After leaving the dean's office, Mo Fan rubbed his head. Although Dean Xiao had smacked the back of his head three times, he was sure it definitely did not mean he was supposed to seek him out in the middle of the night.
Dean Xiao had simply wanted to hit him!
After all, he had vanished without a trace for around two months. Anyone would have been worried sick.
Once outside the dean's office, the snow was still falling. Mo Fan instinctively tightened his clothes, then suddenly remembered that he was a fire mage, unafraid of wind and snow.
When Mo Fan returned, it was already close to the end of the semester. He first sent a message to the Azure Sky Hunter Agency, then told Ai Tutu and Mu Nujiao that he was safe.
Ai Tutu replied quickly, while Mu Nujiao responded after a while. She was probably cultivating diligently.
There were too many people in the dormitory, making it inconvenient to develop a third elemental affinity. Mo Fan decided to wait until the semester ended and rent a place outside next semester before doing so.
The Green Campus was, frankly, just small-time competition. The Main Campus was where the true battle among prodigies took place. That was why Mu Nujiao was in seclusion cultivating, and even Zhao Manyan had not gone out to flirt with senior or junior girls for three days.
As soon as the previous semester ended, Mo Fan immediately went apartment hunting. Naturally, he chose that spacious flat in Jinyuan Apartment again. This place carried countless memories for him.
Mo Fan arrived right on time. He came to the familiar apartment, knocked on the door, and the landlady warmly opened it.
"You're the young man who called just now, right?" the landlady said.
"That's right, it was me." Mo Fan nodded.
"My apartment isn't cheap. If you want to rent it, come inside and we'll talk," the landlady said, looking Mo Fan over a few times.
Just as the two were about to enter, two women emerged from the elevator.
A smile curled across Mo Fan's lips. You're exactly who I was waiting for, my little canaries!
The two women who stepped out of the elevator were Mu Nujiao and Ai Tutu. Since returning from the Summoning Plane, this was the first time the three had met.
"Mo... Mo Fan?"
Ai Tutu's big, sparkling eyes blinked rapidly. How could her petite little body bear such enormous pandas? As she ran, those pandas trembled too.
"Why are you here?" Ai Tutu asked, tilting her little head.
"Same as you, renting an apartment." Mo Fan smiled.
"What? You want to rent here too?" Ai Tutu asked in surprise.
Mu Nujiao gave Mo Fan a deep look. Was it a coincidence, or had he deliberately chosen this place?
Jinyuan Apartment was quite expensive. Most students spent their money on cultivation, and only wealthy young ladies could afford such luxurious apartments.
Mu Nujiao was the granddaughter of Mu Zhanxing, the head of the Mu Clan. Even if her talent had been poor, she would still have received abundant resources, let alone the fact that Mu Nujiao had the best magical talent of her generation.
Returning to Jinyuan Apartment, Mo Fan felt a little disappointed. Sure enough, it was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. Having grown accustomed to the world's most luxurious buildings, even this upscale apartment in the heart of Modu seemed somewhat shabby to him.
"This place is pretty nice, Sister Mu. We've looked at so many places, and we've finally found a decent one." Ai Tutu examined the layout of the apartment's first floor.
"What do you think?" the landlady asked kindly.
"It'll do." Mo Fan nodded.
It'll do?
The landlady looked at Mo Fan's clothes. No matter how she looked at him, he did not seem like a rich second-generation kid. And he called this merely acceptable? This brat really knew how to put on airs!
"I think it's great. Sister Mu, let's settle on this place." Ai Tutu tugged Mu Nujiao's hand and pleaded.
"But what about Mo Fan?" Mu Nujiao said.
"If you're all satisfied with this place, why not share it? You all know each other anyway," the landlady said with a smile.
"Share it—"
Mo Fan pretended to think it over, then said to Ai Tutu, "In that case, I'll let you have the honor."
"Y-you—what kind of nonsense is that? What do you mean, letting us have the honor? Two gorgeous beauties are sharing an apartment with you. You're obviously the one getting a huge bargain!" Ai Tutu said, hands on her hips.
"Oh, right, Mo Fan. Help me move my luggage later, okay?" As if she had remembered something, Ai Tutu suddenly became gentle.
"Don't even think about it. My time is precious. Just find a few of your backup simps to move it for you." Mo Fan waved his hand in refusal.
"Hmph, cheapskate!!"
Mo Fan walked onto the balcony and looked down. Snow blanketed the pines, and all was vast and gray. The Modu below seemed to have entered an ice age, with pale icy mist reflecting between the towering buildings.
Mu Nujiao pulled Ai Tutu away, and the two went off to whisper about something. Whatever they discussed, Mu Nujiao's expression had returned to normal by the time they came back.
After the two women returned, Ai Tutu eagerly picked up her phone and called her backup admirers, while Mu Nujiao walked over to Mo Fan.
"I heard you disappeared for two months?" Mu Nujiao's voice was cool, yet it carried a gentle tenderness.
"I didn't disappear. I was cultivating. You were all cultivating in seclusion, while I went beyond the safe zone to cultivate in a primitive environment," Mo Fan explained.
"So that was it." Mu Nujiao could sense that Mo Fan was not lying, yet his courage still impressed her. Going beyond the safe zone alone—how much confidence did that require?
"Everyone is preparing for the Main Campus assessment now. Even Old Zhao has stopped going out to indulge himself," Mo Fan said with a smile.
"The Main Campus is the true Pearl Institute. Most of its students are Intermediate Mages, and among the top ten, there may even be people who have reached the Advanced level!" Mu Nujiao said longingly.
Mo Fan lit a cigarette. The flame became perilously weak under the pressure of the cold wind, but it still stubbornly lit the cigarette.
How had time passed so quickly? It seemed the Ancient Capital Cataclysm would begin before long. This time, he had to get there early and be the first to put on the armor robe.
"Sister Mu, have you packed your luggage? Let's go get yours first." Ai Tutu found Mu Nujiao on the balcony.
Then she spotted Mo Fan smoking, frowned, and said, "Mo Fan, you smoke too? But you can't smoke in the living room."
"Mm-hm." Mo Fan nodded.
"Got it, Miss Ai."
After finishing his cigarette, Mo Fan left Jinyuan Apartment and headed for the Azure Sky Hunter Agency. Since returning from the Summoning Plane, his strength had greatly increased, and he could take on more missions.
This semester, Ling Ling had taken Mo Fan on a mad rush to level up. He had already risen from Intermediate Hunter to Advanced Hunter. At this rate, reaching Hunter Elite next semester would not be a problem.
"Ling Ling, I'm here."
The wind chime rang as he pushed open the door. Mo Fan entered to find Ling Ling doing homework. Making a Hunter Master solve trivial middle school problems was not challenging in the slightest.
Ling Ling wrote listlessly, yet her pen moved incredibly fast. If not for her neat handwriting and correct reasoning, Mo Fan would have thought she was scribbling nonsense.
That was nothing, though. Essays were Ling Ling's real specialty.
No matter the topic, Ling Ling always managed to write about hunter missions she had taken part in!
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