Old Grudges and New Hatreds Settled Together! The Golden Leaf Duo?

Lin Jiang took the nameplate, flipped it over to examine it, and casually tucked it into his pocket.

Just then—

"Yo?"

A snide, mocking voice drifted over from the side.

Lin Jiang turned his head to see two youths walking toward them.

One was lean and wiry, the other slightly more robust; both wore expressions of annoyance, their gazes darting back and forth between Lin Jiang and Ye Lingling.

Osler.

Yu Feng.

Members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team and loyal lackeys to Yu Tianheng.

Osler squinted, looking Lin Jiang up and down. "Isn't that Lingling? Who's that beside her?"

Yu Feng crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to look for a moment. "Never seen him. He's not from our academy, is he?"

The two exchanged a glance.

"If she won't team up with us, why is she out here finding some guy?"

Osler spat on the ground. "Let's go, let's see what kind of teammate Lingling found."

"Let's go!"

The two marched over aggressively.

Seeing them, Ye Lingling's expression shifted slightly. She instinctively leaned closer to Lin Jiang and lowered her voice.

"Let's go quickly; those two are clearly looking to pick a fight with you."

Her voice was laced with tension.

Lin Jiang followed her gaze, sizing up Osler and Yu Feng.

Although he had only met them once six years ago, Lin Jiang still had an impression of these two supporting characters from the original story.

Lin Jiang withdrew his gaze and said casually, "Aren't they just a pair of lackeys?"

Ye Lingling's face changed, and she hurriedly tugged at his sleeve. "Keep your voice down!"

It was too late.

Osler and Yu Feng had already approached and heard the remark clearly.

Both of their faces darkened simultaneously.

Yu Feng crossed his arms, lifted his chin, and looked down his nose at them.

"Kid, do you even know who we are?"

Ye Lingling's expression shifted, and she quickly stepped forward, blocking Lin Jiang.

"He is my partner! Don't you two act like this!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly strained with anxiety.

Osler looked Lin Jiang up and down, a sneer hanging on his lips.

"Lingling, you pass up two people as strong as us to form a team, only to find some greenhorn like this?"

Ye Lingling opened her mouth. "I!..."

Before she could finish, a hand rested gently on her shoulder.

It was Lin Jiang's hand.

"Who Lingling chooses to team up with is her own business." His tone was flat and unhurried. "It has nothing to do with you two, does it?"

Osler's eyes widened. "Who gave you the right to speak!"

Just as he was about to step forward, Yu Feng suddenly reached out to stop him.

"Wait."

Yu Feng stared at Lin Jiang's face, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

He kept feeling like he had seen this face somewhere before...

That face, so excessively handsome it made people want to punch it...

Yu Feng's pupils constricted.

He remembered!

Six years ago, at the gates of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

That little brat squatting in the corner.

That pretty boy who had caused Dugu Yan to slap their boss!

Yu Feng signaled to Osler with his eyes.

Although Osler didn't recognize him, he saw the look on Yu Feng's face and knew he had an idea, so he snorted and took half a step back.

"Hmph, I'll leave it to you then," he lowered his voice, "let's see how you get beaten up."

Lin Jiang couldn't be bothered with them and turned to leave.

"Lingling, let's go. We're going to register for the two-on-two."

He casually grabbed Ye Lingling's wrist and walked toward the registration desk without looking back.

Ye Lingling was stunned by his pull, her face turning bright red instantly. She followed him with her head down, not daring to say a word.

Once the two were far away, Osler leaned in toward Yu Feng.

"What is it? Do you know that kid?"

Yu Feng narrowed his eyes, staring at Lin Jiang's back.

"Don't you think his face looks a bit familiar?"

Osler was taken aback: "Familiar?"

"Six years ago," Yu Feng said, enunciating each word, "at the academy gate. The kid who got Dugu Yan to slap our boss."

Osler's eyes widened sharply.

"What?! It's him?!"

"Hmph."

Osler clenched his fists until they cracked, gritting his teeth: "Then why did you stop me? I have to teach him a lesson!"

Yu Feng held him back, a sinister smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Don't be impatient."

"We'll teach him a lesson in the Soul Fighting Arena."

"Let's make him embarrass himself in front of everyone!"

Osler paused, then his eyes lit up as he rubbed his chin.

"Good idea! We'll settle old and new scores all at once!"

Yu Feng nodded, feeling more pleased the more he thought about it.

"Once we tell the boss when we get back, we'll have earned ourselves another merit!"

"Hahahaha!"

The two exchanged a glance and laughed in unison, their laughter unbridled.

Passing soul masters looked over one after another, wondering what had gotten into these two.

In the distance, Lin Jiang had already pulled Ye Lingling to the two-on-two registration desk.

"Registering."

The staff member looked up at him: "Team name?"

Lin Jiang thought for a moment: "Uh... my name is Golden Scale."

"And your teammate?"

Ye Lingling said softly: "Ye, Ye Lingling..."

"Then what is your duo called?"

Lin Jiang scratched his head. It was a hassle having to come up with a team name.

Might as well pick one at random.

Ye Lingling suddenly spoke up, her voice a little louder than before: "Then... let's just use the first characters!"

Lin Jiang turned to look at her: "Hmm?"

Ye Lingling lowered her head, twisting the corner of her clothes, and whispered: "Golden Leaf Duo!"

Lin Jiang: "..."

Ye Lingling looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Isn't it nice?"

Those large blue eyes were filled with anticipation.

Lin Jiang looked at her expression and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"...Whatever."

The corners of Ye Lingling's mouth curled up slightly as she repeated it softly: "Golden Leaf Duo... it actually sounds quite nice."

The staff member scribbled a few lines and handed over a match schedule without looking up.

"Done. Your match is scheduled for ten o'clock, at the number five sub-arena. Arrive fifteen minutes early to wait."

Lin Jiang took the match schedule and sighed, covering his face.

Golden Leaf Duo...

Forget it, it's just a name; as long as we can fight, it's fine.

Ye Lingling followed behind him with a much lighter step, muttering under her breath, "Gold leaf, gold leaf..."

The two had only just left.

Yu Feng and Osler crowded up to the counter.

"Arrange a match for us."

Yu Feng leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers on the surface, "We want to fight those two who just left."

The staff member looked up: "Huh?"

He looked at Yu Feng, then at Osler, recognizing them both.

The Wind Leopard Duo were somewhat well-known in the Soul Fighting Arena.

"But..." the staff member flipped through the records, "you two have both been on winning streaks of dozens of matches; you're nearly at Silver Soul Fighter rank from Bronze. Those two are a newly registered pair, the gap in strength is too vast. According to the rules, I can't—"

Yu Feng didn't speak, simply pulling a few Gold Soul Coins from his robes and sliding them over without a sound.

"Make an exception."

The Gold Soul Coins made a crisp clinking sound against the counter.

The staff member glanced at the coins, then at Yu Feng, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.

"No problem."

He tucked the Gold Soul Coins into his sleeve and lowered his head to scratch out a few lines.

"Ten o'clock, Sub-Arena Number Five."

Yu Feng and Osler exchanged a look, both of them breaking into smiles...