Chapter 44: Straight Talk with One Mouth. Imperial Combat Arena. Part 1

Imperial Combat Arena.

Li You pushed open the heavy door, and the first thing that met his eyes was the circular sand table arena, exactly the same as it had been more than a decade ago without any changes, though the stepped spectator areas on all four sides had expanded considerably.

Li You looked around with his head tilted back and slowly walked toward the arena. He spotted the person sitting cross-legged in the center of the arena from quite a distance away.

He paused his steps, feeling inexplicably a bit nervous.

By the current timeline, it had been over ten years since he last saw Teacher Moger. But after Li You had died and then awakened, that intervening decade had been just a blink of an eye for him—no memories, no real sense of it—so their parting felt like it had happened just yesterday.

His feelings were completely different from those who had truly lived through that decade.

Ten years was a long stretch of time. His departure had become a distant memory long ago for those who remembered him.

Once he realized that, Li You naturally gained a clear sense of their years apart.

He approached step by step and stopped a few paces away, looking at Teacher Moger who sat cross-legged with his back to him. He coughed nervously and solemnly, then greeted politely, “Good afternoon, Teacher Moger.”

The man sitting cross-legged froze for a moment upon hearing him, then immediately turned his head. Disbelief showed on that face scarred with old wounds as he stood and strode over quickly, stopping in front of Li You. His single thick eyebrow furrowed tightly. “Your Highness Li Ye notified me that a student would be coming to the Imperial Combat Arena this afternoon. It’s you?”

Li You nodded. “It’s me.”

“…” Moger looked him up and down. That already fierce bronze face remained stern. After a moment, he pulled out his light brain and reread the message from Your Highness Li Ye, then lifted his eyes to the blond youth before him. “You look a lot like one of my former students.”

Li You blinked. “Really?”

“Yes, he was the worst-performing imperial student I ever taught.”

“…” Li You forced a polite smile. “That bad, huh?”

“Not particularly awful.” Moger crossed his arms and snorted. “If that kid had studied sincerely, how could he have lost to anyone else? He clearly had talent in shooting but didn’t cherish it properly.”

As he spoke, he scrutinized the youth before him again. “These days, imperial noble children don’t come to this place to learn combat techniques anymore. Years ago, they all switched to the Imperial Military schools. This arena only gets used for annual competitions now. Your Highness Li Ye had me come teach a student, and I was wondering why it had to be here.”

“Because I can’t go to the military academy right now.” Li You scratched his cheek. “The entrance exams take a lot of time, and I don’t want to pull strings—that wouldn’t be fair to the others.”

“Having me give you private lessons one-on-one isn’t pulling strings?” Moger stared at him and asked.

“You were already my teacher, so this doesn’t count as private lessons, right?” Li You laughed twice. “Teacher Moger, I was a bit playful back then, but that’s all in the past. Isn’t it not too late to change now?”

“You brat…” Moger took a deep breath, covered his eyes with one hand, and only moved it away after a long while. The area around those slightly cloudy pupils, injured years ago, had reddened noticeably. “What did I tell you back then? It’s never too late to buckle down, no matter when. As long as you’re willing to study properly.”

“Got it.” Li You clasped his hands behind his back. “Then I’ll be in your care from now on, Coach Moger.”

“You damn brat!” Moger stared straight at him, his eyes threaded with red veins, his words gritted out through clenched molars. All the words he wanted to say boiled down to one sentence in the end. “Just glad you’re back.”

Li You’s heart ached sourly, so he quickly brought up the main topic. “Teacher, my brother’s coming back in five days to check my training progress. Time’s tight—when do we start practicing?”

Moger adjusted his mindset swiftly. “What task did he give you?”

“Beat him within two bouts.”

“Hiss…” Moger rubbed his chin and looked Li You up and down again, shaking his head. “That’s tough.”

“Come on, Teacher, have some faith in me!” Li You said pitifully. “I already bragged big time to my brother and told him to watch and see.”

“It’s not that I lack faith in you.” Moger rubbed his forehead with one hand. “You know how formidable that Li Ye kid is.”

Li You drooped his eyes. “Yes, I know.”

“We’ve got to give it a shot anyway.” He muttered, then asked Moger, “So where do we start training?”

Moger turned around immediately. “No training this afternoon. Come with me.”

Li You felt puzzled and surprised but still trailed after him like a little tail. “No training? Then what are we doing?”

“Taking you to check out the military academy and walk around a bit.” Moger pulled out his light brain and asked, “What do you want for dinner? I’ll have Teacher Lisa make a few dishes.”

Li You was stunned for a moment. “Wouldn’t that be wasting too much time?”

“Training can’t be rushed. I need to assess your current foundation first before making a plan.” Moger urged him. “Come on, what do you want for dinner?”

“But my brother…”

“If you can’t beat him this time, you can’t beat him. There’ll be other chances later. Don’t rush it.”

“Oh…”

“What to eat?”

“Fish.” Li You counted on his fingers. “I want steamed fish, braised fish, and Teacher Lisa’s chestnut cake.”

“Were you a cat in your past life, kid?” Moger sent the message, pocketed his light brain, and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to see the military academy. The freshmen should be in their entry training right now.”

Li You pulled out his sunglasses and hung them on his nose bridge, then jogged to keep up with Moger.

Moger glanced at him a few times. “You look about seventeen or eighteen now, right in the prime age for enrollment. I’ll discuss it with Li Ye later—entering the academy would be a good choice for you.”

“But I just want you to teach me.” Li You said. “And my brother.”

“You’ve got good taste, kid.” Moger’s mood improved noticeably. “You can take my classes at the military academy. I teach both combat and theory.”

Li You went quiet for a few seconds. “I’ll think about it later. I don’t really want to go somewhere with a lot of people.”

“You…” Moger paused, then said no more, just sighing soundlessly. “Those upsetting things from before were indeed stifling. I respect your choice—we can train at the arena then.”

“Mm, thanks, Teacher.”

“By the way.” Moger couldn’t hold back from asking, “What exactly happened to you? Over ten years, and you haven’t changed a bit in appearance. Where were you this past decade?”

Li You gave a wry smile. “I died ten years ago. I don’t know how I came back either—anyway, this is how I am now.”

“…” Moger frowned and looked ahead. “Fine, forget I asked.”

Li You shook his head. “It’s nothing. I don’t mind talking about it.”

“No one likes dredging up painful pasts. You think I don’t know you, kid?” Moger said. “Let bygones be bygones, but you don’t have to forgive those who slandered you back then. Venting or throwing tantrums is fine—it’s your right not to let anyone bring it up.”

Moger looked down at him. “You just need to make yourself comfortable. Don’t worry about the rest.”

Li You listened in a daze and looked up. “Teacher, you’ve got so much life wisdom now.”

“Just lived long enough, that’s all.” Moger crossed his arms and asked, “How many people know you’re back?”

Li You thought for a moment and counted them off. “My brother, Yulian, and Big Bro, Second Bro, Third Sis, plus a few officers close to my brother. I think that’s it.”

“That’s quite a few.” Moger tsked. “Those brats knew and didn’t even tell me.”

He looked at Li You again. “You too, kid.”

“Heh heh.” Li You laughed twice, trying to gloss it over.

“Don’t ‘heh heh’ me. I know you were scared of me back then.” Moger called him out. “I punished you because you wouldn’t listen. If you’d trained properly, would I have needed to?”

“I know.”

“Good that you do.”

Remembering the old days, Li You suddenly asked, “Teacher Moger, did you and Teacher Lisa get married?”

“We’ve been married eight years now…” Moger paused mid-sentence and scratched his hair. “Too bad you missed the wedding. I’ll buy you a pack of wedding candy separately in a few days.”

“Yay.” Li You clapped his hands, sincerely blessing them. “Wishing you both a long and happy life together.”

“Just you and your sweet mouth.”

The Imperial Military Academy was built not far from the Imperial Military, its four major districts already forming a complete system. Li You followed Teacher Moger to the freshman combat arena, his sunglasses “welded” to his face the whole time, firmly staying away from crowded areas.

Perhaps sensing his mindset, Moger avoided crowds too, merely greeting old acquaintances from afar and brushing off any students who came up to say hello with a few words.

Li You quietly observed the vibrant students filling the field until he saw Teacher Moger brush off a familiar face for the fifth time. Finally, he spoke up. “Teacher, don’t worry about me. Go chat with them.”

“These little punks should be practicing. You think I’m doing it for you?” Moger gave him a sidelong glance.

“Oh…” Li You smacked his lips and continued looking down at the field. Suddenly, he spotted Li Ming in the crowd, who happened to look up at the same moment.

Li You quickly shifted his gaze away, pretending not to see.

“…” Moger noticed the odd atmosphere between the brothers. He glanced at Li Ming below and said to Li You, “Li Ming got injured on an off-world mission recently and had to pause his field ops. With the freshmen short on instructors this year, they had him fill in.”

Li You: “Oh.”

His reaction was indifferent.

Moger felt helpless inside. Of course he knew the brothers’ relationship hadn’t been good before. Tracing it back, it was Li Ming who had been in the wrong.

Over a decade ago, the empire’s situation had been unstable, pollution sources rampant, and the empire desperately short on warriors. Countless eyes watched the imperial family’s every move, especially the noble children in the Imperial Palace—not to mention the king’s princes at the time.

The worst-performing Li You had long been in the eye of the storm. In the public’s mouth, he was irresponsible, mischievous, and lazy, even criticized for having no sense of duty.

Meanwhile, the other three princes’ attitudes toward Li You had grown colder year by year, eventually turning to exclusion and disgust.

Moger had once heard Li Ming angrily call Li You a waste.