Ma Hongjun Takes the Bait

Ning Rongrong's lips curled up as well. "I'm afraid he'd be so scared he'd wet his pants."

Zhu Zhuqing imagined the scene, and though she tried to suppress it, the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

Bai Chenxiang hesitated. "What if a real fight breaks out? My hundred-thousand-year soul ring is just for show; I'm actually still at level 61."

Xiao Wu patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, the three of us will be lying in ambush nearby. If he really dares to make a move, I can take him down by myself."

Zhu Zhuqing spoke up as well, her voice calm. "I'll be there too."

Ning Rongrong added with a smile, "Four against one—he's only a level 65 Soul Emperor, what could he possibly do?"

Bai Chenxiang thought it over and nodded.

"Alright, let's try it."

Xiao Wu clapped her hands.

"Let's do it!"

The four of them walked out of the alley, the sunlight forcing them to squint.

Xiao Wu began to delegate tasks.

"Rongrong, Zhuqing, and I will head back to the academy first. I'll go to the garden area on the south side to find Ma Hongjun; that guy likes to squat there and smoke when he doesn't have afternoon classes."

"Chenxiang, once you spot the target, just walk over alone. Act like it's nothing, just like you're out for a stroll."

Bai Chenxiang's lips moved, and she took a deep breath. "Okay."

The four parted ways at the entrance of the pedestrian street. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing left first, while Bai Chenxiang followed slowly toward the academy.

Bai Chenxiang walked alone on the bluestone path, her white flats making soft sounds against the stone slabs. Her light green dress swayed gently with her steps, and her legs, encased in gray stockings, shimmered softly in the sunlight.

Her palms were slightly sweaty.

She had never done anything like this before, and she felt somewhat uneasy.

But at the thought of Ma Hongjun's disgusting words and that large hand that had nearly twisted her wrist, a hint of coldness entered Bai Chenxiang's eyes.

Enough.

It was time to deal with him.

In the garden on the south side of the academy, sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting patches of light onto the ground.

The garden was small, with a few rows of stone benches surrounding a small pond and a circle of low shrubs. In the corner stood an old locust tree with a crown so large it seemed to cover half the sky.

Ma Hongjun sat on a stone bench beneath the old tree.

His gray jacket was open, and he flicked an unlit cigarette back and forth between his fingers. His left hand rested on his knee as he swung his leg rhythmically.

His mind was a mess, filled with everything he'd heard in the dormitory that morning.

Dai Mubai's words echoed in his head.

"There are four people in Xiao Wu's dorm. Xiao Wu has gotten stronger, Ning Rongrong has gotten stronger, and Zhu Zhuqing has gotten stronger. The only one left to verify is Bai Chenxiang, and I'm leaving this task to you. Besides, you like her anyway."

Ma Hongjun put the cigarette in his mouth, then took it back out.

In the past, he wouldn't have needed Dai Mubai to tell him to take such an opportunity to get close to Bai Chenxiang.

Bai Chenxiang's pretty face flashed through his mind. The light green dress against her fair skin, her soft voice.

Ma Hongjun admitted he was indeed interested in her, but the situation was different now.

The sky over the Douluo Continent seemed to have changed.

Xiao Wu had kicked Tang San flying, Ning Rongrong had knocked out Oscar's front teeth, and Zhu Zhuqing had beaten Dai Mubai until he called her "Grandma."

All three women had "mutated" within two days.

Bai Chenxiang was their roommate; they lived in the same dorm, ate together, and slept together. If those three had truly encountered some stroke of luck, was it possible that Bai Chenxiang had benefited as well?

The more Ma Hongjun thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, but he couldn't ignore Dai Mubai's orders.

In the F4 group, Dai Mubai was the leader. Since the big brother had spoken, he couldn't just shrink away.

Besides, Tang San, Oscar, and Dai Mubai were all recovering from their injuries, and they were all counting on him.

"Forget it, I'll just test it out." Ma Hongjun tucked the cigarette behind his ear and stood up, brushing off his pants.

Just then, his peripheral vision caught a figure.

On the path on the east side of the garden, a girl was walking slowly toward him.

The hem of her light green dress reached mid-calf, fluttering gently with her rhythm.

A sliver of her legs, encased in gray stockings, showed beneath the hem, slender and well-proportioned. Her white flats made almost no sound on the stone slabs.

Her waist wasn't exaggeratedly thin, but the tailored cut of the dress accentuated a soft curve, and the swell of her chest was slightly hidden by the loose neckline, rising and falling with her steps.

Two braids rested on her chest, the ends reaching her waist. Her face was fair and clean, devoid of any unnecessary expression.

Bai Chenxiang. Ma Hongjun swallowed hard.

He instinctively looked around. There was no one else in the garden. The afternoon sun shone at an angle, and only the sound of cicadas filled the shade.

Only Bai Chenxiang was there.

Two thoughts wrestled in Ma Hongjun's mind.

One said: Be careful, her three roommates have all mutated; there's a chance she has changed too.

The other said: Are you really going to pass up such a good opportunity? There's no one around, what could possibly happen in broad daylight?

Lust is a blade hanging over one's head, and the second thought won.

Ma Hongjun straightened his clothes, tugged at his collar, and walked toward Bai Chenxiang.

He plastered what he considered a handsome smile on his face: "Oh my, isn't this Chenxiang?"

Bai Chenxiang looked up.

She saw Ma Hongjun and paused in her tracks: "Ah, Ma Hongjun, why are you here too?"

Ma Hongjun shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped forward.

"Yeah, what a coincidence. I was just resting my feet here, didn't expect to run into you."

Bai Chenxiang didn't step back, nor did she walk forward. She just stood there, watching him.

Ma Hongjun felt her expression was a bit different today. Usually, when Bai Chenxiang saw him, her eyes always held a hint of avoidance, as if she wished she could walk around him. But today she stood there motionless, not dodging at all.

Ma Hongjun assumed she had softened her stance, and he became even more emboldened.

"Chenxiang, have you thought about that matter of being my girlfriend?"

There was no fluctuation on Bai Chenxiang's face.

"Disgusting. I will never agree to it, please stop harassing me from now on."

Ma Hongjun's smile stiffened.

This wasn't the first time he had heard these words. Bai Chenxiang always used this same script: "I won't agree," "Don't harass me."

In the past, Ma Hongjun might have pestered her a bit more. But today, he was harboring anger. Being ordered around by Dai Mubai to do chores, combined with the lingering worry that Bai Chenxiang might have mutated, had left his patience at rock bottom.

"What? You dare speak to me like that?" Ma Hongjun's face darkened, and his tone shifted, "If you don't agree to me today, don't blame me for losing my temper."

Bai Chenxiang's eyes narrowed slightly.

She didn't have the fiery temper of Xiao Wu, nor the confrontational nature of Zhu Zhuqing. She was used to enduring, used to hiding. But today was different.

Today, she possessed a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, and today, she had three people lying in ambush behind her!

"Who do you think you are?" Bai Chenxiang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear, "Daring to speak to me like that."

Ma Hongjun was stunned; this was the first time Bai Chenxiang had spoken to him in such a tone.

This girl, who usually spoke softly and walked around him whenever she saw him, had actually said, "Who do you think you are?"

Ma Hongjun's temple throbbed, and his temper flared up instantly.

"Hmm? You're forcing my hand, then." Ma Hongjun took a step forward and pulled his hand out of his pocket, "There's no one around anyway, you think I'm afraid of you?"

His right hand reached out toward Bai Chenxiang's wrist.

Then, he stopped.

A sense of oppression surged from before him.

It was as if the air in the entire garden had suddenly changed. The temperature was dropping, the sunlight was dimming, and even the cicadas on the old locust tree had stopped chirping.