Tang San's Whereabouts, The True Target

Bai Shu's bedding was quite large, mostly because Old Jack was afraid he would be cold and had provided plenty of material, to the point where the single quilt had almost become a double.

So, even though there were two beds, the bedding covered about eighty or ninety percent of the space.

Afterward, Xiao Wu placed her own bundle in the middle of the two beds.

"There, this is the dividing line. You are not allowed to cross it!"

Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, announcing this with a serious face, but her lively, large eyes flickered with a hint of cunning and anticipation.

Bai Shu found it amusing in his heart. This little rabbit, clearly a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast, is putting on quite the act. But this acting is a bit too exaggerated; those eyes are clearly saying: hurry up and come over, hurry up and cross the line!

As for Wang Sheng on the side, he had already turned to stone the moment Xiao Wu started moving.

Ten minutes ago, he felt like he had fallen in love.

Ten minutes later, he felt like he had been heartbroken all over again.

However, once he remembered that both of them were spirit masters with innate full spirit power, Wang Sheng felt deflated again. The chasm of talent was like a natural moat; they were destined not to walk the same path.

Thinking of this, Wang Sheng suddenly didn't feel so lost. If he couldn't be a lover, he could be a lackey! With these two bosses covering for him in the academy, who would dare to mess with him?

His mindset shifted instantly. Seeing the two of them finish tidying up, Wang Sheng immediately said enthusiastically, "It's time for lunch, Sister Xiao Wu, Brother Bai Shu, I'll take you to the cafeteria!"

As soon as Xiao Wu heard about food, she jumped up and said excitedly, "Okay, okay! Are there carrots?"

"Uh, there should be. After all, carrots are pretty cheap."

Bai Shu didn't refuse either. He wanted to confirm Tang San's location. According to the original plot, if Tang San had taken Yu Xiaogang as his master, there was a high probability he would also be eating at the cafeteria.

A group of eleven, led by Wang Sheng, marched toward the cafeteria in a grand manner. Along the way, Bai Shu scanned his surroundings calmly, searching for that familiar figure.

However, what made him frown was that he couldn't find either Tang San or Grandmaster.

The Notting Academy cafeteria was divided into two floors. The food on the first floor was worse, and while the food on the second floor was better, it was quite expensive.

When they reached the serving window, Xiao Wu looked at the crowd queuing for food. She suddenly leaned close to Bai Shu, tugging at the corner of her clothes in embarrassment, and whispered to him:

"Um... does it cost money to eat? I don't have any of those spirit coins."

Bai Shu glanced at her, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he handed over five copper spirit coins.

"Take it, little rabbit. You're out in the world, and you didn't even know to prepare money for food?"

"You... you're the rabbit!" Xiao Wu blushed instantly, but she still took the money.

Bai Shu continued, "After becoming a spirit master, you can register at Spirit Hall and receive a subsidy of one gold spirit coin every month. Remember to pay me back once you get it."

"Spirit Hall?"

When Xiao Wu heard this name, the smile on her face vanished instantly, and her expression became inexplicably downcast. It was a complex emotion mixed with fear and deep-seated hatred.

Bai Shu naturally knew what this was about, but he didn't point it out, nor did he pay her any more mind. From a human perspective, Spirit Hall hadn't really done anything wrong in this matter.

Perhaps because their arrival time differed slightly from the original story, they didn't encounter that provocative noble student.

By the time they finished eating, Bai Shu still hadn't seen Tang San, which made him start to ponder.

Tang San is protected by Tang Hao at this stage; there is absolutely no way he is in danger.

He isn't in the cafeteria, and he hasn't returned to the dormitory, so the most likely reason is that he went to hunt for a spirit ring ahead of schedule.

However, this is just my speculation. To be safe, it's better to find out for sure.

Having made up his mind, Bai Shu said to Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the others, "I have something to attend to at the academic affairs office. You guys head back to the dormitory first."

Wang Sheng and the others naturally had no issues with this; they agreed and headed toward the dormitory.

Xiao Wu, however, looked like an abandoned young wife, pouting in dissatisfaction.

Bai Shu ignored Xiao Wu's gaze and went straight to the place where he had registered earlier.

In the academic affairs office, several teachers were busy organizing documents. Seeing Bai Shu approach, the female teacher at the door brightened and immediately stood up to welcome him.

"Student Bai Shu, why have you returned? Is there something you need?" Just kidding—this was an innate full spirit power genius, a rising star in the spirit master world. As long as Bai Shu could graduate normally, it would be of great benefit to the entire academy, so they were naturally very enthusiastic.

"Teacher, there was a child from my village who came this morning, but he never showed up at Dorm Seven. I'm worried something might have happened to him, so I came to ask."

Bai Shu didn't beat around the bush, and his reason was perfectly valid; even if Tang Hao were still around, he couldn't find fault with it.

"His name is Tang San, his spirit is Blue Silver Grass, and he also has innate full spirit power."

"Tang San!" The receptionist teacher was surprised. "I remember him! I didn't expect you two to be from the same village. To have two geniuses with innate full spirit power come out of Holy Soul Village at the same time—it's truly incredible!"

Her attitude toward Bai Shu became even more enthusiastic. "He did come to register, but I don't know where he went afterward."

Bai Shu pressed, "Teacher, did Tang San come to register by himself, or did he come with Grandmaster?"

The female teacher recalled for a moment before saying, "He came with that Grandmaster. At the time, he was waiting outside the door. I was even curious why someone who just freeloads was there."

Bai Shu nodded in realization, his heart settling. It seemed Tang San had successfully taken him as a master. Since he hadn't returned to the dormitory, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they had gone to hunt for a spirit ring.

After thanking the teacher, Bai Shu didn't delay and ran straight toward the main gate of Notting Academy.

Upon reaching the gate, Bai Shu went directly to the gatekeeper from earlier.

When the gatekeeper saw Bai Shu, he was scared out of his wits. His legs went weak, and thinking Bai Shu had come for revenge, he almost knelt down on the spot.

"I'm asking you, that thin child who entered the academy with me this morning, and that person called Grandmaster—have they left the academy?"

Hearing Bai Shu's question, the gatekeeper let out a sigh of relief. Not daring to hide anything, he bowed toward Bai Shu and said, "Y-Young Master, I didn't notice the little brother you mentioned, but Grandmaster did indeed just leave in a carriage a moment ago!"

Bai Shu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pressed, "How long ago did he leave?"

"This... it's been about an hour, I suppose."

The gatekeeper's answer was undoubtedly what Bai Shu most wanted to hear. He headed straight for the school gate, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face.

"If what you say is true, then we'll call it even for what happened this morning."

The gatekeeper was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had been living in fear, terrified of being expelled from the academy. "Thank you, Young Master! Thank you for your magnanimity, I am eternally grateful!"

Bai Shu waved his hand, leaving a final remark without looking back. "That's enough. Remember to keep your eyes peeled in the future and stop making things difficult for others without cause."

After leaving Notting Academy, Bai Shu first circled the city to purchase a map of the area surrounding Notting City.

Only then did he follow the flow of the crowd out of the city, heading straight toward a waterfall not far from Holy Soul Village.

That's right, Bai Shu's target was not Xiao Wu, but—Ah Yin.