Chapter 4 - Madman Li Wei
"No objections here. I accept my punishment," Cassius readily acquiesced. After all, there was still a gun pointed at his head back in that cave. Even if the youth training camp opted not to punish him, he would still sneak out and train on his own.
"Oh? You're much more easygoing than I thought." Lisa smiled slightly, somewhat surprised. Her initial impression of the young man was that he was impulsive and prone to anger. Lisa was sure that he would have complaints, especially since he, the obvious victim from that night, was being punished, but Li Wei's temperament was unexpectedly quite calm.
Tucking her short hair behind her ear, she said, "Don't worry, Finn’s punishment is much more severe than yours, but with him being Instructor Sean’s relative, he won’t be expelled. But here’s an idea: why don't you and your sister study under me?"
Upon hearing this, the gears in Cassius's head started turning.
Instructor Lisa was helping him, even going so far as to point out Finn's hidden connections. There was nothing for Cassius to gain by stubbornly acting tough.
"That sounds good. Thank you, Instructor Lisa."
"You're so polite." Lisa smiled faintly. "You know, news about you beating up Finn yesterday has spread like wildfire throughout the entire training camp. The new batch of students have even given you a nickname…"
Cassius lifted his head.
"Madman Li Wei."
***
In the blink of an eye, four days had come and gone and it was time for Cassius to be discharged from the hospital.
The Wind Elephant Sect’s special medicine was much more effective than Cassius had anticipated, and his wound healed remarkably quickly. The only downside was that applying the medicine was agonizing beyond imagination, like throwing salt on a wound.
Every application of the medicine would result in Cassius lying prone on the ground, groaning for half a day, his blanket half-soaked in sweat. Li Chu’s heart would ache every time she bore witness to this.
But, compared to Finn on the second floor, Cassius's reactions were minor. Every time Finn dabbed on the medicine, it sounded like a pig being slaughtered. His wails could even attract people from the faraway playground.
Finn apparently fainted five times while applying the medicine. At one point, the pain was too much for him to bear, and he emptied out both bladder and bowels. He became a laughingstock in just a day.
However, this was also normal. After all, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy had only so much willpower. Not to mention, his injuries were much more serious than Cassius's.
That morning, the skies were clear and bright. The clouds drifted slowly across the azure sky, and the sunlight scattered through the gaps in the clouds. Dewdrops on the tips of the leaves shimmered with colorful light. Cassius left the window slightly ajar and inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh air.
Last night, news came from their hometown, revealing that their mother had passed away the day before yesterday. Li Chu cried for a long time in the ward when she heard.
Cassius had been abandoned at the door of an orphanage in the other world, and so he was at a loss on how to comfort her. He just silently listened to Li Chu sobbing and reminiscing all night.
Though memories of his previous life were gradually fading, "parents" still remained a somewhat distant concept to him.
However, Cassius did his best to awkwardly comfort Li Chu. His main fear was that in Li Chu’s despair, she would seek to end her own life, like in Li Wei’s original memories.
Fortunately, Li Chu found solace in "Li Wei" and eventually, her emotions stabilized.
Cassius turned his head and glanced over at the bedside table and saw a loaf of bread, two eggs, and two cups of milk. The standard meal for the training camp was a single loaf of bread, an egg, and a cup of milk. The extra items were probably from Li Chu scrimping on her portion.
Cassius sat back on the edge of the bed and finished the bread and milk before tucking the two cooked eggs into his pocket.
Knock, knock, knock…
No sooner than the knocks sounded, the door opened and a short-haired Instructor Lisa confidently strode in.
Since this morning's training consisted mainly of basic martial arts and physical exercises, she had the assistant temporarily take the reins.
"It seems you've finished your breakfast. Good, let's go. It's only the start of the youth training camp and you've already missed four days of lessons. I'll have you make it up this morning," Lisa said, jabbing her thumb toward the door. The admiring glint in her eyes was clear as she fussed over Cassius, like she had a good feeling about him.
"Okay. Instructor, could I give something to my sister first?" Cassius asked. "It’ll just be ten minutes."
"Sure." Lisa raised her eyebrows slightly before nodding.
"Thank you, Instructor."
Cassius walked out of the ward, through the corridor, and down a flight of stairs. The warm sunlight shone overhead, causing him to squint as he looked into the distance. The dormitories, canteen, training ground, and all sorts of buildings with their pointed and domed roofs were enveloped in a golden hue. The scene in front of him looked just like a miniature of a school. A warm breeze blew, bringing with it an inexplicable sense of laziness to everyone it brushed across.
Cassius followed the gravel path and headed straight toward the training ground.
A boy coming from the direction of the toilet walked alongside him. He kept shooting him looks, a peculiar expression on his face.
Cassius stopped and, resigned to his fate, asked, "Can I help you with something?"
"No, nothing…" The boy in blue and white practice clothes shook his head hastily but ultimately decided to probe timidly, "Are you Li Wei? The madman…"
Stunned, Cassius didn’t know how to respond. "Madman." How unpleasant to the ears.
"Ah, I didn't mean anything by that." The boy started to sweat a little at Cassius's silence. "They say that, you took on three guys by yourself that night, in the rain, and you even beat up the leader until his brains spilled out! You're ruthless!" He gave a thumbs-up in admiration.
"Uh…" Cassius was at a loss for words. Wasn’t that all hearsay?
"Alright, brother, I'm off. See you when I see you." The boy waved his hand and walked towards the queue.
After taking a deep breath, Cassius hurried over to the iron gate.
A young man sitting on a stool beside the gate stopped him. He looked eighteen or nineteen and wore a light yellow outfit, the standard attire for the Wind Elephant Sect’s official disciples who served as teaching assistants.
"Name and squad?" the young man asked.
"Li Wei, just discharged from the hospital. I'm here to see my sister."
"Madman Li Wei?" The young man looked up in surprise.
"So that nickname’s reached you too, huh, senior brother?" Cassius felt a little embarrassed. Lisa wasn't wrong when she said that he was famous. Well, rather, infamous.
"Of course. Everyone in the training camp knows who you are." The young man stood up and patted Cassius's shoulder. "Go on in."
He waited for Cassius to walk through the iron gate before remarking, "You’ve got guts. Well done."
Cassius paused, not because of the young man's words, but because he noticed that the Wind Ivory Pendant's symbol floating at the top of his field of vision had brightened. For some reason, the faint golden hue was richer than before. There were also flickering specks of light dancing above it.
Sweeping his gaze to the right, Cassius’s eyes caught on to something.
The scale on the timeline had abruptly jumped, with ten more small marks added on the right.
A hundred nineteen days had become a hundred twenty-nine days!
Cassius instantly understood. Protecting his sister on that rainy night was just the bare minimum of resolving his lingering attachment. If he demonstrated bravery or did something contrary to the original owner's weak and cowardly self, he could also be rewarded.
This meant that not only could he stay in this era for four months, but he could also extend his time through other means.
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