"Thank you, senior, and... Little Benefactor! If you two hadn't come to our rescue, I'm afraid..."
Zhang Lexuan, her face haggard, thanked the "master and disciple."
Bai Mo helped Zhang Lexuan up from where she had been kneeling weakly on the ground. As he copied her with the Emperor Scepter, he sized up the six remaining students.
Excluding Zhang Lexuan, the number of students who survived this time has doubled!
"It was nothing. I saw injustice and drew my sword to help. Judging by your clothes, you're inner-court disciples of Shrek Academy, right? I've heard a little about how inner-court disciples fear neither life nor death as they fight Evil Soul Masters all across the continent."
Bai Mo gently brushed the dust from Zhang Lexuan's clothes. After a pause, he continued:
"But it's still too dangerous to send students like you into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts alone. You should at least have a teacher with you!"
Bai Mo took out a blade-type Soul Tool and carved a tree stump into a seat, then helped Zhang Lexuan sit down, all while subtly laying the blame on Xuan Zi.
"Teacher..."
At those words, a flash of pain crossed Zhang Lexuan's haggard face, then turned to anger.
Seeing this, Bai Mo said no more. He'd made his point.
Then he took a [Herbal Extract] from his Storage Space and gently crushed it.
The crushed [Herbal Extract] released specks of green light, which Bai Mo guided into the bodies of the students.
"All right, none of you are in any immediate danger now. Since you're having trouble moving, would you like to return to Shrek City with me?"
"Sorry for the trouble!" Zhang Lexuan accepted Bai Mo's invitation without hesitation.
Aside from her injured juniors and younger schoolmates, who could hardly make it out of the Star Dou Great Forest on their own, Zhang Lexuan also wanted to find out where the "master and disciple" were from so she could repay them in the future.
Then Bai Mo, Little Black Tower, and Zhang Lexuan led the way, with the other six students obediently following them back to Shrek City.
Little Black Tower had shed her armor and returned to her usual Black-Purple Puffy Skirt Outfit, revealing her pale lower legs, complete with mechanical joints.
The sight left the six students following behind them staring, stunned.
"Such a bother. Bai Mo, carry me!"
Bai Mo was speechless. Little Black Tower had apparently picked up that lazy habit from Big Black Tower.
Without another word, Bai Mo carried Little Black Tower, who was about as tall as he was, on his back. He couldn't help grumbling:
"By the way, Ms. Herta, do you remember that I'm only eight years old?"
"So what? Think of it as exercise!" Little Black Tower replied, then closed her eyes. She seemed to be dozing, but had actually returned to Bai Mo's Simulated Universe.
Zhang Lexuan watched the two interact and felt a little envious. She envied Herta for having such a sensible little disciple, and envied Bai Mo for having such a close, dependable teacher.
"Little Brother Bai Mo, I see your Soul Power is already at level twenty-two. And did you say you're eight?"
One of the male students following at the back of the group couldn't help asking.
"Yeah, that's right!"
"Then why don't you join our Shrek Academy? With your talent, you'd definitely be able to—"
Before the male student could finish, Zhang Lexuan saw Bai Mo's expression turn strange.
"What's wrong, Bai Mo?"
"Ah, nothing. I just suddenly remembered something. What that senior just said sounds a lot like what an old grandpa I met in the Star Dou Great Forest said to me before."
"An old grandpa?" Zhang Lexuan's expression changed, and she clenched her fists. Then she asked in a trembling voice:
"What did the grandpa you met look like? Where was he?"
"White hair. Um, dressed very plainly, all greasy, and eating barbecue."
Bai Mo pretended to think, then answered slowly.
"Uh... wait. Could that senior be someone who was with you?"
Realizing something was amiss, Bai Mo cautiously glanced at Zhang Lexuan and the six students behind her.
"Was he with us, my ass! I swear to—ahhh!"
One of the male students flushed red, tears welling in his eyes as he shouted incoherently in fury.
The male student beside him hurriedly grabbed the Red-Faced Brother, who looked ready to explode, and comforted him through gritted teeth.
"That's enough!"
It was Senior Disciple Sister Zhang Lexuan who brought everyone to heel, her face dark as she ordered them to quiet down.
"What kind of behavior is it, mouthing off in front of our benefactor and senior? Sorry, Bai Mo. The few of us came to hunt soul beasts on our own. There was never any teacher with us. Maybe you saw some reclusive expert from Shrek."
Zhang Lexuan spoke to Bai Mo evenly, but the flames in her eyes were impossible to hide.
"Haha, I see!"
Bai Mo let out an awkward laugh, as if he'd been frightened. Then, in a serious voice, he said to them all:
"You've... worked hard!"
Zhang Lexuan's eyes reddened at once.
After that, no one spoke again, and silence settled over the road.
Bai Mo, meanwhile, kept pestering Ms. Herta inside his body. She was busy writing code for the newly acquired moon, answering him only now and then.
In Ms. Herta's view, if the True Number World was to truly flourish and teem with life, relatively realistic sun and moon were absolutely essential.
"So you're with the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce!" Zhang Lexuan said when she saw Bai Mo carry his teacher back to the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce's branch in Shrek City.
"Yes. I'm with the headquarters. I came out to gain experience with my teacher, and I'll be staying in Shrek City for a while yet. I'll have to trouble you to look after me during that time, Senior Sister Zhang!"
"No problem. I can help you out around here!"
At last, Zhang Lexuan smiled again, happy that she could help her little benefactor.
Bai Mo smiled, then the two went their separate ways, and Bai Mo returned to his lodgings. When he saw there was no one around, he slipped Little Black Tower straight into his Storage Bracelet.
By my count, it'll be about two more months before I can get my third gold-guaranteed pull. I wonder if I'll get a character this time. A level-ninety gold character would be more than enough to let me run roughshod over Douluo Continent!
Thinking about his plans for the future, Bai Mo hugged "Qian Renxue" and slowly drifted off to sleep.
(Why not make "Qian Renxue" into little Xue'er? Bai Mo was afraid people would call him a pervert!)
Not long after Bai Mo fell asleep, a little redhead crept into his room. Grinning, she hugged "Qian Renxue" from the other side.
Wu Feng rubbed her little face against "Qian Renxue's" belly, then, satisfied, drifted off to sleep too.
Not long after Wu Feng fell asleep, a little blond sneaked into Bai Mo's room as well. Seeing the redhead squeezing "Qian Renxue" alongside Bai Mo, she covered her forehead with one hand, wearing an expression that said she'd expected nothing less.
Then Ning Tian sighed helplessly, shook her head, and left Bai Mo's room.
Elsewhere, deep in the Star Dou Great Forest
A breathtaking silver-haired girl stood barefoot on the Lake of Life. Her face expressionless, she gazed in the direction Bai Mo and the others had gone, and remained silent for a long time.
Di Tian and the others... beasts, all held their breath as they watched their Lord, who had suddenly emerged from the inner space and fallen into deep thought.
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