Wang Dong'er stood beside her seat, watching Lin Shuo surrounded by a group of girls. A flicker of irritation—one she hadn't even noticed herself—passed through her powder-blue eyes.
"Make way."
She shoved through the crowd and grabbed Lin Shuo by the sleeve.
"I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
The girls gathered around Lin Shuo all turned to look at her, their gazes laced with displeasure and scrutiny. Wang Dong'er stared right back without backing down, chin tilted slightly upward like a little beast guarding its food.
Lin Shuo let her tug on his sleeve without resisting. He merely raised an eyebrow. "Miss Wang, I haven't agreed yet."
"Who cares whether you agree?" Wang Dong'er said without turning around or arguing further, though the tips of her ears had gone faintly red. She pulled him toward the classroom door. "Yu'er went out, so you have to keep me company for lunch, at least."
"Oh?" Lin Shuo's voice rose slightly at the end. "So you stayed behind just to wait for me?"
"W-Who stayed behind for you? I just happened to be going to the cafeteria too!" She let go of his sleeve and quickened her pace, walking ahead. Her short powder-blue hair bounced with every step, making her look like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Lin Shuo followed behind her at an unhurried pace, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.
Huo Yu'er had successfully become Fan Yu's disciple, and from then on, she would begin studying Soul Tools. Before Huo Yu'er arrived, Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, and Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, had come together to explain Zhou Yi's situation. Qian Duoduo had also strongly advised him to cut ties decisively.
As the Level 8 Soul Engineer closest to becoming a Level 9 Soul Engineer at Shrek Academy, Fan Yu was naturally clever enough to catch Qian Duoduo's unspoken meaning. So, before Huo Yu'er and Wang Yan arrived, he had already adjusted his emotions. Originally, Huo Yu'er couldn't become Fan Yu's direct disciple, but when she demonstrated Spirit Detection Sharing, Fan Yu was astonished. After that, her becoming his disciple followed naturally.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, Wang Yan excitedly took Huo Yu'er to the dining hall to eat. "Student Huo Yu'er, is your Martial Soul the Body Martial Soul Spirit Eye?"
Wang Yan had wanted to ask ever since the Soul Guidance Department discovered it, but he had held back so as not to disturb Huo Yu'er. He had waited until now. When Huo Yu'er nodded, he asked anxiously, "Then do you know about the Body Sect?" Seeing the bewildered look on Huo Yu'er's face, Wang Yan hurriedly finished his meal, excitement mounting.
"Student Huo Yu'er, I have something to take care of, so I'll be going first." With that, Wang Yan hurried out. He had to tell Xuan Zi—this was a Body Martial Soul! After studying Martial Souls for so many years, he had never encountered one before.
Just after Huo Yu'er left the dining hall, she ran straight into Tang Ya.
"Yu'er!"
Tang Ya rushed over like a gust of wind and grabbed her by the arm.
"Teacher Xiao Ya?" Huo Yu'er stumbled as Tang Ya hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I've been looking everywhere for you. Do you remember what I told you before the semester started? I got some green carp from the dining hall staff. Let's go sell grilled fish outside the school." As soon as Tang Ya finished speaking, she pulled Huo Yu'er toward the exit.
"But, Teacher Xiao Ya..."
"Oh, no buts. Come on, let's go."
Huo Yu'er hadn't even had a chance to say she didn't need to sell grilled fish for now before Tang Ya cut her off. She could only follow Tang Ya outside the school.
Just this once. I'll tell Teacher Xiao Ya after we're done, Huo Yu'er thought.
Lin Shuo and Wang Dong'er had finished eating and were taking a walk around campus.
"There are students selling grilled fish outside the school. I heard it's really delicious. Let's go take a look."
Lin Shuo had been wondering why Huo Yu'er had set up a stall outside the school after he'd given her some Gold Soul Coins earlier, when Wang Dong'er called out to him, "Grilled fish? Lin Shuo, let's go take a look too. You can treat me."
"Didn't you just finish eating? And I'm treating you? Call me big brother and I'll treat you." Lin Shuo smiled at Wang Dong'er.
"No, no. I treated you to lunch just now. What's wrong with you treating me to grilled fish now?" Wang Dong'er said coquettishly. Her short powder-blue hair swayed gently as she shook her head, and her beautiful eyes held a hint of slyness and pleading.
Lin Shuo glanced at her, the corners of his mouth curling up. "I've already treated you and Yu'er once before."
"W-Well, I carried plates for you!" Wang Dong'er puffed out her chest, making a bold case for herself despite having no real justification. Then she seemed to realize that her excuse didn't really hold up, and her voice dropped without her meaning to. "Besides, I kept you company while you ate. Isn't keeping someone company worth money?"
Watching her argue her case with such misplaced confidence and inexplicable guilt, Lin Shuo chuckled and didn't expose her any further. He started toward the school gates, his voice drifting back on the afternoon breeze. "Why do I feel like you should be paying me for eating with me? All right, let's go see the grilled fish you've been dreaming about."
Thinking of the furtive glances that had been directed at Lin Shuo during lunch, Wang Dong'er felt a little guilty. But at his words, her eyes lit up, and she hurried after him, walking shoulder to shoulder with Lin Shuo. Together, they crossed Shrek Plaza and followed the tree-lined path.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches of ancient trees, casting dappled shadows over them. Wang Dong'er's steps were much lighter than usual, and the corners of her mouth kept lifting. It was hard to tell whether it was because she was about to eat grilled fish or because of something else.
A crowd had gathered around the street corner beyond the eastern gate. The rich fragrance of grilled fish drifted toward them on the wind, and a short line had already formed at Huo Yu'er's stall. Lin Shuo frowned as Xu Sanshi reached out to snatch the grilled fish from the stall.
Just as Xu Sanshi's fingers were about to touch the fish—
A faint whistle of something cutting through the air rang out.
Lin Shuo raised his right hand, pointed his fingertips toward Xu Sanshi, and gave a light flick.
A visible wave of cold surged from his fingertips like a transparent ice serpent, gliding soundlessly along the ground. A fine layer of frost formed over the stone paving wherever it passed, and the moisture steaming in the air instantly condensed into countless tiny ice crystals that refracted a blinding white light.
Xu Sanshi's hand froze in midair.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move. He couldn't. A thick layer of ice had somehow encased both his legs from the soles of his feet to his knees. The Soul Power of a three-ring Soul Elder roared through his body as he tried to shatter the ice, but no matter how fiercely he drove his Soul Power, the force of the freezing cold remained unmoved.
Then a feeling colder than the ice rose from the depths of his heart.
Lin Shuo was looking at him.
The boy's gaze was as calm as a stagnant pool, without anger, murderous intent, or any other unnecessary emotion. Yet that very calm made countless illusions abruptly surface in Xu Sanshi's mind. He saw a pair of gigantic dragon eyes slowly opening in the endless darkness, seven-colored light swirling within them. That gaze pierced layer after layer of space to look down upon him, as if he were no more than a tiny ant. It was as though a Ferocious Beast had fixed its eyes on him.