My Fish Was Naturally Unafraid of Your Grass

Right after that.

Those lackeys finally came to their senses and charged forward with wild cries.

"Who dares touch our boss?!"

"You're asking for death!"

What happened next completely overturned Tang San's worldview.

All he saw was a pink whirlwind darting back and forth among the older students.

Bang!

One lackey was sent flying by a crisp side kick, crashing into a bedframe before sliding down.

Smack!

Another had just reached out when Xiao Wu grabbed his wrist, twisted and pulled. His body spun half a turn against his will, and he landed hard on his backside, baring his teeth in pain.

Thud!

The last one was struck precisely on the back of the neck by Xiao Wu's hand chop. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

The entire process was fluid, clean, and efficient.

From beginning to end, it had not even taken a minute.

An instant defeat.

A complete and utter instant defeat.

It had all happened so quickly that no one else had time to react.

The most terrifying part was—

Xiao Wu had not even used a soul skill.

When the last lackey was lying on the floor groaning as well—

Dormitory Seven fell into deathly silence.

Only the pained moans of those sprawled on the ground remained.

Xiao Wu stood in the center of the dormitory and patted dust from her hands that was not there.

Her delicate little face wore a smug, still-unsatisfied expression.

She walked over to Wang Sheng, who was still lying on the ground in a daze, and lightly nudged him with the tip of her foot.

"Hey, big guy. Still want to fight?"

Wang Sheng shuddered and abruptly sat up.

As he looked at Xiao Wu, there was no longer any disdain or arrogance in his eyes. In its place was deep fear and... respect.

How the hell was this a little girl?

She was clearly a humanoid soul beast!

He struggled to climb to his feet, while the lackeys behind him helped each other up as well.

The group stood in a row, staring at the girl in the pink dress before them, scarcely daring to breathe.

Xiao Wu nodded in satisfaction, cleared her throat, and solemnly declared in a crisp voice:

"From today onward, I am Dormitory Seven's boss!"

"All of you have to call me—Sister Xiao Wu!"

Wang Sheng's face twitched, but in the end, he still forced three words through gritted teeth.

He bowed deeply.

"S... Sister Xiao Wu!"

The lackeys behind him immediately followed, calling out unevenly:

"Sister Xiao Wu!"

Their voices were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and sincere admiration.

Xiao Wu turned toward Tang San.

Tang San obediently called out, "Sister Xiao Wu."

Done and dusted.

Han Yuchen got up from the bedboard, a gentle smile on his face.

Xiao Wu strutted over to Han Yuchen like a little peacock that had won a fight, her head held high and chest puffed out.

She lifted her pointed little chin, her tone carrying a hint of accusation.

"Hey, Sickly Child."

"Why did you make me go first just now? Were you trying to see me embarrass myself?"

Han Yuchen smiled.

He took out a waterskin full of fresh water from his Dimensional Space, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her.

"Because I could tell at a glance that Sister Xiao Wu was the strongest among the three of us."

His voice was gentle, but his eyes were so clear they seemed capable of seeing straight through people's hearts.

"A Sickly Child like me, who can't even truss a chicken, naturally has to cling tightly to the biggest thigh."

His words were half true and half false, both flattering and carrying a subtle hint of teasing.

Xiao Wu's face heated up at once.

She had prepared a whole stomachful of questions to interrogate him with, yet that single sentence left her unable to say anything.

She snorted, snatched the waterskin from him, and gulped down several mouthfuls, using it to conceal her inexplicably racing heartbeat.

This Sickly Child... actually knew how to talk nicely.

It was just that his eyes were too annoying. It was like nothing could be hidden from him.

Tang San silently watched from the side.

His impression of Han Yuchen became even more complicated and profound.

This companion he had grown up with seemed to be shrouded in layer after layer of mist.

He appeared frail and harmless, yet at the most critical moments, he always made the most inconceivable—and somehow the most correct—judgments.

From resolving the situation at the city gate, to the "counterkill" at the academy entrance, to using the enemy's force against them in the dormitory just now...

Everything seemed to be part of his script.

Yuchen, what kind of person... are you?

The dormitory disturbance ended in such a dramatic fashion.

Everyone found their own beds and began arranging their belongings.

Han Yuchen chose the farthest corner and lay down to rest.

He appeared to have closed his eyes to recuperate, but in truth, he had silently infused an almost imperceptible wisp of Soul Power into the moisture around the dormitory.

Like an invisible net, it brought all the activity within Nuoding Academy into his range of perception.

The night gradually deepened.

When snores began rising and falling throughout the dormitory, Tang San quietly made his way to Han Yuchen's bedside.

"Yuchen, are you asleep?"

In the darkness, Han Yuchen opened his eyes.

"No."

Tang San hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and asking the question he had held in all day.

"What exactly happened at the academy gate during the day? And your soul ring..."

"Shh."

Han Yuchen raised a finger.

"Didn't Master say so?" he replied in the same low voice, half truthfully and half falsely. "My martial soul underwent a beneficial Spirit Mutation. That's why my physical constitution and my ability to withstand soul rings differ from ordinary people."

"As for why I could reflect your poison..."

He paused, then gave an impeccable explanation.

"Maybe my fish was naturally unafraid of your grass."

He shifted the blame onto Spirit Mutation and elemental Restraint, perfectly cutting off all of Tang San's questions.

Tang San opened his mouth, still wanting to ask more.

But Han Yuchen's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Without showing it, he cut off the conversation.

"Sleep. We still have class tomorrow."

With that, he turned over and said nothing more.

Tang San could only return to his own bed in disappointment.

He thought over everything that had happened during the day, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

He did not know that—

At that very moment, Han Yuchen's perception had once again caught that familiar, chilling aura coming from the direction of Spirit Hall.

That chaotic and evil aura belonging to Solonsen.

In the depths of the night, that aura seemed slightly more active than it had been during the day.

It was as though... a lurking beast had quietly opened its eyes in the stillness of the night, carrying out some unknown "activity."

Han Yuchen's eyes turned cold and sharp in the darkness.

Simply sensing things from outside was like looking through frosted glass. In the end, it was all unclear and indistinct.

It seemed he had to find a way to go inside and take a look.

The Spirit Hall Branch...?

Interesting.