Rules of the Strange, Random Scrutiny

What troubled Wang Dong was precisely what had been happening to her.

Huo Yuhao had praised his teacher to the skies, so the man had to be someone extraordinary.

Perhaps he could even tell what was strange about her.

Wang Dong's reasoning was simple: if Huo Yuhao thought Huang Jinxu was impressive, then she did too.

"Wang Dong, is there something else you need?"

Huang Jinxu looked at Wang Dong, who had stayed behind, and felt puzzled himself. What was this little girl up to?

"Dean, may I ask you something in private?"

As she spoke, Wang Dong glanced at Xiao Xiao. Her meaning was clear: it would be inconvenient for Xiao Xiao to stay.

"Xiao Xiao, go back to class. Don't worry about us."

Huang Jinxu had no idea what Wang Dong wanted to ask, but he still acted as his role required.

Xiao Xiao left without hesitation. Huang Jinxu then raised a hand and sealed off the space around them.

"Wang Dong, ask whatever you like."

He was curious what she would ask him.

"Dean, I... sometimes I feel like I'm not myself."

"It's as if there's someone else inside me controlling me. And it may have happened more than once."

"Could you... could you take a look and tell me what's going on?"

Wang Dong hesitated, then finally asked the question that had weighed on her mind.

Oh no. Some scoundrel means to harm the emperor!

At Wang Dong's question, alarm bells blared in Huang Jinxu's mind.

Was she joking? Was that a question he could answer right now?

Even if he knew, he absolutely could not say.

I should've kept my mouth shut instead of asking.

Sure enough, life was full of pits waiting for him to fall into.

But Wang Dong had already asked. If he gave no answer at all, that would be even more suspicious.

He had established that, because of the different flows of time and the two worlds separating them, Tang San would not be watching the Douluo Plane at every moment. But what if he was watching now?

What if that sly bastard was lurking in the depths of Wang Dong's soul, secretly observing everything?

Sometimes Huang Jinxu could not help thinking: Tang San really was Tang Hao's son. He had learned all of Haozi's tricks.

Daughter or son, he simply left his children to fend for themselves, then hid in the shadows and watched them like a rat in a gutter.

At this point in time, Tang San was like a strange tale governed by unknown rules.

There was no telling what action might break a taboo and draw his attention.

"Wang Dong, before I answer, may I ask you a few questions?"

As Huang Jinxu considered it, a way to respond quickly came to him.

"Ask whatever you like, Dean."

Wang Dong answered at once, a trace of hope in her voice.

Perhaps this man really could see what was wrong and solve her problem.

Huang Jinxu then started spouting nonsense, borrowing a few ideas from psychology in his previous life to ask her all sorts of haphazard questions.

"Wang Dong, I've reached only one conclusion about your problem: you're experiencing some mild psychological distress."

"I don't know why you disguised yourself as a boy to enter the boys' dormitory, but one thing is clear. Maintaining that disguise keeps you constantly on guard, with your Spiritual Power stretched taut. On top of that, the persona you deliberately present doesn't match your true nature. This has given rise to a subconscious conflict, and that's why you feel as though someone else is controlling you."

"My advice is to find something you enjoy doing. It may help you set aside distracting thoughts and focus your attention."

Huang Jinxu was making it all up as he went.

Still, his advice was somewhat useful.

As for solving Wang Dong's actual problem, he did have a few ideas. But what good would they do?

Once Tang San intervened, everything would have to proceed according to his arrangements anyway. There was no point.

"Dean, how did you know...?"

More than Huang Jinxu's advice, Wang Dong cared about how he had discovered she was a girl.

After all, according to First Dad, not even a Limit Douluo could see through her disguise.

"The Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul only appears in exceptionally beautiful women. As dean of the Martial Soul Department, I do know that much."

"As for why you've chosen to do this, I don't care. Everyone has their secrets."

Huang Jinxu smiled and waved a hand, signaling that Wang Dong need not worry about it.

"Thank you, Dean. I think I understand now."

Wang Dong thought it over and felt he had a point. Perhaps she had simply been overthinking things.

She could not help marveling inwardly. Huo Yuhao's teacher lived up to his reputation after all.

After thanking him again, Wang Dong left.

Find something to do, shift my attention, and focus my mind?

Even after Wang Dong returned to the classroom, she kept turning his words over in her head.

She could not think of anything she particularly wanted to do.

But she could at least try performing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Huo Yuhao and put that nagging thought to rest.

Having made up her mind, Wang Dong decided to bring it up with Huo Yuhao after school.

Meanwhile, Huang Jinxu visited his daughter's classroom to check on her. He ate lunch with her and gave her some guidance on cultivating the Zhou Tian Star Art before turning to a few simple administrative matters.

He had not yet given his daughter the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone he had obtained from Mu En.

Before she reached a certain level of strength, word of her possessing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would put her at risk of assassination from all sides.

Unless, of course, he stayed by her side at all times.

He would not delay too long, though. The sooner she fused with it and grew stronger, the greater the benefits.

He planned to have his daughter fuse with the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone after the Soul Master Tournament.

Once he had dealt with those tedious matters, Huang Jinxu went to the Golden Tree Hollow. He claimed he was using it to consolidate his cultivation, but in truth, he wanted to probe whether the Golden Ancient Tree's consciousness still existed.

After all, Di Tian had given him a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone that suited him exceptionally well. In return, Huang Jinxu intended to help investigate.

The strange events in the Star Dou Great Forest interested him too.

For now, however, Huang Jinxu had no intention of getting involved.

Meanwhile, school had finally let out. Wang Dong left the classroom at once without even saying goodbye to Xiao Xiao.

She hurried back to the classroom to wait for Huo Yuhao.

But she waited and waited, and Huo Yuhao still did not appear.

Huo Yuhao was still at the Soul Tool Department, working on the first Level 1 Soul Tool he would make for himself.

Ning Tian was beside him, keeping him company and offering guidance.

After all, Ning Tian was already a Level 2 Soul Engineer, and there were areas where she could offer useful advice.