Damn, how did this new student know Ma Xiaotao?!
Xu Sanshi's face had gone stiff. He wished he could slap himself twice and take back everything he'd just done.
Unfortunately, that was clearly impossible.
He immediately waved his hands, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
"No, no, Sister Xiaotao. It was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
"Um, um, I was just passing by, just passing by..."
"I won't keep you from eating your grilled fish."
Then he retreated slowly, wearing a fawning smile.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. We're all family here. Harmony brings prosperity, harmony brings prosperity..."
Only then did Ma Xiaotao look away, unwilling to bother with him.
He couldn't hold a candle to Yu Hao.
No wonder that girl named Jiang Nannan refused him no matter what.
The story between Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan was one of Shrek Academy's most famous oddities and bits of gossip. Even Ma Xiaotao had heard about it.
Seeing that Ma Xiaotao wasn't going to hold him to account, Xu Sanshi breathed a sigh of relief.
His earlier thoughts of teaching Huo Yuhao a lesson vanished, too.
As if! With the way things had just gone, if he dared take another step forward, Ma Xiaotao would probably beat him so badly he'd be bedridden for a month.
They called her the Flame Maniac for a reason!!
But then Xu Sanshi had a sudden thought.
Wait!!
Bei Bei had totally set me up!!
From where he stood, he couldn't see Ma Xiaotao, but Bei Bei could!
In fact, Bei Bei had probably known Ma Xiaotao was here all along and deliberately hadn't warned him!!
Damn!!
That sly old fox!!
He turned around and, sure enough, saw Bei Bei trying to stifle a laugh.
"Bei Bei, to the Colosseum! Let's fight!!"
Realizing the whole truth, Xu Sanshi flew into a rage and immediately wanted to make Bei Bei answer for it.
"Sure."
Bei Bei wasn't about to back down. As it happened, he'd been worrying about how to trick a Mystic Water Pill out of Xu Sanshi for his junior apprentice brother. Now Xu Sanshi had delivered himself right to his door.
All he had to do was add a little wager. He was quite confident he could beat Xu Sanshi.
Unexpectedly, just as the two of them were pulling at each other, trying to head to the Colosseum, Huo Yuhao spoke up again.
He might have stayed silent, but once he spoke, he dropped a bombshell.
"Senior, are you scared?"
"..."
The whole place fell silent.
Even Tang Ya, who had been focused on eating grilled fish, gaped. What had gotten into the usually well-behaved Yu Hao today?
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi stopped in their tracks, but their reactions were very different.
Bei Bei furrowed his brow, wondering what had gotten into Yu Hao and what he was planning.
Xu Sanshi, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he'd heard.
This kid was that cocky?!!
Xu Sanshi really wanted to march over and beat him up.
But Ma Xiaotao was still beside Huo Yuhao, and that made him hesitate.
At the same time, he looked down on Huo Yuhao.
The kid was only acting so brazen because he was relying on Ma Xiaotao's influence.
Don't get cocky, kid. You'll be alone sooner or later. Just don't let me catch you then!!
A vicious look flashed across Xu Sanshi's face.
"Don't worry. Sister Xiaotao won't step in. It'll just be you and me."
As if he'd seen through Xu Sanshi's concern, Huo Yuhao added this while turning the grilled fish over.
What was Yu Hao planning?
Of everyone present, only Bei Bei furrowed his brow. He knew his junior apprentice brother well; Yu Hao would never do something like this without a reason.
"Yu Hao?"
Ma Xiaotao, sitting beside Huo Yuhao, was also puzzled when she heard that.
"It's fine, Senior Xiaotao. I can't just let people say I'm useless for nothing. I have to prove I'm still good at something!"
Faced with Ma Xiaotao's confusion, Huo Yuhao answered with a determined look.
"Pfft, you're still a child. What's this about being good or useless?"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help taking them the wrong way. She gave him a reproachful look.
"I'm really good at grilling fish!"
Huo Yuhao played dumb and raised the grilled fish in his hand.
At his answer, Ma Xiaotao's cheeks somehow grew warm beneath her mask. She couldn't help feeling ashamed of what she'd just thought.
Was she going to lead a child astray?
"Fine, kid! At least you've got guts!!"
Seeing this, Xu Sanshi grew even angrier. He'd already lost track of Nannan and was feeling miserable.
Now this kid was flaunting his affection right in front of him, and teasing Ma Xiaotao, no less!!
Fine, fine, you've got a death wish!!
Xu Sanshi clenched his fists, his grin turning ferocious.
He swore to himself that if he didn't beat this kid so badly he couldn't get out of bed for three months, he'd stop calling himself Xu!
"Hold on. You really intend to fight my junior apprentice brother?"
Just as Xu Sanshi was about to step forward, Bei Bei stood in front of him and blocked his way.
Xu Sanshi spread his hands, looking rather innocent.
"Bei Bei, you heard him. He asked for it, so what am I supposed to do?!"
He reached out, trying to pull Bei Bei aside.
"Move. I won't kill him."
But he found he couldn't budge Bei Bei at all. His feet seemed nailed to the ground.
Bei Bei continued,
"You said you'd compete. You never said you'd fight. You're not really going to use your Soul Elder cultivation to bully my junior apprentice brother, are you?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
Xu Sanshi was furious, but Bei Bei was adamant about blocking his way, and there wasn't much he could do.
Picking a fight here wouldn't work in his favor, either. Ma Xiaotao had agreed not to step in, but Tang Ya was sitting nearby, watching him like a hawk!
She hadn't said a word all this time, but she hadn't taken her eyes off him, either. She was clearly ready to jump in at any moment.
He'd definitely end up getting double-teamed by the two of them.
Xu Sanshi wasn't stupid!!
"Yu Hao, how do you want to compete?"
At Xu Sanshi's words, Bei Bei didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked over at Huo Yuhao, who was still grilling fish.
Clearly, he already understood exactly what Huo Yuhao had in mind.
Bei Bei trusted Huo Yuhao not to do anything he wasn't confident about.
"Simple. That senior can just stand there. Before the fish in my hand finishes grilling, if I can make him move from where he's standing, I win. Otherwise, I lose. How about it?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
Xu Sanshi furrowed his brow, unable to figure out what Huo Yuhao was up to.
He glanced at the grilled fish in Huo Yuhao's hand. It looked almost done.
Though he knew Huo Yuhao must have some kind of scheme up his sleeve, Xu Sanshi still accepted at once.
"Fine, I accept. Just wait until you lose, kid!"
He refused to believe that a top-tier Soul Elder in the Outer Academy could lose to a kid who'd only just enrolled!
"Hold on."
At that moment, Bei Bei spoke up again. He looked at Xu Sanshi and said,
"What fun is there in just saying who won or lost? Let's wager something."
"What are we betting?"
Xu Sanshi felt more and more that something was off. Why was Bei Bei acting so strange today, too?
Seeing that Xu Sanshi had taken the bait, Bei Bei spoke decisively.
"If you win, I'll give you a thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"If you lose, I want a bottle of Mystic Water Pills!"
Before you continue