Unsheathed

Upon first arriving at the Great Sui Nation's Mountain Cliff Academy to study, Li Huai had been severely bullied by his classmates and the other students. However, there was always brightness after gloom, and not only did the bullying eventually stop, but he even managed to make two new friends. They were the same age as him, and one was a talented student from a poor family, Liu Guan.

The other was the descendant of a wealthy clan in the Great Sui Nation, Ma Lian.

Liu Guan was extremely bold and courageous even though he was from a poor family, and he would always come up with peculiar and unrestrained thoughts. On the other hand, it was surprisingly Ma Lian who was timid and cowardly even though he came from the most well-off family of the three friends. He was always hesitant and nervous, and this caused him to become a little lackey of Liu Guan and Li Huai, always following them around and playing with them.

Ma Lian was from a first-rate clan in the Great Sui Nation, one which was related through marriage to the Geyang Gao Clan. Not only that, but Ma Lian was also a direct descendant and the eldest grandson. Thus, many students in the Great Sui Nation's Mountain Cliff Academy ostracized and ridiculed him now that he was hanging out with Li Huai and Liu Guan, calling him a pathetic lackey and a money bag.

Summer arrived, and the three children who were in the same year, same class, and same dorm continued to sneak out of their dorm even when the academy started to enforce a night curfew. They went to the lakeside to cool down, and this was an act that would earn them a good scolding and the punishment of transcribing texts, standing in a corner, and rulers to the palm if they were caught by a teacher.

Liu Guan led the way tonight, and he walked with a confident swagger as if he were a teacher on night patrol on the academy grounds. Li Huai looked around in a relatively cautious manner, while Ma Lian had a reluctant expression as he hung his head and carefully followed behind Li Huai.

The three of them arrived at the lake without a hitch, and Liu Guan took off his boots and dipped his feet into the slightly cool lake water. However, he felt like something was still missing, so he turned to his relieved friend and said, "Ma Lian, it's so humid and hot in summer, and if I remember correctly, isn't your Ma Clan regarded as having the best fan collection in the capital? When you return home, remember to grab three fans and give Li Huai and me one fan each. That way, we can cool ourselves down when we do homework after class."

There was a pitiable expression on Ma Lian's face as he replied, "My grandpa cherishes those fans the most, and he treats each fan like a treasure close to his heart. He won't give them to me."

Liu Guan rolled his eyes and said, "Then just steal a few fans that your grandpa doesn't look at often. Even if he finds out, will he truly beat you to death?"

Ma Lian truly wanted to cry.

Li Huai smoothed things over and said, "Forget about it. Ma Lian is a scaredy-cat, and his expression always gives him away. If he truly goes home to steal a few fans, it's extremely likely that his mom and dad will immediately notice something amiss."