When Wang Dong woke up again, he found himself lying on an unfamiliar bed. The room was softly lit, and the air was filled with a faint scent of herbs.
He blinked and tried to sit up, but felt weak and sore all over, as if his strength had been drained completely.
He struggled to sit up from the bed, his gaze subconsciously sweeping across the room and landing on a mirror nearby.
The mirror reflected a pale face with colorless lips and sunken eye sockets, looking precisely like a corpse that had just crawled out of a coffin.
Damn, where did this dead person come from? Wang Dong was startled, then realized that the face seemed to be his own.
Oh, so it's just me.
He rubbed his face speechlessly, feeling the coldness of his skin. How much blood had he lost anyway? What on earth had happened yesterday?
He tried hard to recall, remembering only that Ma Xiaotao had hugged him and sucked his blood. As she kept sucking, everything went black before his eyes, and he could not remember anything that followed.
As he was thinking, he suddenly sensed a steady sound of breathing beside him. He turned his head and saw a figure slumped by the bedside, apparently exhausted from taking care of him and falling asleep. Who else could that person be if not Huo Yuhao?
She was turned sideways, her long eyelashes drooping to cast a faint shadow upon her cheeks.
Her breathing was steady and even, and she was fast asleep with a trace of a gentle smile still hanging at the corners of her mouth, as if she were having a pleasant dream.
Wang Dong looked at her sleeping face, and an indescribable softness suddenly welled up in his heart.
He did not wake her up, simply leaning quietly against the head of the bed as he watched the sunlight outside stream through the curtains, falling upon her hair and casting a faint halo of light.
After a while, Huo Yuhao seemed to sense something and slowly opened her eyes. Seeing that Wang Dong was looking at her, she froze for a moment, and then her eye sockets turned red as tears instantly gushed out.
"You're awake... You're finally awake..." She pounced over and grabbed Wang Dong's hand, her voice carrying a sobbing tone,"You scared me to death... Do you know you've been asleep for two whole days..."
Wang Dong was caught off guard as she grabbed his hand,"Two days? I slept for that long?"
Huo Yuhao nodded vigorously, her tears dripping down patter-patter,"That day, Senior Ma Xiaotao kept sucking your blood, and as she sucked, you passed out. Senior Ma Xiaotao was the same; after sucking your blood, she passed out too and hasn't woken up until now."
As she spoke, her tone carried a trace of indignation,"That senior doesn't know her own limits at all. She drank so much blood that you turned pale all over, and still she wouldn't let go..."
Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao's puffing, angry appearance and could not help smiling,"Aren't I fine?"
In fact, Wang Dong was not just fine; he had even received a blessing in disguise.
His soul power had actually increased by one rank. Was it because of the feedback from Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Martial Soul?
"You're still laughing!" Huo Yuhao glared at him,"If something had happened to you, I... I..."
As she spoke, her voice choked up again, and she lowered her head while her tears flowed unstoppably. Wang Dong felt his heart soften at the sight of her, and he reached out to gently pat her head,"Alright, alright, aren't I perfectly fine? Stop crying."
At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open. Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe walked in one after the other. Seeing that Wang Dong was awake, complicated expressions appeared on both of their faces.
Prior to this, there had still been some lingering estrangement between them and Wang Dong because of the time Wang Dong had cursed out Shrek. But at this moment, the gazes they directed at Wang Dong carried deep gratitude.
Especially Yan Shaozhe, who walked to Wang Dong's bedside and looked at his pale face, his tone carrying a trace of guilt and appreciation,"Wang Dong, you... you really helped a huge favor this time."
Wang Dong was somewhat bewildered,"What favor?"
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and explained,"Your blood has miraculous effects on Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. Not only did it suppress her Evil Fire, but it is even purifying her Martial Soul.
The Evil Fire within her body is being cleared out bit by bit, and her Martial Soul is also evolving toward perfection. If things go smoothly, it is very likely that she will completely shake off the trouble of the Evil Fire, and her Martial Soul might even advance a step further."
As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly,"Ma Xiaotao is my disciple. All these years, I have watched her being tormented by the Evil Fire while being completely powerless to help. This time... you really helped her immensely."
Xuan Zi, standing to the side, also coughed and wore an unnatural expression on his face.
"The matter from before... was this old man speaking out of turn. You brat certainly have capability, and I admit it. If you have any matters in the future, you can come find me. As long as it doesn't violate principles, whatever this old man can help with, he definitely will."
Wang Dong looked at Xuan Zi's somewhat proud and aloof appearance and could not help raising an eyebrow. Anything he wanted? As long as it didn't violate principles? The corners of his mouth hooked into a smile as a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"I have a request right now, then."
Xuan Zi froze,"What request?"
"I want a dormitory for single occupancy," Wang Dong said with a straight face,"and moreover, I want to rent with Huo Yuhao."
The room instantly fell silent. Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe looked at each other, their expressions looking as though they had swallowed a fly. They looked at Wang Dong, then at Huo Yuhao, their expressions complex.
"This... wouldn't be appropriate, would it?" Yan Shaozhe coughed,"The two of you are a boy and a girl, and you're still young. Living together... isn't suitable, right?"
Xuan Zi also frowned,"What is your brat thinking? How old are you both? There's no rush for this sort of thing; talk about it after you've grown up."
Wang Dong rolled his eyes at the pair's mortal-enemy-like reactions.
"What are you two thinking? I'm doing this for the sake of cultivating Haodong Power, alright? Yuhao and I have a hundred-percent Martial Soul Fusion, and with so much time every night, what a waste it would be! Using it for cultivation, who knows how many times higher the efficiency will be."
Wang Dong added internally, I definitely don't want to get all cuddly with Huo Yuhao.
Actually, he had already had this thought for a long time. Having Haodong Power and not being able to cultivate it all the time-wasn't that a waste?
Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe were stunned once more,"Haodong Power? A hundred-percent Martial Soul Fusion?"
Wang Dong nodded,"That's right, my fusion degree with Yuhao's Martial Soul is one hundred percent. When the two of us cultivate together, our soul power growth speed is several times that of cultivating alone. Therefore, I need a single dormitory to make it convenient for the two of us to cultivate together every night."
Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of shock in the other's eyes. A hundred-percent Martial Soul Fusion-this was an extremely rare talent.
Two first-year students actually possessed this degree of affinity; it was simply a heaven-sent opportunity.
Yan Shaozhe pondered for a moment,"If that's the case... it isn't entirely out of the question. However, we still need to consult Huo Yuhao's opinion."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to Huo Yuhao,"Lass, are you willing to room with Wang Dong?"
Huo Yuhao had still been wiping her tears, but upon hearing this question, she froze entirely. She opened her mouth, a flush blooming across her face as she momentarily did not know how to respond.
Wang Dong looked at her and asked softly,"Don't you want to be with me?"
Huo Yuhao shook her head fiercely,"Of course I do!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she had said, and her face turned red all the way to the roots of her ears. She lowered her head, her voice as fine as a mosquito's hum,"I... I mean, I want to cultivate together with you..."
Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe could not help laughing as they watched the two of them. Yan Shaozhe shook his head,"Fine, since both of you are willing, I'll make an exception and approve this matter. Even though it somewhat violates principles, for the sake of cultivation, it's not a big problem."
Wang Dong grinned broadly,"Many thanks, Dean Yan!"
Huo Yuhao kept her head down, stealing a glance at Wang Dong, while the corners of her mouth also unconsciously curved into a smile.
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