Chapter 4: Cow Fever

Rihan's consciousness slowly returned to his body, and the darkness that he'd experienced before began to fade. He felt something tapping his head gently, trying to wake him up.

"Umm…" he moaned, "I feel… dizzy."

His eyelids fluttered open and the first thing that greeted him was the eyes of the woman standing beside him.

"Miss Shurong?"

She smiled and nodded.

"So first you didn't pay attention in class, and now you dare to be sleeping during my lecture!?" she scolded.

"Wait, I can explai-" Rihan tried to say but then quickly realized how silly it sounded as soon as he opened his mouth. His brain wasn't functioning properly at all right now. His body is still trying to adapt to the new soul inside of him after all.

Suddenly, Miss Shurong raised her hand above her hands and it came crashing down onto Rihan's face. Sensing this, Rihan without thinking quickly mustered his strength and dodge the attack while jumping backwards.

Miss Shurong's eyes widened as she realized that she had just missed her target. She had definitely aimed to strike at the forehead, but she missed her mark.

Although she didn't use her true strength against Rihan, she is still considered an Elite in the whole of Irricester Mountain Range.

Even the most powerful fighters around her ranks would be scared of her attacks what more a new student that just entered the Institute.

It doesn't matter if he has awakened his core or not, even the strongest student will surely fear for their life when faced with such power.

If one were to look deeper into his movements, one'll realize that the quick dodge from Rihan wasn't done on instinct alone. Instead, it seemed like he already knew where Miss Shurong would aim.

This could only mean two things: either he saw through her intentions somehow, or he had the ability to do it.

Miss Shurong narrowed her gaze upon the boy who stood across from her. Her lips curled upwards slightly. A small part of her wanted to see him suffer some sort of punishment because of his actions earlier.

Sensing this, Rihan quickly apologized profusely, "I am sorry, Miss." Rihan apologized and bowed.

However, Miss Shurong simply shook her head lightly.

"No need," she said softly. Then suddenly, she reached out toward Rihan. As expected, Rihan stepped back reflexively once again.

"No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting you to get away so easily. You were supposed to be an insignificant weakling."

"Oh-", Rihan thought about what Miss Shurong had said and quickly understood his situation. So basically, saying 'it's fine' meant that there are no hard feelings?

But why did she have to mention anything about me being weak though?

"Did I really return back to the time when I am still alive?" he wondered, in disbelief.

He slowly remembered the time he died—the moment when he lost everything, including himself. All those memories flashed before his eyes and he couldn't help but shudder.

Miss Shurong's eyes narrowed as her gaze fell upon her student.

"You seem to be-" Miss Shurong was about to inquire but was cut off by Sung Li waking up from his trance. The commotion must have woken him up since. He looks around while he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"What happened here?" Sung Li asked curiously.

Rihan sensing an opportunity immediately took advantage of the distraction provided by Sung Li and came up with an excuse. He decided to play the dumb card, which was probably the best move considering the circumstances.

"I'm terribly sorry!" Rihan exclaimed loudly enough for everyone present to hear clearly, "But please don't punish us any further, Miss Shurong! If possible!"

Rihan turned towards Miss Shurong, begging desperately. In response, Miss Shurong looked at him coldly.

"Huh?!" Sung Li exclaimed in shock.

"Sung Li!" Rihan turned to look at him, "Are you okay!?"

"I'm alright, but…why do I feel so tir-?"

"I think I understand," Rihan interjected, "Oh my! My brother! You must've fainted due to the Cow's Fever!"

"What Cow's Fever? You're the Cow her-" Sung Li felt indignant but was cut off again as Rihan delivered a blow to his stomach.

"Oufff…" Sung Li groaned.

"Shut up, just do what I say if you want to get out of here alive," Rihan whispered.

"Huh…?" Sung Li look at Rihan with a confused face before his eye fell on Miss Shurong, finally understanding the situation. He took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.

"Ooooh, that…the Cow's Fever! Argh! My head, my tummy…" He decided to play along with whatever story Rihan came up with. After all, it wouldn't hurt too much compared to getting punished with Miss Shurong's unending lecture.

Rihan was glad that he agreed, for it meant that he would have an easier time escaping. At the next moment, as quickly as he stood, he bow respectfully before Miss Shurong and spoke in a trembling voice, "Miss Shurong, it looks like we can't delay any longer. I will bring Sung Li to the infirmary. Please excuse us."

Miss Shurong stared at him, her eyes burning with fury.

"You were trying to run away, weren't you?" she asked, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Rihan froze.

"I don't know how to answer this, Miss. But, I was only thinking of saving my friend's life."

Behind Sung Li acting was on full display now. His face grew pale and his lips trembled with fear. He kept glancing at Rihan, hoping that the latter would come up with another way out of the predicament they found themselves in.

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"Don't lie to me," Miss Shurong said with a snarl.

Sung Li looked at Rihan with pleading eyes, begging for help.

"This brat…" Rihan thought to himself.

He knew that they would never win against an Elite fighter, even if he was alone. But this guy is really putting his dignity on the line.

He has to act fast.

Miss Shurong remained silent for a few seconds. She then gave a light nod.

Rihan rub his head and knew that Miss Shurong is only trying to teach them a lesson because they were slacking in class. He was about to apologize again when Miss Shurong cut in.

"I'll let you two go for now but if you dared to slack off again then you shall pay for it. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" they both answered in unison.

"Fine, go ahead." She replied curtly, "Now, get out of my sight," she commanded.

They looked at each other and bowed their heads again before they left the room, feeling like they had just received a lifetime of punishment.

Miss Shurong looked at their retreating backs until they disappeared from view then she raised her palm and brought it down.

She instantly showed an expression of deep contemplation. A smile spread across her face.

"Interesting… I can't wait to see how things turn out."

***

After leaving the classroom, Rihan walked alongside Sung Li while he carried his backpack on his shoulders. They headed toward the main building where all the students lived.

However, something caught their attention near the entrance of the school; it was none other than the girl from their class.

The young woman stood still, staring at the ground. Her long black hair swayed gently behind her as the wind blew past. Her lips curved up into the tiniest of smiles. The sunlight reflected from her silver eyes as she gazed at them.

"Hey, Xiao Yi Ling!" Rihan called to her and waved spontaneously as he approached her.

Xiao Yi Ling lifted her head, her gaze falling upon Rihan.

"Xiao Yi, are you all right!? Did anything happen!?" Rihan asked. However, Rihan quickly snapped back to reality.

"Why is he calling me by the name?" Xiao Yi Ling muttered to herself. It was obvious that she doesn't recognize him.

"Agh, I forgot, we didn't know each other yet during this time! How could I forget!?" Rihan panicked. He did not expect to meet her ever again so quickly again in this timeline.

"Who are you looking for?" Sung Li asked after noticing the direction of Rihan's gaze.

"No one," he responded indifferently, "I was just wondering where everyone went."Her face turned red and her eyes darted around.

"W-who are you calling Xiao Yi!? That's not my name!" Xiao Yi Ling responded.

"Rihan, do you know this girl? Small fish? What a peculiar name" Sung Li asked.

"Small fish? Is she your sister?" Sung Li questioned.

"No, she's not my family member or anything! I just call her that because she is small! Like her size! It's nothing else! Nothing more, nothing less." Rihan retorted.

"You two seem to be friends. Why don't you introduce yourselves first? We have already met, so there's no need to be so formal," Sung Li suggested.

"Hmph!" Xiao Yi Ling huffed, "I'm no small fry. I am an important person here. No one can simply address me as 'small fish'."

Sung Li glanced back at the girl, "Well, it seems that her name is actually not 'small fish'. I wonder why she would be called such."

"I don't care, I don't need to explain myself to you, you moron!" snapped. She seemed annoyed at Sung Li's question but she wasn't angry enough to argue back. Instead, she simply turned around and started walking away.

Rihan simply watched as Xiao Yi Ling walked away. She is tall and slender with long legs that make her look like she's standing on tiptoes at times. She had the same features that he remembered. The nose, the lips, the ears, the cheekbones.

She has pale skin and black hair which falls in soft waves down to about halfway up her back. Her eyes are silver and large giving off an airy feeling when you're near them. It looks as if there should be some kind of secret hidden behind those eyes She had the same features that he remembered.

The nose, the lips, the ears. But he could tell that she had changed, her hair is no longer silver. She was different from the person in his memory.

Rihan looked at Sung Li, who shrugged and said, "I guess she's gone-"

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A bell rang loudly in the air signalling the end of school hours.

"I'm going back to the dormitory. I don't know if I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have fun!" Rihan quickly bid farewell before turning on his heels and heading towards the gates.

In his mind, he's trying hard to keep his thoughts at bay. He could feel his memories overflowing with events from the future. He was glad that he had made it out alive from the Soul Merging Ritual.

He recalled his fight alongside Sung Li which was short-lived after Sung Li was crushed by a dragon. In the next moment, he flashbacks to his battle against Miss Shurong and how he was forced to kill her. Then, he remembered how he managed to escape with Xiao Yi's help.

He tried his best to ignore the painful memories flooding in and focused on his current situation as he ran in the direction of his dorm.

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