The melodious bell rang, signaling the end of the first afternoon class.
This time, the old instructor hadn't kept them late, but Xian Wu wished he had, if only to finish explaining the remaining lines of the Seven Star Divine Curse.
If the old man hadn't been his instructor, Xian Wu would've kicked his enormous backside with his boots. He was so damn infuriating!
"Hey, Wu, what kind of background does that new girl have? The dean himself arranged everything for her," Lu Piao asked, draping an arm over Xian Wu's shoulder. "Could she be the dean's daughter?"
Xian Wu was amazed by Lu Piao's train of thought. The dean's surname was Gao, but the girl's surname was Ye? Was she the daughter of the old Mr. Ye next door?
"Who cares what kind of background she has? She's way out of reach for nobodies like us," Xian Wu said bluntly. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a nobody. He wasn't short or ugly, but he was poor.
Poverty was the original sin!
Lu Piao shoved Xian Wu and snapped, "Oh, get lost! I'm no nobody!" He turned and pointed at his deskmate. "If you don't believe me, ask Nie Li. Nie Li, tell him—am I a nobody?"
Nie Li furrowed his brow and absentmindedly nodded.
"Huh??? Are you even listening to me?" Lu Piao grabbed Nie Li by the neck and shook him hard. You ungrateful jerk! How could you call me a nobody? That's way too much!
Realizing that nodding had been the wrong move, Nie Li hurriedly shook his head.
Lu Piao put an arm around Nie Li's neck, bent down, and followed his gaze. He found Nie Li spying on the new classmate, his brows knitted and eyes glaring, as if the girl owed him a fortune.
"Quit staring, or you'll get styes!" Lu Piao slapped Nie Li hard on the shoulder and warned him, "She comes from a noble family. A nobody like you isn't good enough for her."
But the moment Lu Piao finished speaking, Nie Li's head lolled to one side, and he collapsed onto the ground.
"What's wrong, Nie Li? What happened?" Lu Piao hurriedly lifted Nie Li, who was sprawled face down, and asked anxiously. Hadn't he only teased him a little? He'd actually passed out from anger. How fragile could a person be?
"Quick, press his philtrum!" Xian Wu urged. "Don't just stand there! It's the spot beneath the nose and above the upper lip. Press hard—a light touch won't do anything."
Lu Piao was merciless. He pressed so hard that Nie Li's upper lip bled.
The fierce stimulation roused Nie Li, and he slowly came to.
When he realized he was lying in Lu Piao's arms, he hurriedly pulled away. He wasn't into guys.
"You're awake?" Lu Piao asked, shaking the blood from his hand. "What happened, buddy? I was only joking around. Why'd you pass out?"
Nie Li touched his throbbing lip. When he looked at his hand, he saw blood.
"You... what did you do to me?" Nie Li asked, glaring. As soon as he spoke, his wound tugged, twisting his whole face in pain.
"What did I do? I saved you, obviously. Xian Wu told me to press your philtrum hard. If you're going to blame anyone, blame him." Lu Piao pinned the blame on Xian Wu.
Xian Wu immediately tossed it back at him. "I told you to press his philtrum. I didn't tell you to press so hard."
"You said a light touch wouldn't do anything, so I used all my strength!" Lu Piao said, hands on his hips, completely unapologetic.
As the two bickered, Nie Li couldn't decide whom to blame.
Xian Wu changed the subject. "Nie Li, why'd you suddenly pass out? Did you skip lunch or stay up all night?" There had to be some reason he'd fainted. This protagonist was pretty pathetic.
"No idea!" Nie Li shook his head. Ever since Ye Ziyun had appeared, he'd been distracted, as if something had possessed him.
"Don't bother me. I'm going to sleep," Nie Li warned them before laying his head on his arms on the desk and nodding off.
Xian Wu scratched his head, utterly baffled. Had Nie Li stayed up all night cultivating too? Were all the students in the junior martial arts class so hardworking?
The second class was Demonic Beast Class again. Today's lesson was about a Bronze-ranked demonic beast—the Snowstorm Witch.
Ye Ziyun seemed to know a lot about snowstorm demonic beasts. During class, she even corrected several small errors the instructor made.
After class, unable to resist his longing any longer, Xian Wu nervously brought the parchment to Ye Ziyun's seat.
Xiao Ning'er was as cold as ice, while Ye Ziyun was approachable and seemed easy to talk to.
"Hello, Ye Ziyun. I'm Xian Wu. Could you help me figure out what these lines mean?" Xian Wu asked, pointing to the Seven Star Divine Curse on the parchment. For someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, not having the complete cultivation method was agony.
Ye Ziyun picked up the parchment, pursed her lips, and scanned it before saying, "I'm not as learned as our instructor, but I can still make sense of these lines. Listen carefully..."
Xian Wu had already memorized the Seven Star Divine Curse inside and out. Even without looking at the parchment, he could tell which passage and line Ye Ziyun was explaining.
Her explanation wasn't as thorough or detailed as the instructor's, but with her help, Xian Wu had more or less understood the meaning of the final few lines in the second half.
"Thank you, Ye Ziyun. You've helped me a lot! Let me treat you to dinner tonight. I'll make sure you get as much Meal C as you want!" Xian Wu said excitedly. He finally had the complete cultivation method and could cultivate Soul Force at last.
Ye Ziyun smiled and shook her head. "No need to thank me, and you don't have to treat me. I'm going home tonight, so I won't be eating at the academy."
"Oh, I see..." Xian Wu scratched his head. "Then I owe you one." He took back the parchment and bounced happily to his seat.
Lu Piao walked over, put an arm around Xian Wu's neck, and gave him a thumbs-up. Winking, he whispered, "Nice one, Wu! That was some smooth talking. Teach me your ways sometime."
Xian Wu told Lu Piao to get lost and stop interrupting him while he absorbed the Seven Star Divine Curse.
An innocent man had nothing to hide. He'd only asked Ye Ziyun for help because he wanted to learn. People with dirty minds saw everything as dirty. This was ridiculous.
To avoid being harassed by Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ning'er left the classroom as soon as class ended.
A female student who sat to Xiao Ning'er's right took her seat and whispered, "Ye Ziyun, I have to warn you: be careful of that boy from earlier."
"Careful of him?" Ye Ziyun asked, confused.
The female student explained, "He's nicknamed the Pants-Stripping Fiend. On the first day of school, he took off his pants right in front of Xiao Ning'er. He's a total pervert! He probably asked you for help earlier for some perverted reason, too. You have to be careful."
"He... he did something like that to Ning'er!" Ye Ziyun gritted her teeth in fury and trembled all over, wishing she could pin Xian Wu to the ground and beat him up.
The female student fanned the flames. "You just got here, so you don't know yet. Meal C is completely free at our academy. He offered to treat you to Meal C because he didn't want to spend any money. He's a stingy cheapskate."
"And there's more! He likes tattling to the instructors. Don't let him catch you doing anything he can use against you, or he might try to blackmail you with it."
The more Ye Ziyun heard, the angrier she became. She wished her father would immediately drive Xian Wu out of the City of Brilliance.
How could someone be so awful?
Before you continue