"I'll show you the way!"
Wang Sheng had seen both of them fight with his own eyes, and his heart was full of respect.
He had never seen work-study students this fierce, especially Ao Yin, who had sent him flying several meters with a casual palm strike.
"But Xiao Wu doesn't have any money," Xiao Wu muttered softly.
Ao Yin raised an eyebrow.
Soul Coins were the currency used across the continent. His storage bag was stuffed with a hundred thousand Copper Soul Coins, all earned from signing in at Holy Soul Village.
Though he was a work-study student in name, he was wealthier than some noble families. He had no need to work at all.
Wang Sheng thumped his chest first and said warmly, "Don't worry! I'll cover everyone's food today. Sister Xiao Wu can eat as much as she likes!"
He did some quick calculations. How much could one little girl eat?
A meal wouldn't cost much. If he got on good terms with these two, perhaps more doors would open for him later.
Xiao Wu jumped up and clapped, her face alight with delight. "Great! Wang Sheng, you're so nice!"
"Let's hurry up and eat. Xiao Wu's starving."
"Hahaha! Eat your fill, Sister Xiao Wu!" Wang Sheng answered cheerfully.
Ao Yin shook his head, withdrew the hand he had been about to use to fetch his Soul Coins, and followed Wang Sheng toward the cafeteria.
The Notting Academy cafeteria!
They arrived right at mealtime.
The cafeteria was packed. Wang Sheng looked around for an empty table.
Ao Yin could clearly see an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria, but Wang Sheng said, "Let's eat somewhere else. There aren't any seats here."
Ao Yin interrupted him. "Isn't there an empty table right in the middle?"
Wang Sheng followed his gaze. His expression faltered, and fear flickered in his eyes. "That table's reserved for noble students. Ordinary work-study students can't touch it."
"Reserved for nobles? Do you have to be one?" Ao Yin asked with a light laugh.
"Not exactly. It's just that only those rich nobles can afford the prices!"
"So anyone with money can sit there?" Ao Yin asked casually.
Wang Sheng forced himself to explain. "In theory, yes, but we can't afford to offend the nobles' children in the city. Why don't we go somewhere else..."
"No. Xiao Wu, we're sitting there."
With that, Ao Yin led Xiao Wu straight to the empty table in the middle and sat down.
Wang Sheng gritted his teeth and followed, silently praying they wouldn't run into those spoiled noble brats.
He could barely afford one meal. His savings were meager, but he couldn't lose face now.
The moment he sat down, though, Wang Sheng regretted it.
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she looked at the menu.
"This one, this one... and this one!"
By the time she finished pointing, she had ordered almost the entire menu.
Wang Sheng's hand trembled around his water cup. Every one of those dishes cost a fortune.
This meal would wipe out his savings. He would have to work at least two jobs afterward.
But he had already made his offer. He couldn't back down now.
"Bring the food," Ao Yin said calmly.
Wang Sheng was a work-study student at the academy, just like him. He wasn't well-off.
Ao Yin could tell Wang Sheng was short of money. He had never intended to let him pay.
While they waited for the food, Ao Yin excused himself to use the restroom and settled the bill at the counter. It came to just over a thousand Copper Soul Coins—pocket change to him.
But as soon as he returned to the table, a string of grating taunts reached his ears.
"Well, if it isn't Wang Sheng the work-study student!"
"You pinch every coin when you eat, but today you're splashing out."
"Trying to impress the new girl, are you? Hahahahaha!"
"Now get lost! We reserved this table ages ago!"
Wang Sheng's face turned ashen. The very people he had dreaded running into had arrived.
He didn't dare talk back. He only clenched his teeth, his eyes reddening with anger.
Xiao Wu couldn't stand it. Wang Sheng had come here to treat her to a meal, and he was her dormmate in Dorm Seven. How could she let others bully him?
She shot to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. "The cafeteria doesn't belong to you! Who are we bothering by eating here? What gives you the right to bully people from Dorm Seven?"
The noble boys burst out laughing.
"This table will cost him every coin he's saved. What makes a bunch of paupers think they can afford these dishes?"
"You're a pretty little thing. Come have some fun with us, and we'll pay for your meal."
Anger surged through Xiao Wu. She was about to lash out.
Smack—smack—
Several sharp slaps cracked through the air.
The once-bustling cafeteria fell silent.
The spoiled noble boy at the front felt his face burn. Bright red handprints stood out on his cheeks.
"Who did that?"
Ao Yin had appeared before them without anyone noticing. He had delivered those slaps.
He uttered two words. "Too loud."
He casually wiped his palm, as though even striking these spoiled brats had dirtied his hand.
His icy gaze swept over them, full of contempt.
They had used their noble status to bully others and made lewd remarks about Xiao Wu and Wang Sheng. He would not stand for it.
"You dare hit me?"
"Do you know who I am?"
Ao Yin didn't even raise his eyes at the questions. He knew they would volunteer the answer without being asked.
Sure enough, they did.
"My name is Ling Feng! The headmaster is my brother-in-law's uncle's second uncle's cousin! Get on your knees and apologize, or I'll have you thrown out of the academy!" the boy shouted, fierce in voice but faint of heart.
Ao Yin paused, amused by the display.
"That's quite a complicated connection."
Thinking Ao Yin was afraid, Ling Feng grew even more arrogant. "If you're scared, hurry up and kneel!"
Bang!
Ao Yin unleashed his strength and drove a punch forward.
Ling Feng's face was instantly bruised and swollen. Stars burst before his eyes, and his legs gave way, dropping him heavily to his knees.
Ao Yin turned calmly and returned to the table.
The students watching were shaken to the core. No one dared make a sound.
Behind Ling Feng, one of his lackeys hollered, "Brothers, let's get him together! Teach him a lesson!"
He looked back to find that all his companions had retreated several meters. None dared step forward.
The pressure radiating from Ao Yin was overwhelming. These boys had always bullied the weak and feared the strong. None wanted trouble brought down on his own head.
Left to bluff on his own, the lackey's voice trembled. "What are you afraid of? He's just a new student! His Soul Power Level can't be higher than ours. There are so many of us—are we really afraid of him?
"Whoever takes him down will get a generous reward from me, Ling Feng!"
At those words, the retreating boys jolted and closed in again.
"Junior, oh, junior. Senior Ling Feng isn't someone you can afford to cross!"
"Martial Soul Possession!"
Several Martial Soul auras surged upward.
Ao Yin lifted his tea and took a sip, then casually grabbed a handful of wooden chopsticks from the holder.
With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed Little Li Flying Dagger.
"Too loud. All of you, kneel."
The wooden chopsticks struck their knees and thighs with unerring accuracy.
Thud! Thud!
The whole group of spoiled brats dropped to their knees.
Agonized cries rose one after another.
"So these are your so-called seniors. Their strength isn't worth a single blow."
Ao Yin swept an icy gaze over them. "A pack of good-for-nothings dared lay hands on my people?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ao Yin activated Power of a Thousand Jun.
One kick per brat sent the whole group flying out the door.
So what if they had enrolled earlier?
Without even a Soul Ring, they couldn't withstand a single strike from him.
Even if he faced upper-year students with Soul Rings, he wouldn't flinch.
"Get out."
Ao Yin's voice was cold.
Outside the door, several of them rolled across the ground in pain.
They looked at Ao Yin as though they had seen a demon. Scrambling away, they hurled threats over their shoulders. "Dorm Seven, is it? When Boss Xiao gets back in a couple of days, you're dead!"
Xiao Wu clapped and cheered, then turned to Wang Sheng. "Don't be such a coward from now on. You don't need to be afraid of them!"
Wang Sheng was beside himself with panic.
All around the cafeteria, tables and chairs lay smashed to pieces.
If you broke academy property, you had to pay for it!
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the cafeteria supervisor hurried over.
"You lot at this table were fighting again!"
The woman's shrill voice rang out as she pointed at them and scolded, "The tables, the chairs, the dishes you knocked over—you're paying for all of it!"
"Ten thousand Copper Soul Coins in total!"
Wang Sheng felt his heart miss a beat.
Ten thousand Copper Soul Coins? He couldn't scrape that together even if he sold himself.
He looked helplessly at Xiao Wu.
"Don't look at me. Xiao Wu doesn't have a single coin."
At that, the supervisor flew into a rage and raised her voice to a screech.
"No money, yet you still dare cause trouble? If you can't pay, you can stay here and wash dishes for a semester!"
Plenty of nearby students turned to look and began whispering.
"Tsk, tsk. No money, yet he sticks a scallion up his pig snout, pretending to be someone important to chase a girl?"
"He even started a fight. He brought this on himself!"
Ao Yin heard the commotion and walked over.
Soul Coins?
He might lack other things, but he had more than enough of those.
"I already paid for the food."
Ao Yin spoke evenly. "I'll cover everything that was damaged."
He raised a hand and slapped a heavy bag of Copper Soul Coins onto the table. Coins spilled out with a clatter.
"There are twenty thousand Copper Soul Coins here. Use the rest to bring me another tableful of food."
At the sight of that much money, the supervisor's expression changed at once, and a broad smile spread across her face.
She had struck it rich!
"Sit wherever you like! Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll see to it!"
Wang Sheng stared, dumbfounded.
How could a work-study student have so much money?
In his mind, Ao Yin's background suddenly became unfathomable.
He secretly guessed that Ao Yin wasn't from some rural backwater at all, but a young master from a great family who had come out to gain experience.
Ao Yin looked at Xiao Wu and said generously, "Eat all you want. If it isn't enough, order another tableful."
"Yay! Time to eat!"
Xiao Wu was already famished. She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and dug in with gusto.
As she ate, she kept putting food on Ao Yin's plate.
"This meat is so good! Have some!"
Wang Sheng watched in astonishment.
Xiao Wu's appetite was no smaller than Ao Yin's.
In no time, they had cleared every dish from the table, leaving only bones and scraps.
"Burp~ I'm full!"
Xiao Wu rubbed her little belly and smiled.
Ao Yin picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in her bowl, his eyes full of tenderness.
"If you like it, eat more. Don't stunt your growth."
"Oh, right. Who's this Boss Xiao those people mentioned?"
Ao Yin turned to Wang Sheng and asked.
Wang Sheng swallowed and said, "It's Xiao Chenyu from the sixth grade. He has a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, and his strength is terrifying!"
A Hundred-Year Soul Ring?
Ao Yin gave a cold laugh. Too weak.
Just as he was about to leave, the system's alert sounded.
[Check-in location updated: Notting Academy—Cafeteria.] [Check-ins remaining: 2] [Check in?]
"Check in!"
Ao Yin gave the command silently.
[Ding! Check-in at Notting Academy's Cafeteria successful. Congratulations, host! You have received a level-one reward: 500 years of Soul Ring age.] (Note: After obtaining a Soul Ring, you may add 500 years to any one of your own Soul Rings. No upper limit!)
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