Xiao Wu Arrives

Ye Feiyang reacted swiftly, shoving the plaque into Zhu Zhuqing's arms before turning and running. "What are you still standing there for? Waiting to be scolded and made to pay damages? Run!"

As he ran, he secretly congratulated himself. Luckily, he had moved fast enough! Pay money? Absolutely impossible! He would never pay money in this lifetime!

Holding the heavy wooden plaque, Zhu Zhuqing watched her Master's back vanish faster than a wild rabbit. She did not know whether to laugh or cry.

She realized that her Master truly did not seem very reliable. He even had a rather mischievous side!

If it were her, she would never do something like this.

The two of them sprinted all the way, kicking up clouds of dust. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the dilapidated village where Shrek Academy was located.

From afar, a long, winding line had already formed at the village entrance.

"Little Zhu Qing..."

Ye Feiyang stopped and instructed her, "I think you were right. Preparations are crucial! Now, I have a glorious mission for you. Go ask whether that little courtyard across from Shrek Academy is for rent!"

Hugging the plaque, Zhu Zhuqing looked somewhat dazed. "What? Rent a house? Master, isn't this a little hasty?"

She had already guessed what Ye Feiyang intended to do.

Get a plaque, rent a little courtyard, and that counted as founding an academy?

"Hm?"

Ye Feiyang raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a faint smile. "On your very first day as my disciple, you already dare question your Master's decision?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not want such a charge pinned on her. Lowering her head, she replied, "A-Alright. I'll go ask right away!"

She handed the plaque to Ye Feiyang and turned to leave.

Even as she walked, she frantically complained to herself. Was something this careless not worth questioning?

She had only taken two steps when Ye Feiyang's earnest reminder drifted over from behind her on the wind:

"Remember to haggle! Slash the price hard!"

Zhu Zhuqing stumbled!

She steadied herself and took a deep breath. Full of frustration, she headed toward the rundown little courtyard.

Ye Feiyang strolled over slowly, his gaze falling upon the winding queue in front of Shrek Academy.

He could not understand it. Why would so many people come to enroll in an academy located in such a remote village?

It was truly baffling.

Carrying the plaque over his shoulder, he wandered through the crowd for several rounds but did not find the people he had come to see.

Thinking that the two of them probably had not arrived yet, he had just turned around when he saw Zhu Zhuqing across the street waving at him.

He walked straight over and asked, "How did it go? Is it settled?"

Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes at him lightly. "Ten Gold Coins a year. The courtyard is quite spacious. Master, what do you think of that price? Should we rent it?"

Ye Feiyang silently calculated the cost. In the end, he gritted his teeth. "Fine. Rent it first." As he spoke, he reluctantly took out ten Gold Coins and handed them to Zhu Zhuqing.

Seeing the look on his face, Zhu Zhuqing could not bring herself to reach out for them. She no longer needed to keep her enrollment fee, and the Gold Coins she had saved were just enough to rent this courtyard.

She could treat it as paying tuition.

After all, how could the things Ye Feiyang had given her possibly be measured in money?

Spending this little bit herself was more than worthwhile, and it would make her Master happy. "Master, keep your money. I'll pay the rent." With that, she turned and quickly headed toward the owner to discuss the details.

Seeing this, Ye Feiyang simply tucked the Gold Coins back into his pocket. He did not care who paid the bill.

Saving even a little was a good thing. To him, that was something worth being happy about.

He walked to the courtyard gate, gestured with his hands, then hung the plaque above the doorframe.

Just as he finished hanging it, the original owner's family came out carrying bags and bundles. They met his eyes, then left without the slightest reluctance.

Ye Feiyang could not help muttering inwardly, Did we give them too many Gold Coins? Would I get beaten if I went to haggle now?

After thinking it over, he decided to forget it. It was not his money anyway.

Once everyone had left, he stepped into the courtyard and looked around.

Aside from some valuables that had been taken away, almost everything else had been left behind.

He had to admit, this little courtyard was quite good. There were plenty of rooms, after all, since a whole family had lived here before.

The kitchen and dining room had everything they needed. As a temporary place to stay, it was already quite decent. They would not be staying long anyway.

"Master, we still need to clean up. Why don't you wait outside first? Leave this place to me."

Ye Feiyang waved a hand and immediately assigned her another task. "Cleaning can wait. Go stand outside. If you see a girl with brown hair wearing a cyan lace-trimmed short skirt, her name is Ning Rongrong. And that girl from yesterday with braided hair and a pink dress is called Xiao Wu. You have seen her too. Try to persuade them and invite them to join our academy."

Zhu Zhuqing immediately hesitated, swallowing the words that had reached her lips.

Why did this kind of task have to fall to her?

Would they really not get beaten for poaching students right in front of someone else's academy?

"Master, are you really going to do this?"

"Of course. Otherwise, what did we come here for?" Ye Feiyang replied with a raised brow.

Zhu Zhuqing looked unwilling, but she obediently went outside anyway.

A Master's orders could not be defied. She could only stand outside and look around for her targets.

Before long, she spotted the boy and girl she had seen at the inn yesterday. One of them was the Xiao Wu Ye Feiyang had mentioned.

Once again, she felt as though Ye Feiyang could see the future. He had even known they would appear here.

This was not the first time something like this had happened. She had tested the waters and asked him before, but her Master never explained.

Tang San and Xiao Wu drew closer and closer until they finally stopped in front of Shrek Academy and voluntarily joined the line.

"Xiao Wu, we're here. This is the place."

Xiao Wu looked around and could not help grumbling, "Third Brother, this place is way too rundown, isn't it? Why do we have to enroll here?"

Tang San remained calm. "You were the one who insisted on coming with me."

Xiao Wu pouted. Though displeased, she said nothing more.

Zhu Zhuqing had not heard what they were discussing. She only knew that it was time for her to carry out her duty.

Once the two had settled in place, she quietly approached and lightly tugged on Xiao Wu's sleeve.

Xiao Wu turned around warily and looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "Who are you? What do you want? I'm not giving up this spot for you."

Zhu Zhuqing felt somewhat awkward. She had been mistaken for someone trying to steal her place in line.

She leaned close to Xiao Wu and lowered her voice. "Could you come with me for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."

Xiao Wu looked confused as she examined Zhu Zhuqing from head to toe. She was certain that she did not know this person!

Tang San stood beside her and naturally heard their conversation as well.

Seeing that the other person was also a girl, he did not stop her. Still, he was curious. What exactly does she want?

Xiao Wu looked toward Tang San, seeking his opinion with her eyes.

They were only going to talk for a few moments, so Tang San did not think much of it. He nodded. "Go on. Come back quickly. It will soon be our turn to enroll."

Thus, Zhu Zhuqing brought Xiao Wu to the entrance of Supreme Academy across the street and finally spoke.

"Your name is Xiao Wu, right?"

Xiao Wu was stunned. In this remote village, someone actually knew her name?

Had the fame of her title as Big Sister Head already spread this far?

"Who are you? How do you know me? What do you want from me?"

Xiao Wu fired off question after question, her eyes full of vigilance.

Zhu Zhuqing was already not good with words, and the questions left her even more at a loss.

She pointed at the newly hung plaque behind her and honestly said, "I'm a student of Supreme Academy. My Master wants to invite you to join our academy."

She added, "How about meeting him? He's in the courtyard. He can explain it to you in detail."

Xiao Wu became even more wary and instinctively took two steps back.

"No, there's no need. Thank you for the invitation, but we already have an academy we plan to attend." With that, she turned to leave.

Zhu Zhuqing grew anxious.

If she failed the task, her Master would be disappointed.

She had never done this sort of thing in her life. She felt like a solicitor trying to recruit customers.

She had no choice. She was not good with words, so she could only think of coaxing Xiao Wu over first and leaving the rest to her Master.

"Just meet him once. You won't regret it..."

Xiao Wu was about to refuse again when she saw someone slowly walk out of the courtyard.

It was Ye Feiyang.

His brows were clear and refined, his face handsome, and a faint smile rested on his lips. He had the natural look of someone who made others lower their guard.

Not to mention the system-enhanced 99 points of Charm.

Xiao Wu froze unconsciously, her gaze growing dazed as she stared at him in a trance.

This man was truly handsome.

Hm, being friends with him might not be bad?

But Ye Feiyang had no intention of merely being friends.

He smiled at Xiao Wu, his voice gentle. "Hello, I'm Ye Feiyang. Do you have time to chat for a bit?"

He had appeared only because he saw that Zhu Zhuqing could not handle her.

"Huh? Mm, oh... What, what do you want to talk about?" Xiao Wu's ears reddened slightly. Without realizing it herself, her tone softened.

This wild girl, who had always feared neither heaven nor earth, actually revealed a rare trace of shyness.

Even she could not explain why. She only felt that he possessed an inexplicable attraction, one even stronger than Third Brother's.

"If you don't mind, would you like to sit inside?"

He glanced across the street, and his eyes lit up.

Turning to Zhu Zhuqing, who was still somewhat stunned beside him, he said, "Zhu Qing, look behind you. The girl in the lace-trimmed short skirt has arrived too. Go invite her over."

Only then did Zhu Zhuqing come back to her senses. She had originally wanted to secretly learn how her Master poached people.

After hearing Ye Feiyang's words, she knew it was time to get back to work. She could only nod and turn to find Ning Rongrong.

Xiao Wu followed Ye Feiyang into the courtyard in a daze.

Before she could even sit down, his voice rang out again, calm yet clear.

"Xiao Wu, your martial soul is the Soft Bone Demon Rabbit, and you come from... the Star Dou Great Forest."

After confirming that no one was nearby, Ye Feiyang decided to get straight to the point and directly expose her identity.

Xiao Wu froze on the spot. The color instantly drained from her face, leaving it filled with unease and shock.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Ye Feiyang as though he were some terrifying demon.

She wanted to run, yet she could not help wanting to know...

Gathering her courage, she asked in a trembling voice, "Y-You... who exactly are you? How do you know these things...?"

Since Ye Feiyang had already made it clear, Xiao Wu felt there was no point in pretending to be ignorant.

It was better to ask directly.

She was deeply uneasy. How was my identity exposed? Is he a Titled Douluo? But he's so young... No, could he be a soul beast too?

Since he even knew she came from the Star Dou Great Forest, he surely knew even more...

Ye Feiyang still wore a calm smile. "I know all your secrets. But don't worry, I have no intention of doing anything to you. I invited you here only to ask whether you would like to join the Supreme Academy I founded."

He paused briefly, and his tone grew more serious.

"In other words, I want to take you as my disciple."

Whether she joined the academy or not was not what Xiao Wu cared about most at this moment.

She only wanted to know how he had learned of her identity.

"I want to know why you know about me."

She inwardly cried out in alarm. I can't stay here. Is it still too late to run? Should I just kneel and kowtow to him instead?

Ye Feiyang did not answer her question. Instead, he dropped another bombshell.

"Let me tell you a secret."

"Ever since you were six years old, a Titled Douluo has been watching you. You simply never noticed."

He said this deliberately to hang a blade over her heart.

Xiao Wu felt a chill shoot up her spine, making her scalp tingle.

"Y-You're not lying to me? Why are you telling me this...?"

"For no particular reason. Just giving you a warning! If you encounter danger in the future, you can come find me. I can keep you safe."

"Alright, don't be so nervous. Be careful you don't wet yourself. I won't reveal your secret."

"I'll stay here for a month. Once you have thought it through, come find me anytime."

While the two of them spoke, Tang San outside had already grown anxious.

What could possibly take this long to discuss?

That black-clothed girl had clearly remained within his sight, yet Xiao Wu had followed a strange man into the courtyard. It made him deeply uneasy.

As time passed second by second, an inexplicable tension tightened in his chest. Unable to endure it any longer, he finally left the line.

He headed straight into the small courtyard where Supreme Academy was located.

The moment he entered, Tang San saw Xiao Wu speaking quietly with an unfamiliar man, and a wave of displeasure immediately rose in his heart.

He narrowed his eyes at Ye Feiyang, undisguised hostility flashing in his gaze. Then he turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, it's time to go. It'll soon be our turn to enroll."

He noticed that Xiao Wu looked distracted and absent-minded. Her body was even trembling slightly.

His first thought was that this man had bullied her.

He stepped forward quickly and pulled Xiao Wu behind him, shielding her as he coldly demanded of Ye Feiyang, "What did you do to her?"

Afraid that her secret would be exposed, Xiao Wu hurriedly grabbed Tang San's sleeve and explained, "Third Brother, I'm fine. He didn't do anything to me. Let's go back."

She was extremely nervous, unsure whether Tang San had overheard what they had just discussed.

Ye Feiyang, however, remained unhurried. He merely chuckled and waved to Xiao Wu. "Remember what I said. How you choose is up to you."

Tang San found it completely baffling, while Xiao Wu became even more troubled.

She had only just arrived here, yet her identity had already been exposed. Worse, she had learned that a Titled Douluo had apparently been secretly watching her all along.

Thinking of this, she felt chilled to the bone.

She had truly had enough of these years of living in constant fear.

She would almost rather Ye Feiyang had simply been lying to her.

"Xiao Wu, who exactly was that person? What did he say? Why did you suddenly start acting so strange?"

Tang San pressed her with question after question, but every one of them struck at a secret Xiao Wu could not speak of.

"Third Brother, I'm really fine..."

She continued in a low voice, "How about we switch to another academy?"

Compared to the pull Ye Feiyang had on her, Xiao Wu chose the safety of her life.