The next morning.
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: Morning, morning.]
[Revenge Girl: Meng, you're up so early?]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: You're up early too. I was still cultivating when my brother showed up first thing this morning. He kept pounding on my door until he woke me up, then insisted on asking where I got my pills.]
[Revenge Girl: Didn't you just buy 50? You got 25 from your score too, and three pills in one night is already the limit, right?]
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: Heh, as expected of the pill-popping empire. More than 20 pills, gone in a day or two. Impressive. Just don't eat yourself to death.]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: If I die, I'm taking you with me!]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: No, my brother just had to show off, and the pills were so effective that Grandpa took them away to study.]
[Revenge Girl: ...]
[Ya: Ha~ Everyone's so lively this early.]
[Grilled Fish Girl: Yeah. Since classes start today, we got up early so we wouldn't be late and give that homeroom teacher an excuse to kick us out.]
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: Exactly.]
[Dong'er is Not a Girl: @Chu Mo, are you up? Let's go to class together.]
[Ya: He isn't up yet. I'll go wake him.]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: ...]
[Revenge Girl: Wow, there's a lot to unpack in that message.]
[Ya: I need Xiao Lu to help me cultivate, but we aren't sharing a bed. I slept on the floor last night, so don't get the wrong idea.]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: Ooh~]
[Revenge Girl: Ooh~]
[Chu Mo: I'm here. What's with all the "oohs"?]
[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: Haha, the group admin is awake.]
[Revenge Girl: We were just marveling, that's all.]
[Chu Mo: Heh.]
Watching their clumsy explanations, Chu Mo rubbed his eyes with an exasperated expression.
Tang Ya had read the Group Chat, then exited and looked over at Chu Mo with a smile. She raised both hands to her lips, covering her grin so she wouldn't laugh out loud.
"Go wash your face and wake yourself up. You're joining Old Witch's class today. Yu'er and Dong'er are right: you might get kicked out for being late. Even if she doesn't expel you because you're strong, she'll put pressure on you and make an example of you. You'd better be careful."
"Mm."
Chu Mo stretched, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.
Tang Ya looked away and turned her gaze to Xiao Lu. Watching the round little creature slowly approach, she held back the urge to pet them and gave them a once-over.
"What a strange Martial Soul. It doesn't just speed up cultivation—it even helps pills get absorbed and circulate faster."
Thinking about how her cultivation had progressed last night, she felt she could advance another level today.
Xiao Lu, meanwhile, didn't seem to mind being examined at all. After cultivating all night, they slowly shrank, then raised their arms and stretched, imitating Chu Mo.
Afterward, they reached behind their back and took out the fruit they'd gotten yesterday in exchange for letting him use their body.
"Ha~ Oh." Crunch, crunch~
"Xiao Lu, do you really like fruit?"
Tang Ya had seen Xiao Lu several times, and every time, they had either been holding an apple or eating one. She crouched in front of them, her legs swinging gently, and asked sweetly.
Tang Ya already liked this adorable little thing that could make her stronger. If they really liked fruit, she could buy some on the way.
Hidden Weapons couldn't compete with Soul Tools, but they had one advantage: ordinary people could use them too. So she could still make and sell some from time to time.
She wasn't well-off, but she wasn't poor either.
Hearing what Tang Ya meant, Xiao Lu seemed to realize she was offering to get them something tasty. They nodded vigorously.
Seeing how cute they were, Tang Ya's heart softened, and she instinctively reached out to stroke them.
"Hehe, you're quite the little glutton. All right, I'll buy you lots of fruit tonight."
At the mention of fruit, Xiao Lu suppressed the urge to dodge and let her touch them.
Her hand rested on their round body, its warmth passing into her palm. One sensation filled her mind.
Cool. Tang Ya found it very soothing.
"Hehe, Xiao Lu, can I hold you?"
"Grrr!"
Xiao Lu quickly shook their head. They wouldn't let anyone hold them without seeing the fruit first.
"All right."
Tang Ya didn't insist. She rested her cheek on her arm and stroked Xiao Lu with her other hand.
She kept petting them until the bathroom door slid open.
"What are you doing?"
Chu Mo frowned. While washing his face, he'd felt something touching it the whole time and had thought there was a ghost!
"Mm, I'm getting closer to Xiao Lu."
Tang Ya withdrew her hand, turned around, and replied calmly.
"Oh."
She'd already petted them. What could he do about it? It wasn't as if he could pet her in return.
"By the way, Xiao Lu, give Ya'er the pill."
A blue-and-green pill appeared in Xiao Lu's hand and was placed in front of Tang Ya.
Tang Ya held the pill, looking puzzled. She asked curiously, "What is this?"
Chu Mo replied as he straightened his clothes.
"I can't hand out pills once classes start, so I'll have to ask you to do it. Give the pill to Jiang Nannan and say it's medicine for her illness. She'll understand."
"That's it. If there's nothing else, we'll head out."
Chu Mo put Xiao Lu away and checked to see if Tang Ya had any other questions.
"Nothing else. I'll go deliver it now."
Tang Ya squeezed the pill in her hand and nodded seriously. She understood how important it was: Jiang Nannan's mother's life depended on it.
Seeing that Chu Mo had nothing more to say, she turned to leave. They had to get to class, and even if they didn't, they couldn't just stand there forever. Tang Ya was wearing a nightdress and would need to change before going out; he couldn't exactly watch her get dressed.
As soon as he stepped outside, a soft voice came from the room on his right.
"Good morning, Brother Chu Mo."
Huo Yu'er came out on tiptoe, still a little shy.
Wang Dong'er, standing beside her, was nothing like that. She lifted her chin and looked down her nose at Chu Mo as usual.
"You didn't do anything to Sister Yaya, did you?"
She was dressed as a boy right now, and Chu Mo didn't want to argue with her. He ignored her and greeted Huo Yu'er instead.
"Morning."
"Hm?"
Before Huo Yu'er could answer, Wang Dong'er blew her top.
"I asked you a question!"
It was early morning, and everyone was heading out for breakfast or getting ready for class. The corridor was full of people, and her shout made them all turn to look.
Huo Yu'er's face instantly flushed. She tugged at Wang Dong'er's arm, hoping she'd lower her voice.
"Wang Dong'er..."
"Of course I didn't. Don't get the wrong idea."
Chu Mo frowned and flicked Wang Dong'er on the forehead.
"Ow~"
It didn't hurt, but Wang Dong'er cried out on instinct.
"Y-you just wait!"
After saying that, Wang Dong'er turned and fled. Anyone who didn't know better would think someone had bullied her.
Chu Mo's mouth twitched. He turned to Huo Yu'er, whose face was still red.
"All right, ignore her. We're both heading back to class anyway. It makes no difference whether she goes first or later. At least this way she won't make a scene."
"Mm."
With so many people staring at her, Huo Yu'er had been through this before, and even her reply came out a little shaky.
Only after they left the Freshman Dormitory and no one was looking at her did Huo Yu'er start to relax.
Before you continue