The next time he saw Huo Yuhao was over a meal in the cafeteria.
Shrek Academy's cafeteria was as noisy and bustling as ever. Dai Youheng sat alone at a table off to one side, eating at a leisurely pace.
Before long, however, he discovered that having a quiet meal seemed to be a luxury beyond his reach. Though he despised the way the dead simp Youheng had conducted himself, he had to admit that the fellow had put real effort into cultivating relationships. He had actually been rather popular.
He was handsome, talented, and a young master of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Even as a concubine's son, he stood many rungs above the daughters of ordinary minor nobles. Unlike Dai Huabin, he also had no firmly established fiancée like Zhu Lu.
Together, these qualities made him quite a desirable romantic prospect in the eyes of many female students, and even some noblewomen from families of modest means.
Besides, though simping was contemptible, that sort of personality often came with labels like "warm," "gentle," and "helpful."
Although the simp Youheng had devoted most of his energy to fawning over the main cast-Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao-and his beloved Xu Jiujiu, he had also been courteous and considerate toward other classmates, occasionally offering them small favors. As a result, he had actually enjoyed considerable popularity.
Sure enough, he had barely sat down before two figures came over with trays and cheerfully took the seats opposite him.
"Big Brother Youheng! You've been back at the academy for ages. Why haven't you come to hang out with us?" one asked in a bright, lively voice.
"Exactly! My sister and I have missed you so much." The other voice was a little quieter, but carried an unmistakable warmth.
Dai Youheng raised his head to find two almost identical, delicate, adorable faces before him. Both girls had striking blue hair that reached their waists, though one's was a deeper shade, like the sea, while the other's was softer, like a lake.
Although Dai Youheng recognized the sisters, he had not originally known what sort of relationship he had with them. Fortunately, over this past stretch of time, he had obtained plenty of information about the former simp Youheng from Zhou Sichen.
These two sisters were, in fact, his teammates from last year's freshman assessment-the Lan sisters, Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu.
The sisters possessed a rather impressive control-type martial soul fusion skill, Heavenly Net, which had provided considerable help during last year's freshman tournament.
The twins' martial souls were quite unusual: their hair. These could also be considered a kind of body martial soul.
Unfortunately, hair was not a particularly important body part, so their martial souls could only be considered decent, far from the level of top-tier body martial souls.
The strength of a body martial soul depended largely on the importance of the body part it represented.
Still, if they could undergo a second awakening, the quality of their martial souls should improve further.
At the time, teachers and students alike had believed the sisters' future achievements would be limited.
Only the simp Youheng, upon first meeting them that year, had declared with utter sincerity, "Silken tresses cascading like a waterfall are a symbol of a woman's glory and beauty."
He had even trotted out two lines of mawkish poetry copied from his previous life: "Cloud-dark locks trail to the ground; hands like slender bamboo shoots, flesh like congealed cream," and "Silken strands bind your heart, every inch steeped in longing."
He had lavishly praised their hair, saying that a single silken strand could carry one's yearning and was a token of incomparable importance.
Somehow, that bout of embarrassingly extravagant flattery had greatly increased the twin beauties' affection for him.
What a nuisance! Dai Youheng grumbled inwardly. He had no interest in the sisters, much less in getting entangled in his predecessor's romantic debts. He only wanted to brush them off quickly without letting them notice anything amiss.
He was just about to offer some random excuse when his wandering gaze happened to catch two more groups entering the cafeteria.
One was led by Dai Huabin, with Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie at his side. All three wore arrogant expressions, radiating the sense of superiority peculiar to the White Tiger Duke's legitimate line.
The other consisted of Huo Yuhao, who had just finished the paperwork, along with Wang Dong, who never left his side, and the quiet Xiao Xiao.
It was truly a narrow road where enemies were bound to meet. The atmosphere soured the moment they came face-to-face. Upon seeing Huo Yuhao, Dai Huabin's old grudges and fresh grievances surged up together, and he immediately began mocking him. With his strength greatly increased and Wang Dong backing him up, Huo Yuhao naturally refused to give ground.
Their conflict quickly escalated into the very wager from the original story. Dai Huabin wanted to settle things with Huo Yuhao in the upcoming advancement assessment, staking the prize Huo Yuhao had won in the freshman tournament.
The problem was that the prize was a soul bone. Huo Yuhao had already given it to Xiao Xiao, and she had absorbed it, making it part of her left leg bone! Surely they couldn't actually make the girl cut off her leg?
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to say, "Xiao Xiao has already absorbed the soul bone"-
"Wait."
A calm voice cut in, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Dai Youheng slowly rose and walked over to Huo Yuhao. Facing Dai Huabin, he said in an even yet clear voice, "The prize Yuhao won in the freshman tournament was a soul bone. However, to thank me for looking after him, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao over the past year, he has already given that soul bone to me. It's now in my possession."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Dai Huabin's slightly altered expression, then continued, "Since it's to be used as the stake, I'll put it up."
As he spoke, light flashed in Dai Youheng's hand. Before everyone's astonished eyes, he took a soul bone from his Storage Soul Tool. It was deep blue throughout, radiated cold, sinister energy, and was shaped like some sort of tusk! This was the very soul bone he had obtained from that unfortunate Level 9 Soul Engineer's estate.
He had already had it appraised during this time. It was a left arm bone approximately thirty thousand years old, originating from an ice-attribute Ice Arrow Pig.
Huo Yuhao froze, then his eyes filled with profound emotion.
Of course he knew that the freshman tournament's soul bone had long since been given to Xiao Xiao. What his brother had brought out now was clearly from his own private collection! To help him out of this predicament and support him against Dai Huabin, his brother was actually willing to put up such a precious soul bone!
"Brother..." Huo Yuhao's voice caught. He was just about to say something.
Dai Youheng raised a hand to stop him. Looking straight at Dai Huabin, he curled his lips into a smile that seemed mild but concealed a keen edge. "Dai Huabin, if we're going to wager, your stake needs to be on the same level as ours, doesn't it? How about this: if you beat Yuhao, this soul bone is yours. If Yuhao beats you..."
He deliberately drew out his words. "You'll have to pay me another soul bone. After all, I'm the one putting up an actual stake first. To keep things fair, yours should also be a soul bone, shouldn't it?"
Thoroughly
familiar with the original plot, Dai Youheng knew perfectly well that Huo Yuhao was certain to win this advancement assessment with his powerful second martial soul and ultimate ice!
This was practically a chance to snare a white wolf with his bare hands-to gain a soul bone for nothing! He would be a fool not to take it!
It seemed that the simp's identity as "Huo Yuhao's dear big brother" did have its uses sometimes.
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