The commotion had finally died down.
Everyone went their separate ways.
Tang Ya was still on bad terms with Bei Bei, but before leaving, she arranged to go to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion with Su Ling the day after tomorrow.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong followed behind Su Ling, one on either side, all the way back to the Freshman Dormitory.
"Big Brother Su Ling, I'll head back and cultivate first. We have class tomorrow, and Teacher Zhou seemed a little unhappy that you skipped today. Remember to get some rest early..."
He shut the dorm room door.
Wang Dong walked over to the bed and flopped down.
"We've been walking for so long. I'm exhausted."
Seeing this, Su Ling grabbed her and hauled her back up. "Go take a shower. Look at how sweaty you are. And you're lying on my bed."
Wang Dong had been skipping and bouncing with excitement the whole way, as if she'd eaten honey, and had worked up a sweat.
"Oh, right. I forgot you were back."
Su Ling froze, only then noticing the rumpled blanket and bedsheets on his bed.
"? You slept on my bed last night?"
"Hehe, you weren't here, and my bed was small and hard. I was afraid I'd roll over and fall onto the floor..."
Wang Dong chuckled, lowering her head so she wouldn't have to meet Su Ling's eyes. Embarrassed, she rubbed the hem of her shirt.
"Fine, fine. Hurry up and shower. You smell sweaty."
At Su Ling's disgusted expression, Wang Dong skeptically tugged at her collar and sniffed.
"I don't smell sweaty! You must be mistaken!"
Wang Dong's almond-shaped eyes widened. Though she'd worked up a sweat, there was no unpleasant odor—only the faint fragrance of cherry blossoms from the cherry blossom-scented body wash Su Ling had bought.
All unpleasant odors were essentially caused by various bacteria. Soul Masters constantly cleansed and sterilized themselves with Soul Power, so they naturally couldn't smell bad.
"If I say you smell, then you smell. Hurry up, or you're sleeping outside tonight."
Su Ling put on a stern face. He'd watched Wang Dong sweat all over his bedsheets. Even if there was no odor, it still grossed him out.
"Hmph! Fine, I will!"
Wang Dong was genuinely afraid Su Ling would kick her out, so she hurried into the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed.
The rustle of clothing came from inside, followed by the soft patter of the shower.
Su Ling paid her no mind. Even though he knew perfectly well that Wang Dong was a girl in disguise, he wouldn't entertain any improper thoughts.
Well, except when it came to Zhang Lexuan.
After all, she was the only one his age, apart from himself.
Only when he was alone with Zhang Lexuan did he find his thoughts wandering uncontrollably.
Su Ling replaced the bedsheets with a fresh set, then went out onto the balcony. Sitting in a chair, he gazed up at the star-filled sky.
A month ago, he'd still been pretending to be crazy in a remote mountain village, keeping company with pigs, cattle, and sheep. He'd risen with the sun to work and gone to bed early at sunset, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander.
"I wonder how the Village Elder is doing."
Gazing at the moon, Su Ling recalled how the Village Elder had cared for him over the past six years. The memories filled him with warmth.
Once, when God King Tang had secretly interfered, Su Ling had been forced to hurt himself badly to keep his secret. He'd nearly died.
The remote village was full of wild beasts, and every household had to bolt their doors and windows once the sun went down.
In the end, the Village Elder had braved the night and gone out of the village to search for him. That was how Su Ling had been rescued.
Su Ling would never forget that kindness.
"I'll go visit the old man during the break after the freshman assessment."
Su Ling silently made up his mind.
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and a series of soft footsteps sounded.
Su Ling raised an eyebrow and turned around.
Wang Dong emerged, arms wrapped around herself, soaked from head to toe and barefoot.
"Little Dong'er, what are you up to now?"
Trying to tempt me with a wet-shirt routine?
"I... I forgot to bring my clothes!"
Wang Dong's cheeks were bright red. She quickly grabbed a change of clothes from the wardrobe and fled back into the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed again.
Su Ling shook his head with a laugh and turned back to enjoy the night view.
A little over ten minutes later.
Wang Dong came out of the bathroom. She didn't speak to Su Ling, but silently climbed into bed.
Su Ling didn't think much of it. He sat on the balcony and pondered what would happen next, only returning indoors half an hour later.
After washing up, he lay down to rest.
In the middle of the night.
Su Ling was woken by a strange noise.
Listening closely, he realized it was coming from the corner, where Wang Dong's bed was.
"Little Dong'er, what are you doing up in the middle of the night? Keep it down."
Wang Dong didn't reply, and Su Ling couldn't help furrowing his brow.
Something was wrong.
Su Ling got out of bed, turned on the light, and looked toward the corner.
Wang Dong was bundled up tightly. The mound of blankets seemed to be trembling, as though she'd caught a chill.
Seeing this, Su Ling couldn't help wondering.
It was only just the beginning of autumn. Surely it wasn't that cold?
"Little Dong'er?"
Su Ling moved closer and tentatively called out to her twice, but Wang Dong still didn't respond.
Su Ling raised an eyebrow.
He stepped forward and gently lifted one corner of the blanket. Only then did he see Wang Dong's face and neck flushed red. Her eyes were half-open, and her breathing was heavy.
"Little Dong'er, what are you up to?"
Wang Dong gazed at Su Ling through bleary eyes, pressed her lips together, and after a long pause, stammered out an answer.
"I... I feel awful... My head's spinning... My body feels hot, and... I have no strength..."
Hearing this, Su Ling reached out and touched her forehead.
"You're burning up. You have a fever?"
"What did you do? You were fine earlier."
Su Ling was baffled.
Soul Masters could get sick, but their bodies were generally stronger than ordinary people's. Wang Dong'er was a bona fide Soul Grandmaster, and, at her core, the daughter of a God King.
By all rights, she shouldn't have gotten sick, should she?
But now wasn't the time to figure out why.
Wang Dong was suffering.
Su Ling soaked a cloth in water, wrung it out, and laid it on her forehead. Then he tucked her in and reassured her.
"Hang on. I'll go get someone."
With that, he left the dormitory.
There was no other choice. The system was upgrading, so he couldn't open the Strategy Mall to buy medicine, and he didn't know how to treat her.
It wasn't long before—
Su Ling returned.
An elderly man with white hair followed behind him.
He'd found the old man in the Martial Soul Department's infirmary.
Of course, he'd only been able to summon him by using the token Mu En had given him. Otherwise, as a mere Outer Court student, he probably wouldn't even have been allowed through the medical center's doors in the middle of the night.
Su Ling wasn't exaggerating. Before he'd shown the token, he really had been stopped at the entrance.
"Teacher, sorry for the trouble."
"Hehe, it's my honor to be of help to you, Student Su. Leave the rest to me."
With that, the old man revealed his Martial Soul: a tree glowing with green light. Seven Soul Rings shone behind him. To Su Ling's surprise, he was a Soul Sage.
A wash of green light enveloped Wang Dong. Her flushed face visibly faded back to its normal rosy color.
Just seven seconds later, Wang Dong had recovered completely.
"This student has fully recovered. Though it's strange—his body is considerably weaker than that of an average Soul Master. He must have caught a chill, which gave him a fever."
"I see. Thank you, Teacher."
Su Ling glanced at the sleeping Wang Dong and felt a little guilty. Had she caught a chill and come down with a fever just from taking a bath?
Come to think of it, this was probably his fault.
"You're welcome. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
Su Ling nodded and personally escorted the healing Soul Sage out of the dormitory.