Seeing that Grandmaster had said as much, Tang San nodded and said nothing more.
Notting Academy wasn't very big, and the three of them soon reached the Academic Affairs Office. With Grandmaster's introduction, the two boys completed their registration without a hitch and became first-year students at Notting Academy.
After introducing them, Grandmaster left first. The teacher at the Academic Affairs Office told them where their dormitory was, then waved them off to find it themselves.
Since they were both Work-Study Students, they were naturally assigned to Dorm Seven.
They hadn't even entered the dormitory when they heard a commotion. Inside, they found seven or eight children horsing around.
When the two of them walked in, the oldest child strode over, with two younger boys trailing behind him. He looked down at them haughtily.
"New Work-Study Students?"
Huo Yuhao and Tang San exchanged a glance, puzzled. Were these kids planning to give them a show of force?
As expected, after they gave their names and Martial Souls, the other boy let out a derisive laugh.
"One has eyes, and the other has Blue Silver Grass? You two really are a pair of unfortunate brothers." The tall boy laughed so hard he clutched his belly.
"My name's Wang Sheng. I'm the boss here. From now on, you two listen to me, understand?"
As he spoke, Wang Sheng shoved Tang San, who was standing in front.
"Looks like we can't settle this without a fight." Tang San set down his luggage and uniform.
Tang San moved like lightning, darting behind Wang Sheng and knocking him to the ground with an elbow strike.
Wang Sheng scrambled to his feet, furious. As he charged at Tang San, a pale yellow glow appeared around him—he had activated his Martial Soul.
Seeing the younger boys behind him move to attack Tang San as well, Huo Yuhao gave a small shake of his head and joined the fight. But with Tang San beside him, he couldn't use the Tang Sect's secret techniques.
Relying on the body he had trained since childhood and the countless battles' worth of experience from his previous life, he had no trouble dealing with two children.
Huo Yuhao charged straight at the two boys behind Wang Sheng. One of them immediately raised his right fist in alarm and swung at the oncoming Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's eyes glimmered faintly as he activated his Spirit Eye Martial Soul. He raised his left hand to block the punch, then reached out with his right and clamped down on the boy's wrist. With a hard yank, he threw him off balance.
At the same time, he swept out with one leg. The other boy hadn't even realized what was happening before he saw his companion hit the ground at Huo Yuhao's hands. His eyes filled with shock.
Huo Yuhao didn't pause after knocking one boy down. He reached for the other, who still hadn't reacted.
The boy jolted when he saw Huo Yuhao reaching for him. A feathered silhouette appeared around him, glowing faint gray.
A bird-type Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao didn't stop moving. Even though the boy had activated his Martial Soul, he'd been too slow to escape Huo Yuhao's grip.
The next moment, Huo Yuhao kicked the back of his knee. As the boy's knee buckled, Huo Yuhao twisted his wrist and locked him in a rear cross-arm hold.
"Tang San, was that a Soul Skill you just used?"
After taking a beating, Wang Sheng and the others had lost their earlier arrogance and started chatting with the two boys. It didn't take long for them to declare Tang San the Work-Study Students' boss and explain the rules of the position.
They had to give new arrivals a show of force, take the lead in getting beaten up by the formal students, protect the younger boys, and so on. A few words were enough to stir Tang San's sense of responsibility.
Just as Tang San was about to take on the duty of protecting the Work-Study Students, a clear voice came from outside.
"Is this Dorm Seven?"
Everyone turned toward the sound. A little girl stood in the doorway, with rosy, tender cheeks and a scorpion braid that fell past her hips. She blinked her watery eyes, curiously looking inside.
The boys had never seen anything like this. They gaped, forgetting even to speak.
Seeing the girl, Huo Yuhao was momentarily dazed. Though she was still young, she bore a certain resemblance to his mother-in-law in the Divine Realm in his previous life.
So they met this early.
"Boss, go on. Give her a couple of slaps."
Wang Sheng nudged Tang San in the waist and whispered.
At Wang Sheng's urging, Tang San, who had already become the boss, coughed twice and stepped forward to talk to her.
"My name's Xiao Wu. Wu, as in dance." Xiao Wu introduced herself sweetly, leaving Tang San stumbling over his words.
Hearing those familiar words, Huo Yuhao remembered the first time he'd met his mother-in-law in the Divine Realm. She'd said the same thing, in exactly the same playful tone. He felt a little awkward. Her personality really hasn't changed at all.
Tang San stammered out the rules of Dorm Seven, explaining that they had to spar to decide who would be boss. Xiao Wu's face lit up with excitement, and she nodded eagerly.
The two traded blows for several rounds. When Huo Yuhao saw Tang San holding back, he'd already guessed how the duel would end.
He'd lost plenty of times to Xiao Wu for the same reason when sparring with her in the Divine Realm in his previous life. He shook his head and went to the side to sort out his luggage.
Before long, Tang San's voice rang out. "I lost. From now on, you're our boss."
"Boss? That sounds fun. All right, I'm your boss now. Who's going to tell me about the school?"
The other students still hadn't recovered from Tang San's defeat. Who could have imagined that the previous boss would be replaced less than ten minutes after taking the job?
Xiao Wu looked around and spotted Huo Yuhao, who was unpacking his things.
She had noticed this handsome boy even while she was still outside. Her eyes curved as she smiled and called to him.
"Hey, you there—the one unpacking. I'm talking to you. Come tell me about the academy."
Huo Yuhao looked up at the sound of her voice. Everyone in the dormitory was silently watching him, their eyes filled with both concern and envy.
After all, not everyone got the chance to catch the eye of such a pretty girl.
"Me?"
Huo Yuhao was baffled. Shouldn't you have fallen in love with Tang San at first sight?
"My name's Huo Yuhao. I'm new here too, just like you. I don't know the details either. Why don't you ask someone else?"
"I don't care. I'm the boss now. How dare you disobey an order from the boss?"
Xiao Wu hadn't gotten the answer she wanted.
"I'll show you how formidable Sister Xiao Wu is."
Wang Sheng, who'd been about to step forward, immediately shut his mouth. He looked at Huo Yuhao with pity, as if he could already picture him flat on the floor.
In his eyes, Huo Yuhao was strong enough to beat his two underlings, but he was still no match for Tang San, who had beaten Wang Sheng. So against Xiao Wu, he stood no chance at all.
Huo Yuhao wasn't interested in children scrapping with each other, so he shook his head.
"I'm not good at fighting. I'll acknowledge you as the boss, but I really don't know about the things you're asking."
Watching Huo Yuhao speak with a blank expression, Xiao Wu gritted her teeth. "No. We have to fight."
After decades of experience with his mother-in-law in his previous life, Huo Yuhao knew how stubborn she was. He reluctantly stopped what he was doing and sighed.
"Since the boss insists, I'll do as you say. But once this match is over, please don't bother me again."
He didn't want Xiao Wu to keep using him as a sparring partner. He'd rather spend that time cultivating.
"Hmph. We'll see after the fight."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiao Wu leaped at Huo Yuhao with a kick. He easily blocked it with his hand. Xiao Wu pushed off in midair, twisting around to kick him with her other leg, but he dodged with a step backward and grabbed her ankle with his right hand.
Xiao Wu smiled faintly and pulled her leg back, easily evading his hand. Her legs were just about to wrap around Huo Yuhao's neck.
That was the move Tang San had lost to just now. Having sparred with Xiao Wu countless times in his previous life, Huo Yuhao knew her habits well.
He gave his neck a slight twist and slipped free of her legs. Then he reached for both her ankles again. This time, he caught them firmly and yanked hard. Xiao Wu lost her balance and landed on her bottom.
"Ow..."
Xiao Wu cried out as she hit the ground, her adorable little face scrunching up in pain.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. Huo Yuhao hadn't just won—he'd been so rough, showing no consideration for the fairer sex and making such a pretty girl fall flat on the ground.
Wang Sheng secretly gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up.
Noticing Wang Sheng's little gesture, Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head. He stepped forward and offered Xiao Wu his hand.
"Sorry, I was a little rough."
Xiao Wu pouted. She sucked in a breath of pain as she used his hand to get up, making it clear she'd taken quite a fall.
"Hmph, that one doesn't count. How did you break free of my Soft Technique in an instant?"
Huo Yuhao couldn't exactly tell her that she'd beaten him so many times in his previous life that he knew all her moves like the back of his hand. He said nothing and turned back to unpack his things.
"We agreed before the fight that you wouldn't bother me again."
Only then did Xiao Wu remember. She stamped her foot in frustration, then rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips.
"What did we say before the fight? Do any of you remember?"
Wang Sheng and the others were quick on the uptake. They shook their heads like rattles. "No, no. We didn't hear anything."
Xiao Wu nodded in satisfaction and walked briskly over to Huo Yuhao, as if her bottom didn't hurt anymore.
Tang San was about to say something, but Wang Sheng hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to keep quiet. Tang San watched Xiao Wu's happy expression and opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then decided to keep silent.
"Yuhao, come on, tell me. How did you slip free just like that?"
Xiao Wu sat down on the bed in front of Huo Yuhao and kept asking him.
"My Martial Soul is my eyes. Your movements looked much slower to me, so I was able to spot an opening."
Remembering his mother-in-law's habit of bending the rules, Huo Yuhao could only come up with an excuse.
"Wow! That's amazing. There are such unusual Martial Souls? So you're really good at fighting, then? Why was Tang San the boss before?"
Tang San, who was busy unpacking, couldn't help feeling awkward.
Xiao Wu had taken an interest in Huo Yuhao and had no intention of leaving him alone. She kept chattering at the busy boy, and Huo Yuhao was starting to lose his mind.
Hadn't my mother-in-law said that she and Tang San had been close since they were children? Why was she picking on me?
He couldn't help turning a pleading look toward Tang San. Tang San noticed and gave him a "you're on your own" look, then made an encouraging gesture.
That's your future wife! Huo Yuhao howled inwardly.
"Where are the new Work-Study Students? Step forward."
Everyone turned toward the voice. A teacher in his thirties walked in from outside.
Huo Yuhao looked as if he'd just seen a savior. He immediately stood up from the bed, and Xiao Wu and Tang San followed suit.
"Which one of you is Tang San, and which one is his friend?"
Huo Yuhao and Tang San exchanged a glance, then stepped forward.
"My name's Mo Hen. You can call me Teacher Mo. These are the quilts Grandmaster gave the two of you." As he spoke, he handed them the quilts he was carrying.
The two boys accepted them and saw that they were brand-new, with pillows as well. It seemed Grandmaster had noticed they hadn't brought any bedding when he brought them into the academy, so he'd prepared some for them.
Huo Yuhao smiled at Tang San. "Xiao San, I'm riding your coattails this time."
Tang San shook his head. "It's nothing. Back in the village, you treated me to Grilled Fish plenty of times too."
Xiao Wu overheard them and immediately brightened. She looked at Huo Yuhao and asked, "You can grill fish? Is it good?"
Seeing her expression, Huo Yuhao remembered how she used to come to his home for meals in the Divine Realm in his previous life. He smiled and nodded.
"I can manage a little."
"Then you have to make some for me next time. That's an order from the boss."
Tang San looked confused. "Xiao Wu, didn't you just lose? Huo Yuhao should be the boss."
Wang Sheng and the others stared at Tang San in disbelief, their eyes full of admiration for a hopelessly oblivious guy.
At those words, Xiao Wu's face stiffened. Her eyes grew teary as she looked at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao, who had always obeyed his mother-in-law in the Divine Realm, had never seen a scene like this.
He immediately coughed twice and waved his hand.
"I'm not interested in being the boss. Just don't challenge me to another fight. I'll owe you the Grilled Fish. I'll remember."
"Yay! Yuhao, you really are a good person. Don't worry, Sister Xiao Wu will protect you from now on. No one will dare bully you."
After getting the answer she wanted, Xiao Wu grinned and wrapped both arms around Huo Yuhao's neck.
Huo Yuhao stiffened as he was embraced. Even though the Xiao Wu in front of him was still a child, she still looked a little like the grown-up version.
Huo Yuhao, who still hadn't adjusted to the change in their relationship, couldn't help feeling embarrassed. His face turned visibly red.
Mo Hen saw the scene and smiled, shaking his head. He sighed that youth was wonderful, gave them a few instructions, then left.
After watching the teacher leave, the group went back to unpacking. Xiao Wu, however, stared at the brand-new quilts in Huo Yuhao and Tang San's hands, looking stunned.
Wang Sheng and the other Work-Study Students noticed Xiao Wu's embarrassment too. They immediately offered to put together a set of bedding for her. Xiao Wu glanced at their tattered quilts, unsure whether she could accept.
Then she looked over at Huo Yuhao, who was making his bed. Her eyes lit up. "Yuhao, let's make a deal."
Huo Yuhao looked up and met Xiao Wu's bright, eager gaze. "Huh? What deal?"
"Your quilt is so big. I think there's room for two of us under it. We can push our beds together and share."
"???"
Seeing Huo Yuhao's dumbfounded expression, Xiao Wu looked a little embarrassed too.
Then she raised her voice and said, "I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of? What, are you even a boy? Why are you so timid?"
Huo Yuhao was so taken aback he couldn't speak. While he was still stunned, Xiao Wu quickly pushed the two beds together.
She patted her hands, pleased with her handiwork, then turned to Huo Yuhao with a smile. "Why aren't you making the bed?"
Even after he'd made the bed, Huo Yuhao still felt as if he were questioning his own life. How had things ended up like this? Had history changed because of him?