sat up, dazed. "What’s wrong?"

Lei Yun’Er pointed frantically at Lei Yue’er’s hand, stammering, "Yue’Er, you... you... you... your hand!"

"Hand?" Lei Yue’er paused, then squinted down at her own hand. "Huh?"

Lei Yue’er let out a flustered cry, snatched her left hand back as if she’d been electrocuted, and shot to her feet with lightning speed. She raised her hand and—WHAP!—slapped Mu Chen across the face. The entire sequence was executed in one smooth, seamless motion.

Mu Chen’s body sailed through the air like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a large tree with a thunderous BOOM. The massive impact once again sent a flock of birds scattering.

...

「Ten minutes later.」

Lei Yun’Er and Lei Yue’er walked with their heads bowed, fidgeting with their fingers like children who had done something wrong. Meanwhile, Mu Chen strode quickly ahead of them, his hands clasped behind his back and his face grim. Five thin cracks had appeared on his pitch-black mask, and the cheek underneath it throbbed with a faint, burning sting.

He was in a foul mood. Not only had he been inappropriately touched, but he’d also been slapped for no good reason. And that slap had been delivered with the power of an Eighth-Ring Martial Emperor, a hit he’d taken completely defenseless.

Lei Yue’er’s face was still bright red. She trailed behind Mu Chen, occasionally glancing up at his back. Seeing that he remained completely silent, she would miserably lower her head again, tears welling up in her eyes.

"*Sob...* Brother Mu Chen... I know I was wrong... Please don’t be mad at me... I really... I really didn’t do it on purpose..."