Only then did Wu Zhangkong deign to spare Kong Hanwen a glance.
"Teacher Kong came to greet me before the match, but after losing, he stopped talking. Truly—when faced with a question he doesn't know how to answer, he goes quiet again."
"So this is what you call good manners?"
Wu Zhangkong said coldly.
"You!"
Kong Hanwen clenched his fists in anger, but under the pressure of Wu Zhangkong's powerful presence, he didn't dare say another word.
"All right. Now, please have Class Four and Class Five exchange class plaques," Long Hengxu said, sweating nervously.
Wu Zhangkong gave a casual "Oh."
With a flick of her slender hand, the Class Four plaque flew into her grasp.
Immediately afterward, the Class Five plaque flew out from who knew where and smacked straight into Kong Hanwen's face with a sharp slap.
"Wu Zhangkong!"
Kong Hanwen yanked the plaque off his face, leaving a huge red mark on his nose.
"Don't you go too far!"
But Wu Zhangkong couldn't be bothered to give him the time of day. After announcing that school was over, she turned and left.
Xie Xie happily made for the school gate.
"La la la~"
Humming a tune, Xie Xie was in a great mood.
After all, he'd been here for so long, and still hadn't properly explored Eastsea City. Now that he finally had a day without special training, of course he was going to have the time of his life!
Suddenly, someone tugged at his sleeve. Xie Xie knew who it was from that familiar pull alone.
"I mean, it's already this late. Aren't you going to eat?" Xie Xie turned to Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin stared at him intently.
"Xie Xie, where are you going?"
"Obviously, I'm going out to have fun!" Xie Xie answered without hesitation.
"Then I'm coming too," Tang Wulin said at once.
Xie Xie tilted his head. This was strange. Tang Wulin wasn't interested in anything besides eating and cultivating, so why did he suddenly want to go out and have fun?
"I'm coming too."
A girl's voice suddenly sounded right beside Xie Xie's ear. He shuddered in fright and nearly dropped straight to the ground.
Once he saw who it was, Xie Xie immediately grumbled, "I mean, Gu Yue, can you stop scaring me like that?"
Gu Yue gave him a half-smile. "Oh?"
"But I seem to remember someone just scaring the people in Class Four unconscious."
Xie Xie waved a hand. "I'm not talking about that."
"Sure." Gu Yue folded her arms. "Then I'm coming too."
"No problem. Let's all go together."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xie's gaze darted back and forth between Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. He looked up, a giant question mark practically hovering over his tiny head. "Wait, when did you two change clothes?"
"Just now," Tang Wulin said.
Seeing that Xie Xie was still wearing his uniform, Gu Yue couldn't help frowning.
"Are your uniform and trousers welded to your body? You're a rich young master. You can't afford to change clothes?" Gu Yue stepped back in disgust.
"It's convenient!" Xie Xie said, sniffing his uniform. "It doesn't even smell!"
Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a glance.
Then, in perfect unison, they each grabbed one of Xie Xie's arms and hauled him along.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!"
At first, Xie Xie struggled and flailed around, but Gu Yue shot a fireball at him, and he immediately settled down, letting them drag him back to the dormitory.
The dormitory was empty. Yun Xiao and Zhou Changxi had gone to eat.
Gu Yue opened Xie Xie's wardrobe, only to discover that besides his uniform, there was just one other uniform inside.
"...Tch."
She turned to look at Xie Xie, sitting obediently on the bed, and asked irritably, "Where are your clothes?"
"In my Soul Guidance Storage Device." Xie Xie shook the bracelet on his wrist.
"Why didn't you take them out?" Gu Yue asked.
Xie Xie answered honestly, "Because I couldn't be bothered."
"...Good answer. Don't answer again next time." Gu Yue removed Xie Xie's Soul Guidance Storage Bracelet and casually rewarded him with a fireball.
Xie Xie: weak, helpless, afraid to speak (இωஇ)
After rummaging through everything, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue picked out an outfit and tossed it to Xie Xie.
Then the two of them went to wait outside.
It wasn't long before Xie Xie came out, dressed and ready.
Xie Xie wore a neatly tailored light-gray casual outfit. The fabric was light but crisp, with the refined quality unique to a rich young master.
A fine line of dark-silver detailing edged the collar, understated but eye-catching.
He wore matching fitted trousers, tapered slightly at the ankles, with a pair of lightweight white soft-soled boots.
Xie Xie awkwardly tugged at his hem.
The light-gray outfit made him look even taller and more upright. The youthful charm that his school uniform usually hid came spilling out all at once.
The dark-silver patterns shimmered faintly in the setting sun, and his soft-soled boots moved lightly and briskly over the ground. He looked less lazy and restless than usual, and more fresh-faced and handsome.
Tang Wulin stared at Xie Xie without blinking.
Beside him, Gu Yue folded her arms. A hint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes, though she still refused to let up.
She gave a soft snort. "You're just barely passable. At least now you don't look like a little slob who wears his uniform every day."
As she spoke, Gu Yue quickly gave Xie Xie another once-over.
Then she added, "Don't mess around. Keep those clothes on. If you change back into that uniform, I'm not going out with you and embarrassing myself."
Although the two of them had made Xie Xie's cheeks grow warm under their scrutiny, he refused to back down.
"Of course. Just look at who's wearing them!"
"Enough with the showing off!" Gu Yue turned first, her skirt swishing as she said briskly, "Keep dawdling and it'll be dark before we get there."
Tang Wulin immediately followed her.
After taking two steps, he turned back and called out to Xie Xie, who was still standing there with his chest puffed out, admiring himself.
"Xie Xie, hurry up!"
"Coming, coming!"
Xie Xie answered and hurried after them, feeling secretly pleased.
The two of them had teamed up to give him a makeover. The process had been a little "violent," but the result really did seem pretty good.
The three of them walked shoulder to shoulder along the road leading to Eastsea City's Prosperous Street, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun.
As soon as they entered Eastsea City's bustling district, a wave of noisy voices washed over them.
Street vendors hawked their wares, all kinds of little Soul Tools gleamed on the stalls, and the aroma of grilled meat mingled with the sweet scent of Sugar-Roasted Chestnuts, making mouths water.
Before long, a stall where people could toss Soul Guidance Flying Discs to win little prizes appeared before them.
Xie Xie's enthusiasm flared instantly.
His eyes sparkled. He broke free from their "pincer attack" and made for the stall. "That looks fun! I want to try!"
"Hey, don't run off!"
Gu Yue caught Xie Xie by the back of his collar with perfect aim and pulled him back like a big dog. "Let's get one thing straight. Our first stop today is to eat!"
Xie Xie gazed at Gu Yue with a pitiful expression. "Really? I can't?"
The brown-haired boy before her had messy hair and drooping eyes, looking both pitiful and full of longing.
He looked just like a brown Border Collie eager to go out and play, whining and pleading with its owner.
Gu Yue's heart gave a slight pause under that gaze, and her fingers unconsciously loosened their grip a little.
Before you continue