"Got it!" Ma Hongjun hurriedly righted the desk, picked up the books from the floor, and sat down properly.
The students around him struggled to hold back their laughter until their faces turned red.
Xiao Wu, seated in front, glanced back at Ma Hongjun's crestfallen expression. The corners of her mouth lifted, and as she turned around, she winked at Ning Rongrong.
At Spirit Academy, students were free to attend class or not. As long as they met the quarterly Soul Power assessment requirements, they passed.
The minimum requirement for next quarter was level 60.
Several students in the class were still hovering around that threshold. Yesterday, when Ning Rongrong was only level 59, she hadn't actually met the requirement.
But now, Ning Rongrong was already level 61, and she had nothing to worry about.
Zhao Wuji returned to the podium, picked up the list, and continued.
"Three-on-three team battle drills. The groups are as follows—"
He read out a string of names. Xiao Wu was assigned to Group B, partnered with two boys. Zhu Zhuqing was in Group D, and Bai Chenxiang was in Group E.
"Everyone got that? Meet at the training grounds in five minutes. Anyone late will run twenty laps around the grounds."
The class rose in a clatter and headed out.
Ma Hongjun blended into the crowd, rubbing his bruised chin as he cursed under his breath.
During the morning's classes, he'd done nothing but sleep and get scolded. He hadn't managed to accomplish a single thing.
Xiao Wu and the others had acted exactly as they usually did in class: listening when they were supposed to, taking notes when they were supposed to. There wasn't the slightest hint that anything was amiss.
The morning's three-on-three team battle drills went on for a full hour and a half.
After finishing his own group's match, Ma Hongjun leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the training grounds, hands in his pockets, eyes constantly drifting toward Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu fought very cautiously.
Her pink gauzy skirt swished back and forth across the training grounds, and her Scorpion Braid kept swinging, but she didn't move much. Her two male teammates charged in front, while Xiao Wu stayed behind, occasionally kicking out a leg. She'd land one kick, then retreat.
Ma Hongjun grumbled to himself: This girl's really good at hiding her strength. Yesterday, she kicked Third Brother flying, and today she's playing the meek little lamb.
It was the same with Zhu Zhuqing. Her black leather-clad figure darted around the field, moving quickly but clearly holding back. Ma Hongjun remembered what Dai Mubai had said yesterday: Zhu Zhuqing's speed had doubled. But from the looks of it, she wasn't running much faster than usual.
Bai Chenxiang was even more obvious. Her pale green dress swayed as she circled the field a few times. She barely attacked at all, relying on her teammates to win the match.
Ma Hongjun rubbed his temples, growing more and more irritated.
He'd spent all morning watching them and hadn't found out a damn thing.
These women all acted like perfectly normal people: going to class, training, answering questions. If Tang San and Dai Mubai weren't still injured, Ma Hongjun would've almost thought yesterday's events had been a dream.
Zhao Wuji announced the end of training, and the students headed toward the classroom building in groups of two and three.
Ma Hongjun followed behind Xiao Wu and the others, keeping a distance of about twenty meters. He had the hood of his gray jacket pulled up, his head slightly bowed as he tried not to draw attention.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong walked in front with their arms linked, chattering away.
Zhu Zhuqing was half a step behind them, her black leather jacket hugging her firm waist as she strode along. Bai Chenxiang walked beside her, her two low ponytails swaying.
The four of them entered the classroom building, climbed the stairs, and returned to the classroom.
Ma Hongjun followed them in and took a seat in the last row.
The afternoon class was advanced Martial Soul Theory, taught by Yu Xiaogang again.
Ma Hongjun nearly cursed out loud. That hypnotist again.
At the front, Xiao Wu lay across her desk, chin resting on the back of her hand, her gaze vacant.
Ning Rongrong was taking notes diligently, her silver hair clip glinting beneath the fluorescent lights.
Zhu Zhuqing leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed. Who knew whether she was listening or dozing off. Bai Chenxiang lowered her head over her book, occasionally drawing a few circles in her notebook.
Everything was normal. More normal than it could possibly be.
Ma Hongjun was seething with frustration. Dai Mubai had told him to get to the bottom of things within two days. Half the day had already passed, and he hadn't found even a thread to pull.
At long last, the afternoon bell rang.
Xiao Wu stood up and stretched, her Scorpion Braid sliding off her shoulder and down her back.
"Come on, let's go eat!"
Ning Rongrong closed her notebook and stood up, the hem of her blue skirt brushing against the desk leg.
"My treat today. Let's go to the third floor of the cafeteria."
"The third floor? Isn't that the staff dining hall?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
"I know someone," Ning Rongrong said with a smile. "Come on, let's get Zhuqing and Chenxiang."
The four girls headed to the cafeteria together.
Ma Hongjun followed from a distance and watched them enter the third-floor dining hall. He hesitated, then went in after them. There weren't many people on the third floor, so it'd be troublesome if they spotted him. Still, Ma Hongjun found a seat in the corner and ordered a plate of roast meat over rice. He pulled his hood lower and pretended he'd come just to eat.
The four girls sat by the window.
As soon as Xiao Wu sat down, she began flipping through the menu, loudly declaring that she wanted braised pork ribs. Ning Rongrong ordered for everyone and added two desserts. Zhu Zhuqing asked for a bowl of plain congee and a plate of pickles, keeping her meal simple. Bai Chenxiang ordered a bowl of wontons.
Ma Hongjun listened with pricked ears for ages, but all they talked about was trivial stuff.
Xiao Wu said the ribbon on her Scorpion Braid needed replacing. Ning Rongrong said there was a nice accessory shop beside the academy. Zhu Zhuqing occasionally chipped in a word or two, while Bai Chenxiang kept her head down and ate her wontons.
That was it? That was it?
Ma Hongjun was on the verge of a breakdown. He'd thought he'd hear some crucial intel like "a Titled Douluo passing on his powers" or "the coordinates of a mysterious secret realm." Instead, these women were discussing hair accessories.
The meal lasted forty minutes. Ma Hongjun ate along with them, biting down so hard he nearly snapped his chopsticks.
On the way back, the four of them walked together again.
Ma Hongjun trailed far behind, already starting to regret taking this job. This lousy assignment was worse than having Tang San keep watch himself.
At five in the afternoon, it was time for free cultivation. Students could go to the training grounds, the library, the cultivation rooms, or return to their dorms to practice on their own.
Ma Hongjun watched from a corner in the hallway as the four girls split up.
Zhu Zhuqing and Bai Chenxiang headed toward the training grounds together. Zhu Zhuqing's black leather pants hugged her long, straight legs as she strode quickly ahead, while Bai Chenxiang jogged to keep up.
Xiao Wu headed for the library, her Scorpion Braid swinging back and forth as the hem of her pink gauzy skirt fluttered through the hallway.
Ning Rongrong turned alone toward the school gate.
Ma Hongjun's eyelid twitched.
The other three were staying on campus, but Ning Rongrong was heading for the gate. It was class time in the afternoon. What was she leaving campus for?
Ma Hongjun made a snap decision and followed Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong walked at an easy pace, the hem of her blue skirt swaying with each step. Her calves, wrapped in white stockings, glowed softly in the sunlight, and her short boots made crisp, clear sounds against the stone path.
She signed in at the guard station by the gate, then left the academy.
Ma Hongjun waited half a minute before signing out and following her.
Beyond the gate lay a pedestrian street. There weren't many shops open in the afternoon. Hammers clanged inside the blacksmith's shop, their sounds spilling through the windows. The spirit herb shop was quiet, with a fat cat crouched at its entrance.
Ning Rongrong first turned into a snack shop.
From more than twenty meters away, Ma Hongjun watched her come back out with a paper bag in her hand. Judging by its size, it probably held two or three portions of food.
Then Ning Rongrong kept walking, reaching the western end of the pedestrian street.
Ma Hongjun slowed down. He didn't dare get too close. If Ning Rongrong turned around, there'd be nowhere to hide in the narrow alley.
Fortunately, Ning Rongrong didn't look back. She stopped in front of a shop.
Ma Hongjun squinted at the sign above its entrance. Its five crooked characters read "Happy Claw Machine."
The shop wasn't large, perhaps twenty square meters. Through the glass, he could see several box-shaped cabinets inside, their colored lights glowing.
Ma Hongjun found an alley across the street and slipped into it sideways. There was a tea shop in the alley that hadn't opened yet, with two bamboo chairs outside. Ma Hongjun sat down, crossed one leg over the other, and from this angle had a perfect view of the claw machine shop's entrance.