"I... did I just... break through to level 30?"
"What? You broke through to level 30?!"
Ning Rongrong sprang to her feet and stared at Zhu Zhuqing as though she were a monster.
When they had been chatting earlier, she had said she was level 27. How had she broken through to level 30 after just one fight?!
There must be something fishy going on! No, I have to get to the bottom of this!
Chen Yang walked slowly over. A faint blue-gold glow rose around his left hand as he gently placed it against Zhu Zhuqing's injured right arm.
"Healing."
Barely a moment after he spoke, Zhu Zhuqing's twisted, misshapen arm returned to normal.
"Zhu Zhuqing, how do you feel now?"
"I feel wonderful. Thank you, Brother Yang."
Feeling the warmth of Chen Yang's hand through her sleeve, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help her heart pounding.
Ning Rongrong brushed the dust off her backside. Catching Zhu Zhuqing's expression, she narrowed her eyes and asked in a soft, sweet voice.
"Zhu Zhuqing, are you and this handsome guy a couple?"
Zhu Zhuqing hastily pulled her arm back and shook her head in denial.
At the same time, she cautiously glanced at Xiao Wu. Although Xiao Wu also called Brother Yang her brother, the way they clung to each other looked nothing like ordinary siblings. It was as though calling each other brother and sister was part of their flirting.
If this caused a misunderstanding, what if a few whispers on his pillow tonight got her expelled from his tutelage?
"Rongrong, you've got it wrong. Brother Yang is..."
Before she could finish, Chen Yang pulled her into his arms.
Zhu Zhuqing's mind exploded, and her entire body went rigid.
(Zhu Zhuqing, relax. Didn't we agree to pretend to be a couple?)
Hearing the voice in her mind and feeling Chen Yang's warm chest, Zhu Zhuqing steeled herself and nodded.
"Brother Yang is indeed my boyfriend."
"Oh~~"
Ning Rongrong looked as though she had suddenly understood everything, yet her eyes kept straying to Xiao Wu behind them, whose face was as black as thunder.
Looks like there's a story between these three~
Interesting~
Sure enough, I'll have to start with this guy.
While the four exchanged looks, each harboring their own schemes, Flender was overcome with grief and flew in a panic to the crater where Zhao Wuji lay unconscious.
Smack!
He slapped Zhao Wuji across the face, trying to wake him.
"Zhao! Wake up! Are you all right?! Oscar! Get over here!! Save him!!"
As Flender kept shaking him, Zhao Wuji slowly opened his eyes.
"Cough, cough... Flender... I'm fine... just broke a few ribs... cough, cough..."
"Who said I was worried about you?! Look at all these houses you knocked down! How much am I going to have to pay?!"
Flender grabbed Zhao Wuji by the collar and roared, his eyes bloodshot.
The entire academy was rented! They were village houses, so the rent was relatively cheap.
But now they had been knocked clean down! He would have to pay for them outright! Where was he supposed to find the extra money for compensation?!
"That's final. I'm docking it from your pay!"
"...Don't! I barely get anything each month as it is. How am I supposed to live?"
"Like I care!"
While the two argued, Tang San and Dai Mubai came over, supporting Oscar between them.
Flender frowned and released Zhao Wuji.
"Oscar, what happened to you?"
Oscar answered weakly.
"Dean... it was yesterday's leftovers... I had diarrhea all night..."
"Ahem! Everyone ate them, so why were you the only one with diarrhea? Think about what you did wrong! Hurry up and make Zhao a few Recovery Sausages."
Only after Flender's reminder did everyone look at Zhao Wuji lying in the enormous crater.
"Whoa, what got into Teacher Zhao? He's practically demolished the whole academy."
With a peculiar look on his face, Oscar stepped forward and stuffed a Recovery Sausage into Zhao Wuji's mouth.
"You little rabbit brat, just wait until I recover. I'll teach you a lesson... ow!"
Zhao Wuji was only halfway through his threat when a piece of wood struck him squarely on the head.
Standing in the distance, Xiao Wu still held her throwing pose. She puffed out her cheeks and glared at him.
"Don't say 'little rabbit brat'!"
Zhao Wuji wouldn't dare argue. All he could do was plaster on a smile and apologize repeatedly.
Oscar had never seen Dean Zhao act so meekly before, and his curiosity immediately stirred.
His gaze swept over Chen Yang, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing before finally settling on Ning Rongrong.
Oh~ this feeling of my heart pounding-is this love at first sight?!
"Dean, are they our new juniors?"
Seeing his lecherous expression, how could Flender not know what he was thinking? He raised a hand and rapped him on the head.
"Put those little thoughts away! Not one of them is someone you can afford to mess with."
"Hiss..."
Oscar sucked in a breath and didn't dare say another word. He wasn't as bullheaded as Ma Hongjun. Since the dean had said not to mess with them, he had better behave himself.
Ah... my love~ is it ending before it's even begun?
Dai Mubai patted Oscar's shoulder consolingly, then turned a grave gaze toward the woman nestled in that pretty boy's arms.
"Dean, what's the name of that girl in black? What's her martial soul? She feels familiar to me."
"Her name is Zhu Zhuqing, and her martial soul is the Hell Spirit Cat. She's the one who beat Zhao into this state."
Flender's words struck Dai Mubai's heart like a sledgehammer.
Zhu Zhuqing! It really is her!!
She must have come here to find me!
If she's strong enough to defeat Zhao Wuji, turning the tables and killing Dai Weisi might not be impossible!
At that thought, Dai Mubai's breathing quickened, and his hands and feet trembled with excitement.
But seeing his fiancée nestled in another man's arms made him feel as though a bright green cuckold's cap had appeared on his head.
That bitch!!
A vicious glint flashed through Dai Mubai's eyes, only for him to deliberately suppress it a moment later.
But Tang San was particularly sensitive to killing intent and caught that fleeting flash of malice with perfect precision.
He didn't expose it on the spot. He merely stood quietly where he was, his gaze resting lightly on Dai Mubai.
Ignoring the eyes around him, Dai Mubai walked straight up to Chen Yang, turned his gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing beside him, and said in a low voice, "Zhu Zhuqing, I have something to tell you in private."
Before Chen Yang or the others could speak, Ning Rongrong stepped forward, pointed at Dai Mubai, and snapped without the slightest courtesy.
"Who the hell are you? This couple is perfectly happy together. What gives you the right to butt in?"
Dai Mubai's face instantly darkened, but his mind was filled with Zhu Zhuqing's situation, and he couldn't be bothered to argue with Ning Rongrong.
A faint smile curved Chen Yang's lips. He tightened his arm, drawing Zhu Zhuqing firmly into his embrace and pressing her body close against his.
That soft sensation pressed against him was nothing like Xiao Wu's little buns.
He tilted his chin up slightly and looked at Dai Mubai. "Whatever you have to say, say it now. My baby isn't going anywhere alone with you."
Baby??
Zhu Zhuqing stiffened all over, and her ears flushed scarlet in an instant. Wasn't that a little too intimate...?
Xiao Wu pouted and sent him an aggrieved telepathic message.
(Brother~ you've never called me your baby!)
(Be good, Xiao Wu~ I'm just helping Zhu Zhuqing get some payback~)
(Hmph! I don't care. You have to make it up to me tonight.)
(All right, all right. I'll make you cream puffs tonight.)
Before you continue