When you go down the stairs from the second floor of the cafeteria, the wooden ladder under your feet makes a slight creaking sound, which seems to tell the boundary between the clouds and the mortal world.
Jiang Kuo was walking at the front. He was obviously very happy today, waving the folding fan lightly in his hand and walking with wind.
"Brother Chu, I'm not bragging. The 'Azure Shadow Venison' on the second floor of the cafeteria is indeed a masterpiece. Although it cost me three Dao Merit points, the feeling of the spiritual power sliding down the throat, tsk tsk, is much better than drinking the bitter medicine powder, right?"
Jiang Kuo turned around and smiled, winking at Zhou Tong and Chen Shi, "You two should be proud of each other. If Half-Year Grand Competition can make it into the top 100, your family will be able to subsidize it more."
Zhou Tong picked his teeth and sighed, "Brother Jiang said that after eating this meal, I feel that the Spell Power in my body has become more active. It's just too expensive, too expensive..."
Chu Bai is half a step behind, silently comprehending the operation of [Food Injury Leaks Elegance]Fate Destiny in his body. The energy brought by Spirit Cuisine has almost no retention in his body, and is being transformed into pure spiritual power with an astonishing efficiency.
He was about to speak, but his eyes glanced casually and stopped on a bench near the door.
In a corner not far away, a familiar figure was sitting alone.
The young man was wearing the blue-grey student uniform issued by the Dao Academy. Although he was clean and washed, he could not hide his loneliness.
It is Li Han of Class Two.
Li Han also noticed the movement at the door at this time. He raised his head and his eyes happened to collide with the four Chu Bai who were coming down from the second floor.
At that moment, Chu Bai clearly saw a trace of panic and shame flashing in Li Han's eyes, as well as a kind of jealousy hidden deep at the bottom.
Li Han quickly lowered his head and fiddled with the bamboo chopsticks in the bowl, but never picked up a mouthful of food.
Jiang Kuo also saw Li Han. He snorted coldly and said in a low voice, "Isn't this the one who sold our Brother Chu cleanly in order to please Dong Feng? Why, Dong Feng didn't invite him to the second floor for a nice meal?"
Chu Bai looked indifferent, as if he just saw a stone that could be seen everywhere on the roadside, and walked straight to the door without stopping.
Now that he has clearly seen his character, he has no intention of wasting his emotions anymore.
For him, there are too many passers-by on the road of spiritual practice, and there is no need to stop at someone who has already been eliminated.
However, just when Chu Bai was about to cross the threshold,
"Brother Chu! Brother Chu, please stay!"
Li Han couldn't hold it back after all. He stood up suddenly and chased after him. He stopped in front of Chu Bai in full view of everyone.
Chu Bai stopped, his expression still calm, his eyes as cold as a pool of stagnant water. "Brother Li, is there something wrong?"
Li Han's face turned red, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead. He looked at Chu Bai's calm face, opened his mouth, and his voice was a little hoarse. "Brother Chu, what happened before... I have always owed you an explanation."
"Say." Chu Bai said calmly.
Li Han took a deep breath, and his tone became a little urgent, even with a bit of self-moved grievance. "Brother Chu, you don't know something. After I entered Class Two, life was not easy. Those Dong Feng people not only have prominent family backgrounds, but also have Prefectural City Dao Academy Examination top rankings.
From the bottom of their hearts, they look down on us civilian students from the county."
"In that class, if I didn't want to stand out, I would have to be stepped on by them.
I was... I just wanted to get closer to them. I thought that if I brought up Brother Chu's name as "Anping Top Scholar", they would at least look at me favorably for the sake of my fellow countrymen.
I really didn't expect that this would actually arouse Dong Feng's arrogant competitive spirit, and actually cause trouble for you, Brother Chu."
He spoke sincerely, and when he got to the emotional point, he even held his hand in his hand. "Brother Chu, in order to survive in Class Two, and in order to be able to support our Anping students in the future, I had to take this step. I hope Brother Chu will not mind it for the sake of past friendship."
After saying this, many students who were dining around him cast curious glances.
"Heh."
A sneer broke the sad atmosphere created by Li Han.
Jiang Kuo took half a step, pointed at Li Han's nose and sneered, "My classmate, what you said is really wonderful. I, Jiang Kuo, have been in Prefectural City for so many years. What kind of shameless people have I never seen? You really deserve to be ranked first."
Li Han's face changed. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Jiang Kuo's mouth was full of sarcasm, "You said that in order to gain a foothold in Class Two, you used Brother Chu as a shield?
To put it nicely, it's called being proud, but to put it badly, it's called diverting trouble to the east! Do you think Dong Feng is a fool? You sold all of Brother Chu's details just to hand over a certificate of investment and exchange for a ticket to enter their circle."
"Besides, if you weren't the instigator, it would just be the name of the head of the case. How could it lead to provocation?"
"What a pity, Dong Feng doesn't seem to appreciate your 'sincerity'."
Jiang Kuo pointed at Li Han, "Is this the attention you get? Why, your so-called competitive spirit is to sell your fellow countrymen, and then look back and say you did it for everyone?"
"You!" Li Han was stabbed in the foot, his old face turned green and red, and the grievance he had pretended collapsed instantly.
He turned his head, stared at Chu Bai, and asked with the last glimmer of hope, "Chu Bai, do you miss me the same way?"
Chu Bai looked at him quietly.
At that moment, Li Han had completely become an insignificant person in the eyes of Chu Bai.
During this period of time, Chu Bai basically didn't think about what happened before and didn't care much.
The two of them didn't have a deep friendship to begin with. They just went on the same path because of their studies. Unfortunately, they couldn't become the same in the end.
People like Li Han are so smart that they think everyone in the world is a fool.
He wanted to bet on both sides, not only to please the Aristocratic Clan children, but also to maintain his reputation among his fellow villagers.
It's a pity that he underestimated Dong Feng's arrogance and Chu Bai's reason.
"Brother Li, the matter has reached this point. It is useless to say more."
Chu Bai spoke, his voice was very soft, but with a coldness that could repel people thousands of miles away, "You have your own way of survival. I don't intend to hold grudges about what happened before, because from that moment on, you and I have nothing to do with each other."
"From now on in the Dao Academy, if you and I meet, we will be treated as strangers. There is no need to mention such unnecessary explanations."
After Chu Bai finished speaking, without giving Li Han any chance to speak, he turned around and strode into the cold wind of late autumn.
Jiang Kuo made a face at Li Han, sighed in a low voice, and followed him.
Li Han stood frozen at the door of the cafeteria, looking at the backs of the four people walking away, feeling the pointing gazes around them piercing his spine like Steel Needles.