Sea God Island's environment was indeed different from the Outer Court. The Soul Power was denser, the buildings more ancient and imposing, and an air of accumulated majesty hung over everything.
The white robe embroidered with nine-colored dragon patterns that Long Jinyu wore shimmered with a restrained luster beneath the sun.
Several striking platinum strands fell naturally from his waist-length black hair, swaying gently with each step.
Compared to Ma Xiaotao, he was somewhat petite and delicate. With that exquisitely flawless, androgynously beautiful face, and the faint, heart-stirring dragon might surrounding him, he instantly became the most eye-catching sight along the road.
Every Inner Court student they passed, male or female, was immediately drawn to him, falling into a brief daze.
"Whoa... look! The person next to Senior Sister Ma!"
"Oh my god! Is she a new goddess?"
"That air about her... incredible! She seems even more cold and beautiful than Senior Sister Ling, doesn't she?"
"No question about that face! She's even prettier than Senior Sister Xiaotao! And those dragon patterns on her clothes look so domineering!"
"Ma Xiaotao actually brought a junior sister along? And such a... such a beautiful one? Is the sun rising in the west?"
Whispers drifted over continuously, and every gaze converged on Long Jinyu like a spotlight.
Long Jinyu felt completely ill at ease beneath all those stares. He furrowed his brows slightly and instinctively edged half a step closer to Ma Xiaotao.
Ma Xiaotao had naturally heard the comments too. Feeling the slight movement beside her and seeing those eyes glued to Long Jinyu, she was inexplicably overcome by a trace of irritation.
She snorted coldly, releasing a faint wave of invisible, scorching heat that swept over the onlookers like a warning.
Those admiring gazes quickly subsided, replaced by awe and curiosity.
Long Jinyu trailed quietly behind her like a little shadow, doing his best to ignore the stares that made his scalp prickle as he smiled wryly to himself:
"Popular with both men and women? This setup is way too much of a trap... System, can you get me a mask?"
[Host, have a little confidence. Your beauty is a 'strategic resource.' The points shop has a 'Low-Profile Veil' for 99,999 points. Want one?]
"...What a rip-off!"
They passed through a tree-lined path lit by tall Soul Guidance Lamps. Ahead stood a broad, imposing building, and the tempting aroma of food wafted faintly from within.
"Here we are. The Inner Court Cafeteria." Ma Xiaotao lifted her chin, her tone finally softening a little. "The food's better than in the Outer Court, and there's more variety. Just swipe your student card to spend points. In a bit..."
Before she could finish, the cafeteria's heavy carved wooden doors burst open with a bang!
A figure charged out, bringing a wave of heat and a sense of frantic urgency.
Before she appeared, her voice came first.
It was loud enough to send the birds flying from the treetops:
"Xiaotao—!!!"
"You finally made it! I'm starving! Today I'm making Old Wang add some 'Sun True Fire Roasted Dragon Tendon' to my order... Huh?!"
Her voice cut off abruptly.
The figure rushed right up to them.
She wore the same red Inner Court uniform. Tall and athletic, her proportions were excellent.
Her long, bright orange-red hair blazed like a burning flame, dazzling to behold.
Her fiery red eyes were wide open, filled with undisguised amazement and... an exceptionally strong curiosity?
Her gaze locked onto Long Jinyu like she'd just spotted her prey.
Long Jinyu felt a scorching aura wash over him, more overbearing and dangerous than Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Flame, as if it held the energy of the sun's core. Even the Dragon God Bloodline within him stirred faintly in response.
What made him break out in a "cold sweat," though, was the look in the senior sister's eyes—a blazing light, as if she'd just laid eyes on some rare treasure!
"Holy crap!"
Long Jinyu's mind exploded.
"Wu Ming—!!! The Golden Crow Saintess!"
"She was the one who, in the original story, was known alongside Ma Xiaotao as one of the Inner Court's 'two living volcanoes'! Her temper was every bit as explosive as Ma Xiaotao's!"
"Living Volcano No. 2! How did I forget about this lady?"
"She and Ma Xiaotao have similar attributes, so they probably have similar personalities too. They must be best friends!"
"This is bad, this is bad... Just look at her..."
He swallowed, his legs stiffening. He felt like he'd been targeted by a humanoid female tyrannosaur...
No, a female Golden Crow!
He'd been so focused on thinking about the Seven Monsters.
He'd completely overlooked this fiery big sister, whose personality might be even more "reckless" than the one she was paired with in the original story!
At the same time, two other names flashed through his mind—
Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo.
They were both gentle and mild-mannered. At least they could help cool down this deadly "volcano" situation a little...
As a devoted older-sister enthusiast, he was helpless against gentle, mature big sisters—
Whether it was the softened, imagined version of Zhang Lexuan or Han Ruoruo from the original story, he had no resistance to either of them.
But Ma Xiaotao and Wu Ming were a different type... They were beautiful, all right, but they were also genuinely fierce! He could only say they both made him love them and fear them!
"I've just arrived, so there's no harm in getting to know more of the original characters! Besides..."
He glanced at Ma Xiaotao's face, which had begun to darken beside him.
"The whole of Shrek will belong to me in the future!"
While Long Jinyu's thoughts were in utter disarray, Wu Ming completely ignored Ma Xiaotao, whose expression had started to freeze over as if she might explode at any moment.
With a quick stride, she darted right up to Long Jinyu. Her bright orange-red hair seemed to leap with excitement, and her fiery eyes sparkled with boundless enthusiasm and instant familiarity. Her voice was still as loud as ever:
"Wow! Xiaotao! Where did you pick up this heavenly little sister?!"
"Oh my god! Just look at that face! She's prettier than the fairies in paintings!"
"Her aura! Her figure! Wow! Her hair! And that cool, icy Soul Power around 'her'... plus the dragon might?! She's totally my type!"
"She's the perfect partner, custom-made for us fire-attribute Soul Masters! Little sister, what's your name? What's your Martial Soul? Come hang out with big sister!"
As she spoke, she naturally reached out, aiming straight for Long Jinyu's smooth, fair cheek—the kind that made countless people feel inferior.
She seemed to want to test for herself whether it felt as flawless as it looked.
Long Jinyu's pupils quaked like a magnitude-ten earthquake: "!!!"
"Heavenly little sister?! Perfect partner?! Come hang out with big sister?!"
"Help! Big sister, don't come any closer, aaah!"
He felt as if he was about to be set ablaze by all that enthusiasm.
"If Wu Ming were on Blue Star, she'd definitely have a socializing addiction!"
"System!!!"
[Beep! Detected an ultra-high-energy enthusiasm impact! Golden Crow Saintess has locked on! Host's charm value has gone through the roof! Consolation prize: +23,333 points.]
"What kind of consolation is that?! Do something!"
[Um... Host's current Soul Power is below 5%... You can't fight back. Recommendation: accept your 'fate' obediently...]
"Nuwa!"
Ma Xiaotao's face turned completely black, a vein twitching at her temple as a wave of scorching Soul Power escaped her control.
She slapped away Wu Ming's twitching "claw" and stepped in front of Long Jinyu like a mother phoenix protecting her chick. Her voice was edged with ice:
"Wu Ming! Did the Golden Crow burn your eyeballs to a crisp?!"
"Take a good look! He's a man! My new junior brother, Long Jinyu! Not some little sister! Get those claws of yours back where they belong!"
The cafeteria entrance fell instantly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
A few students who had been about to come out stopped in their tracks, silently ducked back inside, and sat down again, looking like they were settling in for some juicy gossip.
Wu Ming's outstretched hand froze in midair. She blinked.
First, she looked at Ma Xiaotao, who was standing before her, murderous and seemingly ready to bite her at any moment.
Then she tilted her head and looked past Ma Xiaotao, a human wall, at Long Jinyu, whose face was only half visible behind her.
The sunlight happened to fall across his startled, impossibly exquisite profile. Add that dragon might, and the impact was simply unreal!
"Huh?!"
Wu Ming let out a short cry of surprise, then burst into even louder laughter and gave Ma Xiaotao a hearty smack on the shoulder, nearly knocking her off balance.
"A man?!"
"Ha ha ha!!"
"Xiaotao, are you messing with me?"
"You're telling me someone this pretty is your junior brother? But, you know..."
She rubbed her chin and gave Long Jinyu another once-over from head to toe.
Her gaze was like that of someone appraising a rare treasure. Finally, she grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and said something that nearly made Long Jinyu fall apart on the spot:
"A man's even better! Xiaotao, you can't keep such a top-notch, exciting junior brother all to yourself!"
"Junior brother! From now on, your big sister will look out for you in the Inner Court! If anyone dares bully you, just give them the name 'Golden Crow Saintess' Wu Ming! I'll burn them to ashes!"
Long Jinyu: "???"
"Burn them to ashes...?"
"Um... I mean... Wu Ming's as passionate as fire, and her energy's almost frightening, but she does sound... pretty straightforward and loyal?"
"At least she's gentler than that someone who nearly burned me to death when we first met, treated me to a fireball, and later knocked me down..."
He glanced at Ma Xiaotao, standing in front of him. Of course, he wouldn't dare say that out loud, even if his life depended on it.
Ma Xiaotao looked so furious that the ends of her hair seemed about to rise on their own. The phoenix phantom behind her flickered restlessly, and the temperature at the cafeteria entrance shot up rapidly.
"Wu! Ming!! You—"
"Senior Sister Wu Ming!"
Long Jinyu's voice rang out before Ma Xiaotao could explode. His expression was warm, with a hint of shyness in his smile.
He bowed slightly, giving a student's salute so impeccable it couldn't be faulted.
His liberal-arts "turtle" DNA kicked in at once! The words practically slipped out, carrying genuine praise and a hint of urgency to ease the tension:
"The Golden Crow spreads her wings and burns the eight wastes; her raging flames shine upon the nine suns!"
"Today, I've seen the might of Senior Sister's Martial Soul and the full measure of her spirit, and now I know her reputation is well deserved! Senior Sister, your boundless valor and kindness in coming to my aid have left Jin Yu deeply grateful! I hope to count on your care in the Inner Court from now on!"
His words met Wu Ming's enthusiasm with equal warmth, conveyed his gratitude, and maintained the proper decorum.
Wu Ming was stunned by the mighty verse, which had so perfectly captured the essence of her Martial Soul. Then she broke into a delighted smile, her eyes curving into crescents as she gave Long Jinyu a hearty pat on the shoulder. This time, Ma Xiaotao didn't stop her.
"Ha ha ha! Good! 'The Golden Crow spreads her wings and burns the eight wastes'—what a line! You've got a good eye, little junior! And you're cultured, too! Big sister likes you! If you need anything, just ask!" She was clearly very pleased with how well Long Jinyu had played along.
Ma Xiaotao: "..."
Ma Xiaotao fell silent. Long Jinyu's "proper response" to Wu Ming and his eloquent praise had pricked her like a tiny thorn, leaving her inexplicably feeling a little... stifled.
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