Bruce's Pov
"See you later, Uncle, Jackie!" I waved, stepping out of the shop in my crisp new uniform. Jackie grinned and waved back while Uncle muttered something about "no running into trouble on first day" with his tea cup still in hand.
The bus ride was quiet, but the moment I stepped off near the school gates, the noise hit me. My feet carried me past the familiar middle school building—smaller, noisier, somehow less intimidating now—and into the looming high school wing.
The air changed instantly. Groups of students clustered around the courtyard, and as soon as I walked in, heads started to turn. Fingers pointed. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Isn't that him…?"
"Yeah, the guy who fought and won against Feng."
"No way"
"Doesn't look like it…"
I didn't bother responding. Let them whisper. My steps stayed calm, my chin lifted. If I showed even a flicker of doubt, they'd eat me alive.
Then I spotted them. Tao, Zhang Weiren, Lin Qiun, Guo Minghao, and Mei Yanyan gathered near the entrance benches.
My friends. Except, instead of smiles, I was met with sharp looks—annoyance plain on their faces.
Before I could even wave, Tao and Mei Yanyan stormed up to me.
"What happened to you?!" Yanyan blurted, her eyes wide with both relief and irritation. "You just disappeared after saying we'd meet—then nothing!"
"Yeah!" Tao piled on, his brows knotted. "You told us we'd hang out the next day, and then you vanished! I even went to your house, Bruce, and your uncle just said you were training! For the entire holiday?!"
Zhang Weiren folded his arms, frowning. Lin Qiun gave me a look that screamed you'd better have a good excuse. Guo Minghao didn't say much, but his raised brow told me he was listening very carefully.
Their words hit me all at once. I raised my hands defensively, chuckling nervously.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, guys. One question at a time."
That only earned me five pairs of sharp eyes burning holes through me. Even Zhang Weiren, usually calm, looked like he was ready to throw me against the wall for answers.
I exhaled and raised my hands in surrender. "Okay… okay, I get it. You're all mad. I vanished on you guys but let me try to explain."
"You'd better," Tao said, his arms crossed, chin lifted like he was the jury and executioner both. His brows furrowed so hard it almost looked comical—if he wasn't glaring at me.
"Mm." Zhang Weiren gave a curt nod, his expression calm but unrelenting. The guy could probably interrogate criminals with just his silence.
Mei Yanyan leaned forward, hands on her hips. "We worried, Bruce. You can't just disappear and expect us to sit around smiling."
Lin Qiun pushed up his glasses and muttered, "I already told them you were being reckless again. Looks like I was right."
And Guo Minghao? He just stayed leaning against the wall, arms folded loosely, his gaze sharp but not hostile. He had this way of observing like he was already three steps ahead.
I scratched the back of my head, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, yeah. I deserved that." Then I let my smile fade, my voice settling into something steadier. "After my fight with Feng… something happened."
That got their attention. Five pairs of eyes locked onto me at once.
"What happened?" Tao demanded immediately.
"Yeah, tell us!" Yanyan pressed, almost stepping closer.
I glanced at each of them before sighing. "Inside me… something stirred. Call it… dangerous. I don't fully understand it myself. Uncle didn't want me wandering around while it was unstable, so he locked me into a full-on training camp. Whole holiday, no breaks, just training."
That was half the truth. The other half—about my Wild Chi manifesting outside through raw intent—I couldn't share. Not yet.
"What do you mean by dangerous?" Zhang Weiren finally asked, voice calm but sharp, cutting right to the core. "Dangerous for you? Or for others?"
The kind of question I expected from him. I smiled faintly. "Both. That's why I had to keep myself under control. Uncle was right—if I'd just walked around the city with it unstable, something bad could've happened."
They all exchanged glances at that. Tao looked like he was ready to explode if I didn't give more details. "Bruce. Stop being mysterious. What exactly happened?"
On the outside, my expression stayed calm and my usual easygoing smile softened, but inside, my thoughts were far heavy
'Uncle was clear—I was not allowed to use my intent to draw out raw chi and manifest it outside and right now it isn't even possible after the creation my Lotus Seed
The Lotus seed for others acts just as a means to gain better control of their Chi, but mine is different.
I created my Lotus seed with the infusion of 'companionship' intent which works in harmony with the Wild Chi Will.
Then I placed the Seed between myself and the Chi as a Middle man who I control with my focused thoughts and clear.
Now, after my Lotus seed sprouts, I'll be able to control my Chi with commands rather than Intent unlike before. After the seed sprouts, I command my Lotus Seed and it uses the infused intent into the command and passes it to the Wild Chi 'Will' which responds, but it does come with a drawback.
Now I have to work twice as hard because the usual Lotus practitioner can control their Chi without an intent inside the Lotus Seed, but I have to keep working and strengthening the 'Companionship' intent inside the seed to maintain the Harmony between my Lotus Seed and Wild Chi Will.
Otherwise the Wild Chi Will will start to fluctuate like before.'
I shook my head slowly, my expression softening but firm. "It's… complicated. Too complicated to explain right now. I don't want to tell you half-truths and confuse you. But…" My lips curved into a small smirk. "When I master it completely, I'll show you."
"You'll show us?" Mei Yanyan raised a brow, clearly unconvinced.
"Yeah," I said simply. "Words won't do it justice. But when I've got it under control, you'll see for yourselves."
There was a brief silence. Then Lin Qiun sighed, adjusting his glasses again. "That sounds… suspicious. You vanish the entire holiday, come back looking smug, and now you tell us 'something dangerous happened inside me'? Sounds like the beginning of a bad movie plot."
I chuckled lightly. "You've been watching too many dramas, Lin."
Tao groaned, rubbing his temples. "Bruce, come on. Just one straight answer. Did it hurt you? Did it mess with your head? Are you still in danger now?"
I softened at his tone—underneath the irritation, he was worried. "No," I said firmly. "I'm fine. Better, actually. What happened back then… I've stabilized it. It's not something that's going to burst out randomly. Uncle made sure of that."
Zhang Weiren leaned back slightly, studying me. "Stabilized, huh?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "Think of it like… a wild river. Before, it just flowed wherever it wanted, no banks, no end. But now—it has a start and an end. I've built the riverbed. Everything flows where it's supposed to."
Mei Yanyan blinked, tilting her head. "That… actually makes sense."
"Not to me," Tao muttered. "That sounds like you're making excuses."
I just grinned, calm and unbothered. "Well, I guess you'll just have to trust me for now."
Lin Qiun shook his head, sighing. "So mysterious… so sketchy…"
"You are acting kind of sus," Guo Minghao finally spoke up, his voice even and measured. "But… you look okay. You don't feel like someone who's about to collapse. That's enough for now."
I nodded at him gratefully. "Thanks, Guo. At least one of you believes me."
"Don't get used to it," he replied smoothly, though I could see the faintest hint of amusement at the corner of his mouth.
Mei Yanyan exhaled sharply and placed her hands on her hips again. "Fine. You're alive, you're standing here, you're clearly fine. We'll accept your half-answer for now. But the second you start looking pale or acting weird, we're dragging you back to Uncle ourselves."
"Deal," I said, smiling.
Tao grumbled, still unconvinced. "You're hiding something. I'll figure it out."
"Good luck," I teased, smirking. "I've got layers like an onion. You'll cry before you reach the core."
That earned me a groan from Tao and a roll of the eyes from Lin Qiun.
"You're unbelievable," Lin muttered.
"Unbelievably cool," I corrected, straightening my collar.
"Unbelievably annoying," Tao shot back.
Weiren finally chuckled, a low and brief sound. "At least some things never change."
"Exactly." I grinned, throwing an arm around his shoulder as we started walking into the building together. "Come on, guys. High school's starting. We've got more important things to worry about than my mysterious training camp."
"Like what?" Yanyan asked suspiciously.
"Like lunch breaks, new teachers, and maybe—just maybe—me not getting detention in the first week," I said with exaggerated seriousness.
Lin Qiun groaned again. "I already have a headache."
Guo Minghao smirked faintly. "It's only the first day."
And just like that, the tension broke. We walked deeper into the high school building together, their chatter surrounding me. They weren't satisfied with my answers—not fully—but they accepted them for now.
And that was enough.
For now.
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