"Mo Yu, I heard the food from your little kitchen smells amazing. It's making my mouth water. How about you make me a bowl?"
The girl beside Jiang Nian Nian spoke in a sweet, gentle voice. A faint blush spread across her face, and Jiang Nian Nian felt her heart skip a beat.
Her roommate had brought her to the table where Mo Yu was sitting. The other girls who had been waiting nearby also seemed interested in Jiang Nian Nian's roommate. Instead of waiting for them to make a move, she took the initiative.
In a world where martial arts ruled and strength came first, a beautiful girl like Jiang Nian Nian, with her exceptional looks, naturally caught people's attention. Besides, some people harbored all sorts of unspeakable fantasies. To them, a beautiful girl was just another target. If they could win over Spirit Academy's top beauty, it would be a very worthwhile conquest.
Jiang Nian Nian smiled at the people who were fawning over her, then immediately turned her attention back to Mo Yu's cooking.
"Little brother, how much are these spirit-roasted skewers?"
Mo Yu's friend, and the one Jiang Nian Nian had brought with her, both gave him an expectant look. Fortunately, Mo Yu had already gotten used to it. He answered at once.
"Big sister, the spirit-roasted skewers are five spirit coins a bowl."
The price of the spirit-roasted skewers was also set by Ying Bei. After factoring in the cost of ingredients and labor from Spirit Academy's dining hall, five spirit coins per bowl was already quite reasonable.
As for Mo Yu's cooking, even though he'd lowered the price a little, his ingredients were incredibly costly. He couldn't possibly afford to make it himself.
But what Mo Yu hadn't expected was that his lovely customer would look genuinely disappointed. Her voice was still sweet and gentle, but now it carried a hint of disappointment.
"Could you make them a little cheaper? How about three spirit coins a bowl?"
The beautiful girl had unexpectedly started haggling over the price of his spirit-roasted skewers. He really hadn't seen that coming...
Mo Yu's hand paused for a moment, but his expression didn't change. "Sorry, my skewers aren't for sale."
"I'm sorry for making trouble, little brother. Next time, I'll remember to bring enough money."
Jiang Nian Nian didn't linger. After saying goodbye, she turned and started to leave.
But just then, she froze.
A deep, angry voice suddenly rang out. Immediately afterward, a figure strode toward them. He was good-looking, with an appearance not unlike Jiang Nian Nian's, but he was tall and muscular.
It was none other than Xu Sanshi, who had been pursuing Jiang Nian Nian.
[Well, well. It looks like we're getting to the good part!]
[What happens next is that Xu Sanshi picks a fight with some random guy, then comes to Jiang Nian Nian's rescue. He puts on a show of gallantry, and Huo Yuhao uses his spiritual detection to help Zhuo Zhuo Zhuo, who's pretending to be a girl, put on a show that leaves everyone stunned.]
[Phew. If Huo Yuhao didn't have the Mysterious Water Pill, his future would've been bleak. Instead, he's got it, and just breaking through to Rank 20 before the break is enough to make the whole academy gasp.]
[Ahem. The second rank-up in spirit power takes a while, and Huo Yuhao's later breakthroughs will only take longer. But that Mysterious Water Pill was a real turning point in Mo Yu's life.]
[As for Jiang Nian Nian and Xu Sanshi...]
Xiao Ge scratched his head and tried hard to remember what had happened in the original story.
[I can't remember whether Jiang Nian Nian ran into that incident at this point in the original story.]
[Basically, Jiang Nian Nian's mother was seriously ill. Only the Xuan Yuan Sect's secret Mysterious Water Pill, made by Xu Sanshi, could save her. By coincidence, the second awakening of Xu Sanshi's martial soul required him to share a room with a girl. So Jiang Nian Nian made a deal with Xu Sanshi.]
[But Xu Sanshi didn't keep his promise. He left, and the awakening failed. Jiang Nian Nian was left with a lifelong scar.]
[Honestly, what kind of messed-up plot was that? It's hard to believe anyone could come up with something like that.]
[What? You're saying this is the work of some particular author? Then that explains it. The plot is so ridiculous it's practically beyond counting. Compared with that author's usual outrageous storylines, the most overpowered villains and the female lead getting assaulted are practically child's play.]
Jiang Nian Nian's expression suddenly turned pale.
The words Xiao Ge had just said made her tremble uncontrollably. When she looked at Xu Sanshi again, her eyes held not only disgust but also a deep, bitter hatred.
Ever since Xu Sanshi had joined the Ouyang Family's academy, he'd taken a liking to her at first sight and started pursuing her relentlessly. Jiang Nian Nian had never had much affection for him; she'd only found his relentless advances tiresome and irritating.
But now, what had happened in the original story?
To save her mother and keep her promise to Xu Sanshi, she'd have to throw herself at him—and then he'd cast her aside...
The thought of her tall mother lying helplessly in a hospital bed, growing weaker by the day, made Jiang Nian Nian's breath catch. She was beginning to believe Xiao Ge's words about what would happen in the original story.
If the Xuan Yuan Sect's so-called secret Mysterious Water Pill could really save her mother, and it was the only medicine that could do so, she might actually have to agree to Xu Sanshi's deal.
But... sleeping with him was still something she found hard to accept.
If it really happened to her, she couldn't bear even hearing it described.
Her heart was already filled with the image of that terrible future.
But when she thought of her mother lying in the hospital bed, Jiang Nian Nian felt an ache in her heart.
Even if it were Xu Sanshi, she seemed to have no choice but to accept.
Her mother was waiting for her to save her...
Wait.
Jiang Nian Nian suddenly raised her head. Her face, which had looked so pale at the thought of what awaited her in the original story, now lit up with an unusual excitement.
Since the original story could predict the future, could she use it to find a way to save her mother?
If she could find the medicine that would save her, she wouldn't have to suffer through that awful ordeal...
As Jiang Nian Nian stood there, lost in thought, Xu Sanshi smiled and walked over to her. He gave her an encouraging thumbs-up.
"Nian Nian, I'm about to have a match with Zhuo Zhuo Zhuo. Come cheer me on!"
As he spoke, Xu Sanshi reached out as if to pat Jiang Nian Nian on the shoulder, his face beaming with confidence.
"Nian Nian, you can have those spirit-roasted skewers first. I'll get some Soul Guidance Devices later—"
Before Xu Sanshi could finish, Jiang Nian Nian took a few quick steps back, putting distance between them.
It was as if Xu Sanshi were some kind of plague.
Xu Sanshi was stunned. A hurt look flickered across his face, though he was also confused.
Jiang Nian Nian had always rejected his advances, but she'd never avoided him like this, as if he were something terrifying.
Had he done something wrong again?
Before you continue