Ning Rongrong leaned into Lin Yan's arms, striking a confident pose.
"Hmph!"
"This young lady is famously clever. Let alone one, I can answer ten of them."
Lin Yan curled his lip and turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.
"Zhuqing, are you going to play?"
"I'll play!"
Zhu Zhuqing smiled and nodded, her eyes full of expectation.
It was uncertain whether she was looking forward to the question or to the rewards and punishments that night.
Soon, Lin Yan retold the question he had previously posed to Meng Qian to the two girls.
"Once upon a time, a little bird built a nest with grass silk by the river. But the wind suddenly blew the nest into the river, and the river god appeared. He held a nest made of golden silk in his left hand and a nest made of silver silk in his right hand, and asked the bird: Is the one you dropped this golden silk nest? Or this silver silk nest?"
"Guess how the bird answered?"
Meng Qian had been listening the whole time, and just as she wanted to interrupt to say Lin Yan was being improper, Lin Yan immediately cut her off.
"Sister Qian, don't remind them!"
"Otherwise, I'll count their punishment directly on your head."
Hearing this, Meng Qian's expression paused, and then a pair of beautiful eyes carried a hint of coquetry. "You stinky brat!"
Seeing the two of them acting this way, the girls knew that Meng Qian definitely knew the answer.
"How would the bird answer? A bird can't talk; it can only go chirp chirp chirp!"
Ning Rongrong looked innocent and gave her answer in all seriousness.
Lin Yan shook his head and turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing instead.
"Wrong, Zhuqing, you guess."
Zhu Zhuqing lightly pinched her chin. "Could it be that the bird took both nests from the river god's hands?"
"Wrong!"
"You guys can't even answer such a simple question."
Lin Yan looked smug, victory written all over his face.
Meng Qian couldn't stop snickering on the side, her eyes rippling with spring water.
Looking at the two of them, as if she had suddenly guessed something, Ning Rongrong feigned anger and said.
"I know it. This riddle probably doesn't have an answer at all, and you just want to find an excuse to punish us."
Hearing this, Lin Yan straightened up.
"Are you kidding me? Am I, Lin Yan, that kind of person? Sister Qian, back me up—this question definitely has an answer!"
Meng Qian nodded. "It really does, and it's very simple."
With that, the two girls grew even more puzzled.
After another dozen seconds passed, Lin Yan urged them.
"Hurry up, can you guess it or not? If you can't, I'm going to announce the answer, and you'd better get ready to face my punishment!"
"Hehehek~"
Watching Lin Yan reveal a wicked smile, and associating it with the so-called "punishment" from that night, Ning Rongrong hardened her heart and said.
"Then go ahead and announce the answer. I want to see what the little bird actually said."
Lin Yan gave a soft hum!
"Hmph hmph~"
"The answer is: grass silk..."
"Lin Yan! Lin Yan! Xiao Wu is hurt."
Anxious shouts from not far away once again drowned out the correct answer, and Lin Yan and the two girls stood up simultaneously, just in time to take in Xiao Wu covered in blood.
Lin Yan's brows knitted together.
"How did this happen? How is she hurt this badly?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously anxious group all cast their gazes toward Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.
Seeing this, the two of them wore guilty expressions, lowering their heads and daring not to speak for a long time until Flender finally shouted anxiously.
"Never mind that, hurry up and heal her first."
With that, Lin Yan didn't continue to ask further questions.
Wish-Granting Angel Martial Soul Embodiment! Holy golden light illuminated the dim Soul Fighting Arena hall—where a few lights had gone out—once again bright and clear, and the twelve wings unfolded abruptly, kicking up a holy and gentle breeze.
Purple, purple, purple, purple! Four spirit rings slowly emerged, interlacing and pulsing.
[First Soul Skill: Holy Light Healing]
[Second Soul Skill: Requiem Prayer]
Two golden orbs of light emerged from the void and slowly sank into Xiao Wu's body. In just an instant, Xiao Wu's injuries were healing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Lin Yan came before Xiao Wu and gently rested his palm upon her hair.
"Sleep. Sleep, and you'll be fine."
"Rongrong and Zhuqing will take you back."
His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, paired with a fair cheek and the movement of his hands, causing Xiao Wu to unconsciously relax her guard.
Xiao Wu hadn't lost consciousness earlier; rather, she was too severely injured to even speak. It wasn't until Lin Yan's healing effect was bestowed upon her that she felt her body was no longer so painful, wrapped instead in warmth.
This feeling is just like back in the Star Dou Great Forest, being held in my mother's arms...
Feeling the touch on top of her head, Xiao Wu involuntarily connected it to past memories. As two teardrops fell from the corners of her eyes, she closed her eyes as well.
Just pretend it's Mom!
This warm feeling is exactly the same as before. Just pretend Mom is by my side, and a nap will make it all better.
Soon, Xiao Wu's breathing gradually stabilized, and a trace of satisfaction born from a sense of security appeared on her blood-stained, delicate face.
At this point, Lin Yan stood up.
His gaze swept over the crowd with a slight frown.
"What on earth is going on here? Weren't you participating in a bout match? How did Xiao Wu end up injured this heavily?"
Bear in mind that the competition rules of all soul fighting arenas separate death matches to prevent casualties and subsequent disputes during soul fights.
Flender wasn't stupid either; no matter how greedy for money he was, he wouldn't let students participate in death matches, which brought in money faster.
Yet today...
"It was Grandmaster who signed Tang San and Xiao Wu up for a death match. He said that this could better stimulate a soul master's potential and help them adapt to the battlefield faster."
"At first we wouldn't have it, but Tang San insisted on proving Grandmaster's theory was right, and arbitrarily signed up for a death match with Xiao Wu, saying he wanted to set an example for us for everyone else to emulate later."
"But you know how it is—those people in the death matches are lunatics, and they're manipulated by people behind the scenes. If they can't win the match, they die the moment they step off the ring. So during the soul fight... Xiao Wu ended up hurt like this."
Ma Hongjun loved watching the spectacle and had no fear of making things bigger, recounting the whole sequence of events in a few brief, contemptuous sentences.
The air fell silent, and Tang San and Yu Xiaogang became the targets of public criticism.
That's right, they were the ones who had single-handedly brought about Xiao Wu's outcome.
It was hard to imagine whether Xiao Wu would have directly turned into a "warm spirit ring" to be cashed out by Tang San if Lin Yan hadn't been here today, or if he had been a little further away from the Soul Fighting Arena.
No, wait, to be cashed out by their opponents.
"A death match?"
A trace of anger colored Lin Yan's expression as he looked at Flender.
"Flender, tell me the truth!"
"How much did you bet on this death match?"
Lin Yan knew that the agreement of Yu Xiaogang alone could not have made Tang San and Xiao Wu enter a death match; there must have been Flender's tacit consent in this.
And Flender must have done it to make money!
After all, the money from winning a single death match was enough for him to win over a dozen bout matches.
"I... I was also doing it for the academy's own good!"
Flender wore a bitter expression. "With the students increasing, the academy's expenses increase correspondingly. Without thinking of some ways to make money, we simply can't sustain the academy's outlays."
Lin Yan laughed! He laughed without any warning, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Academy outlays?"
"How much outlays does a Shrek this big need? Can you no longer afford rice to boil white porridge? Or can you no longer afford salt for stir-fried greens?"
"Making students participate in death matches to earn money—you really are a good dean!"
"Do you truly think that with me covering for them and healing them, they wouldn't die?"
"Ridiculous!"
Immediately after, Lin Yan looked toward Yu Xiaogang and Tang San. He didn't say a word, but the two of them simultaneously felt their hair stand on end under the gaze of those pale golden eyes.
The air fell into a dead silence, until a distracted Yu Xiaogang suddenly caught sight of the four millennium spirit rings at Lin Yan's feet.
"Wait! Four millennium spirit rings!"
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