Yu Tianheng Comes Calling

Although Ye Lingling was asking Dugu Yan, her gaze remained fixed on Wu Xing.

The young man before her was handsome with an outstanding temperament, his brow carrying an air of ease and spontaneity.

As Dugu Yan's close friend, she knew her bestie too well; she was certainly not the type to be swayed by mere looks.

Moreover, Yanyan had just claimed she didn't know any boys outside the academy, yet now she was not only throwing herself into his arms but also clinging to him intimately—it looked suspicious no matter how one viewed it.

And that look of pure joy on her face, the kind that came from the heart, made her even more confused.

"Lingling, this is Wu Xing, my... my very best friend."

Seeing Ye Lingling approach, Dugu Yan introduced him happily, as if she wanted to share this joy with everyone.

However, when it came to defining their relationship, she found herself at a loss for words and simply settled on calling him her best friend.

After introducing him to Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan turned to Wu Xing and said playfully, "Brother Wu Xing, I suppose you already know Lingling, right? This is her. So, what do you think? Pretty, isn't she?"

As she spoke, she winked at him.

Clearly, she still remembered their competitive banter in the Chat Group, where she had promised that if Wu Xing ever came over, she would introduce her best friend to him.

Upon hearing Dugu Yan's introduction, a faint blush instantly crept across Ye Lingling's face.

What was Yanyan doing? Who introduces a best friend like that? Someone who didn't know better would think she was setting them up on a blind date!

"Of course I know her. Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Wu Xing nodded gently. How could he not know her? He had even sent her an invitation to the Chat Group back then, though for some reason, she hadn't joined.

"Hello," Ye Lingling replied, feeling slightly shy.

Of course, she wasn't shy because of the handsome man; she was simply embarrassed by Dugu Yan's introduction.

But suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she realized, "You know me?"

"Mm, the possessor of the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul. It would be hard not to know you," Wu Xing answered ambiguously.

So that was it.

Ye Lingling wasn't surprised by this; the fame of the Nine Heart Begonia was no less than that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

It was only because the lineage of the Nine Heart Begonia was so sparse that it didn't hold the same status as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Yet, its ability to save lives and heal the wounded was renowned throughout the entire continent.

"Teacher Lin, are you taking Brother Wu Xing to the academy dorms?" After the introductions, Dugu Yan finally looked toward the middle-aged man standing to the side.

Lin Chengyun nodded and replied, "Yes, I was just about to take this new student, Wu, to the male dormitory."

"The male dormitory?" Dugu Yan frowned and spoke up immediately, "Teacher Lin, move Brother Wu Xing to the core student dormitory instead."

"This..."

Lin Chengyun hesitated. My dear young lady, I know you and Wu Xing are close, but this doesn't exactly follow school regulations.

"What, is that a problem?"

Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow, her tone turning unfriendly.

"Of course not." Lin Chengyun shook his head hurriedly.

Although he was a teacher at the academy, he dared not offend the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo.

"In that case, just hand the key to me. I'll take him there myself."

Dugu Yan made the decision on the spot, leaving Lin Chengyun no room to back out.

Lin Chengyun could only offer a helpless, bitter smile as he retrieved the key to the core student dormitory from his Soul Tool and handed it over.

"Thanks." Dugu Yan thanked him with satisfaction, nearly causing Lin Chengyun to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage.

Having done all this as if it were nothing, Dugu Yan turned back to Wu Xing, her expression shifting completely as her tone turned sweet and soft: "Brother Wu Xing, Yanyan will take you to the core student dormitory to settle in."

Ye Lingling, who had watched the entire scene, twitched the corner of her mouth. Yanyan seemed to be treating this man with excessive kindness, nothing like the proud and haughty girl she usually knew.

Wu Xing didn't react much to all this; having read the original work and watched the anime, he knew exactly what kind of personality Dugu Yan had.

Still, he didn't say anything. If he could get a better dormitory, why wouldn't he?

And so, led by Dugu Yan and accompanied by Ye Lingling, with Lin Chengyun watching them go with tears in his eyes, the three headed toward the core student area.

Compared to the regular male dorms, where everyone had their own room but lived in the same building, the core student dorms were entirely independent pavilions, complete with courtyards and gazebos—the difference was significant.

Furthermore, each pavilion was separated by a road several meters wide, ensuring that whatever happened inside wouldn't disturb those outside.

Don't misunderstand—don't let your mind wander; this refers to practicing soul skills and the like, so as not to disturb others.

"Brother Wu Xing, do you like it here? Yanyan's dormitory is right across the way."

After showing Wu Xing around the pavilion, Dugu Yan looked at him with eager eyes.

"It's quite nice." It wasn't just that Wu Xing liked it; he hadn't expected the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to be so wealthy as to provide students with their own pavilions.

"Heehee, as long as you like it."

Dugu Yan's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and she added, "Yanyan will help you unpack in a moment."

Watching Dugu Yan act like a completely different person, Ye Lingling desperately wanted to get to the bottom of it: what exactly was Wu Xing's identity that made her go to such lengths to please him?

Even if she liked him, it shouldn't have gone this far!

However, with Wu Xing present, it wasn't appropriate to ask directly, so she had to suppress the thoughts in her heart.

"That won't be necessary, I can do it myself."

Wu Xing declined Dugu Yan's kind offer. The room in the pavilion didn't really need much tidying; it was spotless, clearly cleaned every day even when unoccupied.

"Alright then, Brother Wu Xing, if you need anything at all, just tell Yanyan. I'll head back for a moment and come back later."

Dugu Yan agreed readily. She didn't want to leave, but Ye Lingling beside her kept tugging at her sleeve and signaling with her eyes.

Having no choice, she found an excuse to take her leave.

Wu Xing naturally noticed Ye Lingling's subtle movements and nodded with a smile.

After the two women left, he began taking his personal items out of his Soul Tool to arrange and set them up.

However, things did not remain as peaceful as he had expected; just as he was tidying up, several young men in ornate clothing suddenly burst through the door.

It was none other than the core members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, led by Yu Tianheng.

"You're Wu Xing?"

Yu Tianheng looked at Wu Xing with a hint of contempt in his eyes and an arrogant tone in his voice.

He hadn't been having a very pleasant time over the past few days.

Dugu Yan had always been quite fond of him and often revolved around him.

But starting a few days ago, her attitude had changed abruptly, and she had stopped seeking him out entirely.

At first, he hadn't taken it to heart, but then Dugu Yan had broken through to level forty in one go and absorbed a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring, causing a sensation throughout the academy that even caught the attention of Emperor Xue Ye.

With such astonishing growth, he had begun to develop real feelings for Dugu Yan.

Yet, when he took the initiative to approach her, he found that the Dugu Yan who once looked at him with admiration not only lacked that past affection but had even become somewhat distant.

This left a bitter taste in his mouth, though he could never figure out the reason why.

It wasn't until he heard students gossiping earlier that Dugu Yan had been seen holding the arm of a strange man, acting very intimately.

After some inquiries, he learned that she had found a man she favored!

He couldn't sit still any longer. After all, in the eyes of many students, Dugu Yan had always been devoted to him. Now that she had suddenly switched to someone else, what would those students think? How would they look at him?

Therefore, he had brought a group of core disciples to see exactly which blind fool had dared to cut in, intending to give the guy a taste of his authority.