Silence fell for a moment.
"Good!" Zhao Wuji suddenly clapped his hands, his voice as loud as thunder.
"Good! Excellent!"
He paced back and forth twice, the muscles in his face twitching.
"All right! Today's plans have changed! We're going to the Star Dou Forest to get Oscar his third Soul Ring!"
Ma Hongjun whistled.
Dai Mubai's mouth twitched. At least something good had finally happened.
Tang San unclenched his fists, looked away from Xiao Wu and toward Zhao Wuji, then nodded.
Zhu Zhuqing remained expressionless.
Ning Rongrong clapped, but her applause wasn't very enthusiastic. Her attention was still on Ji Ye.
Xiao Wu finally lifted her head and glanced at Tang San before quickly lowering it again, her fingers twisting together even more tightly.
Ji Ye stood among the group, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
As expected, the story hadn't changed much.
Oscar had still broken through to level thirty at this time, Zhao Wuji had still reacted the same way, and the group was still made up of these same people.
He glanced at Oscar.
Oscar wore a smile, but his one eye kept darting toward Ning Rongrong. He glanced once, then again.
Ning Rongrong wasn't looking at him.
Ning Rongrong was looking at Ji Ye.
Oscar's smile faded a little. He lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes for a while.
Zhao Wuji, meanwhile, hadn't noticed any of this.
He turned toward the academy gate and strode off, waving a big hand.
"Let's go! Star Dou Forest!"
The seven followed Zhao Wuji out through the crooked gate of Shrek Academy.
Ji Ye walked at the very back of the group. Xiao Wu walked in front of him, and Tang San was farther ahead. Every so often, Tang San glanced back, his expression complicated.
Ning Rongrong walked beside Xiao Wu, occasionally turning to look at Ji Ye.
Zhu Zhuqing walked beside Ning Rongrong, looking straight ahead, but keeping pace with Ji Ye.
Ma Hongjun walked beside Dai Mubai, never shutting his mouth as he gossiped away.
Dai Mubai ignored him.
Oscar walked at the front behind Zhao Wuji, his steps light, but his eyes kept darting toward the people behind him.
Ji Ye took it all in, a faint smile on his lips.
Three days later.
The outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
A lone inn stood beside the main road, two stories tall and built of wood and stone. A faded flag hung by the entrance, bearing the words "Welcome Inn."
The inn wasn't large, but in this place, with no villages or shops for miles, it was a rare place to rest.
Zhao Wuji led the group inside.
The inn looked more spacious inside than it had from the outside. Seven or eight tables stood in the room, with a counter at the very back. A skinny old man sat behind it, head down as he worked an abacus. He glanced up at the noise, then lowered his head and continued moving the beads.
"Waiter, we're ready to order." Ma Hongjun sat at a table by the window and casually set his pack down on it.
"Bring us one of everything your place is known for."
"Fatso, it's not your money you're spending, is it?" Dai Mubai smacked Ma Hongjun on the head.
"Cough, cough. Boss Dai, it's not like you're short on money, right?"
Dai Mubai ignored him.
The group slumped all over the table.
After three days of forced marching from Suotuo City to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, everyone was dog-tired except Ji Ye.
Oscar sprawled in his chair and listlessly conjured several sausages in his palm, handing one to each person.
"Here, eat up. While we're waiting for the food, have one of my Super Recovery Big Sausages and get your strength back."
Tang San took one and bit into it. Xiao Wu took one too, but barely ate any, just squeezing it in her hand.
It was rather small.
Dai Mubai took his sausage and swallowed it in two or three bites. He wiped his mouth, looking a little better.
Ma Hongjun had the worst table manners. He stuffed the entire sausage into his mouth and nearly choked himself.
Ning Rongrong nibbled hers, her eyes constantly darting toward Ji Ye.
Zhu Zhuqing had her eyes closed. She hadn't touched the sausage in front of her.
Ji Ye sat at the edge of the table, his sausage untouched as well.
After three days of forced marching, everyone else was exhausted, but he hadn't even broken a sweat.
As for how he managed it, there was only one thing to say.
"Space Folding, a hundred yards in a single step."
Just then.
The inn's door was kicked open.
With a bang, the door slammed into the wall, then bounced back before a hand stopped it.
A tall boy in a gray-red uniform walked in, chin held high and eyes practically on top of his head. Everything he saw seemed to displease him.
A group followed behind him, wearing the same uniforms: seven students, four boys and three girls, along with a middle-aged man wearing a monocle.
Canghui Academy.
The tall boy at the front deliberately bumped into a waiter carrying food.
The waiter stumbled, and the plate slipped from his hands as he toppled to the side.
His face went deathly pale with fright.
But in the next moment, one hand firmly caught his shoulder while another caught the plate before it hit the ground.
At some point, Ji Ye had risen to his feet. His left hand steadied the waiter by the shoulder, while his right held the plate. Not a drop of soup had spilled.
"Careful." Ji Ye's voice was quiet, his tone calm.
The waiter froze, then turned to see who had caught him. His mouth opened and closed.
"Th-thank you, young master."
The waiter took the plate back, his hands still shaking. It was hard to tell whether it was from fright or something else.
The inn fell silent for a moment.
The gazes of all the girls from Canghui Academy landed on Ji Ye.
A girl with a ponytail dropped one of her chopsticks. She bent down to pick it up, then looked right back at him.
Another short-haired girl rested her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands. A smile that was hard to read tugged at her lips as she stared straight at Ji Ye.
A girl sitting at the very back turned around and looked at him for several seconds before facing forward again. She whispered something to the girl beside her, and they both laughed, their eyes still darting toward Ji Ye.
The boys from Canghui Academy, meanwhile, let out a cold snort.
Dai Mubai saw it all, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled.
Damn it, Ji Ye had stolen the spotlight from him again.
When the tall boy saw all the girls from his academy looking at Ji Ye, his expression turned ugly.
He snorted, deliberately dragging out a chair. Its legs screeched against the floor. Then he plopped down, crossed his legs, and shouted as loudly as he could, "Boss, we're ready to order!"
Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up first.
He stared at one of the girls from Canghui Academy, his eyes fixed on her.
She really was pretty, with an oval face, big eyes, and a curvy figure. Her long hair fell over her shoulders as she chatted and laughed with the girl beside her, showing a row of neat, white teeth.
Drool trickled from the corner of Ma Hongjun's mouth, and he didn't even notice.
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