Jiang Zhu

Hearing that familiar voice, Mo Li turned his head to look at the young girl trotting toward him from not far away.

The girl had striking crimson short hair and a sweet smile blooming on her pretty face. Beneath that still-childish, adorable exterior, however, she possessed assets far beyond her peers, tightly wrapped within her blue and white school uniform.

"Jiang Zhu, don't—"

Watching Jiang Zhu sprint toward him, Mo Li realized what was about to happen and hurriedly waved his hand to stop her, but before he could finish his sentence, he was pulled into her embrace, his cheeks instantly submerged in a soft, fragrant warmth.

Jiang Zhu was five years older than Mo Li and was in the midst of her adolescent growth spurt, so she was quite a bit taller than him.

Mo Li struggled free, took a few deep breaths, and said helplessly, "Hoo—Jiang Zhu, at least pay attention to your image. Be reserved, you need to be reserved."

This little girl hadn't been like this at the beginning; it was only after spending a long time with him that she had become so uninhibited. If this kept up, he really would be treated like a child.

"Call me big sister." Jiang Zhu's eyes curved into crescents, her smile sweet, not taking Mo Li's words to heart in the slightest.

"I won't."

"You're so much younger than me, what's the harm in calling me that?"

Jiang Zhu didn't take Mo Li's words to heart at all, continuing to giggle foolishly.

Seeing this, Mo Li sighed helplessly.

Jiang Zhu was the first friend he had made at Blue Tyrant Academy, and their acquaintance dated back half a year.

At that time, Jiang Zhu had just enrolled. Because she was on the younger side and had a soft, timid personality, she had found it difficult to integrate into the academy's atmosphere at first.

By chance, she encountered Mo Li wandering around the academy. It was the first time Jiang Zhu had seen someone younger than herself in the academy, and it was as if she had found her own tribe.

So, she gathered her courage and asked Mo Li to be her friend.

At the time, Mo Li looked at the shy girl before him and, combined with her distinctive crimson hair, quickly guessed her identity.

However, he also saw Jiang Zhu's embarrassment and loneliness, so he readily agreed. After all, Jiang Zhu was just a little girl, simple and without any bad intentions.

After a few back-and-forths, the two became close friends.

Jiang Zhu's talent was not bad at all; at only eleven years old, her spirit power cultivation had already reached level twenty. She perfectly met the admission standards for an Advanced Spirit Master Academy and could be considered an elite even among them.

It was no wonder that in the original work, she could be cultivated by Liu Erlong as a seed player for Blue Tyrant Academy to participate in that year's Spirit Master Tournament.

Although she had a few opportunities to perform, even Blue Tyrant Academy had eventually been absorbed into Shrek for nothing.

Regardless, it was still somewhat moving.

But since he was here, Blue Tyrant Academy would not suffer that fate.

During this time, Jiang Zhu had also curiously asked about his identity, guessing whether he was the child of one of the academy's teachers.

Mo Li naturally nodded and admitted it readily; after all, Liu Erlong was the Dean, so she naturally counted as a teacher of the academy, and there was no logical problem with that.

The simple-minded Jiang Zhu didn't ask for details until she later heard the senior students mention it by accident and learned of Mo Li's true status.

After learning this news, Jiang Zhu was terrified for several days, not even daring to look for Mo Li to play, fearing she would lead him astray.

When she didn't show up for several days, Mo Li became worried that something had happened to her and specifically asked Liu Erlong to take him to the dormitory to check on her.

After understanding the ins and outs of the matter, Liu Erlong couldn't help but feel amused.

However, compared to Jiang Zhu's worries, Liu Erlong didn't care at all; she knew Mo Li's personality well enough.

Instead, she even played a little joke on Jiang Zhu.

Mo Li hadn't entered the dormitory, only seeing from afar as Liu Erlong smiled and said something to her, after which Jiang Zhu revealed a shy expression.

He watched, completely confused; Jiang Zhu didn't look like she was ill, and he couldn't make sense of the situation at all.

On the way back, he couldn't help but press her, "Sister Erlong, what did you say to Jiang Zhu? Why did she look like that?"

Liu Erlong glanced at him sideways, a smile playing on her lips as she said:

"Is that something you should be asking? Stop prying."

Mo Li: "..."

Afterward, Jiang Zhu also took the initiative to find Mo Li and explain the situation.

Of course, she was too embarrassed to repeat the whisper Liu Erlong had shared with her, but she was very happy in her heart to know that she could continue being friends with Mo Li.

After this incident, the relationship between the two became even closer.

Pulling his thoughts back, Jiang Zhu tugged on Mo Li's arm and said with a smile, "Are you going to the cafeteria too? Come on, keep your big sister company."

Mo Li struggled symbolically, but failing to break free, he simply let her pull him along.

After sitting down in a corner on the first floor of the cafeteria, Mo Li, who had been starving, immediately buried his head in his food.

The two chatted while they ate. Jiang Zhu's table manners were naturally much better than Mo Li's; at the very least, she was quite ladylike when eating.

"Little Brother Mo Li."

As if she had suddenly remembered something, Jiang Zhu looked at Mo Li curiously.

"I think I saw the Dean taking you toward the Spirit Awakening Room on the road today. How did it go? What kind of spirit did you awaken?"

Hearing this, Mo Li didn't answer immediately, instead letting out a heavy sigh and putting on a dejected expression.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Mo Li's expression, Jiang Zhu felt a pang of anxiety. She hurriedly reached out to grab his arm, a sinking feeling rising in her heart—could it be that little brother Mo Li hadn't become a Spirit Master?

She immediately whispered a comforting reassurance: "It's alright. Even if you didn't become a Spirit Master, big sister will protect you!"

Mo Li shook his head slightly, then sighed and said:

"Sigh, I accidentally hit full spirit power. Now I can't even slack off if I wanted to."

"Innate full spirit power?! Little brother Mo Li, you..."

Jiang Zhu's eyes widened in shock, but as the realization hit her, her expression turned into one of embarrassed annoyance. "So that look you had just now—you were clearly doing it on purpose!"

Watching Jiang Zhu's face flush with anger, Mo Li quickly laughed and explained: "I just wanted to give you a surprise, but I need you to keep this a secret for me for now."

"It looks like it'll be my turn to protect you from now on."

After filling his stomach, Mo Li scanned the cafeteria, but as expected, he didn't see Liu Erlong. Knowing her as he did, she was likely dealing with matters and planning to skip lunch again.

He turned to Jiang Zhu: "I have to go. Sister Erlong is definitely planning to skip lunch again, so I'm going to take her some food."

"As for my Martial Soul, I'll show it to you another time."

"Alright, go on then."

Jiang Zhu nodded with a smile.

Mo Li skillfully picked out a few dishes that Liu Erlong liked, packed them up, and headed straight out of the cafeteria.

Blue Tyrant Academy, office building.

In a spacious and bright room, Liu Erlong was fretting over a mountain of documents piled on her desk.

The academy had been founded for three years, and it was currently in a critical period of development; she had to handle every little affair herself.

Compared to this tedious paperwork, fighting and spirit dueling were definitely more her style.

Just as she was rubbing her temples in frustration, she caught a glimpse of Mo Li peeking in from the doorway.

"What are you doing standing at the door?"

She suppressed the smile that was threatening to tug at the corners of her lips and deliberately put on a stern face. "Get in here already."

Hearing this, Mo Li walked in with a smile, looking at Liu Erlong as she hunched over her desk, her face clouded with worry.

At this moment, she looked like a completely different person from her usual imposing self, appearing almost dejected.

He stepped forward and placed the packed meal onto an empty spot on the desk.