Xiao Wu, Eat Meat

"You've just arrived, so put your things down first."

Fang Ling set the box on a bedboard and took out several bowls.

Using a spoon, he divided the braised meat into the bowls.

He handed them to the others first. They accepted the bowls, thanked him, and immediately began wolfing it down.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fang Ling watched Tang San's throat bob secretly and chuckled to himself before handing him a bowl as well.

"Tang San, here. Have some meat."

"I don't need any. I brought flatbread," Tang San declined, taking a coarse flatbread from his bundle to show him.

"Why are you being polite with me? Meat is expensive. Don't be shy, just eat."

Fang Ling generously set the bowl beside him.

"You'll be the dorm leader from now on, so you'll need to protect the Work-Study Students. I have my own things to do and can't listen to you, so I can only bring you all more food."

Tang San shook his head and still refused to take it.

Fang Ling said, "Then how about this? Consider it food in exchange for your protection."

That suited him perfectly. Rather than directly refusing the favor, he defined it as a transaction.

That way, he would not hesitate to make a move on her mother's Soul Bone in the future.

Seeing that he truly could not refuse, Tang San finally accepted it. He sniffed the fragrance with a twitch of his nose. "Tsaoko Fruit, cinnamon bark, star anise..."

Seeing the surprise in his eyes, Fang Ling said proudly, "I know a little about cooking. I bought the spices myself and made the braising stock."

"Go ahead and eat. There's no poison. We've been eating it for a year already, so nothing will happen."

Tang San identified the scents clearly and finally relaxed. "Thank you."

Before he could take a bite, a crisp little girl's voice came from outside.

"What smells so good? Is this Dormitory Seven?"

A pretty little girl walked in through the doorway.

She looked about six years old as well, roughly the same height as Tang San and a little shorter than Fang Ling was now.

Her lovely little face was rosy and fair, while her pink, chubby cheeks still carried a hint of baby fat, making people want to take a bite.

Everyone else stared blankly, dumbfounded in an instant.

Fang Ling sensed a faint bewitching force and quickly calmed himself.

Then he looked at the scene speechlessly.

This Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rabbit was flaunting her charm so recklessly. Was she not afraid of being captured?

Even if no one recognized her as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, there were plenty of perverts on Douluo Continent.

Xiao Wu played with her Scorpion Braid, which hung past her hips. Her large, watery eyes watched everyone with endless curiosity.

She had once been a Soul Beast. Now that she would be living among humans, how could she not be curious?

No one responded to her.

Xiao Wu looked up at the sign. This was indeed Dormitory Seven.

With a sweet smile on her face, she introduced herself. "Hello, everyone. My name is Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing."

Fang Ling nodded slightly without speaking.

Tang Hao was most likely watching.

Right now, he only wanted to grow stronger through slaughter. He had no desire to get involved in the feelings between this rabbit and Tang San.

Otherwise, if Xiao Wu grew close to the wrong person, a massive hammer might fly out of nowhere someday and smash Fang Ling into a puddle of meat paste.

To die before accomplishing anything would be absurd.

It was best to remain neither servile nor overbearing, keeping a certain distance.

Besides, Tang San was the current dorm leader. He should be the first to speak.

"Hello, I'm Tang San, the dorm leader here."

Facing Xiao Wu's sweetly smiling, adorable face, Tang San's cheeks instantly reddened, and he seemed somewhat nervous.

After a brief exchange, the two immediately began fighting.

Both of them were old monsters, and there was much to be learned from their battle.

If he did not know how to fight, then he would imitate them.

He could not miss such a rare opportunity.

Fang Ling watched with complete focus, not daring to miss a single movement.

Xiao Wu set down her school uniform and lashed out with her right foot at Tang San's chin at incredible speed.

Tang San reacted just as swiftly, accurately grabbing her ankle.

Then he stepped forward with his right foot and drove his shoulder toward Xiao Wu's chest, clearly about to use a standard Iron Mountain Lean.

This kind of heavy attack would send someone flying the moment it connected.

What a great technique. I need to remember it. A little figure in Fang Ling's mind silently reenacted the move, so excited that he did not even blink.

Xiao Wu reacted quickly. Tang San's grip was not firm enough, and her powerful leg slipped free from his hold in an instant.

She swiftly launched a counterattack with her Soft Skill.

Blocking with both hands, she swung her legs onto his shoulders, wrapping them directly around Tang San's neck.

Fang Ling could clearly see that when Xiao Wu's fair, tender calves pressed against Tang San's neck, he froze for a moment.

He could have resisted, but before he could react, he was thrown to the ground.

Fang Ling's heart tightened, and he repeatedly warned himself.

Fang Ling, Fang Ling. When you fight a Life and Death Battle in the future, a battle that concerns your very life, you absolutely cannot be distracted by beauty. Otherwise, you might even lose a fight you could have won.

Losing meant death!

At that moment, Xiao Wu quickly leaned her upper body backward, braced both palms against the ground, and her long legs instantly twisted around Tang San's neck, flinging him backward.

Tang San landed flat on his back.

He lost cleanly, almost absurdly carelessly.

Only Fang Ling noticed one thing: he had lost because of a woman.

The Tang Sect's assassins really had not been trained well enough!

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng and the others looked on in shock as the boss they had just acknowledged was swiftly defeated by the new boss.

This year's new students were a little too formidable.

Xiao Wu caught a pleasant scent coming from Tang San, and she felt a little closer to him than she did to ordinary people.

After briefly exchanging a few words with Tang San, she looked at the bowls in everyone's hands.

"What was that smell just now? It smelled so good."

"This? It's braised meat I made myself."

While they had been talking, Fang Ling had already filled a bowl with meat.

"Here, Xiao Wu. Have some meat."

Forget rabbits eating carrots—he knew rabbits ate meat too.

Ordinary rabbits only ate grass because they were too weak to get anything better. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like Xiao Wu must have eaten plenty of meat.

Even if the meat she had eaten in the past had been mixed with soup and water, making it disgusting.

She would want something properly cleaned like this, right?

Two stunning dimples appeared on Xiao Wu's face as she accepted it.

"From now on, I'm the boss of the dormitory. You have to call me Sister Xiao Wu, understand?"

"Got it, Sister Xiao Wu." Fang Ling did not argue with her and obediently gave in.

The rabbit was pretty good to Work-Study Students. Calling her sister was no big deal.

She glanced at Fang Ling's broken leg, surprise appearing in her eyes. Her sharp nose caught a faint scent of blood on him.

"What's your name?"

"Fang Ling."

"You're injured?"

"No!" Fang Ling looked confused.

"Hm?" Xiao Wu's small, delicate nose twitched as she tugged on Tang San's sleeve. "Tang San, smell him."

Tang San frowned as well.

"Oh." Fang Ling realized why they were reacting this way.

"I work at a slaughterhouse, helping kill pigs. It's normal for me to smell like blood. I'll be fine after a bath later."

"You kill pigs? Ew~" Xiao Wu shot Fang Ling a disgusted look.

"Sister Xiao Wu, do you hate me?"

Xiao Wu shook her head. "No. It's just... can you stop killing pigs?"

You can empathize with Soul Beasts all you want, but now you're empathizing with pigs that haven't even become Soul Beasts?

Fang Ling fell silent.

"Sister Xiao Wu, do you eat meat?"

"I do."

"Do you have money?"

"What's money?"

Just as Fang Ling had expected, the rabbit was getting a little restless.

Still, like everyone else, he showed a hint of surprise on his face.

"Buying things requires money. Meat's a bit expensive—work-study students can't afford it."

Xiao Wu's nose twitched again. The aroma made her want to pounce on it immediately, but she could only smile awkwardly. "...I understand."

She didn't have this thing called money.

Why hadn't those two fools, Da Ming and Er Ming, prepared some for her?

"Then isn't that settled? I work at the slaughterhouse, so I can often bring back free meat for you to eat!" Fang Ling grinned.

"If work-study students can't afford meat, I can bring you some for free. We're companions, so I won't charge you either."

Meat was expensive, after all.

Before he came along, what had the work-study students even been eating?

The little money they earned from sweeping was enough to cover a day's living expenses.

As for meat, there were only tiny scraps. Want to eat more?

Dream on!

If he could repay the favor with meat that came easily to him, then neither side would owe the other anything, and he wouldn't feel burdened by it.

For someone as upright as Fang Ling, it was the perfect deal.

"Fine, then. Go slaughter your pigs. Just remember to hurry up and wash the smell off afterward." Xiao Wu nodded foolishly.

There were many things she didn't understand. Was meat really that expensive?

But asking what money was earlier had already been foolish enough. There was no need to make herself look even more foolish.

Otherwise, it would seem a little too strange.