A Disturbance Over an Argument

A Disturbance Over an Argument

As soon as class ended, many students curiously gathered around the three transfer students.

"Huo Yuhao, you calculated that so quickly. What's your secret?"

"Chi Qiu, your hair is so pretty. Do you take special care of it?"

"You're Wang Dong, right? Your eyes are beautiful! Ah, Huo Yuhao's eyes are beautiful too!"

Surrounded by so many questions, Huo Yuhao wasn't sure how to respond. Most of the time, he could only smile awkwardly, while Chi Qiu barely said a word and seemed very aloof.

Wang Dong was the only one who seemed to fit in quickly, chatting and answering questions here and there. But it didn't last long. One question soon left her rooted to the spot:

"Wang Dong, are you a boy or a girl?"

Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu both turned to Wang Dong with sympathetic looks.

When she filled out her enrollment papers, Wang Dong had marked her gender as female, but she'd always presented herself as a short-haired boy. As far as she was concerned, she was simply used to the look.

But only the teachers ever saw students' records. To most of the students, Wang Dong was a very handsome young boy.

That was why Meng Hongchen had been so startled when she went to visit Wang Dong and Chi Qiu—

According to Chi Qiu, Senior Sister Meng had immediately tried to kick Wang Dong out of the dormitory, on the grounds that boys weren't allowed in the girls' dorm.

The commotion had been so loud that Chi Qiu remembered Huo Yuhao telling her to look out for Wang Dong. She hurried out to see what was going on. The moment she stepped into the corridor, she saw Meng Hongchen, radiating authority, gripping Wang Dong by the collar and trying to throw her out. Wang Dong, meanwhile, struggled like a giant moth while trying her best to explain.

In the end, Chi Qiu had to step in and vouch for Wang Dong before the matter was finally settled. But the commotion had drawn out many of the girls on their floor to watch the embarrassing scene.

When Chi Qiu told Huo Yuhao about it, he couldn't hold back his laughter.

Now, the two of them were propping up their chins, ready to watch Wang Dong's predicament.

"Uh, well, I'm a girl," Wang Dong said stiffly. She still wasn't used to the change in how people saw her, but since she lived in the girls' dorm, it wouldn't make sense to keep claiming she was a boy.

In fact, she didn't keep up the look because of habit at all. She just didn't want to take care of long hair. It was too much trouble.

As soon as she finished speaking, the girls in the class let out a chorus of sighs. Clearly, they'd all hoped Wang Dong was a boy. Faced with their disappointed looks, Wang Dong could only offer an apologetic smile, then turn and glare at the two people enjoying the show.

She'd noticed Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu laughing at her a long time ago!

"Oh, I don't know anything. I'm going to review the lesson," Huo Yuhao hurriedly said, burying his head in his textbook. But his trembling shoulders gave away how hard he was trying not to laugh.

"Right. I didn't see or hear anything either." Chi Qiu didn't even bother to make an excuse. Despite saying that, she continued to look at Wang Dong, her expression perfectly composed, though the corners of her eyes curved up slightly.

Suddenly, a spiteful insult shattered the cheerful mood. "Tch. Disgusting tomboy."

"What did you say?" Wang Dong slapped the desk and sprang to her feet.

"I said, tomboy!" At the edge of the crowd, a burly-looking boy made a disgusted face. "I thought you were just a pretty boy who never exercised. Turns out you're a tomboy. Disgusting. Ugh."

Wang Dong was about to lash out, but Chi Qiu raised a hand to block the two of them and asked in an unfriendly tone, "You looking for a fight?"

"Oh, now you're all banding together in your little clique! You're transfer students, anyway," the boy said mockingly. "I know your Soul Power Levels are high, but I'm no pushover. You want to fight? Who's scared?"

As he spoke, he actually pulled a pitch-black crossbow-shaped Soul Tool out of his Storage Soul Tool.

Huo Yuhao had watched the whole thing, and his gaze sharpened. He recognized the model: it was a Level Five Soul Tool. In theory, a first-year student shouldn't be able to operate it. But since the boy had dared to take it out, he must have had some way to use it—even if it would probably drain his Soul Power after only one or two shots.

By now, Huo Yuhao had more or less figured it out. The boy wasn't insulting Wang Dong because he truly disliked her. It seemed he was just looking for someone to provoke so he could satisfy his desire to fight.

The three transfer students had simply happened to be in his sights.

"Come on!" Chi Qiu snapped. A streak of light shot from her Eye of Destiny into her hand. It was, of course, the Golden Dragon Spear.

"Wait, Qiu'er!" Huo Yuhao caught her wrist as she was about to attack and whispered, "There's something wrong with that Soul Tool."

He was furious too. But Chi Qiu had never fought against a Soul Tool before. If he let her face the boy without warning, she could suffer serious injuries simply because she didn't know what to expect.

"What's wrong?" The boy looked even more pleased with himself. "Scared?"

"Scared of you?" Huo Yuhao said coldly. "I'll fight you."

As he spoke, a faint golden glint flashed in his eyes, and he began mobilizing his Sea of Consciousness. He couldn't predict what the Level Five Soul Tool would do to him if it hit, so he planned to finish the boy with Soul Shock.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from outside the classroom, cutting through the tense standoff:

"Fighting is forbidden on campus!"

Everyone turned toward the doorway. Huo Yuhao recognized the newcomer at a glance. That silver hair and mismatched eyes were unmistakable, even against the light. It was Xiao Hongchen.

More or less everyone studying at the Sun Moon Soul Engineer Academy had heard of the Hongchen siblings. They were rumored to be the aces on this year's reserve team, set to compete in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament.

"Who knew I'd run into this just taking a casual walk?" Xiao Hongchen leaned against the doorframe, frowning. "I could sense someone using their Martial Soul from a long way off. What's going on?"

"Brother Xiao," Huo Yuhao said quickly, taking the initiative. "This guy insulted my friend Wang Dong first, so we answered him. And he pulled out a Level Five Soul Tool and clearly wanted to fight, so one of us released a Martial Soul."

Xiao Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao and gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Huo Yuhao saw the small gesture clearly through Spiritual Detection Sharing, and his mind settled. Xiao Hongchen seemed willing to take his side.

"If you have a dispute, I suggest you settle it in the Soul Fighting Area," Xiao Hongchen said. "The academy built those areas for you, and they're sitting empty. You all become Soul Engineers and suddenly don't want to fight? Might as well make full use of the facilities."

"Let's go!" the boy immediately agreed. He seemed quite confident in the Soul Tool he was holding.

"I'll go," Huo Yuhao said, nodding to Chi Qiu and Wang Dong. "I know a bit more about Soul Tools than you do, so I should have an easier time."

With that, Huo Yuhao turned and headed out of the classroom. As he passed Xiao Hongchen, he heard him whisper quickly:

"That guy's Level Five Soul Tool has a suspicious origin. I need a good look at it, so take your time winning."

Huo Yuhao smiled knowingly. "Take my time? No problem."

At the same time, as Chi Qiu watched Huo Yuhao with worry, a weak plea suddenly reached her ears:

"Miss Chi, please help me up."

She turned around sharply. Wang Dong's face was pale as paper. She pressed one hand against her temple and leaned on a desk to keep herself upright, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Chi Qiu hurried over to support her. "Don't let what he said get to you. It's fine. Yuhao will definitely win."

"It's not like a few words from him would do this to me... Old Lady Zhou put me under a lot more pressure than he did." Wang Dong gasped, managing a weak smile. "When I saw that guy's Soul Tool, it felt like someone had ripped open the back of my head. It hurts so much."

"So there really is something wrong with that Soul Tool?" Chi Qiu's gaze immediately turned cold. If anything happened to Huo Yuhao, she'd tear the culprit apart and eat him.

"That's not all." Wang Dong waved a hand. "If Huo Yuhao says there's something wrong with it, then there definitely is. But I think there's something wrong with me, too."