The Frazzled Xie and the Teasing Yue

Tang Wulin's hand holding the bun paused slightly. His gaze fell upon Xie Xie, who was sitting nearby, gnawing on a chicken leg with a goofy grin, and a strange, unreadable expression flickered in his eyes.

It wasn't until Gu Yue turned and left that he slowly set down his bun, sat beside Xie Xie, and asked softly, "Xie Xie, do you really like eating that much?"

Xie Xie wiped his mouth with the cuff of his school uniform, not caring in the slightest, and looked at Tang Wulin as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:

"Who doesn't like delicious food?"

"That's true. I like to eat, too." Tang Wulin nodded gently.

At that moment, Xie Xie had no idea that his casual remark would one day "create" a God of Cooking.

A gentleman's word is worth its weight in gold, but Wu Zhangkong was no gentleman; she was a woman.

And so, the promised theory class was swapped out on a whim, replaced directly by physical training, with the ultimatum that if their physical performance wasn't up to standard, they could forget about attending theory classes altogether.

Thus, the afternoon session remained physical training, which proved even more agonizing than the morning.

The weight of Xie Xie's Iron Vest was increased from fifteen jin to thirty jin. Wu Zhangkong claimed it was a requirement for an assault-type soul master, insisting that even if he had to crawl, he had to finish the training.

Because Tang Wulin possessed the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, his physical constitution was naturally formidable.

Gu Yue's state was unexpectedly good as well; the elements of heaven and earth seemed to favor her, escorting her through the training.

Only Xie Xie was the most miserable of the three, relying entirely on his own sheer willpower to hold on.

As for everyone else besides the three of them—

Aced! Wiped out.

Tang Wulin wanted to help, but was stopped by Wu Zhangkong, while Gu Yue stood to the side, mocking them relentlessly.

"Yo, isn't that right, you little punk?"

Gu Yue crouched down, looking at Xie Xie, who was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. A playful smirk curled her lips as she picked up a twig and poked his face with it.

"What? Is that all you've got?"

Gu Yue truly couldn't resist teasing him.

This little thing, Xie Xie, was like a firecracker—lit at the slightest touch and easily coaxed.

If you gave him a little benefit, he would instantly turn into a large canine, staring at you with bright, sparkling eyes and wagging his tail frantically.

Whoever invented this was a genius; it was just too much fun!

"Bullshit!"

Sure enough, Xie Xie bristled instantly. Even though his legs were shaking like a sieve, he forced himself to crawl up, veins throbbing on his forehead.

A man must never admit he can't do it!!

"Who are you calling useless? I'm capable every single day!"

"You cheated last time! If you've got the guts, let's fight again!"

Flames suddenly condensed in Gu Yue's left hand, and she sneered, "Bring it on. Who's afraid of you?"

"You moth—!"

Xie Xie had just taken a step when his legs went soft, and he collapsed onto his knees in front of Gu Yue with a thud.

Xie Xie: "..."

Gu Yue: "Pfft—"

Gu Yue's shoulders trembled as she fought back laughter, using the twig to tap Xie Xie's knee lightly. "I didn't force you to kneel, you know."

Xie Xie's face flushed red; he wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it right then and there.

As she laughed, Gu Yue looked at Xie Xie, who was so embarrassed he looked ready to evaporate on the spot, and her hand moved faster than her brain.

The moment her fingertips touched Xie Xie's arm, Gu Yue froze.

Xie Xie felt a sudden surge of mischief. Quick as a flash, he seized the fleeting opportunity, grabbed her arm, and yanked hard, using her own momentum against her.

You want to watch me make a fool of myself? Then you're coming down with me!

Crouched on the ground, Gu Yue lost her balance instantly. With a cry of surprise, she was pulled down, falling right beside Xie Xie.

Seeing Gu Yue sprawled next to him, Xie Xie immediately forgot his embarrassment. He lifted his chin and let out a mocking laugh, his tone filled with the triumph of revenge:

"Haha! Gu Yue, you said I couldn't do it, but didn't you just fall too?!"

"Wahaha!"

He was laughing heartily, completely unaware that Gu Yue's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

The next second, Gu Yue whipped her hand up and delivered a crisp, ruthless blow to the top of Xie Xie's head.

"Xie Xie!"

"Ow!"

Xie Xie let out a howl of pain.

Then, the stubbornness in his bones flared up. How could he take this lying down?

Xie Xie immediately pushed off the ground with both hands and, using the momentum of rising, grabbed Gu Yue's face.

"Are you kidding me, you stinking woman? You think I'm afraid of you?"

Pulled by him, Gu Yue's center of gravity shifted once more. She didn't bother getting up, instead twisting her hand back to grab Xie Xie's wrist and wrenching it to the side, sneering, "Fine, let's see who's afraid of who."

And so, the two began to wrestle right there on the training ground.

There were no flashy soul skills, just like a kindergarten brawl: you grab my collar, I pull your hair.

Back and forth they went, rolling into a tangled mess.

Xie Xie's hair was left disheveled and coated in dust.

Gu Yue's skirt was wrinkled, and her cheeks were flushed a faint red from the exertion, though her eyes burned with fury.

"Let go! Why are you pulling my hair!"

Gu Yue hissed, her fingers digging firmly into the ends of Xie Xie's hair. With a slight tug, she made Xie Xie wince and bare his teeth in pain.

"You're the one who grabbed me first!"

Xie Xie refused to back down, gripping Gu Yue's wrists with both hands, desperately trying to pry her fingers off his hair.

Their foreheads pressed together, their noses nearly touching, their breathing ragged from the struggle.

There was absolutely no romantic atmosphere; in both their eyes, there was only the fighting spirit to trample the other beneath their feet.

Not far away, the classmates who had been "wiped out" and lying on the ground resting all propped themselves up.

No matter where you go, the instinct to watch the drama is etched into human DNA.

Tang Wulin tried to step forward to break up the fight, "You guys, stop..."

"Don't come over here!"

"Don't come over here!"

Xie Xie and Gu Yue spoke in unison.

Their eyes met, and both were stunned for a moment.

"Stop copying what I say!"

"Stop copying what I say!"

The two were stunned again.

"Are you a parrot? Do you have to copy me?"

"Who the hell is copying you? It's clearly you copying me, isn't it?"

Neither could convince the other, and they began to wrestle once more.

"...Sigh." Tang Wulin rubbed his forehead in resignation.

"Enough!"

At that moment, a cold voice exploded like a thunderclap.

The two wrestling figures froze instantly.

Xie Xie remained in a half-propped position.

Gu Yue's fist hung in mid-air, only a few centimeters from his face.

Wu Zhangkong had arrived before them at some point, his brows furrowed, his tone icy, "It seems this afternoon's training wasn't enough to exhaust your excess energy."

The two locked eyes again.

Both saw a flicker of guilt in the other's gaze, then simultaneously turned their heads away and resentfully let go.

Seeing them separate, Wu Zhangkong continued:

"Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, come find me after dinner."

"No, Teacher Wu!" Watching Wu Zhangkong's resolute back, Xie Xie wailed on the spot and collapsed onto the training ground once more.

Gu Yue had already climbed to her feet, brushing the dust off her clothes.

Glancing at the slumped Xie Xie, she let out a cold snort and said, "Tch, pathetic!"