Oscar was in such a hurry to leave, but it wasn't because he was going to look for Zhu Zhuqing. Going to see a young girl in the middle of the night just wouldn't be appropriate.
He was eager to get back to Shrek. This trip had been a secret operation, and he'd worried the teachers at the academy might be concerned enough to follow him into the Star Dou Great Forest.
Now that he was back, he needed to let his fiancée and junior brothers know.
But it was already very late. The only dormitory that still had an oil lamp burning was Ma Hongjun's.
"Knock, knock!"
Before long, footsteps sounded from inside, and Ma Hongjun opened the door.
He looked Oscar up and down a few times. Only after confirming that his senior brother looked well and seemed to be in good spirits did he relax and ask,
"Senior Brother, what have you been up to these past few days? Why didn't you take me along?"
Oscar rubbed his nose and replied without so much as a blush,
"What could I have been doing? I just suddenly felt like going out for a stroll. When I got back, I saw that Yiran's room was still dark, and there were no signs nearby of her practicing her Soul Skills. Where did she go?"
As he spoke, he walked into Ma Hongjun's dormitory. He had a feeling something was off about the chubby boy today, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Ma Hongjun followed him inside and said,
"Her grandparents wrote to her and said they'd decided to come teach at Shrek, so they could spend some time with Sister Yiran. She went back yesterday.
You've been missing for the past couple of days, and she was worried sick.
She also said that if you came back, I had to write and let her know. You'd better explain yourself properly when she returns."
"Give me her address. I'll write to her later... When did you buy this? It looks pretty nice."
Oscar sat on the edge of Ma Hongjun's bed, surveying the furnishings. Then he noticed the bright red plant on the windowsill and asked about it.
"I just picked it up somewhere. It wasn't expensive. I bought one for you, too; it's on your windowsill. You don't need to water them. Just nourish them with Soul Power every now and then. They're supposed to help with cultivation."
Oscar nodded. The little details in Ma Hongjun's daily life warmed his heart a little.
Thinking about how he'd soon be visiting the Clear Sky Douluo's garden, he smiled and said to Ma Hongjun,
"Your senior brother didn't get anything good this time. But after a while, I'll give you a treasure."
Ma Hongjun grinned and sat down beside Oscar.
"If you say it's a treasure, it must be something special. I'll look forward to it, then."
"Were the dean and the others worried when I suddenly left?"
"How could they be? Ever since that accident—and now that you have the Grace Hymn Emerald Sausage—the teachers trust you completely. Teacher Zhao even said you're better at staying alive than he is."
Oscar leaned back on the bed. He realized he might have been worrying over nothing. The Grace Hymn Emerald Sausage's ability to keep him alive was no joke, so it made sense they weren't concerned.
Then he thought of another junior brother, Dai Mubai, and asked Ma Hongjun,
"Has Mubai still been going to the Rose Hotel all the time?"
"All the time? He didn't even come back tonight. I heard he's already got his schedule set for the next few days.
You really should do something about him. He's making hardly any progress with either Quiet Meditation or the Taiji Technique. If he keeps this up, he'll fall behind for sure."
At the mention of Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun sounded thoroughly dissatisfied. When Senior Brother was around, Dai Mubai would at least practice a little. The moment Senior Brother left, he'd given up entirely.
At this rate, forget about standing together and looking out for each other in the future. Mubai would be lucky if he could even see his senior brother's and Ma Hongjun's backs!
Oscar sighed, too. He'd already talked to Dai Mubai about it countless times.
Dai Mubai wasn't a boy of pure heart. If he wanted to make progress in cultivation, he'd have to work twice as hard.
But the kind of self-cultivation required was completely unsuited to Dai Mubai's impatient nature. And since he'd already had his fill of worldly pleasures, it was hard for him to hold back. In the end, Oscar had gotten tired of trying to persuade him.
"Ultimately, a master can show you the door, but the rest is up to you. If you coddle him, he won't budge; if you push him, he'll only backslide. What can I do?
Enough about him. Get some rest. Before long, we'll be heading to the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena to practice real combat, so take it easy for now."
After Oscar finished speaking, he straightened his clothes and started to leave, but Ma Hongjun grabbed his hem.
"Senior Brother, I'm almost twelve now. I should be old enough to know what you're trying to do, right?
I'm your junior brother. I don't want to be completely useless to you."
Oscar turned around and met his tear-reddened eyes.
He suddenly realized this might be one of the rare moments when the chubby boy was showing his true feelings.
But he was helpless. He had too much to do, and the road ahead was too exhausting and dangerous. He didn't want his junior brother, who cared about nothing but him, to put himself at risk.
"Give it a few more years. When the time comes, I'll tell you everything. For now, just enjoy life."
Oscar ruffled Ma Hongjun's hair and realized that the little guy had nearly caught up to him in height without him noticing.
The night passed quickly. Early the next morning, Ma Hongjun woke Oscar and dragged him out for morning exercise.
"You've been overdoing it with all this hard work lately, haven't you?"
Still groggy, Oscar followed Ma Hongjun on their usual morning run around Suotuo City.
"I just want to be able to help you sooner... Hey, is that the dean?"
Following Ma Hongjun's pointing finger, Oscar spotted Flender leaving through the city gate. He had no idea where the man was headed.
The two brothers immediately quickened their pace and ran over to call out to Flender.
"Dean, where are you going?"
Noticing the two diligent youngsters, Flender stroked his beard and smiled.
"I'm going to find Yu Xiaogang. He said he'd come teach at Shrek sometime soon.
I've invited him plenty of times before, but he never came. This is a rare opportunity, so I can't let him leave again."
Flender spoke casually. He didn't mention the trouble Yu Xiaogang had recently gotten into, or bring up any of his other messy affairs.
Two years ago, he'd occasionally told Oscar about Yu Xiaogang, but that had only been to teach the boy a lesson. Even if he was somewhat displeased with Yu Xiaogang, he still cared about sparing his old friend's feelings.
After all, they'd known each other for so many years...
"I probably won't be back before enrollment. If any new students arrive, take them under your wing and help them with their cultivation. If anything comes up, go to Zhao Wuji. He'll write and let me know."
Oscar thought of the shop Flender owned and asked,
"What about your shop? Are you closing it?"
"I'd completely forgotten about that. All right, you and Hongjun can look after it for now. There's nothing valuable inside, so when it sells, keep the money for yourselves."
Flender slapped his forehead, then gave the two brothers a few more instructions before hurrying out of the city.
Ma Hongjun was about to pull Oscar along to check out the shop, but then he noticed his senior brother staring blankly.
Following Oscar's gaze, he spotted someone nearby, dressed just like Oscar, walking around in a daze.
The person looked so delicate that they didn't seem like a boy at all, but rather a young girl dressed as a boy—and not quite used to the outfit.
Before you continue