Protected by Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi Seethed with Frustration (Please Bookmark and Request Updates)

"Nannan, this kid approached you with an ulterior motive. Don't let him fool you."

Xu Sanshi gave Jiang Nannan an ingratiating look, then turned to Lin Fan in fury and roared:

"Speak! What are you after? I spared your life, and you still dared to chat up my Jiang Nannan? You've got some nerve!"

Lin Fan spread his small hands innocently.

"I'm not after anything. I just asked Senior Jiang Nannan to show me around and help me find something good to eat."

Xu Sanshi's expression turned grave. "No ulterior motive? Then you definitely have one. You dared to chat up my Jiang Nannan? Take this punch, kid!"

Lin Fan stared, stunned by Xu Sanshi's twisted logic, and shot back:

"Why should I fight you?"

Fighting Xu Sanshi wasn't worth it. He had already fought once not long ago, and fighting again so soon would be exhausting.

"Hmph! You're just scared. Enough talk. Take this punch!"

Seeing Lin Fan act like a coward, Xu Sanshi's anger flared, and he snorted.

Just as Xu Sanshi was about to strike Lin Fan with the force of a thunderbolt,

Jiang Nannan stepped in front of Lin Fan. Facing Xu Sanshi, she snapped:

"Enough, Xu Sanshi! Lin Fan really did ask me for help. Keep this up, and don't blame me for what happens next."

"Jiang Nannan, why are you standing in front of this kid? He has an ulterior motive!"

Xu Sanshi frowned when he saw Jiang Nannan protecting Lin Fan and hurried to explain. Then he looked past her at Lin Fan.

"Kid, do you dare come out and fight me? You're hiding behind Jiang Nannan? Have you no pride?"

Jiang Nannan clenched her fists and said:

"Xu Sanshi! Lin Fan is a new student. If you dare hit him, I'll report you to the director of academic affairs."

Shrek Academy had rules against upper-year students attacking lower-year students, especially new students. Anyone caught would be warned immediately, and serious offenders would be expelled.

She knew Xu Sanshi was an heir of the Xuanming Sect and had powerful backing, so the academy might not do much to him. Still, he ought to pay some price. Assaulting a new student was hard to excuse.

"Don't! No, Nannan, please. This kid really does have an ulterior motive. Don't let him fool you."

Xu Sanshi panicked at once. Waving his hands at Jiang Nannan, he spoke through his frustration.

He didn't want Jiang Nannan reporting him to the director of academic affairs. If she did, and they confirmed he had bullied and assaulted a new student, he would be finished.

If the academy issued a warning and that old fossil in the sect found out, he would never let Xu Sanshi off.

"He's a new student. What ulterior motive could he have? I think you're the one with an ulterior motive, Xu Sanshi."

Jiang Nannan shot back angrily.

She didn't need to guess what Xu Sanshi wanted. He had beaten and cursed at everyone who came near her, acting like a bully.

"I don't have an ulterior motive! I'm innocent, Jiang Nannan!"

Xu Sanshi looked deeply aggrieved, as though he truly had no ulterior motive. He said:

"To hell with that, Xu Sanshi! Innocent, my foot! If I catch you hitting Lin Fan or slandering him again, I'll never let you off, and I'll never see you again. Now get lost!"

Jiang Nannan's face darkened. She clenched her small fists, looking deadly serious. Xu Sanshi's wounded expression no longer worked on her.

If Xu Sanshi was innocent and had no ulterior motive, then sows could climb trees. She wasn't about to believe him.

"No! No, no, Jiang Nannan. I'll leave."

Xu Sanshi spoke in a rush. Noticing the crowd watching the spectacle, he cursed and said:

"What are you looking at? Watch it, or I'll hit you too. Move along!"

The onlookers cast him disdainful glances and muttered among themselves. Their gazes also fell on Lin Fan and Jiang Nannan, who looked almost like a couple.

They wished they could go on a date with Jiang Nannan, the beauty hailed as the most beautiful girl in the outer courtyard.

Why should that brat get to date the outer courtyard's greatest beauty? She should be dating one of them!

Once the crowd dispersed, Xu Sanshi looked around. Seeing that no one was watching him, he quickly ducked behind a vendor's stall.

Before long, the onlookers were gone, and the broad street gradually returned to its usual bustle.

Jiang Nannan's face, dark and frightening a moment ago, softened the instant she turned around. She looked at Lin Fan and said:

"Are you all right? If he dares lay a hand on you, tell me. I'll report him to academic affairs."

Lin Fan waved his hands quickly and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, Senior. Let's get back to our meal. It won't taste as good once it's cold."

Women are terrifying.

"Mm, all right." Jiang Nannan smiled faintly.

After so many years at Shrek Academy, she finally had someone who genuinely cared about her. It felt wonderful, and joy welled up inside her.

The food seemed much more fragrant than before. By the time they finished eating, it was late at night.

They paid the bill and headed back to the dormitory building together, walking side by side as a gentle breeze stirred the air.

"Lin Fan, you should call me Senior Jiang Nannan. I'm not used to being called a teacher!"

Jiang Nannan sighed, brushed her fingers against her chin, then turned to Lin Fan and said thoughtfully:

"And if you run into any difficulties with your cultivation, you can tell me. I am your Martial Soul instructor now, after all."

Lin Fan grinned.

"All right, Senior Jiang Nannan. I haven't run into any difficulties yet, but I'll tell you if I do."

"Mm, what a sweet talker. If anything comes up, tell your senior."

Delighted, Jiang Nannan bent down, then lifted her head to look at Lin Fan and gave him a bright smile.

A dark figure hid beneath a tree. In the moonlight, it was revealed to be Xu Sanshi.

Watching the two of them chat happily, Xu Sanshi planted a hand against the tree. His fingers dug in, leaving five deep gouges.

"Damn brat. If I find out what you're really after, you'll regret it."

Having Jiang Nannan threaten to report him was humiliating and infuriating. Once he exposed the brat's true colors, he would make Jiang Nannan see that he, Xu Sanshi, had been telling the truth.

The next morning, Lin Fan got up early. After breakfast by the academy's east gate, he returned to cultivate.

Only then did he discover that Huo Yuhao lived in Room 108 on the first floor, seven rooms away from his.

As for his roommate, Lin Fan learned after asking around that the student had withdrawn from the academy, so the other bed would remain empty.

Knock, knock, knock, knock!

A sudden knock sounded at the door.

Lin Fan stopped cultivating and opened his eyes, looking toward the dormitory door in confusion.

Unsure who it was, he got out of bed and went straight to the door.

Lin Fan opened it to find a man who looked to be around forty standing outside.

The man had short black hair, a handsome face, deep-set eyes, and a tall, straight build.

He wore a clean white robe and carried an extraordinary air of scholarly grace and authority.

Lin Fan recognized him: Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, who had invited him to Shrek Academy a few days earlier.

Yan Shaozhe looked at the boy before him with a warm expression and said:

"You're finally here. Sorry I'm late; something came up. It looks like you've made quite a bit of progress these past few days!"

Lin Fan asked, puzzled:

"What did you want me here for?"