"Probably even harder to catch than a pomelo by now."
The fingers gripping his teacup stiffened again...
All night, Xia Ran felt restless and couldn't focus on cultivation at all.
Whenever he closed his eyes, a vast expanse of white automatically appeared in his mind.
Even awakening his Second Martial Soul couldn't quell his restless feelings.
Only when the sun rose in the east and he ran to the Back Mountain did he finally manage to calm down.
A faint chill gradually seeped into his body, soothing his jumbled thoughts...
As usual, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing came to his place for breakfast that morning.
But the house was completely empty. Xia Ran was grilling meat by himself at the Back Mountain.
Ning Rongrong called Xia Ran's name over and over, but got no response. Angrily, she kicked the door.
"That damned Xia Ran. He took our money, and now he's stood us up!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's irritation, Zhu Zhuqing quietly tried to soothe her.
"Why don't we let it go? Maybe he has something important to do today."
Ning Rongrong turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing, her face full of suspicion. Zhu Zhuqing was acting differently from usual.
"Hm? Why are you taking his side today?"
Under that scrutinizing gaze, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly turned her head away, a blush spreading across her delicate face.
"I'm not~ I just..."
"No, there's definitely something going on between you two!"
Zhu Zhuqing's reaction was far too obvious. Ning Rongrong wasn't stupid.
Zhu Zhuqing would never usually defend Xia Ran. She was so sparing with her words that she hardly spoke at all, always keeping up that aloof image.
If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't shielded her at the start of term, and if Ning Rongrong hadn't realized that she was the type to be warm beneath her cold exterior, she wouldn't have gotten so close to her.
And now, this ice-cold beauty was actually speaking up for someone else!!!
Remembering how disheveled Zhu Zhuqing had looked in Xia Ran's room yesterday, a frightening thought surfaced in Ning Rongrong's mind.
Ning Rongrong stared at Zhu Zhuqing as if interrogating her.
"Tell me! You and Xia Ran..."
Zhu Zhuqing was already feeling guilty, and now she didn't dare meet Ning Rongrong's eyes.
"I... I didn't..."
Seeing how perceptive Ning Rongrong was, Zhu Zhuqing realized the truth was about to come out.
In her panic, she actually used Martial Soul Possession and ran away!
"This Xia Ran... He really did put a hat on Dai Mubai!!!"
Section 19: Taking Ning Rongrong to Task
Meanwhile, after eating, Xia Ran familiarized himself with his Second Martial Soul.
His Soul Power was now extremely abundant. It seemed he had already passed level 50.
Given the quality of his Second Martial Soul, if it came with Innate Full Soul Power as well, then absorbing a Soul Ring should raise him to at least level 53.
In the original story, Oscar would break through to level 30 within the next couple of days. Zhao Wuji would be accompanying him then, so they could also hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for Xia Ran.
Sure enough, over at the academy's training field, Oscar was excitedly clinging to Flender.
"Dean! I'm level 30! I'm level 30!"
Tang San and the others looked at him in surprise, Ning Rongrong included.
They hadn't expected Oscar to be the first to reach level 30 after Dai Mubai.
Food-type Martial Souls were among the most difficult types to cultivate.
Oscar was a little older than Tang San and the others, but even so, this was enough to prove how exceptional his Martial Soul and cultivation talent were.
As the dean, Flender grinned from ear to ear.
Oscar could be called the most outstanding among them at the moment. A level-30 Food-type Soul Master could be as useful in the army as many Soul Kings.
"Xiao Ao, you haven't let me down. All these years of careful training were worth it!"
"Tomorrow, we'll head to Star Dou Forest and hunt a Soul Ring for you!"
Tears even glimmered in Flender's eyes. The old-timers were undeniably sincere when it came to hoping their students would make something of themselves.
Aside from Ma Hongjun, Oscar was the student Flender was proudest of.
Unlike Dai Mubai's top-tier Martial Soul, which had been passed down through his family, Oscar's Sausage had no effect that could speed up cultivation. As a Food-type Martial Soul, it actually made cultivation even more difficult.
Yet through sheer hard work, Oscar had managed to catch up with the others over the years. How could Flender not feel proud?
After the excitement died down, everyone congratulated Oscar.
Then today's official lesson began:
Eating Oscar's Big Sausage!
Flender ordered Oscar to recite his Soul Incantation and use his Soul Skill in front of everyone.
At first, Oscar was a little embarrassed. But as he went on, he seemed to lose all restraint.
In the end, he walked right up to Ning Rongrong, looked her in the eyes, and recited the incantation.
"My precious Rongrong!"
"I have a Big Sausage!"
"Would you like to eat it?"
Without the part from the original story where she'd been wronged, Ning Rongrong showed this sleazy bastard no mercy.
In that very same spot, she raised her foot to kick Oscar.
Fortunately, Oscar had learned from last time. He hurriedly clamped his legs together, trapping Ning Rongrong's delicate foot between them.
The pair's position... was extremely indecent.
"Bastard, let go of me right now!"
She'd already been angry that morning because Xia Ran had stood her up, and now Oscar was deliberately provoking her.
On top of that, he had her foot trapped between his legs. Ning Rongrong was truly furious now.
"If you don't let go, you'll regret it!"
"Ooh, I'm so scared~"
Maybe reaching level 30 had given Oscar confidence, because now he seemed a little carried away.
Instead of backing down when Ning Rongrong got angry, he only provoked her further.
"I'm not letting go! What are you going to do about it?"
"This is part of the lesson. You're going to disobey Dean Flender?"
As he spoke, Oscar shot Flender a cheeky glance.
Flender didn't say anything, which meant he tacitly approved.
With Flender backing him up, Oscar wasn't afraid of Ning Rongrong now.
The others nearby began trying to talk her down.
"Rongrong, you're going too far! Oscar hasn't done anything wrong. That's just how his Soul Incantation goes."
"Exactly, Rongrong. This isn't your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The teacher assigned a lesson. You can't hurt another student."
Dai Mubai and Tang San took turns speaking, their faces smug.
Ning Rongrong had chewed them both out before, so they were bound to take the chance to kick her while she was down.
As everyone turned on her, Ning Rongrong looked to Flender, hoping he would judge the situation fairly.
But Flender merely said, as calmly as if none of it concerned him:
"Ning Rongrong, this is an academy. As a student, you have to obey your teacher's instructions."
"And if you keep acting so willfully, I suggest you go back to your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Only Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, the girls present, remained silent.
They both knew what Oscar's provocation meant!
It was outright humiliation!
Seeing that even Flender had sided with the others, Tang San spoke even more brazenly.
"The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should go home and lie in her princess bed. Just wait for your sect leader father to find you a good husband~"
"Brother, stop!"
Xiao Wu tried to stop Tang San from piling on and grabbed his arm.
Ning Rongrong's eyes had reddened, and large tears welled up in them.
One of her feet was still trapped between Oscar's legs. Humiliation surged through her, and tears began to fall despite herself.
But seeing this only made Oscar laugh more wildly.
"The little princess is crying~"
Ma Hongjun joined in, fanning the flames. He had just come back from the brothel the day before, and now he saw everything through a lecherous lens.
"Why are you putting on an act? If you've got princess syndrome, then stay home and be your little princess."
"You're always wearing that sour face, acting like you're so high and mighty."
Ning Rongrong really hadn't been very nice to him these past few days. The main thing was, the guy was fat, and he talked like a sleazeball too.
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