Hu Yan Lan Ruo

Sacred Orchid Academy, Male Dormitory Area.

Xian Wu hurried into the Yellow Character Dormitory Area, a cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Hm? Did those two idiots leave without locking the door?" He pulled out his key, only to find the latch unlocked.

Xian Wu didn't think much of it. He put his key away and pushed the door open.

The sight inside made him pause. Someone sat with their back to him, facing the window, apparently looking at something.

"Zhu Jun Xiang?" Xian Wu asked tentatively.

The moment the words left his mouth, the door behind him slammed shut with a deafening bang.

How had the door closed by itself? Xian Wu spun around so fast he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Two shirtless, muscular men stood at the door, arms crossed as they looked at him with meaningful smiles.

"Who are you guys? Why are you blocking the door? I'm not into guys!" Xian Wu backed away repeatedly, warily eyeing the three people in the room.

The person by the window slowly turned around.

"We just met. How could you have forgotten me so soon?" the person said teasingly, crossing one leg over the other.

The midday sun shone brightly, its rays spilling through the window. Since the person was sitting with the light behind them, Xian Wu couldn't see their face.

But from the voice, it had to be a woman.

Soft and sweet, gentle and alluring, sending tingles through him... Xian Wu had never heard a woman with such a beautiful voice.

They'd just met?

Xian Wu's heart skipped a beat. Could this be the girl whose skirt he'd disintegrated in the cafeteria?

Impossible. He'd been the first to leave the cafeteria, and he'd come straight to the dorm. There was no way she'd gotten here before him.

Could it be...

The woman suddenly stood up, grabbed Xian Wu by the collar, and pressed her face close to his. "Where's my Dog King?" she demanded.

They were less than a fraction of an inch from kissing. Even with Xian Wu's poor eyesight, there was no way he couldn't make out her face.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo!

That's right. The tigress herself.

Holding back his restless left hand, Xian Wu replied calmly, "Wherever you lost him is where you should look. Why ask me?"

"Impudent! You dare talk to the young lady of the Hu Yan Family like that? Want to lose your dog legs?" one of the muscular men snapped.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo was the future head of the Hu Yan Family, one of the Seven Great Noble Families, and held a highly esteemed position.

She was also the Hu Yan Family's only direct heir, and the family head had spoiled her ever since she was little.

They'd doted on her as if she might break if they held her too tightly, melt if they kept her in their mouths, or disappear if they took their eyes off her. They'd cherished her every step of the way.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo also had countless admirers. Which young talent from the noble families didn't let her order him around?

How could someone as exalted as the young lady of the Hu Yan Family be talked back to by a lowly country bumpkin?

Xian Wu didn't care. He shrugged. "Sis, you heard him, right? He just asked if I wanted dog legs. I bet he stole your dog to make hot pot."

The muscular man panicked. "I've been framed, young lady! Don't let this kid drive a wedge between us. I didn't steal your dog. Ask Shun Zi if you don't believe me. Shun Zi, say something!"

"What the hell do you want me to say? How would I know if you stole the young lady's beloved dog?" Shun Zi edged away.

"Fine! So that's how you treat your brother, huh?" The muscular man glared at Shun Zi through clenched teeth.

"I have something to report!" The muscular man raised his hand. "Shun Zi's always staring at your beautiful backside with that lecherous look. Who knows what he's fantasizing about?"

"Holy crap!" Shun Zi blurted. The guy was insane, biting anyone he could.

"Young lady, I didn't! He's slandering me, shamelessly slandering me!" Shun Zi hurried to defend himself.

"Shut up!" Hu Yan Lan Ruo's temples throbbed from all the noise.

Seeing them still glaring at each other like fighting roosters, Hu Yan Lan Ruo simply ordered them outside to stand guard.

"You're pretty sly, little brother~" After sending away her two mindless lackeys, all brawn and no brains, Hu Yan Lan Ruo narrowed her peach-blossom eyes.

Xian Wu turned his head aside, avoiding Hu Yan Lan Ruo's gaze.

He'd never been this close to a girl before.

Well, it was his first time, so he couldn't help being a little nervous.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo was just like her name: her breath was fragrant as orchids.

A wave of fragrance wafted straight into Xian Wu's nose, leaving his head spinning and his senses floating.

Letting go of Xian Wu's collar, Hu Yan Lan Ruo sat back down on the still-warm stool and asked again, "Where's my Dog King?"

"De...ad..." Xian Wu answered, his gaze vacant, one syllable at a time.

"What?" Hu Yan Lan Ruo uncrossed her legs and stood up at once.

"How did he die? Where's the body?"

"My... left hand... disintegrated him... into countless atoms... There's... no body..." Xian Wu replied like a puppet.

"Atoms?" Hu Yan Lan Ruo had no idea what he meant. "What are those?"

When he answered that question, Xian Wu suddenly spoke fluently. "Atoms are the basic particles that can't be divided further in a chemical reaction."

"A chemical reaction?" Hu Yan Lan Ruo was even more confused.

What was he even talking about? Could this guy be crazy?

She studied Xian Wu carefully. His cloak was clean, his short hair neat, and he seemed in good spirits. He didn't look sick.

Wait, had he just said that Dog King had been disintegrated by his left hand? Hu Yan Lan Ruo suddenly recalled something.

Remembering how Dog King had vanished out of nowhere from between her legs, she felt a numbness spread through her backside.

If she hadn't been a Silver Two-Star Spirit Master, that heavy fall would have left her paralyzed.

It was absurd that such a huge Dog King could be wiped out in an instant, but Hu Yan Lan Ruo didn't think Xian Wu was lying.

After becoming a Silver Spirit Master, one could fuse a spirit into their Sea of Soul, summon it to possess them, and use its special abilities.

The spirit she'd fused with was called the Snow Cherry Spirit.

The Snow Cherry Spirit was an exceptionally powerful and rare spirit found deep in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range. It could use the powerful Art of Charm.

Anyone under its spell would obey the caster and answer every question.

The greater the difference in their levels, the longer the charm would last and the higher the chance of success.

She was a Silver Two-Star Spirit Master, while this little guy wasn't even a Bronze Spirit Master. Charming him would be as easy as drinking water.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo had clearly overestimated Xian Wu. His Soul Force was only 1, so charming him was as easy as drinking a glass of water.

"Hold out your left hand. Let me see it." Hu Yan Lan Ruo sat back on the stool, crossed her legs, and ordered him.

A glimpse of spring appeared beneath her short skirt. Xian Wu could see everything, but he was like a wooden dummy, completely unaffected.

At Hu Yan Lan Ruo's command, Xian Wu slowly held out his left hand.

Hu Yan Lan Ruo had expected Xian Wu to open his cloak before reaching out.

She hadn't expected him to pierce straight through it.

Curious, Hu Yan Lan Ruo walked over and felt Xian Wu's cloak.

How could he pierce such a supple cloak with one hand so easily? How had he done it?

Hu Yan Lan Ruo wanted to get a good look at Xian Wu's left arm, but most of it was hidden beneath the cloak.

"Take off your cloak!" Hu Yan Lan Ruo ordered impatiently.

It was the middle of summer. How could he stand wearing a cloak without getting unbearably hot?

Xian Wu slowly raised his right hand, untied the clasp, and let the cloak slide off his shoulder.

And then... Hu Yan Lan Ruo saw a sight she would never forget.