Little Ao's Disappointment

"Brother Qin! Sister Xiao Wu!"

On their way back, the four spotted Oscar waving from afar in front of the two newly appeared houses.

Ning Rongrong frowned instinctively. "What's he doing here?"

"Teacher Zhao probably sent him to make Recovery Sausages for you. Come on, Little Ao's sausages are pretty good at restoring strength." Qin Muchu led the way over.

"Brother Qin, why are there two more houses beside your dorm?" Oscar came over to ask, his alluring eyes drifting toward Ning Rongrong now and then.

"Hmph!" Noticing where he was looking, Ning Rongrong turned her head away.

"I couldn't let Rongrong and Zhuqing live in those little shacks, so I set up a house for them. As for the other one, you, Mubai, and Fatty can live there," Qin Muchu said casually.

"We get one too?" Oscar was delighted. He had assumed Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing would each get a house. If he had the means, he certainly wouldn't want two such delicate beauties living in the school's little wooden huts either.

"Yeah. It would just sit there otherwise, so you three might as well use it. You and Fatty have called me Brother Qin for so long; I ought to give you something."

"Hehe, then I won't stand on ceremony, Brother Qin!" Oscar grinned and rubbed his hands together. He would have been lying if he said he didn't want it. He had wanted to move in the first time Qin Muchu brought out the Soul Tool, but Qin Muchu had only put up one house then. With Xiao Wu there too, it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to go inside, so he hadn't gotten his hopes up.

"Hey, you didn't come over just to ask about that, did you?" Ning Rongrong said with displeasure. The way Oscar looked at her still rankled. One glance told her he had a roving eye, and she couldn't bring herself to like him.

To Ning Rongrong, feelings between two people should grow naturally over time, as they had between Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu. Oscar, on the other hand, had barely met her and already kept staring. It was far too forward. He was plainly lustful, attracted to her looks and nothing more.

"Oh, right. Here, you two." Oscar made two Recovery Sausages and held them out to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. "Teacher Zhao said the test took a lot out of you. My sausages will help restore your Soul Power quickly."

"That's more like it. Thanks." Ning Rongrong took them and passed one to Zhu Zhuqing, then bit into her own. "If there's nothing else, I'm heading back. Come on, Zhuqing." With that, she pulled Zhu Zhuqing into the house.

Disappointment flashed across Oscar's face. Qin Muchu saw it all and patted him on the shoulder. "Little Ao, strength is what matters most in this world. Only when you're strong enough will people truly respect you. So work hard at your cultivation. Some things don't need to be rushed."

He could understand Ning Rongrong. Oscar was only fourteen, and his intentions showed too clearly in his eyes. Most girls wouldn't like someone who made his interest so obvious the moment they met.

"I know, Brother Qin. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Oscar forced a smile. "There are still plenty of people taking the third test. I'll go sell sausages over there."

Qin Muchu watched Oscar walk away and sighed. Once someone made a bad first impression, changing it took some work.

In his previous life, many people had said Oscar was the most talented of them all apart from a certain Tang. Qin Muchu had said as much just now to improve Ning Rongrong's impression of Oscar. In truth, though, he doubted Oscar would necessarily have surpassed the others in the original story without Tang San.

Oscar had Innate Full Soul Power, and after absorbing his First Soul Ring, his level was probably around twelve. In the original story, he was level twenty-nine at fourteen. It had taken him eight years to gain sixteen or seventeen levels—about two a year on average.

Before Bibi Dong, Tang Hao had been the youngest person to become a Titled Douluo, reaching that rank at forty-four. Even if other Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power fell a little short of Tang Hao and became Titled Douluos at around forty-six, that still worked out to roughly two levels a year.

But that included the time needed to advance through Soul Saint and Soul Douluo. Cultivation slowed the further one progressed. It became noticeably slower after reaching Soul Saint, let alone Soul Douluo.

In the original story, Oscar was level twenty-nine at fourteen. Set aside the ten levels of Soul Power he had at awakening and the Soul Power his Soul Beast had provided, and before level thirty, he had gained only about two levels a year through cultivation. That was quite slow.

Besides, didn't a Food-System Soul Master still have to reach Level 90 to become a Titled Douluo? No matter how much people praised his unprecedented Innate Full Soul Power, if he cultivated that slowly, he would be an old man by the time he reached that rank.

He was a year younger than Dai Mubai, yet their Soul Power Levels were eight levels apart. Food-System Soul Masters already cultivated slowly, and Oscar often slacked off. In Qin Muchu's view, without the Immortal Herb Tang San had given him and the opportunities that came later, Oscar might have squandered his unprecedented talent as a Food-System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power.

Of course, now that Qin Muchu was here, he wouldn't let that happen.

Beside him, Xiao Wu looked thoughtful as she watched Oscar leave. "Why does Ning Rongrong seem to dislike Oscar?"

"Mm." Qin Muchu walked over and rubbed her head. "Rongrong doesn't have a very good impression of him. He's got a long road ahead."

Xiao Wu tilted her head, puzzled. "I think Little Ao's a good person. His smile is a little sleazy, but he has a good heart." Loyal as she was, after hearing Oscar call her Sister Xiao Wu for so long, she had unconsciously come to think of him as her little brother.

Qin Muchu explained what had happened earlier, then pinched her cheek. "Rongrong is pretty and comes from a good family. Little Ao's thoughts are written all over his face. If a boy you'd just met kept staring at you, how would you feel?"

Xiao Wu thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I'd probably want to gouge his eyes out."

"...Exactly. Rongrong only spoke harshly to him. She was already being pretty considerate."

"That's true." Xiao Wu nodded in agreement. "What about Zhu Zhuqing? Does Dai Mubai know she's here?"

Qin Muchu shook his head. "Probably not. He's helping Teacher Shao at the third test, so they haven't run into each other yet."

A gleeful look spread across Xiao Wu's face. "Hehe, then we're in for a show. He left that poor girl behind and came here to enjoy himself. He hasn't fooled around again this past year with the two of us keeping the pressure on him, but that doesn't erase what he did before. Now she's come all this way to find him. Let's see how he faces her."