"All right, just getting familiar with their faces is enough. We still have proper business to attend to," Yan Shaozhe said, already calculating how to claim credit in front of her teacher later.
After all, this was an Ultimate Attribute-an enormous achievement. Once her teacher was happy, she would get praised again. Just thinking about it filled her with delight.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upward, her smile carrying a brazen air of smug satisfaction, like a scene from a novel where the Dragon King returned and flashed a wickedly charming smile.
"What's the rush? Got somewhere to be?" Gu Xingyue replied blandly.
I'm already suffering here! Yan Shaozhe nodded furiously inside, but outwardly maintained her aloof goddess demeanor.
Her control over her expressions was textbook-perfect, leagues above those so-called superstars. Not the slightest trace of acting showed.
She spoke unhurriedly, her tone calibrated just right. "Remember to respect me from now on. I'm your elder, after all. How can you speak with such disregard for seniority? Do it again, and you'll be punished with washing our clothes."
"That's a good thing," Gu Xingyue replied instinctively.
Yan Shaozhe's expression cracked for an instant. Her mouth fell slightly open, and she hesitated, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin.
Caught between the two of them, Zhang Lexuan felt the atmosphere growing increasingly strange. She gave a dry cough, then slipped away.
"Uh, I take that back." Gu Xingyue tried to mend the pen after losing the sheep. He certainly didn't want his future reputation in the Inner Court to be that of a sex fiend.
"I know boys your age get restless, but I never imagined you were this thirsty-you even dare fantasize about me?" Yan Shaozhe folded her arms across her chest, wearing an expression that said she had seen right through him. "If you dare think that now, I don't even dare dwell on what you might do later. Looks like we'll need extra security at the academy's girls' bathhouse to keep you from peeping."
Gu Xingyue was instantly furious, but that fire died out in less than three seconds.
He put on an expression of acceptance. "Whatever you say."
Seeing his resigned look, Yan Shaozhe couldn't be bothered to keep acting either and simply let the cracked pot shatter. "Still, if you take a fancy to some girl in the future, remember to tell me first. Our great Shrek has a very open-minded atmosphere, especially toward you Inner Court elites. The academy would love for you to pair up among yourselves-the more couples, the better. You think you youngsters can hide what's on your minds from me?"
Gu Xingyue raised an eyebrow and teased, "So you're quite the expert?"
"Who isn't irresistible to everyone?" Yan Shaozhe lifted her chin proudly. "Back in the day, the line of people pursuing me would have stretched all the way around the Great Star Dou Forest and then some. Two people even came to blows over me-one is now the Martial Soul Department's vice dean, and the other is the current dean of the Soul Guidance Department. They fought until their heads were split and blood was flowing. What a spectacle."
"Wow," Gu Xingyue offered expressionlessly.
Yan Shaozhe glanced at him, ignored his perfunctory reaction, and continued immersing herself in her memories. "But I chose neither of them. Sucking up alone gets you nowhere. They weren't even as strong as me, yet they wanted to be with me? Dream on."
She paused, her gaze drifting slightly into the distance, as though recalling those spirited years. "Ah, the phoenix in those days. Back when I was a student, every male student lit up his light for me at the Sea God Fate Matchmaking Conference. I declared on the spot that I would marry whoever could defeat me. And the result..." She shrugged. "Not a single one."
As her words fell, she caught sight of Gu Xingyue out of the corner of her eye. He was covering his mouth, his shoulders shaking.
Yan Shaozhe was immediately displeased. Her gaze cut toward him like a knife. "This is a very serious matter. Is it funny? Answer me! Shrek first-class student-Gu Xingyue! Pull down your mouth muscles immediately!"
Gu Xingyue abruptly straightened his back, his expression instantly becoming flatter than a coffin lid. "Reporting to the dean, I've undergone rigorous training. No matter how funny something is, I won't laugh. Besides, I've already got it completely under control."
"Fucking hell, you're a real jeenyus." Yan Shaozhe narrowed her eyes, sweeping her gaze over his face several times like a scanner, unwilling to miss even the tiniest flaw in his microexpressions.
Gu Xingyue's expression remained unchanged, his gaze open and steady, the corners of his mouth as immovable as Mount Tai.
Only after a long while did Yan Shaozhe finally withdraw her gaze and give a reluctant snort. "You pass."
After withdrawing her gaze, Yan Shaozhe straightened her collar, cleared her throat, and resumed her "this dean is very serious" expression. "All right, stop wasting time here. Let's go."
Gu Xingyue followed behind Yan Shaozhe, walking along the Golden Tree's enormous roots.
Its canopy blotted out the sky and sun, casting a dense green shade, while a faint fragrance of grass and trees filled the air.
Just then, however, his nose twitched, and his steps involuntarily slowed.
A rich aroma of roast chicken drifted over on the wind, carrying the distinctive toasted scent of thoroughly roasted fat and the fragrance of spices, forcing its way into his nostrils.
Gu Xingyue looked toward the aroma and saw a tiny figure with her back to them at the base of the Golden Tree's thick trunk. She was huddled in a hollow formed by the roots, holding a delicious roast chicken bigger than her face in both hands.
It was a little girl.
She was petite and looked no more than twelve or thirteen, her shoulders so slight that a gust of wind seemed enough to carry her off.
Snow-white twin ponytails hung beside her shoulders, their strands glimmering with a cool silver sheen in the tree's shade.
Her face was delicate and small, her skin a nearly cool-white porcelain hue, her brow arches faint and her nose finely shaped.
Her eyes were as round as bronze bells as she stared fixedly at the roast chicken in her hands, and there seemed to be a glistening trace at the corner of her mouth.
She was simply a little greedy kitten.
There probably wasn't room in her head for anything besides food.
She opened her mouth and chomped into the roast chicken, eating with bulging cheeks and a thoroughly satisfied expression.
Watching her, Gu Xingyue involuntarily swallowed.
Good food alone must never be let down. He crept over silently.
Yan Shaozhe was walking ahead, still calculating how to report to her teacher later in a way that highlighted her discerning eye for hidden gems. She had completely failed to notice that the person behind her had slipped away.
Gu Xingyue approached the little girl and, while she was busy battling the roast chicken with her head down, planted a hand directly on her head.
It felt fluffy, the strands fine and soft.
He cleared his throat and said with complete seriousness, "Little girl, hiding here and keeping all the food to yourself isn't a good habit. Children need to learn to share. Besides, a little kid like you can't handle such a great opportunity. Allow me to introduce myself-my martial soul is the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine, and I'm going to be the person calling the shots in the Sea God Pavilion someday. This roast chicken will count as your protection money."
He opened with a whole string of long, complicated sentences, but when the little girl raised her head, the look she gave him combined bewilderment, shock, confusion, and-the expression one gave an idiot.
Then she lowered her head to glance at the roast chicken in her hands, looked up at him again, opened her little mouth, and just like that, the entire roast chicken was gone.
Gu Xingyue turned to stone.
Before you continue