Tang Wulin had no idea how adorable he looked right now. His big, beautiful eyes stayed fixed on Xie Xie, while the tuft of hair on his head swayed gently.
Xie Xie: ...Being cute is cheating!
But it worked.
Having never been able to resist fluffy things even before he crossed over, Xie Xie's heart softened in an instant.
He turned his head away and pretended to cough twice, trying to hide his wavering resolve. "Ahem... All right, all right. Don't look at me like that. I never said I wouldn't forgive you."
Tang Wulin immediately broke into a radiant smile. "Thank you!"
As the two were talking, two Marios, one tall and one short, made their entrance to the familiar theme music.
To Xie Xie's astonishment, the tall Mario pulled out a little hammer and tapped the wall lightly. Something miraculous happened: the two holes in the wall mended themselves.
The short Mario walked over to the broken bed slats, pulled a board from the pocket of his blue overalls, then jumped in place. Installation complete.
The damaged wall, bed slats, and window were all fixed just like that.
The short Mario said flatly, "All right. The window, outer wall, and bed come to thirty-four thousand Federal Coins."
The tall Mario twisted the knife. "Remember to pay at the Academic Affairs Office tomorrow, or we'll notify your families~"
"What the heck?" Zhou Changxi broke down all over again.
"That's way too expensive!" Tang Wulin was dumbstruck.
Yun Xiao was also at a loss. "Exactly. We could've replaced the bed slats ourselves."
But the two Marios ignored them completely. They hoisted the broken boards from the ground and walked away, their voices drifting lazily from a distance. "Those are the school rules. There's nothing we can do, hahaha. Feel free to keep fighting; that way, we'll have more work~"
Watching the two Marios disappear into the distance, Xie Xie couldn't help marveling inwardly: The world of anime really is something else!
Tang Wulin plopped onto the lower bunk, his little face scrunching up as he ran into a problem.
After all, for an ordinary family like his, just saving up the thirty thousand Federal Coins needed to buy a Martial Soul would take several years.
Looking at Tang Wulin sitting there motionless, Xie Xie rubbed his chin with his fingertips and considered it from every angle.
Three seconds later, a light bulb went ding above his head.
Xie Xie clenched his right hand into a fist and smacked it against his left palm. Then he grabbed Tang Wulin by the sleeve. "Um, Tang Wulin, come out of the academy with me. Let's have another match!"
He'd only just crossed over and still wasn't familiar with Martial Souls or Soul Power, so Tang Wulin would make the perfect practice partner.
He could also use that as an excuse to pay Tang Wulin's fine and earn some goodwill. Given Tang Wulin's personality, he'd definitely find a way to pay him back eventually. Nothing to lose, all to gain!
As he thought this, the fox tail behind Xie Xie swished rapidly, and a smile spread across his face—the classic keikaku doori grin.
"Huh?" Tang Wulin paused, then came to his senses. "I can, but I need to figure out how to pay the fine first..."
Wait, he agreed just like that?
Xie Xie hadn't expected Tang Wulin to accept so readily.
He froze for a moment, then thumped his chest. "That's easy. Fight me once, and I'll cover the money."
Tang Wulin blinked again. "You'll pay?"
Seeing the sudden excitement in Tang Wulin's eyes, Xie Xie felt a little pain at the thought of spending his own money, but still gritted his teeth and said, "I will!"
"Deal!" Tang Wulin agreed at once. "When are we fighting?"
"Tomorrow."
After they settled on a time, Xie Xie left.
Once he was outside Eastsea Academy, Xie Xie asked for directions until he reached the Federal Central Bank. Then he withdrew forty thousand Federal Coins in one go.
As he watched stacks of bills pour out of the teller window, Xie Xie's eyes went wide.
Honestly, in his entire previous life, he'd never seen this much money all at once.
The bank employee efficiently sorted the money and placed it in a small black briefcase.
Xie Xie carried the briefcase and looked at the chat history in his communicator. He actually had a full sixty thousand Federal Coins in pocket money every month!
Xie Xie felt like he was floating. The feeling of getting rich overnight—awesome!
Then he carried the case straight to the most famous barbershop in the center of Eastsea City. After a dazzling series of snips from Master Tony, he came out with a neat, choppy wolf cut.
His light brown hair was fresh and stylish, trimmed cleanly at the sides, with subtle layers on top and slightly longer ends at the nape.
The heavy fringe no longer covered his forehead. Only a few wispy bangs remained, fully revealing his clear, luminous, dark green eyes. His gaze was lively and sly, making his whole face look even more handsome and spirited.
The new hairstyle lent his youthful features a sharper, more dashing look.
Staring at his completely transformed reflection, Xie Xie was stunned for what must have been the umpteenth time that day.
Who said Xie Xie wasn't handsome? With a new hairstyle, he was ridiculously good-looking!
In the end, Master Tony didn't even mention payment. There wasn't a trace of longing for money in his eyes, only boundless appreciation for his own masterpiece.
By the time Xie Xie hurried back to school, it was already noon.
When he returned to the dorm, Tang Wulin had just finished lunch and was sitting cross-legged on his bed, preparing to meditate.
Xie Xie opened the black briefcase and casually tossed a bundled stack of Federal Coins to Tang Wulin. "Here."
Tang Wulin opened it to find a stack of Federal Coins inside.
Seeing all that money, he couldn't help feeling a little dazed.
Looking at his expression, Xie Xie gloated inwardly: Stunned, huh? Even I nearly dropped my jaw when I took the money out.
Xie Xie put away the briefcase and said calmly, "Classes officially start tomorrow. Come with me after school tonight."
"All right." Tang Wulin hesitated, then nodded lightly. "I'll definitely pay you back for this money someday."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Xie Xie replied casually.
After working all day, everything was finally taken care of. Xie Xie happily climbed into bed, wanting nothing more than to rest in peace for a while.
But as soon as he lay down and turned over, he came face-to-face with a pair of familiar, sparkling black eyes, staring at him without blinking.
"Um... I want to go out this afternoon. Is that okay?" Tang Wulin stood on tiptoe and leaned over the edge of Xie Xie's upper bunk. The tuft of hair on his head bobbed back and forth, and his eyes were full of curiosity. He looked ridiculously cute.
Xie Xie: ...Don't make me slap you at the happiest moment of my life.
Xie Xie yanked the blanket over his head. His muffled voice came from underneath. "Ask Yun Xiao."
From the upper bunk across the room, Yun Xiao could only answer helplessly, "Classes haven't officially started yet, so it should be fine. But you have to be back before lights-out, or you'll be disciplined."
"I will."
With that, Tang Wulin left the dorm.
There was no need to guess. Tang Wulin was definitely going to take a proficiency test to earn money, but what did that have to do with him? Time to sleep!
Xie Xie drifted blissfully off to sleep.
At some point, he seemed to dream. In the dream, a golden dagger and a dark dagger circled around him.
One was a brilliant, pale gold from tip to hilt.
Its slender, elongated body was like a blade forged from sunlight. Fine, warm dragon patterns rippled across its surface, and as the light flowed, tiny Light Dragons seemed to coil and dart along the dagger.
The other was a deep, ink-black silver.
Its blade was almost transparent, yet it swallowed the light around it, as if it were formed from flowing shadows. A faint, ghostly purple gleam flickered along its edge. The power of shadow lay restrained within, yet razor-sharp.
The two daggers, one bright and one dark, one day and one night, formed a striking contrast.
The instant the dream version of Xie Xie gripped both daggers, light and shadow interwove. Golden and black halos spiraled around him, at times merging, at times separating.
At that very instant, heaven and earth fell utterly silent.
Light and darkness sank into stillness, gently smoothed away by a force more ancient and more vast.
A blank, white void slowly spread through space. Time's flow slowed almost imperceptibly, and fine ripples stirred through the air, bringing a silence that seemed almost eternal.
An eye slowly opened within the void.
It was a dragon eye of pure silver-white, its pupil a perfectly regular golden diamond.
Unlike the bloodlust and savagery of other dragon eyes, this one held nothing but absolute reason—a detachment that seemed almost divine.
With a single glance, it was like a god gazing down upon the mortal world.
Before you continue