He took out the only thousand-year piece among them, then turned to Huo Yuxi. "Yuhao, go ahead and absorb this whale rubber. It'll do you a lot of good."
Huo Yuxi blinked and chose not to refuse this time.
She already owed Big Brother Xiang Jun so much anyway. She would just have to repay him properly someday.
"Yuhao, why is your face red?"
"N-nothing... I'm just feeling invigorated..."
Watching the two interact, Tang Wutong instinctively narrowed her eyes, a flicker of wariness rising in her heart.
Something's off. Something's seriously off!
Ignoring Tang Wutong, who was busy overthinking beside him, Xiang Jun slowly heated the whale rubber before holding it out to Huo Yuxi.
"Yuhao, this stuff is incredibly nourishing for Soul Masters. Make sure you eat all of it!"
Looking at the pitch-black liquid before her, which gave off waves of fishy stench, Huo Yuxi began to panic. "Big Brother Xiang Jun, do... do I really have to eat all of it?"
"Of course, Yuhao. You wouldn't want Shrek to eliminate and expel you in the upcoming Freshman Assessment, would you?"
"All right..."
At the mention of the Freshman Assessment, Huo Yuxi's little face grew more determined. Suppressing her revulsion, she swallowed all the whale rubber in one gulp.
Only after seeing the empty jade bottle did Xiang Jun nod in satisfaction. "That's my Yuhao. Such a good girl."
Before long, as the whale rubber settled in her stomach, Huo Yuxi felt a warm current rapidly spread through her internal organs. Even her skin flushed red.
At the same time, an inexplicable heat rose in her lower abdomen.
After all, besides strengthening the body, whale rubber had another effect.
Seeing Huo Yuxi's gaze grow increasingly hazy, Xiang Jun hurriedly said in a firm voice, "Steady your breathing and focus. Meditate to refine the energy inside you!"
Coming back to her senses, Huo Yuxi unconsciously squirmed. After giving Xiang Jun a long look, she hurried back to her bed and began cultivating.
Once Huo Yuxi entered meditation, Xiang Jun finally noticed a critical problem.
Where... am I going to sleep tonight?
Seeing Xiang Jun lost in thought, Tang Wutong also realized the problem, and the tips of her ears instantly turned pink.
"Well, why don't we just squeeze in together tonight? We'll be meditating instead of sleeping anyway. This princess doesn't mind..."
What do you mean, you don't mind? This is my dorm room!
Still, for the sake of the Soul Bone and Gold Soul Coins, Xiang Jun said nothing more.
After all, Tang Wutong had given him far too much!
Xiang Jun considered himself a man with principles, so he had to sell those principles for a good price.
Night fell.
Xiang Jun sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, but he simply couldn't settle his mind.
"Hey, could you take your foot off my shoulder?"
"Tch, now you're getting picky? Plenty of people would beg for this and never get it!"
Tang Wutong smirked and teased, "Call me Mommy. If this princess is in a good mood, I might consider moving my foot."
Call her Mommy?
Xiang Jun froze. Good grief, was she treating me like some junior Valorant player?
"Wutong, I've noticed you've been awfully bold lately."
"Hmph, this princess has always been bold, all right... wait, what are you doing?" Before Tang Wutong could finish, a bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart, and she looked at Xiang Jun warily.
"Not screwing."
Xiang Jun shook his head, flatly rejecting Tang Wutong's invitation to battle.
Not screwing?
What did that mean?
Tang Wutong blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind Xiang Jun's words.
"By the way, don't you need to cultivate?"
Tang Wutong immediately replied with righteous confidence, "Who says this princess doesn't need to cultivate? I've always worked hard, all right? You just haven't seen it."
"If you're not going to cultivate, scoot over. I need some rest. I'm exhausted tonight," Xiang Jun said wearily, scratching the sole of Tang Wutong's foot.
"Oh~"
Hearing this, Tang Wutong blushed, but she still pretended not to care and teased, "It's all right. This princess understands~"
"Men have a few days like that every month. It's fine. You already did wonderfully today~"
Huh? Just listen to the outrageous stuff coming out of her mouth!
"I'm just tired from fighting today, so I'm not in great shape. I'm not usually like this. I'll be fine after some rest!" Xiang Jun argued, his face bright red.
"You don't have to explain. After all, explaining means covering it up, covering it up means it's true, truth means evasion, evasion means deception, deception means lies, and lies mean it really happened!"
"It's fine. We're close, aren't we? This princess understands everything!"
You don't understand a damn thing!
Seeing Tang Wutong's provocative expression, Xiang Jun grew so furious that his eyes reddened and he panted like a bull. In an ominous voice, he said, "Fine, then let's see just how much you understand!"
"W-what are you doing?!"
As his figure drew closer, an unpleasant memory instantly flooded her mind. Yet alongside the fear on her face, there was a trace of anticipation so faint it was almost impossible to notice.
"Screwing!"
With a Thai-style grappling move, Xiang Jun instantly pinned Tang Wutong firmly to the bed, leaving her unable to move.
Feeling the warmth around her wrists, Tang Wutong instantly flushed scarlet.
"Xiang Jun..."
"What? If you're going to beg for mercy, I suggest you save your breath."
"No, um..."
"You... you're poking me..."
The night passed without a word, though it was rather noisy (scratch that).
Early the next morning, Huo Yuxi slowly awoke from meditation, having completely absorbed the whale rubber's medicinal effects. Her whole body felt clear and unburdened, and her mind was refreshed.
Only after taking a long, vigorous stretch did Huo Yuxi notice that something was off.
Wait... where's Big Brother Xiang Jun?
Huo Yuxi blinked, a bad feeling immediately rising in her heart.
She hurriedly tiptoed out of bed and gently lifted the curtain. The sight that greeted her instantly wiped away her good mood.
Behind the curtain, Xiang Jun was still sound asleep, while Tang Wutong rested her little head against his chest, a sweet smile lingering on her pretty face.
Th-th-this!
This can't be real!
A powerful pang of jealousy surged through Huo Yuxi's heart. She felt that she shouldn't be here—she should be under the bed.
Still, the one thing that comforted Huo Yuxi was that their clothes were at least fairly neat. Clearly, nothing strange had happened.
"Phew~ Big Brother Xiang Jun is only resting. It's no big deal."
Huo Yuxi hurriedly soothed the strange feelings in her heart, then silently left the room, planning to buy breakfast for Xiang Jun and Tang Wutong...
Before long, Tang Wutong was the first to wake.
"Mmm~ I slept so comfortably last night. It's been ages since I felt this relaxed!"
Before you continue