Only Human Here 12

Yang Sheng , who had been watching the battle from below, also sensed that something was amiss. Originally, his attention had been focused on his younger sister, not for any other reason but his concern that Yang Ling might lose control and cause irreparable consequences. However, he was surprised that this seemingly slender and frail human youth could hold out for so long, exceeding his expectations.

In the final moments, to others, it appeared as a lucky strike under passive defense, but Yang Sheng could see through it. It was clearly a feigned move to lure the snake out of its hole.

He began to doubt the origins of this human youth.

Being defeated by a human was a significant blow to Yang Ling's pride, but she didn't react with the embarrassment that Wei Huan had anticipated. Instead, she silently stood up, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes fixed on Wei Huan, and her chin remained proudly raised.

"Who told you to hold back? If you have the guts, go all out."

She charged forward once again, her body swift, and with her somewhat immature voice, she taunted, "A weakling isn't worthy of being my opponent."

Wei Huan smiled, stepping aside to dodge her fierce attack, his lips involuntarily curling. "Alright, I'll take that as your acknowledgment of my ability."

The gigantic hourglass above them completed its final turn in mid-air, then came to a stop.

"The first half ends."

The halftime break was only three minutes. Wei Huan checked the main injuries on his body. He never cared about such things before, but now he was in a human body, which wasn't as resilient. When he tilted his head back, he noticed something sticky on his shoulder and reached to grab it.

In his palm lay a small, white ball-like creature resembling a sea urchin.

Oh,  isn't this… With nowhere to hide, Wei Huan pretended nothing had happened and tossed the little ball aside. However, it bounced back, still making joyful sounds, and ended up sticking to the top of Wei Huan's head.

"Are you trying to sell me out?" Wei Huan couldn't help but glance at Yun Yongzhuo. To his surprise, Yun Yongzhuo was also looking at him, his expression carrying more than the previous cold indifference.

He thought he'd finally escape this little troublemaker after his death…

This little creature had become an old friend of his.

When Wei Huan was on a mission, this guy stuck to him and sneaked into the mountains and seas, never to be driven away. He didn't even know what kind of creature it was, and it didn't seem to have any hostile intentions. It could change in size, getting both larger and smaller.

"I've noticed this thing is loyal to individuals," Yang Sheng analyzed. "You see, no matter who you attach it to, it always ends up back with you. And no matter what illusion others use to change your appearance, this little thing can always find you."

Wei Huan sighed, "Isn't that right? Last time, I asked someone to help me hide during a class skip, and this little guy immediately clung to me, exposing me. A real teammate."

Upon hearing this, the small furry ball on his shoulder made a pitiful sound. Wei Huan turned to look at it, saying, "You're whining again. If you whine more, I'll pin you down with Wind Blades."

The small ball immediately shrank to the size of a small gold coin and slipped beneath Wei Huan's collar.

Wei Huan and Yang Sheng stood in the Fayao formation on the Shanhai Plaza, next to Yansui. Yun Yongzhuo had only appeared for less than a minute, and the formations on both sides were already causing a commotion. Wei Huan turned his head and glanced without realizing it.

There was only a gap of a few inches between them, one wearing the blue Fayao school uniform and the other in the deep red Yansui uniform, both at the center of the same crowd.

However, the momentarily quiet and strange little furry ball suddenly jumped out and landed between the two. It rapidly expanded in size, becoming a ball with a diameter of a dozen centimeters, wedging itself perfectly between Yun Yongzhuo and Wei Huan's arms.

"What the heck are you doing?" Wei Huan tried to pull the furry ball, but it was stuck firmly and the more he pulled, the louder it cried. The flag-raising ceremony had already started, and the headmaster was on stage. Wei Huan panicked and hushed it, "Shh! If you keep making noise, I'll really punish you! Hush, let go quickly."

Yun Yongzhuo's brow furrowed, and Wei Huan felt even more embarrassed, "I swear I didn't encourage this."

Seemed like there was no easy way out of this.

Wei Huan tried to move towards his side, but the furry ball stuck relentlessly, dragging Yun Yongzhuo along with it. He frowned, said nothing, and his Light Blade flew out, heading straight for the furry ball, which went into a frenzy of panicked cries.

"Hey, no, no, no!" Wei Huan reached out to block the Light Blade. The sharp tip was just a hair's breadth away from his skin. Yun Yongzhuo stared at Wei Huan with his cold amber eyes and didn't retract the Light Blade.

"If you stab him, he'll die," Wei Huan whispered, gingerly pulling his hand out again, trying to remove the Light Blade, but it was firmly stuck. It was so awkward that he could only try to pull the furry ball, but that didn't work either.

This was embarrassing. Wei Huan took a deep breath; whoever liked it could stick together, and they could deal with it after the flag-raising ceremony.

But Yun Yongzhuo didn't want to just tolerate being stuck with Wei Huan. The girls behind them were already starting to gossip. He sheathed the Light Blade, tugging his right arm impatiently.

"Yip!"

Wei Huan was pulled between the two formations, almost stumbling.

"Damn it," Wei Huan was getting frustrated. He didn't want to be stuck with Yun Yongzhuo, and with this thought in mind, he raised his left arm and forcefully yanked it to the right. Yun Yongzhuo was pulled slightly, losing his balance.

Seemingly even more agitated, he swung his arm vigorously, with a tremendous force. Wei Huan was pulled right into the Yansui formation, crashing into Yun Yongzhuo and falling on top of him, luckily not causing any harm.

"Yip yip yip! Yip yip yip yip yip…"

Gravity and inertia were masterfully pulling and pushing the two teenagers, forcing them to maintain close contact.

Wei Huan crashed into the Yansui formation, and Yun Yongzhuo stumbled under the sudden force. His hair was tossed, revealing the beautiful flame pattern on his forehead. His gaze fell on it, then involuntarily shifted down to meet Wei Huan's eyes.

In those transparent, snow-melting eyes, he saw a slightly bewildered version of himself.

Damn that little furry ball.

"The countdown to the second half begins," Yun Yongzhuo's cold and self-assured voice pulled Wei Huan out of his thoughts. He turned his head to look at the person. His expression remained impeccably indifferent and carried an irresistibly noble air no matter the situation.

The small furry ball on top of his head hopped onto Wei Huan's shoulder, emitting faint yips.

It seemed like he hadn't noticed anything amiss. Wei Huan thought, or perhaps Yun Yongzhuo simply didn't remember anything related to him. It was just a small furry monster that clung only to him, and the esteemed Son of the Sun wouldn't bother to remember such a thing.

Wei Huan took a deep breath. There were only ten seconds left in the countdown, and he was seriously considering whether to forfeit. However, he didn't know if his current score would be enough to secure a spot in the Shanhai competition. If he gave up now, he might waste all his previous efforts.

Yang Ling raised her left hand, and flames began to gather in her palm. The fiery red flames gradually transformed into a blooming red lotus.

Her opponent was a Bi Fang bird. How could he possibly win?

"I'll give you credit for not surrendering when facing me," Yang Ling said with a soft voice. She twirled her finger, gathering the flames into a cluster, and the red lotus vanished. When her delicate jade-like finger began to spin again, the palm opened up to reveal another red lotus. "However…"

Dozens of red lotuses flew towards Wei Huan in an instant, and the scorching flames rushed towards him.

Yang Ling raised an eyebrow, her voice playful, "This way, you might get beaten to death by me."

Wei Huan dodged the lotuses one by one, panting, and stared into Yang Ling's eyes. These tricks were nothing to Yang Ling; they were just appetizers and not worth mentioning.

Seeing Wei Huan, who had been bickering incessantly before, fall silent, Yang Ling smiled, and the purple marks at the corners of her eyes rose beautifully. Behind her, a pair of deep blue, red-spotted wings unfolded, and she soared into the sky, the flapping wings creating a strong gust of wind.

Wei Huan lowered his head, the strong gusts making it almost impossible to keep his eyes open. He took small steps backward, his slender frame unable to withstand the monstrous wind.

He had never thought that there would come a day when the wind would force him to retreat.

Yang Ling raised her hands, whispering, "You have no sense of fun." She continued in a soft voice, "Let's finish this quickly, so my brother won't accuse me of bullying you." With that, she hurled the red lotus in her palm fiercely to the ground. Two huge red lotuses exploded instantly.

Boom! Boom! Two loud bangs, and the spot where Wei Huan had stood had been blown apart. The thick smoke filled the area, obscuring everyone's vision.

The spectators in the stands were also nervous.

"Is this human guy done for?"

"Bi Fang is indeed formidable. Fire magic has the strongest offensive power. But this little girl didn't directly target the vital spots of the human boy, probably not intending to kill him."

"After all, this kind of competition is quite senseless. Which yao would willingly fight a human? It's embarrassing."

The dense smoke gradually dissipated, revealing a figure still standing.

He hasn't fallen yet… Yang Ling furrowed her brow. She waved her arm, and a red lotus flew directly at the ground in front of Wei Huan. The fiery lotus exploded like an artillery barrage. As she wished, Wei Huan's right knee couldn't hold, and he knelt down on the ground.

"If this continues, he won't be able to stand up in no time."

"If he can't stand up, just declare it a loss."

Yang Ling couldn't be bothered to continue the struggle. She used the same method again, and Wei Huan knelt on both knees, his palms supporting the rubble.

Yun Yongzhuo watched him kneeling amidst the wreckage, his face obscured by the smoke. This posture reminded him of someone else.

He didn't understand why this human didn't choose to surrender. No matter how much training he had undergone, he couldn't possibly contend with a powerful fire-type monster.

The only possibility…

Suddenly, Yang Sheng, who had been observing from below, flew up and stopped in mid-air, carefully watching the human youth.

"He seems unable to move," Yang Sheng used telepathy to communicate with Yun Yongzhuo, while also giving him a meaningful look.

Yun Yongzhuo glanced back at Yang Sheng, saying nothing and only looking at Wei Huan.

The truth was that Wei Huan didn't refuse to surrender; he simply couldn't move at this moment!

He felt a piercing pain throughout his body, his limbs rigid. It seemed that the intense battle had triggered the venom of the Hook Kiss within him. Now, he couldn't even stand, let alone fight back.

As long as Yang Ling initiated the final attack on his chest, he would surely collapse and be unable to stand again.

"I won't torment you any further," Yang Ling said, "after all, you're one of the few with any courage in this weak species." She twirled her twin tails to the side of her face. Her right arm suddenly opened, and her palm faced Wei Huan. A massive red lotus flew towards Wei Huan's bowed head like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Huan felt that his body was no longer under his control.

Suddenly, he raised his head, and at the moment when the fire lotus was about to collide, an inexplicable force, seemingly pulling his bones from the top of his skull, forced him to face the red lotus head-on.

Yang Sheng was surprised, "This will kill him, Yun Yongzhuo!"

Yun Yongzhuo raised his hand, and the light shield flew out. However, in the next moment, something even more astonishing happened.

The fire lotus launched by Yang Ling unexpectedly stopped less than three millimeters from Wei Huan's forehead!

"How…?" Yang Ling pushed with all her might, but she felt an immense force preventing her from pushing the red lotus closer. She tried again and even used her left hand to hold down her right wrist, but that force only grew stronger. "What's going on…?"

Two forces were in a tug-of-war. Wei Huan seemed to be momentarily controlled, but it clearly wasn't his ability.

Boom!

Yang Ling was eventually defeated, and the fire lotus was pushed out in mid-air, exploding into a mushroom cloud of smoke. Wei Huan's body relaxed, propelled by the force of the explosion, he was flung out of the dueling platform.

Just as Yang Sheng was about to fly to catch him, Yun Yongzhuo's light tendrils arrived first, entwining the unconscious Wei Huan.

While he caught him in time, Yun Yongzhuo seemed somewhat distracted. He furrowed his brow and looked at his own hand, which had remained completely motionless.

Sparks danced at his fingertips, crackling.

But he hadn't intentionally summoned fire.

He flicked his wrist, and the light tendrils lifted the boy's body into the air, casting him into his embrace, with his wings outstretched.

The wind tousled his bangs, revealing the unfamiliar face that had fallen into unconsciousness.

His heart was pounding fiercely within his empty chest, his chest felt tight, and his fingers unconsciously tightened. For the first time in seven years Holding onto a faint glimmer of hope.