"New kid, if you want to live in Dorm Seven, you'll have to get past me first."
Wang Sheng wore a smile, but there was no malice in his eyes. "Beat me, and you'll be the boss of Dorm Seven. Lose, and you'll be my little brother."
Tang San fell silent for a moment.
He glanced at Huang Fei behind him, then at Wang Sheng, and stepped forward.
"Fine. I'll fight you."
Wang Sheng's eyes lit up. With a low growl, he struck first.
He was quick, his fists whooshing through the air with brute force.
The War Tiger Martial Soul had given him a physique and explosive strength far beyond those of his peers.
If that punch had landed on an ordinary person, it probably would've knocked them out cold.
But Tang San wasn't ordinary.
He slid to the side, his body drifting away like a fallen leaf. Wang Sheng's fist grazed past his ear without so much as brushing a single hair.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, the Tang Sect's peerless footwork.
Wang Sheng's punch missed. His heart jolted, and before he could pull his fist back, he felt a tight grip around his wrist.
Tang San's hand curled around it like a snake, and the force of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon burst forth.
Wang Sheng was pulled off balance. He pitched forward, tripped, and slammed heavily onto the floor.
Quick and clean. It hadn't even taken two exchanges.
Wang Sheng lay face-down, stunned for a good while before he came around.
He raised his head and stared in disbelief at the boy standing before him, half a head shorter than he was.
"You... What kind of martial art was that?"
Tang San didn't answer. Instead, he held out a hand and pulled Wang Sheng to his feet.
"You were holding back."
Wang Sheng got up and rubbed his sore arm. Rather than getting angry, he broke into an even wider grin.
"Fair enough. You're good. I admit it."
He patted Tang San on the shoulder, then turned to the others in the room.
"Brothers, from now on, he's the boss of Dorm Seven. Come over and greet him!"
The seven or eight work-study students crowded around, calling out "Boss!" and "Greetings, Boss!" as they looked at Tang San with curiosity and awe.
Surrounded by them, Tang San wore a complicated expression.
He didn't really want to be this "boss" everyone was talking about. He'd come here to train and grow stronger, not to be the king of the kids.
But Wang Sheng was so enthusiastic that turning him down outright didn't seem right.
Tang San turned toward the doorway.
Huang Fei was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, looking thoroughly entertained.
"Huang Fei, you be the boss." Tang San promptly passed the buck.
Huang Fei waved him off, his tone as half-hearted as could be. "I can't, I can't. I can't beat you. You're perfect for the job. Go on, you do it."
Tang San: "..."
You're saying you can't without even fighting me?
"I really can't." Huang Fei yawned, looking utterly sincere. "I have no interest in being the boss. It's so tiring. You have to manage people, take the lead, and get into fights. You know me—I'd rather lie down than sit, and sit than stand. You can have the position."
Wang Sheng stared at him, dumbfounded.
What kind of person was this?
He'd made it into Dorm Seven and had no interest at all in being the boss?
The other work-study students exchanged glances, looking at Huang Fei as if he were some rare creature.
Tang San opened his mouth to say something more, but then he saw Huang Fei's expression—it plainly said, "I've made up my mind. Keep talking, and I'll go sleep in the doorway." The words died on Tang San's lips.
"Fine." Tang San sighed. "I'll be the boss for now, then..."
Wang Sheng was so happy he nearly jumped for joy. He dragged Tang San farther into the room, peppering him with questions like "How did you do that just now?" "What's your Martial Soul?" and "How old are you?"
Huang Fei followed them into Dorm Seven at an unhurried pace.
Dorm Seven was a little bigger than he'd expected. It was one large shared room, with a row of wooden beds along the wall and blankets folded neatly on top.
The window was small, the light dim, and the air thick with a damp smell.
The conditions weren't great, but they were still better than the ramshackle house in Holy Soul Village.
At least the bed wasn't as hard.
Huang Fei picked a bed in the corner, tossed his bundle onto it, and claimed the spot.
Wang Sheng had pulled Tang San down onto a bed in the middle of the room. The work-study students gathered around, chattering as they introduced themselves.
"Boss, I'm Liu Long. My Martial Soul is a willow tree."
"I'm Ling Yun. My Martial Soul is a rock—the hardest kind!"
"My name is..."
Huang Fei didn't pay much attention to the names. They weren't important characters, anyway. He sat cross-legged on the bed, leaned against the wall, and half-closed his eyes, going into "standby mode."
Tang San endured the new "underlings'" enthusiasm for a while, then finally found a chance to slip away and sit beside Huang Fei.
"Why didn't you actually take the position?"
"I really can leave it to you. I'm not interested in being the boss either."
"I came here to study and train."
Tang San lowered his voice as he asked.
Huang Fei opened one eye and glanced at him, then closed it again.
"I told you, I don't want to be the boss."
"But..."
"San." Huang Fei cut him off, his tone lazy. "Let me ask you something. What's so good about being the boss?"
Tang San thought about it. "...You get to manage people?"
"Is managing people tiring?"
"...Yes."
"Exactly."
"My greatest ambition in life is not having to manage anyone or be managed by anyone. Being the boss? That's your lot in life, not mine."
Huang Fei folded his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall in an even more comfortable position.
Tang San was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
He remembered when they were little, back in Holy Soul Village, playing war games with the other kids.
Everyone wanted to be the general. Only Huang Fei had volunteered to lie on the ground and play a soldier pretending to be dead.
Back then, Tang San had thought Huang Fei was a fool. Now that he thought about it, the guy had understood life from a young age.
"Fine, then I'll do it."
Tang San stopped refusing, his voice turning more serious. "But if there's a fight, you have to help me."
Huang Fei opened his eyes and looked at Tang San.
"Don't worry. If you get into a fight, I'll definitely help."
He paused, then added, "But it's best not to fight. Fighting is exhausting."
Tang San: "..."
He took a deep breath and told himself not to get angry.
Just then, the door to Dorm Seven opened again.
Everyone turned toward it at once.
A little girl with a ponytail stood in the doorway.
She looked about Huang Fei's age, around six, and wore pink clothes.
Her skin was so fair it seemed to glow, and her big, bright eyes sparkled with cleverness.
She stood at the doorway with her back straight, her ponytail swaying behind her.
"Is this Dorm Seven?"
Her voice was as clear as a mountain spring, with a hint of childish sweetness. Yet she spoke boldly and showed no trace of shyness.
She swept her gaze across the room, then settled on Tang San, surrounded by the others. Tilting her head, she seemed to be sizing up the boy who looked like the "leader."
Then she lifted her chin, curled her lips into a smile, and announced loudly:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Xiao Wu—Wu, as in 'dance'!"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Leaning against the wall in the corner, Huang Fei kept his eyes half-closed, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
Here she was.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit, and in the future...
Forget it. The future could wait.
No matter who showed up, Huang Fei would stick to his usual motto.
Just lie down. That was all there was to it.
Before you continue