The Mass Line

Mu Feng walked along the road, pondering the future of the Holy Church. Meanwhile, Nanmen Yun'er tugged on Yu Tianhuang's arm and said worriedly, "What if Big Brother Mu really is like Wu Feng said?"

"What else can we do?" Yu Tianhuang asked helplessly.

Nanmen Yun'er snapped, "How can you have that attitude? Have you forgotten—"

Seeing that she was about to bring up the Profound Water Pill again, Yu Tianhuang hurriedly covered Nanmen Yun'er's mouth and pleaded, "All right, all right. I'll do whatever you want."

"Go tell Big Brother Mu that this is wrong. He clearly already has one, so why is he looking for someone else?" Nanmen Yun'er pouted, looking furious as she stood up for Di Qiuli.

"What is wrong? What do I already have?"

Mu Feng, walking along the lakeside path, spotted two familiar figures from afar and quietly approached them from behind.

The two turned around, and the instant they saw Mu Feng, it was as if they had seen a ghost. Their pupils shrank, and Nanmen Yun'er even let out a scream.

Mu Feng smiled. "Why are you two so frightened to see me? Didn't you have something to tell me just now?"

"B-Big Brother Mu, when did you get here?" Nanmen Yun'er stammered after recovering herself.

"Right when you started talking about Wu Feng." Thinking of Wu Feng's expression, like a stinking stone in a toilet, Mu Feng suddenly understood. "Did that girl badmouth me again? I really ought to teach her a lesson someday."

"By the way, what did you mean when you said I already had one?"

Nanmen Yun'er, who ruled supreme in front of Yu Tianhuang, was as docile as a little lamb before Mu Feng. She fidgeted for a long while without answering.

Mu Feng had no choice but to look at Yu Tianhuang. Yu Tianhuang gave an awkward laugh and said, "Classmate Ning Tian said you've been busy with sect affairs lately. As I recall, Brother Mu doesn't come from a sect either."

Mu Feng was somewhat puzzled as to why Ning Tian had told them about this, but he merely waved a hand. "It's something involving a friend's family. They were too busy to handle it, so they asked me to help."

"Ning Tian comes from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and should have plenty of experience in this area, so I went to ask her for advice," Mu Feng said. "But how did you two hear about it?"

Nanmen Yun'er laughed awkwardly. "So, Big Brother Mu, are you done with your work?"

Mu Feng frowned, remembering the mess still waiting for him to clean up. He shook his head. "I'll probably have to stay busy for a while longer."

Looking at the two before him, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Mu Feng. He asked tentatively, "Have you two been busy lately?"

At the thought of helping manage someone else's business, Nanmen Yun'er worried that she might only make trouble if she went along. Feeling embarrassed, she said shyly, "We're only Soul Grandmasters in our twenties. We probably can't help much."

Mu Feng waved his hand dismissively. "It's all simple work. There's no need—"

As he spoke, Mu Feng's expression gradually turned solemn. He slapped his forehead and cried out, "Ah! You just reminded me. How could I have forgotten about that?"

Mu Feng excitedly patted them both on the shoulders, then ran out through the academy gates without looking back. Watching his departing figure, the two stood there dumbfounded, looking at each other, still unable to process what had just happened.

Having arrived on Douluo Continent over a decade ago, Mu Feng had always instinctively placed Soul Masters first. Nanmen Yun'er's words instantly woke him up, reminding him of the far broader masses of ordinary people whom he had overlooked.

These ordinary people could not help in battle, but when it came to managing affairs, Soul Masters who had to divide their attention toward cultivation held no advantage instead.

Reality seemed to bear this out as well. When Mu Feng thought carefully about it, some of the villagers initially appointed as acting hall masters had indeed done far better than the Soul Masters who took over later.

Being close to the grassroots, they truly understood what the people at the bottom needed. This was precisely a shared weakness of Soul Masters who had long been detached from practical labor, and even Mu Feng was no exception.

Glancing at the setting sun, Mu Feng thought, I should still be able to make it back before the dormitory closes.

Mu Feng's sudden appearance had nearly scared Nanmen Yun'er into having a heart attack. After reflecting on it again and again, she decided it was better to tell her good sister this "terrible news" first.

Recently, Di Qiuli had been in a particularly bad mood. To vent her frustration, she often came to the Soul Arena to take part in soul battles, releasing the anger in her heart by brutally beating her opponents.

After her title of "Tyrannosaurus" spread throughout the entire outer academy, no one should have been willing to accept her challenges. Whenever Di Qiuli signed up, the Soul Arena would always become deserted.

Still, a few upperclassmen had no choice but to participate in soul battles for the credits needed to graduate. At such times, several unlucky people would inevitably be chosen, and without exception, not one of them could last five minutes against her.

Di Qiuli had just finished a soul battle when she ran into the arriving Nanmen Yun'er as she stepped outside.

Under Di Qiuli's puzzled gaze, Nanmen Yun'er pulled her to a secluded spot. Only after looking around repeatedly to make sure no one was there did she say, "I need to tell you something, but you absolutely mustn't get angry."

Though Di Qiuli was confused, she still nodded.

Nanmen Yun'er then poured out everything Ning Tian had said, along with her own conclusions, all at once. Once she finished, she shrank back and did not dare look at Di Qiuli.

She had done this so Di Qiuli could be mentally prepared in advance. If Mu Feng's "affair" came to light later and the situation spiraled out of control, it would be troublesome.

To her surprise, Di Qiuli did not react at all after hearing it. Nanmen Yun'er glanced at her in confusion and saw her brows tightly knit, as though she were pondering something.

Unlike Nanmen Yun'er, Di Qiuli knew Mu Feng's true identity. Mu Feng's casual excuse about a friend might fool Yu Tianhuang and Nanmen Yun'er, but Di Qiuli quickly saw through it.

So I really had wronged him before. Whenever Di Qiuli saw Mu Feng and Ning Tian speaking so intimately, she had instinctively connected it with what Wu Feng said, which was why she had kept giving Mu Feng the cold shoulder.

At that thought, her expression instantly turned a little unpleasant. Nanmen Yun'er noticed the change in her expression and hurriedly comforted her. "Are you all right, Qiuli?"

Di Qiuli shook her head. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Yun'er, I have a friend. She ran into a problem. Some time ago, she misunderstood someone and did some very bad things. Would that person be very angry?"

Di Qiuli looked cold and unapproachable, but after spending enough time with her, Nanmen Yun'er felt that this was merely a facade she used to hide her innocence. Without any effort at all, Nanmen Yun'er guessed who she was talking about.

So things weren't actually as I thought, Nanmen Yun'er thought. She did not believe Di Qiuli would ask such a question if she knew that Mu Feng truly liked Ning Tian. That could only mean that Nanmen Yun'er had guessed wrong.

Nanmen Yun'er thought for a while. Given Mu Feng's monstrous talent, he surely had not received many cold looks from others since childhood.

After considering it again and again, she nodded. "I think that friend of yours should apologize to him."