Chapter 128: Unleashing the Sharp Tongue

Ten days later, Huo Ye finally stepped out of the hospital. According to his doctor's orders, he should have stayed for another ten days, but the members of the House of Holis were all restless by nature. For Huo Ye, being confined to a hospital room for over a week without stepping outside was already a testament to his immense patience.

His muscles still felt slightly numb, but it was nothing serious; it would pass in time. Huo Ye could feel the aftereffects of "Burning Lamp" slowly fading. His talent meant that he could sometimes afford to be reckless, knowing that as long as he didn't die on the spot, he would eventually recover. However, this did not mean he could use "Burning Lamp" time and again without consequence.

After all, using the technique left him in a month-long period of weakness. If an emergency requiring his intervention occurred during that time, he would be powerless to act. Huo Ye was keenly aware that if he were to force a boost to his strength using "Burning Lamp" while already in this vulnerable state, he wouldn't be pushing his limits—he would be dropping dead.

Because his body hadn't fully recovered, Ke Zhen had suspended his classes. Accompanied by Alice, Huo Ye headed straight to the Galaxy club.

"Friends, your beloved President has returned!" Huo Ye shouted as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. However, he immediately felt awkward, discovering that the room was empty. Had he just performed for thin air?

"Where is everyone? Where are my lovely club members?" Huo Ye turned to look around. Shouldn't everyone be free from classes right now? Why was no one here?

Just then, Luo Jiajia emerged from the conference room and shouted to him, "Oh, President, you're out of the hospital? Come quick! The Truth Chamber is here to provoke us. Senior Sister Kazama couldn't take Jin Puxian anymore and has stepped out to fight him herself."

Huo Ye gasped, "Why?" Luo Jiajia and Alice looked at each other, confused by his reaction.

Huo Ye continued, "Why does that Korean think he has the right to run wild in my Galaxy?"

Alice pushed him from behind, urging, "Geez, why don't you just ask him yourself instead of standing there guessing?"

The two entered the conference room to find all the other Galaxy members present, except for Ruri Kazama. There was also one extra person: Jin Puxian.

"Why are you here?" Huo Ye’s tone was clearly hostile. During the hover-car race, he and Jin Puxian had formed a deep grudge. No one who had their mind attacked through their most vulnerable memories would have a good impression of their assailant.

Jin Puxian, who already harbored deep resentment toward Huo Ye and had been further twisted by the parasite from Qimu, now wished he could tear Huo Ye to pieces.

Luo Jiajia explained, "The one fighting Senior Sister Kazama is the Vice President of the Truth Chamber, Mutō Mahiro. It seems Jin Puxian didn't want to fight Senior Sister Kazama himself."

Huo Ye looked Jin Puxian up and down, pondered for a moment, and said, "Makes sense. He knows he can't win, so he might as well avoid embarrassing himself."

Jin Puxian felt his blood boil. What did he mean he couldn't win? With Lord Qimu's blessing, he didn't even fear Tan Xiao in Bancroft, let alone Ruri Kazama! This was called chivalry, understand? Chivalry!

Jin Puxian sneered, "Heh, this is called..."

Before he could finish, Huo Ye cut him off: "Chivalry? Don't make me laugh! You can't even respect the choice of your opponent, and you have the nerve to use that word?"

"You..."

"What about me? You want a go at me?"

"I..."

"What about me? Any one of my Galaxy members could take you down. Want to try?"

Everyone turned to look at Huo Ye. Was his tongue extra sharp today? The air was thick with tension. Jin Puxian didn't even have a chance to retort. It was clear that while it sounded like a verbal spat, Huo Ye was goading him into a physical fight, desperate to beat him up again. What was wrong with him? Why was he so aggressive right after leaving the hospital?

They would never understand the point of Huo Ye's grudge against Jin Puxian.

Unable to out-argue him, Jin Puxian simply snorted and turned his attention back to the fight.

The battle between Ruri Kazama and Mutō Mahiro had just begun, and the two had yet to clash.

Huo Ye rubbed his chin, thinking. Mutō Mahiro—another Yamato name. He recalled that the descendants of the Yamato people lived in the Rising Sun Colony. It wasn't a large place; surely these talented youngsters knew each other?

Huo Ye's logic was sound. The Rising Sun Colony was the site of the old world's island nation. Its size compared to the continent was like a chick to a bug, so it was only natural for prominent figures to know one another.

It was separated from the mainland by a sea, and since the calamities were mostly land-based—with few capable of flight—and humans didn't live in the ocean, aquatic disasters were extremely rare. Because of this, the high walls of the Rising Sun Colony were built several kilometers from the coastline, leaving space for the people to utilize marine resources. Compared to other colonies, it was the most ethnically concentrated and safest.

However, as soon as the two squared off, Huo Ye realized they had been bitter rivals back in the Rising Sun Colony. Or rather, Mutō Mahiro viewed Ruri Kazama as a rival. This dynamic felt so familiar—it was like a female version of the story between him and Lin Qijie!

"Hmph, Ruri Kazama, we finally get to settle this!" Mutō Mahiro was a spirited girl, her face possessing more masculine vigor than feminine grace, her long hair tied into a simple ponytail.

Huo Ye glanced at Shangguan Yudie. She also wore a ponytail, but while Mahiro’s look felt jarring, Yudie’s cleanliness was a natural temperament, independent of her hairstyle.

Hearing the provocation, Ruri Kazama merely yawned and said, "Haah... whatever makes you happy."

Several Galaxy members burst into laughter. It was just like Ruri: challenging a girl who didn't care about anything but eating and sleeping was like punching a cotton ball—completely ineffective and likely to leave you frustrated.

Mahiro, however, seemed even more incensed. She drew the katana from her waist and roared at Ruri, "Your Kazama family has always suppressed my Mutō family! Today, I will win back honor for the Mutō clan. We are the strongest ninja family in the Rising Sun Colony!"

"Then use your ninjutsu," Ruri countered. "You're using a katana to practice swordsmanship. Are you sure you're proving the superiority of your ninjutsu?"

Generally, a ninja's weapon wasn't a katana, but a ninjato and various ninja tools. A ninjato was shorter, around 24 inches, and of lower quality than a samurai's katana, with a much duller blade. It was meant for stabbing rather than slashing. If a ninja fought a samurai with their respective blades, the ninja would be at a disadvantage and forced to resort to other means.

In the era of supernatural abilities, the ninja's original purpose of stealth and assassination had faded, as battles with calamities now required head-on confrontation. Although the multi-functional nature of the ninjato remained, the blades were now far sharper than before.

Mahiro shouted, "Enough talk! Take this!"

Ruri yawned, raised her umbrella, caught the handle with one hand, and drew a blade from within.

*Clang!* The katana struck the ninjato drawn from the umbrella handle. Ruri smiled and asked, "Tell me, why do you think defeating me means defeating the Kazama-style ninjutsu? Don't you know that I... am a 'My-Style' ninja?"