Lin Chen had just come out of the director's office when he ran into Yu Xiaogang and Tang San. The interesting thing was that there was also a little girl with them.
The little girl wore pink and had her long hair tied into a scorpion braid.
There was no need to ask. She had to be Xiao Wu.
She was indeed very cute, but that was all she was: cute. To Lin Chen, whose soul belonged to an adult, she held absolutely no appeal.
"Hey, Xiao Chen! Finished signing up?"
Yu Xiaogang beamed as he called out to Lin Chen from a distance.
He could never have dreamed that one day he would meet two people with Twin Martial Souls and someone with Innate Full Soul Power all in the same day.
Yet somehow, this truly bizarre turn of events had happened to him.
Lin Chen: "..."
This guy was way too familiar. Did he think he could call him Xiao Chen?
He'd taken on a fine disciple, so he was in a good mood, huh?
Fine.
Let's see if you're still grinning in a moment.
"The director's office up ahead is where you sign up. Just give your Work-Study Student Certificates to Director Su inside. I'll have a word with Lin Chen."
When they came closer, Yu Xiaogang spoke to Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Okay!"
Tang San and Xiao Wu didn't say anything else. They walked right past Lin Chen.
"Both of you, please wait!"
Lin Chen's call didn't affect Tang San or Xiao Wu.
Tang San was used to it by now, while Xiao Wu didn't understand what was going on.
But Yu Xiaogang's expression froze in that instant.
His eyes widened as he stared at Lin Chen, unable to believe it.
It was as if he were saying, "Hey, don't do this to me."
Tang San and Xiao Wu stopped at the same time and turned to look at Lin Chen.
Xiao Wu asked, "What is it?"
[Disaster Curse Xiao Wu, successful on Tang San. Obtained one System Bestowed Soul Ring.]
"What the hell is a System Bestowed Soul Ring?"
"Could it have the same effect as a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring?"
Lin Chen was filled with questions.
But this clearly wasn't the time to dwell on them.
He glanced at their foreheads, then turned to look at Yu Xiaogang.
His expression was a little strange, and for some reason, Yu Xiaogang felt a sudden pang of anxiety.
"W-what's the problem?"
Lin Chen asked, "Has your whole life been full of misfortune?"
"???"
At the question, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help recalling his past.
He was the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect's patriarch. He should have been the sect's young master, showered with love and glory.
But after his Martial Soul Mutation, he had become a disgrace to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect.
He hadn't been willing to accept it. He'd wanted to prove himself through other means.
He wanted the world to know that even with a Trash Martial Soul born of mutation, he could still become someone people looked up to.
So he had joined Spirit Hall.
But after all the effort he'd put into developing his Ten Core Competencies, they had failed to make much of a splash in the Soul Master World. They'd even been heavily criticized.
As for Bibi Dong... that didn't count as a big deal to him.
Later, he left Spirit City and met Flender and Liu Erlong in turn. He'd made a name for himself in the Soul Master World.
And then... just as he and Liu Erlong were about to make a life together, he learned in a flash that Liu Erlong was his cousin.
Those misfortunes weren't just one thing after another. They were a curse.
As he thought about it,
the smile on Yu Xiaogang's face gradually disappeared, replaced by anger and resentment. His fists slowly clenched.
He took a deep breath, then looked at Lin Chen.
"What are you getting at?"
"Ah!"
Lin Chen couldn't help sighing. He shook his head with a mysterious air.
"Forget it. I'd better not say."
Yu Xiaogang looked as if he wanted to curse but stopped himself.
What kind of person did that? Who started saying something and then stopped halfway through?
Tang San and Xiao Wu looked just as speechless.
They'd waited for ages, only for him to suddenly say he wasn't going to tell them.
Wasn't that just dangling a carrot in front of them?
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, forcing down his anger.
"Go ahead. I promise I won't get mad."
He knew Lin Chen wasn't about to say anything good, but he still wanted to hear it.
Curiosity was a strange thing.
Lin Chen asked, "You're sure?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded firmly, his gaze resolute.
"All right, then. I'll tell you."
With that, Lin Chen lifted a hand and pointed at Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"I don't know about that little girl, but Tang San wasn't plagued by bad luck just now. Now, though, he's somehow had misfortune latch onto him."
"What?"
Tang San's eyes flew wide, his face full of disbelief as he stared at Lin Chen.
Xiao Wu frowned.
Plagued by bad luck?
That guy looked about her age. Why was he talking in riddles?
More importantly...
Xiao Wu glanced at Tang San and Yu Xiaogang. Both wore expressions of shock.
That guy didn't seem to be talking nonsense.
"You mean I passed my bad luck on to the two of them?"
Yu Xiaogang regretted it. He shouldn't have opened his mouth and asked in the first place.
What if he scared his precious disciple away?
Without Tang San, how could he put his theories to the test? How could he become a true Theory Master whom the world admired?
Lin Chen nodded. "There are people in this world known as harbingers of misfortune. Their lives are often filled with one misfortune after another, and they bring trouble to those close to them, too."
Since he was at Nuoding Academy, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San would surely run into bad luck all the time.
Given enough time, it would be hard not to arouse suspicion.
So in that case, he might as well create a culprit for them to blame.
Bad luck?
Of course they were having bad luck. They spent every day around a harbinger of misfortune.
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply.
"When Lin Chen asked whether Teacher's life had been full of misfortune..."
"Teacher didn't deny it."
"And sometimes, not denying something is the best answer."
"Teacher is a harbinger of misfortune?"
"I've only just become his disciple, and I'm already plagued by bad luck. If this keeps up..."
Tang San didn't dare imagine what might happen.
Hearing that, Xiao Wu looked at Yu Xiaogang again, her gaze now wary.
She didn't know whether that guy's words were true.
But when it came to their safety, better to believe it than risk it.
It seemed she'd have to keep her distance from him from now on.
Yu Xiaogang saw the changes in Tang San and Xiao Wu's expressions.
"Absurd!"
"My life has had a few misfortunes, but I've never dragged anyone else into them."
"What makes you think I'm a harbinger of misfortune?"
"If you can't explain yourself today, don't blame me for being rude."
Yu Xiaogang was truly furious.
Tang San was tied to his future. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
And Lin Chen's words were practically cutting off his path.
Cutting off someone's future was like killing their parents.
It was a feud to the death. He had to get an explanation today.
"Look at you, getting worked up again."
"I didn't want to say anything, but you insisted on hearing it. Now you've heard it, and you're blowing a fuse."
"Tell me, is something wrong with you?"
Lin Chen sounded utterly exasperated, and his expression took on a hint of disdain.
"You..."
Yu Xiaogang was furious, but couldn't figure out how to argue back.
After all, he had been the one who insisted on asking.
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