There was a brief silence on the bus for about two seconds.
Tang Wulin was taken aback.
Then his face turned red at a visible speed, from his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.
"If you don't discipline them for three days, they'll be tearing the roof off!"
Tang Wulin lunged forward and grabbed Xie Xie by the neck. The force was so great that Xie Xie was thrown backward, and the back of his head almost hit the window.
"I'll strangle you! I'll strangle you!"
Xie Xie howled as he was being pinched, struggling and laughing at the same time, "I'm telling the truth! You've been staring at me for so long! Anyone would misunderstand!"
"I was just grateful to have you as a brother by my side! Who was watching you?"
"Then why are you blushing!"
"You're the one who made me angry!"
The two people in the front seats were playfully fighting, wrestling together and making the seats bang loudly.
The passenger in the front seat glanced back, then silently turned back.
Gu Yue sat next to Zhong Shenxiu, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, her cool face expressionless. Hearing the noise behind her, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.
She turned her head to look at Zhong Shenxiu beside her.
Zhong Shenxiu still had his eyes half-closed, his Light-Imperial Ninja Blade resting horizontally on his knees, leaning back in his chair, looking as if he were separated from everything around him by an invisible barrier.
Gu Yue looked at him for two seconds, then spoke.
" Shenxiu."
Zhong Shenxiu opened one eye.
"Interested in joining the Spirit Pagoda?"
Her voice wasn't loud, just enough for the two of them to hear.
Zhong Shenxiu didn't speak, he just looked at her.
Gu Yue's expression remained calm, but a serious look shone through his dark eyes.
"If you're willing, I can ask my master to accept you as his disciple."
As she said this, she seemed to sense something, and slightly turned her head, glancing at the direction diagonally behind her.
Wu Zhangkong was sitting in that spot, his sky-blue hair gleaming coldly in the dim light of the carriage, his eyes fixed straight at them.
His gaze was as cold as his Martial Soul.
Gu Yue withdrew her gaze and added, "My master is Titled Douluo."
Her tone remained calm, as if she were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.
But as soon as the words " Titled Douluo " were uttered, the air in the carriage visibly froze for a moment.
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who were playing around behind them, stopped at the same time.
Xie Xie released his grip on Tang Wulin's neck and stared wide-eyed at the row in front.
Tang Wulin was also stunned. The blush on his face had not yet faded, but his expression had changed from embarrassment and annoyance to shock.
Titled Douluo.
In this world, everyone knows what Titled Douluo means.
That is the existence at the very top of the Soul Master pyramid.
Now, Gu Yue says her master is Titled Douluo.
Xie Xie his mouth wide, wanting to say something, but found that he seemed unable to say anything at all.
Tang Wulin's lips pressed into a thin line, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the seat.
Wu Zhangkong: ￣へ￣! No, not at all!
Gu Yue ignored the subsequent reactions and simply looked at Zhong Shenxiu, waiting for his answer.
Zhong Shenxiu shook his head.
"My family is unlikely to let me join an organization with too many rules."
His tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
But the subtext of this statement is clear— the Spirit Pagoda has too many rules, I won't go.
Gu Yue's expression didn't change; she simply nodded slightly. "Then forget it."
She looked away and gazed ahead again, as if it had been a casual question and she didn't care about being rejected.
Diagonally behind.
Wu Zhangkong's expression changed from icy to --
Well...
If I had to use one word to describe it, it would probably be "riding the crest of success".
Of course, putting this word together with his Iceberg Face feels as incongruous as planting a flower in the snow.
Wu Zhangkong: (#^.^#)! Hehe!
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.
Then it curled up again.
It was suppressed again.
After repeating this about three times, he finally gave up struggling, a small smile playing on his lips as he leaned back in his seat, looking quite pleased with himself.
It doesn't matter where Zhong Shenxiu joins.
Anyway, as long as he didn't join the Spirit Pagoda, Wu Zhangkong felt that he would eventually have a chance to trick his beloved disciple into joining the Tang Sect.
After all, the Tang Sect is the best choice. The Hall of Heroes, the Tang Sect Secret Arts, tens of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge...
Moreover, he, as a teacher, is also in the Tang Sect.
As Wu Zhangkong pondered, the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
Then he suddenly realized he almost burst out laughing.
He immediately clenched his fist, placed it against his mouth, and coughed softly.
"Cough."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.
Gu Yue, sitting in the front row, tilted her head slightly but didn't turn around.
Zhong Shenxiu kept his eyes half-closed, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Wu Zhangkong lowered his hand, his expression returning to its usual coldness, but if you looked closely, you would notice that his eyes were brighter than usual.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice becoming much softer than usual—of course, this "softness" was relative to himself; to others, it would probably sound like the temperature had dropped from "minus twenty degrees" to "minus ten degrees."
" Shenxiu."
Zhong Shenxiu opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.
Wu Zhangkong carefully considered his words: "I wonder if there's any chance for me to meet your elders?"
He paused for a moment, then added, "After all, the holiday is so long, and the teacher is a little worried about your safety."
That's a perfectly reasonable statement.
It's perfectly normal for teachers to be concerned about students' safety and want to meet with their parents—this is a common occurrence in any school.
But when Wu Zhangkong said this, there was a subtle... urgency in his tone.
Gu Yue, who had been rejected, also looked at Zhong Shenxiu with curiosity.
She certainly didn't want to see that so-called "elder" because of any "safety concerns."
As the Lord of Soul Beasts, she naturally wanted to know just how powerful the dragon clan from another dimension behind Zhong Shenxiu really was.
If it truly is a powerful dragon force--
Gu Yue's eyelashes drooped slightly, obscuring the fleeting light in her eyes.
Then she'd be even more determined to win Zhong Shenxiu over.
Zhong Shenxiu blinked.
Wu Zhangkong wanted to meet the "elder" he had fabricated, simply to confirm whether the family actually existed, and to see if there was a chance to continue tricking him into joining the Tang Sect.
Gu Yue's desire to meet him made his purpose even clearer—how could the Silver Dragon King not be curious about the dragons from another dimension?
Zhong Shenxiu thought about it and decided that it wasn't entirely impossible.
Anyway, Badi Holy Dragon is just sitting around doing nothing, so there's no problem taking him out for a spin. Besides, letting Wu Zhangkong and Gu Yue meet their "elders" would actually make the lie seem more believable.
As for how to smooth things over afterwards...
Let's take it one step at a time.
"Alright."
Zhong Shenxiu nodded, his tone remaining calm.
"Then... tomorrow?"
Wu Zhangkong's eyes lit up, but his expression remained cold and stern. "Okay."
Gu Yue didn't say anything, but her hands clenched slightly on her knees.
It's done!
As soon as Wu Zhangkong finished speaking, Xie Xie immediately broke free from Tang Wulin's grasp—or rather, Tang Wulin released his grip first—and sprang up from his seat, leaning against Zhong Shenxiu's chair back, his dark green eyes filled with excitement.
"What are we doing tomorrow? Are we going to see Shenxiu's elders?"
His voice was so loud that the entire carriage could hear it.
"I want to go too! I want to go too!"