"Did you get hurt last night?"
"I was lucky I wasn't killed!"
"I knew the dragons would fight. Gathering them together is basically a death sentence."
"I heard Yan Wuhen and Rong Yue went to the manor…"
The hall buzzed with excited, terrified, breathless voices. Students clustered in pairs and groups, reliving the chaos from the night before.
Ningyan sat in his usual seat with Rong Chao beside him.
Rong Chao hadn't said a word since arriving.
Ningyan wasn't much better.
Yan Wuhen's words echoed in his head. A phoenix. A slave. He didn't know whether to feel excited, disturbed, or furious and uncertainty sat heavily in his chest.
"Quiet!"
The deer beastman teacher strode in, and the hall fell silent instantly. He stopped at the front, his sharp gaze sweeping over the students.
"How many of you are disciples of the seniors?"
Hands went up across the room.
Ningyan raised his as well.
