Gui Mei's Selfish Motives

"Y-You... how did you break my first soul skill?!"

Hu Liena stared at Li Zha, even speaking a little faster.

Her first soul skill rarely failed against Soul Masters below level twenty.

Especially against opponents with weaker spiritual power.

As long as she caught someone's eye, the battle could practically be declared over.

Li Zha was only level ten.

He did not even have a single soul ring!

Yet he had merely shaken his head and broken free from the bewitching effect of her first soul skill??

Hu Liena found it hard to accept.

Li Zha raised a hand and rubbed his brow.

"Why should I tell you?"

Hu Liena froze for a moment.

It did seem rather rude to ask someone about a secret like that.

But she was still very curious.

"Um, I'm temporarily the senior sister in charge of looking after you."

She spoke with a hint of grievance in her voice.

If it had been anyone else, hearing that tone and seeing that expression—

They would have long since softened, eager to give her everything they had.

Even the Ghost Douluo could not resist her when she spoke that way.

Yet Li Zha remained unmoved.

"I don't need you to look after me."

Hu Liena's expression stiffened, and she pursed her lips.

She stared at Li Zha for several more breaths before leaning closer.

"As long as you call me Sister once, I'll tell you where the archives are."

"I won't."

"Then you'll have to find them yourself. Spirit Hall Academy isn't as small as Notting Academy."

"Fine."

Li Zha turned around and headed toward the exit of Papal Hall.

Hu Liena panicked and hurried after him.

"You're really not going to ask? Can't you just call me Sister once?!"

"I'm not asking."

"You don't even know where the academy is yet!"

"Oh."

"The archives are deep inside the academy!"

"Oh."

Li Zha's indifferent replies left Hu Liena feeling stifled.

She had only wanted to tease this new junior brother, and incidentally...

Satisfy her own little curiosity.

She really wanted to hear Li Zha call her Sister.

She had always only had an older brother, Xie Yue, which made her curious about what it felt like to have a younger brother.

Who would have thought Li Zha would be completely immune to pressure?

After leaving Papal Hall, Li Zha walked down the steps.

Hu Liena followed beside him, still unwilling to give up.

"Li Zha, did you use your spiritual power to resist it just now?"

Li Zha stopped and looked at Hu Liena.

"You're getting annoying."

"W-What?"

Hu Liena had never expected Li Zha to say something like that to her!

Annoying?

I'm getting annoying??

No one has ever said I was annoying in my entire life!

Not even my brother would say that to me!

I was just disliked by a six-year-old brat?!

For a moment, she wanted to teach Li Zha a lesson.

But remembering that Li Zha had just refused their teacher's offer to take him as a disciple, she suppressed the thought.

This brat might deserve a beating, but his talent was indeed astonishing.

A level-ten Soul Scholar could resist her soul skill, and he even possessed a martial soul that continuously repaired his body.

If they really fought, she might not be able to take him down easily.

Besides, she had kept prying into someone else's secret. She was more in the wrong.

I don't have the moral high ground either...

After grumbling to herself, Hu Liena quickly caught up with Li Zha.

"Li Zha, wait for me."

I already said she was annoying. Why is this fox still following me?

Shouldn't she be stomping off in anger?

Li Zha felt quite helpless.

Sure enough, being handsome was a talent that always brought trouble.

"Why are you still following me?"

Hu Liena followed behind Li Zha.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to tease you. I apologize."

Tch, she actually came to apologize?

This fox is pretty interesting.

Though her attitude while apologizing was rather mediocre.

Li Zha could tell that Hu Liena rarely apologized to others.

Otherwise, she would not still sound somewhat proud even while apologizing.

But Li Zha had not truly been angry.

He merely felt that Hu Liena was acting a little too much like a young girl at the moment.

Then again, before she encountered Tang San and suffered a setback in the finals of the Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament—

This period was probably the happiest time of Hu Liena's life.

While Li Zha was lost in thought, he did not respond to Hu Liena.

Hu Liena thought Li Zha had refused to accept her apology.

She hurriedly added, "I'll tell you where the archives are too."

"Follow this road to the end. There's a three-story stone building there, with a white scroll symbol hanging over the entrance.

"The first floor has information on ordinary soul beasts, the second records thousand-year soul beasts, and the third contains information on soul beasts over ten thousand years old."

The third floor, soul beasts over ten thousand years old...

Li Zha's eyes flickered.

His goal in coming here was finally making progress.

"Alright." He nodded. "I forgive you."

Hu Liena leaned closer again. "Really? Then can you call me Sister?"

Li Zha: ...

He did not reply and simply headed in the direction of Spirit Hall Academy that Hu Liena had pointed out.

Hu Liena stood where she was and pursed her lips.

"It's just a form of address. So stingy."

Though she complained aloud, she did not leave right away.

Only after Li Zha's figure disappeared around the corridor—

Did she put away the dissatisfaction on her face.

A few breaths later, a foxlike cunning flashed through Hu Liena's eyes.

She lightly rose onto her toes and jogged after Li Zha in the direction he had disappeared.

On the elevated corridor beside Papal Hall.

Yue Guan leaned against the railing.

A freshly picked flower rested between his fingers.

He had been standing there for a while.

He had heard everything that had happened inside Papal Hall just now.

Gui Mei stood beside him, his hands tucked into his black robes.

Yue Guan withdrew his gaze.

"That child is the talented little brat you personally brought back?"

"Mm."

"Six years old, innately full soul power, twin martial souls, and he even refused the Pope's offer to take him as a disciple."

"You heard all that?"

"Papal Hall is right below us. It's not as if I'm deaf."

Yue Guan lightly brushed his fingertips with a petal.

"That boy is rather interesting."

Gui Mei did not respond.

Yue Guan turned to look at him, smiling.

"Old Ghost, why aren't you saying anything? That child rejected the Pope. Aren't you secretly delighted?"

"The Pope's offer to take a disciple was rejected. What is there for me to be happy about?"

"Then why did you secretly help him intensify Yan's martial soul just now?"

Gui Mei was silent for two breaths before speaking slowly.

"I don't like Yan."

"That's certainly a straightforward reason."

Yue Guan smiled.

He lowered his gaze into the distance.

"Old Ghost, that brat is going to the archives, and your Nana followed him there."

"Mm." Gui Mei answered casually.

Yue Guan raised a brow, as if realizing something.

"Old Ghost, you dislike Yan because he's been crazily pursuing Nana.

"But now Li Zha is getting rather close to Nana as well.

"Why aren't you secretly stopping him? You've got selfish motives here."

Gui Mei snorted. "I don't like Yan's character. Li Zha at least has proper character.

"Besides, anyone can see Nana's attitude toward Yan, except Yan himself.

"Could I let someone that stupid get close to Nana?"

Yue Guan gently swayed the flower in his hand, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

This old ghost really did have selfish motives.

With his silent temperament, he usually could not even be bothered to speak much to me.

Yet now, because of Li Zha, he had said so much.

Though Hu Liena was also part of the reason.

Yue Guan narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Li Zha enter Spirit Hall Academy.

Very few people could win over Old Ghost. This Li Zha was somewhat extraordinary.

Gui Mei glanced at him.

"What are you thinking about now?"

Yue Guan shook his head. "One refuses to call her Sister, while the other insists on making him call her Sister.

"With those two together, I'm afraid the academy won't have much peace in the future."

Gui Mei raised his head and looked toward the archives.

"It's fine if it isn't peaceful."

"What? Old Ghost, do you really hope the Holy Maiden ends up with him?"

Gui Mei glanced toward the corner of the corridor.

There stood a furtive Spirit Hall student.

Contempt flashed through his eyes.

"At the very least, he's easier on the eyes than Yan."

East side of Spirit Hall.

A small courtyard with low walls.

Inside stood several short trees, their leaf tips scorched yellow by the heat.

Yan was meditating in the courtyard.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

Yan opened his eyes, a flicker of fire passing through them.

"Come in."

"Brother Yan, something terrible has happened!"

The student who ran in, dressed in Spirit Hall Academy uniform,

was the very student Gui Mei had seen sneaking around the corner earlier.

"Senior Hu Liena, she..."

Yan immediately frowned and walked over to the student.

"What happened to Nana? Haven't I already taught everyone close to her a lesson?

Did someone dare get close to Nana again? Could it be that Tian Qi who refused to accept it last time?"

"No... It was some brat who looked pretty young. I don't know him either..."

"Hm?!"

"Pretty young?!" Yan's eyes instantly widened.

A figure he had only seen today surfaced in his mind!

"Did that brat come out of Papal Hall?!"

"I'm not sure... I didn't dare get too close to Papal Hall..."

The student looked panicked.

"Did Nana enter your sight together with him?!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The student's face turned pale, but then he seemed to remember something and his eyes lit up.

He immediately said, "Right! Senior even told that brat to call her sister!

It seemed like... they both went toward the academy's archives!"

Yan instantly flew into a rage, his nostrils flaring wider.

"So it was him!"

"That little bastard who didn't know his place!"

"No wonder, no wonder he dared to make me look bad in front of Nana the moment he arrived!"

What?!

That brat had actually gotten the better of Yan?!

The student was both shocked and terrified.

Yan's nostrils flared wildly. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"I'll go cripple him right now!"