Ning Rongrong pouted, glaring at Lu Qian with puffed cheeks.
"You're not here to ask for money, are you?"
Lu Qian watched Ning Rongrong warily.
Ning Rongrong, however, asked in some surprise and confusion:
"Money? What money?"
"The ten Gold Soul Coins for the registration fee. I'm telling you, I don't have any money!"
Once money had landed in Lu Qian's hands, how could anyone possibly get it back?
"Consider it a tip!"
Ning Rongrong snapped at Lu Qian.
Clearly, that was not the matter Ning Rongrong wanted Lu Qian to explain.
"Oh, then there's nothing else."
Lu Qian spoke shamelessly, already prepared to make himself scarce at any moment.
"We already talked last night."
Seeming to see through Lu Qian's intentions, Ning Rongrong chose to lay her cards on the table.
"Then talk. What's that got to do with me?"
Lu Qian shrugged.
"Hmph, you won't get away!"
With that, Ning Rongrong stalked off in a huff.
Lu Qian found it a little strange. Why was this girl talking without head or tail?
When Lu Qian returned to his dorm and discovered Ma Hongjun actually waiting for him, he asked curiously:
"You can actually get up this early?"
"Hehe, I didn't just get up. I just got back. I slept very comfortably last night!"
"Shit! I really shouldn't have treated you like a human being!"
"Hahaha, here. I brought you breakfast all the way from Suotuo City."
Ma Hongjun handed Lu Qian a paper bag containing bread and other breakfast foods. It looked pretty good.
"Thanks."
With that, Lu Qian walked straight off with the paper bag.
Ma Hongjun, however, craned his neck and shouted after him:
"You bastard! Leave me a couple!"
But Lu Qian still abandoned him mercilessly.
Arriving at Zhu Zhuqing's dorm, Lu Qian knocked. Sure enough, Zhu Zhuqing opened the door, though Ning Rongrong was inside too and cast a glance at Lu Qian.
"This is for you. Take it and eat."
"Uh, I can just eat at the dining hall."
"The dining hall? I'd advise you to eat this instead."
"But..."
"No buts. He brought it over for us, so let's eat it. It's not like this guy spent his own money anyway!"
Suddenly, Ning Rongrong ran over and accepted Lu Qian's bread on Zhu Zhuqing's behalf.
She also glared at Lu Qian, her meaning easy enough to understand: he had no money to pay her back, but he had money to buy someone else breakfast!
Lu Qian gave a couple of dry chuckles, looked at Zhu Zhuqing, and said somewhat helplessly:
"I'll come find you in a bit."
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing answered softly.
An hour later, Lu Qian once again invited Zhu Zhuqing out for a stroll around Shrek Academy. Unsurprisingly, Ning Rongrong tagged along.
Then Lu Qian spotted Ma Hongjun and Oscar. Unless he was mistaken, Ma Hongjun was probably spouting bullshit to Oscar.
With the way his eyebrows danced and his face lit up, Lu Qian really could hardly resist going over and giving him a kick!
"Which bastard kicked me?!"
Attacked just as he was getting carried away, Ma Hongjun was naturally very displeased. Yet when he saw that it was Lu Qian, he actually looked a little helpless.
That really got to Lu Qian. Even Ma Hongjun kicking him back would have been fine, but that helpless expression left Lu Qian extremely annoyed.
"What the hell is that look on your face?"
"Look, Brother Qian, I know how impressive Your Eminence is, taking two girls around at once, but do you really have to flaunt it so blatantly in front of losers like us?"
"Piss off! What are you talking about?"
Lu Qian glared at Ma Hongjun.
Then Ma Hongjun asked in a low voice:
"What? Haven't sealed the deal?"
"Drop dead!"
"I came to ask you about something serious, and we happen to have two new students here too."
"Let me introduce you. This is Ma Hongjun, another student at the academy. His Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Barnyard Chicken."
"It's the Evil Fire Phoenix!"
"Either works. He's a Soul Grandmaster. His Martial Soul is powerful, but its flaw is very obvious too, which is..."
"Shut up!"
Ma Hongjun hurriedly interrupted Lu Qian. He still wanted to save a little face in front of Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
"So, what are your names, ladies?"
Ma Hongjun asked with a grin.
"Zhu Zhuqing."
"Ning Rongrong."
Clearly, if Ma Hongjun had not been a fellow student, he probably would not even have gotten their names out of them.
"I'm Oscar, a food-type Soul Master."
Oscar hurried to slip a word into the gap too.
Lu Qian then asked:
"Does Shrek Academy have any special rules?"
"Uh, well, our academy really doesn't have any special rules. Simply put, rape and plunder are forbidden, but fighting and gambling are encouraged."
"Fighting?"
"Gambling?"
"The teachers believe fighting is the best shortcut to mastering your Martial Soul, and gaining actual combat experience is extremely important. Gambling, meanwhile, is a battle of minds. It has great benefits for strengthening your mental fortitude, powers of observation, and judgment."
"Of course, everything has to stay within limits. For example, don't kill anyone in a fight, and don't gamble away your pants, and you'll be fine."
"Uh, that makes sense!"
Lu Qian grinned.
"Then what sort of classes are scheduled?"
Ning Rongrong asked.
"As for the class schedule, I don't know about later, because our classes can change at any time. After all, there are only a handful of us. There are even more teachers than students, so the academy adjusts the classes according to our individual circumstances."
"But I can tell you today's class for certain: collecting money! The academy's annual tuition is a hundred Gold Soul Coins. Since you're all Soul Grandmaster-level Soul Masters, that shouldn't be any problem."
"A hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Lu Qian unconsciously looked toward Ning Rongrong. When she noticed his gaze, her expression grew visibly smug, though she said coldly:
"Don't look at me. I don't have any either!"
Lu Qian turned his head aside, looking slightly embarrassed.
Zhu Zhuqing, standing beside him, could not help saying:
"A hundred is a little much."
"It's fine. You don't need to worry. The dean should give you a few days' grace to raise the money."
"A few days?"
"Mm, probably... until tomorrow."
Ma Hongjun said after giving it serious thought.
"Drop dead!"
As they chatted, Dai Mubai suddenly appeared in their line of sight.
Seemingly unwilling to bother approaching Lu Qian and the others, Dai Mubai called straight to Oscar:
"The opening ceremony will be held on the field shortly. Tell them not to be late."
"Got it, Boss Dai!"
"All right, everyone, let's head to the field. The dean's probably back."
"By the way, where are Tang San and Xiao Wu?"
"I'll go find Xiao Wu."
Ning Rongrong said to them.
"What about Tang San?"
"Huh? He's back!"
Lu Qian looked at the figure appearing at the main gate. Though covered in dust and dirt, he was still vaguely recognizable as Tang San.
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