Burning Incense and Bathing

Xie Xie walked at the front, crossed the main road of the Outer Court, and turned into a small path paved with gravel.

The road was narrow, lined with tall sycamore trees on both sides, their leaves rustling in the wind.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the ground in patches, like shattered gold.

Xie Xie's steps became much lighter, his limp lessened, and he was humming some unknown tune.

Tang Wulin followed beside him, occasionally glancing back at Yun Jingheng behind them.

Xu Xiaoyan walked in the middle, her steps still a little hesitant.

Gu Yue and Yun Jingheng side by side.

"Where is your dormitory?" Yun Jingheng asked.

"It's just west of Lingbing Plaza, past that grove of trees."

Xie Xie didn't even turn his head. "The place is a bit remote, but it's quiet, suitable for cultivation."

Quiet... Are you sure it's not sparsely populated?

At the end of the gravel path was a small grove of trees.

The trees weren't large, but they were very dense, so sunlight could barely penetrate them.

Walking along the forest path, the light suddenly dimmed, and the air became damp.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of pine needles, which felt soft and slippery underfoot, making no sound.

After passing through the woods, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before us.

There were many low, dilapidated bungalows on an open space.

Yun Jingheng hesitated, then turned to look at some of the taller buildings inside Shrek, before looking back at this... dilapidated building complex.

"Um... the conditions are a bit poor, but it's habitable."

"Do all you work-study students live here?"

"Yes." A voice came from behind, neither too loud nor too soft, carrying a hint of composure.

Yun Jingheng turned his head.

Yuan En stood behind him, holding a basin of clothes in her arms.

The basin was white, made of plastic, with worn-out edges. Clothes were piled high on top, and a wet jacket was draped over it, with water dripping down the rim.

He wore a grayish-white coat, had dark red hair, and a very indifferent expression.

"It's you?"

Yuan En just stared at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"You seem to be the first one among the freshmen, right?"

"You shouldn't be living in the Work-Study Student Dormitory."

"Oh, I just came with them to take a look."

Yuan En paused for a moment, his expression somewhat strange.

Her gaze lingered on Yun Jingheng for a few seconds, then swept over Xie Xie and the others before finally settling back on Yun Jingheng's face.

"You came here... just to see this kind of house?"

Her tone was flat, but her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Yun Jingheng nodded.

"Okay, let's familiarize ourselves with the place. We'll all be classmates from now on, so it'll be easier to find each other."

Yuan En didn't say anything, took a step forward while holding the laundry tub, and then stopped.

"I've heard... you can make Soul Tool?"

Her voice was very calm, as if she were asking a casual question.

"It can be done."

What level of Soul Engineer are you now?

"Hey, hey, hey, what level of Soul Engineer he is has nothing to do with you, right?" Xie Xie interjected, his words tinged with dissatisfaction.

Yuan En ignored him.

"Well... strictly speaking, I'm Level 4 Soul Engineer, but I can do level five work, even if it's not close to level six."

Yuan En remained silent for a moment, his gaze lowered, as if he was hesitating about something.

She tapped her fingers lightly twice on the rim of the laundry tub, causing the clothes inside to sway slightly.

Xie Xie stood beside her, watching her like this, his mouth opening and closing.

Yuan En raised her head and looked at Yun Jingheng.

"Did you study Battle Armor design in the Inner Court?" The voice was soft, but each word was enunciated clearly.

Yun Jingheng nodded, "I can design One-Word Armor."

Yuan En's eyes lit up slightly, so slightly that it was almost imperceptible.

She paused for a few seconds, as if organizing her thoughts.

"Could you... design one for me?"

She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, "I can help you forge metal. I saw the ones you got from the Blacksmith Association last time. Your forging skills aren't good enough; there are many metals you can't handle. I can help you with that."

Yun Jingheng frowned. "When you were in first grade... shouldn't you have already started making Battle Armor?"

"It has indeed started, but..."

She paused, as if searching for the right words, "That approach doesn't quite suit me."

Tang Wulin scratched his head beside him, "Unsuitable? Aren't Battle Armor tailor-made for Martial Soul? How could they be unsuitable?"

Yuan En didn't look at him; her gaze was fixed on Yun Jingheng's face.

Her expression remained calm, but she pursed her lips slightly, as if considering something.

"My Martial Soul... is rather complex. The person who designed my Battle Armor only considered a part of it."

Her voice was very low, so low that only Yun Jingheng could hear it.

Xie Xie didn't hear clearly and took a step forward.

Yuan En glanced at him, Xie Xie shrank back.

Yun Jingheng looked at Yuan En, and Yuan En looked at him.

He understood.

Titan Giant Ape and Fallen Angel.

Her previous Battle Armor only considered the Titan Giant Ape, not the Fallen Angel.

Her Second Martial Soul is Evil Martial Soul, which she herself does not want to publicize.

Therefore, she needs a new set of Battle Armor, a set of Battle Armor that can be adapted to both Martial Soul at the same time.

She approached him not because of his exceptional design skills, but because he was the son of the Sea God Pavilion Master. The Sea God Pavilion was certain that she knew her secret, so she didn't need to hide it from him.

Yun Jingheng paused for a moment, then asked, "Who designed your previous apartment?"

"The students in my class only know about the Titan Giant Ape."

"Can I see your other Martial Soul?"

Yuan En looked at Tang Wulin and the other three, "Here?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment, "How about we go somewhere else?"

Come to my room.

"Good."

He looked at Tang Wulin and the others.

"Go ahead, we'll stay here, just come in."

"Good."

Yuan En's Work-Study Student Dormitory was the one furthest inside in this row.

She pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Yun Jingheng in.

The room wasn't big, probably only a dozen square meters, but it was much cleaner than Yun Jingheng had imagined.

The floor is made of wooden planks and is swept very clean.

The bed is against the wall; it's a metal-framed bed with dark gray sheets folded neatly. The pillow is placed at the head of the bed, covered with a white pillowcase.

There was a lamp on the bedside table with a light blue lampshade that was polished to a shine.

The window was open, and the light gray curtains were gently blown by the wind, revealing the branches and leaves of the old locust tree outside.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, dappling the floor in patches.

A pair of gray slippers lay on the ground by the door, faded from washing, with worn-out soles.

The room had no unnecessary decorations, no posters, no dolls, and no trace of any "girl".

Yun Jingheng stood at the door and looked around.

Hmm... I seem to remember that in my past life, people online said that girls' private rooms were relatively...

Could it be that I've misremembered the plot? Yuan En is a man?

"Don't just stand there, sit down," Yuan En said, pointing to the chair in front of the desk.

She placed the laundry tub by the door, walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, took out a dry towel, and wiped her hands.

Then she turned around and looked at Yun Jingheng.

"Do you need to make any preparations?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Special Martial Soul".

"... Do you need me to burn incense and take a bath?"