"Being uncultured really is scary..."
Ye Fan shook his head lightly and swaggered ahead.
"I mean, you're pretty, and I happen to be a sucker for good looks. That's the reason."
Xiao Wu: "..."
"Hah, men... Does Sister Xiao Wu need you to tell her she's pretty?"
Xiao Wu caught up, wanting to ask him more questions, only to notice a flicker of loneliness and nostalgia cross Ye Fan's face.
Just then, Ye Fan's inner voice rang out again.
[I can't exactly tell her that when this silly bunny was pregnant in the future, Spirit Hall hunted us down, and when we were driven into a dead end, she sacrificed herself to me...]
[Before she died, she said she wanted to be with me again in her next life.]
[Now that we're doing it all over again, she really does seem more proactive... Back then, she hadn't even noticed me at this point.]
[Sigh, I really underestimated this girl's obsession. She actually managed to come back with me.]
[In that case, protecting Xiao Wu and keeping her from suffering is the real reason I'm good to her.]
Of course, Ye Fan had put on that expression... He had borrowed the script of the father-and-son duo, Big Hammer and Little Hammer.
It was clichéd, but it worked!
Xiao Wu: "!!!"
What!?
I sacrificed myself in the future?!
What's this about wanting to be with Ye Fan again in my next life?
This bastard was clearly the one constantly thinking such terrifying things and scaring me!
After thinking it over, she loosened her clenched fists.
I can hear his thoughts... Could it really be like Ye Fan said, with my obsession from my previous life causing all this?
But that explanation really does seem to make everything add up...
Aaah!!!
This is so annoying!!!
Xiao Wu's bunny brain was about to overload!
And so, the more Xiao Wu stared at Ye Fan's back, the angrier she became, until she launched herself into a flying kick!
"Damn you! What good are you if you can't even protect your woman and child? Take this!"
Ye Fan reacted swiftly, raising his arms to block as Xiao Wu's attack reached him.
The kick landed solidly, forcing even Ye Fan back several steps.
He immediately switched to a bewildered expression as he looked at Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, what's gotten into you all of a sudden? What child? What are you talking about?"
Only then did Xiao Wu realize she had let something slip.
But she did not care in the slightest and gave a cold snort.
"Never mind that! Sister Xiao Wu wants some exercise after her meal! Just stand there and fight me. No using that weird Martial Soul of yours!"
With that, Xiao Wu leaped high into the air and lunged at Ye Fan.
Ye Fan sighed inwardly.
What the hell was the point of fighting if he couldn't use his Martial Soul?
He did not know any fighting techniques.
Still, Ye Fan was not entirely without a chance of winning.
And so, after exchanging a couple of token moves with Xiao Wu...
Xiao Wu took a quick step and began wrapping herself around him!
Her strong, slender legs locked tightly around Ye Fan's neck.
Grappling techniques like this were difficult to escape once they latched on.
Like a python, Xiao Wu tightened her hold more and more once she had him trapped.
With them grappling at such close quarters, Ye Fan could even smell the delicate fragrance drifting from Xiao Wu.
It left him a little dizzy, and he turned his head away with all his might.
Stop right there!
This is about to turn into the Battle of Red Cliffs!
Unfortunately, the ground ahead and all around was bare, leaving him no way to copy the textbook counterattack and set the Red Cliffs ablaze.
But Xiao Wu was completely oblivious to all of this.
This was also the first time she had encountered someone she could use this move on.
As far as she was concerned, all that mattered was that it worked!
Xiao Wu held Ye Fan's arm in a firm lock, a smug smile on her face.
"Ye Fan, call me Sister Xiao Wu and admit you lost, and I'll let you go."
Ye Fan lay on the ground as though he had not heard her.
Honestly, once he stopped resisting, it felt like lying on a pillow of flesh. It was wonderfully comfortable.
[...It's been so long since I had a lap pillow. Let me lie here a little longer.]
Hearing that, Xiao Wu's face twitched twice.
You bastard, take this seriously!
"Tch, I'll let you off for today... Aaah!!"
Feeling no hint of resistance from his arm, she pursed her lips in boredom and unconsciously lowered her guard.
At that moment, Ye Fan suddenly erupted with tremendous strength, breaking free of Xiao Wu's hold and pinning her beneath him instead.
"Xiao Wu, call me big brother and admit you lost, and I'll let you go."
A smile curled Ye Fan's lips as he looked smugly at Xiao Wu.
Naturally, he had let her hear that thought on purpose.
While hunting, he often used his mental power to make his prey lower their guard and dull their awareness of their surroundings, allowing him to kill them with ease.
Xiao Wu stared at Ye Fan, dumbfounded, before her little face rapidly flushed red.
"That doesn't count! You-you cheated!"
"It's called tactics, you idiot."
As she spoke, Xiao Wu tried twisting her waist to break free, but it was useless. He still had her firmly pinned.
Xiao Wu refused to lose to this guy twice in one day, and Ye Fan refused to lose to Xiao Wu and fan the flames of her arrogance.
The two remained in that position, locked in a stalemate.
Just as the atmosphere began to feel a little strange...
Clack.
A sound rang out.
Xiao Wu and Ye Fan hurriedly looked over.
Tang San had arrived at some point without them noticing.
He stared at their current position, the light in his eyes fading little by little.
"Ye Fan, Xiao Wu... What... are you doing?"
His voice held three parts trembling, three parts choked emotion, and three parts disbelief.
Hadn't these two gotten a little too close?
He had only gone to study with Yu Xiaogang for a little while... Why did it feel as though he had been gone for a year?
Seeing him, Ye Fan and Xiao Wu quickly separated.
But the blush on Xiao Wu's face did not fade quite so quickly.
When Tang San kept staring at her, anger flared in Xiao Wu's heart, and she glared fiercely at him.
"What's it to you?"
After snapping those words, Xiao Wu turned and headed toward the dormitory, disappearing within a few breaths.
With Xiao Wu gone, Tang San could only turn his questioning gaze on Ye Fan.
Ye Fan shook his head lightly and sighed.
Why did he look like an abandoned stray dog?
"Tang San, your timing really couldn't have been worse. We hadn't settled who won yet, and you interrupted us."
Tang San frowned, instinctively finding that hard to believe.
After all, who sparred in a position like that?
It had looked as though Ye Fan was simply bullying Xiao Wu!
"Ye Fan, even when you're sparring, you should remember the distinction between men and women. It wouldn't look good if a teacher saw you. Xiao Wu is a girl, after all..."
The corners of Ye Fan's mouth twitched.
Why did the distinction between men and women suddenly matter when it came to him?
Still, Ye Fan could not be bothered to argue with him about it.
In any case, Tang San could forget about obtaining this cheat so easily in this life.
"We'll see. Xiao Wu started it anyway, so there wasn't much I could do." He gave a couple of perfunctory responses.
"Speaking of which, what did you learn from Yu Xiaogang?"
Ye Fan glanced at the belt around Tang San's waist and knew that everything was progressing as usual.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the Soul Beast Forest with my teacher to obtain my first soul ring..."
At first, Tang San thought nothing of it and spoke to Ye Fan normally.
But... as he kept talking, he realized something was not quite right.
Before you continue