When Lin Mo left Zhou Yi's office, his whole being radiated joy, and his steps were exceptionally light.
He was walking along delightedly, already imagining his wonderful future life, when a petite figure suddenly swished into his path.
Lin Mo stopped and took a closer look. It was Xiao Xiao.
The young girl had clearly been waiting there for a while. One hand clutched her skirt tightly, while the other pressed against her chest, as though she were trying to work up her courage.
In a good mood, Lin Mo asked gently, "Xiao Xiao, is something the matter?"
Xiao Xiao said nothing. She took a deep breath, and her cheeks flushed at a visible speed, the redness spreading all the way to her ears.
Finally, as though she had mustered every ounce of courage she possessed, she abruptly raised her head and met Lin Mo's eyes.
Her eyes sparkled, brimming with panic.
And with the unstoppable courage of youth.
"L-Lin Mo!" Her voice was hurried and trembling, as though she feared that if she stopped, she would never be able to say it again:
"I-I like you!"
As her words fell, their surroundings grew so quiet they could hear the wind.
Xiao Xiao tilted her little face up, her chest heaving as she gazed at him eagerly, her eyes filled with both anticipation and fear.
Lin Mo instantly turned to stone.
The smile on his face remained unchanged, but a crack split across it with a snap.
Seriously? This girl was usually so quiet, but the moment she made a move, she dropped a bomb on me! Now it wasn't just a love-addled brain chasing me-even the national power grid was coming after me with cables slung over its shoulders!!
Xiao Xiao had held no grudge against him in his previous life, and in this life, hers was simply a young person's affection.
Her feelings could not be trampled on, but he absolutely could not accept them either!
Dating? Not even a dog would do that!
Once I started dating, I would definitely catch that so-called love brain too. Then my racing heart would elbow my brain, and I would do a whole series of deranged things, and then-
For the sake of great love~
Croak.
Come on, you stupid brain, think!
Got it! When in doubt, stall!
"Xiao Xiao, listen to me." Forcing the smile to stay on his face, Lin Mo reached out and gently patted the girl's head. "First of all, thank you for liking me. It's an honor."
Xiao Xiao's eyelashes fluttered, and her little face grew even redder, but she stubbornly refused to look away.
"But-"
The instant those words left his mouth, the girl visibly stiffened, and the rims of her eyes began to redden.
"But it's too early to talk about this now," Lin Mo said unhurriedly. "We're only eleven. What matters most right now should be working hard to improve ourselves."
Lin Mo bent down slightly.
He placed both hands on Xiao Xiao's shoulders and looked earnestly into her eyes, his tone gentle yet solemn:
"Xiao Xiao, you're very brave, and you're outstanding too."
"Let's talk about this when we're a little older and more mature, all right?"
However, Xiao Xiao's mind simply exploded.
Too close.
He was so close that she could even count his distinct eyelashes and see the tiny reflection of herself in his black eyes.
Even more devastatingly, the presence emanating from Lin Mo was teasing her every single moment.
The two Martial Souls inside her seemed to have gone mad, leaping with joy and excitement. If she had not been desperately suppressing them, the Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute and Threelives Soulstabilizing Cauldron would probably have manifested on the spot.
Xiao Xiao held her breath, but her gaze fell uncontrollably upon those thin lips as they opened and closed.
I really want to...
Kiss him.
The instant that thought emerged, Xiao Xiao shuddered violently.
Under Lin Mo's astonished gaze, Xiao Xiao turned red from head to toe, and ring after ring of steam rose from her head.
"Xiao... Xiao?"
Lin Mo called her name tentatively.
"Ah... mm..." Xiao Xiao opened her mouth, but only a few broken syllables escaped her throat.
The next second, she spun around, covered her face, and shot off like a wisp of smoke, moving so fast she almost left afterimages behind her.
"I-I'm heading back first!"
Lin Mo was left standing there alone, utterly bewildered.
Forget it. No point thinking about it.
Lin Mo shook his head and checked the time. Huo Yuhao should have set up his stall by now.
So he turned and headed toward the academy's east gate.
Huo Yuhao might have been detestable, but his grilled fish was delicious and innocent. Why should he hold a grudge against a little grilled fish?
By the time Lin Mo arrived at the grilled fish stall, a queue had already formed.
None other than Xu Sanshi stood at its head.
Xu Sanshi had just received a grilled fish. The instant he saw Lin Mo, a shudder ran through him, and he nearly dropped the fish in his hand.
If Ma Xiaotao had brought pain to his body, then Lin Mo had purely tormented his soul.
That blade from three months ago.
Even now, Xu Sanshi remembered it vividly.
Lin Mo went straight past him, pulled over a little stool with practiced ease, and sat beside Wang Dong'er. Then he accepted the grilled fish Huo Yuhao handed him and began wolfing it down.
Yes, ever since Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao had tasted Huo Yuhao's grilled fish two months earlier, both had succumbed.
If that whole confession incident had not just happened, Xiao Xiao probably would have come along too.
Just thinking about what had happened gave Lin Mo a headache.
I didn't even do anything, did I? Why had Xiao Xiao suddenly confessed out of nowhere? If everyday interactions counted as liking someone, then Wang Dong'er clung to me every day. Wouldn't that mean...
Hiss! Wait!
Lin Mo abruptly turned to look at Wang Dong'er beside him. If this silly girl confessed too...
Then, besides being hunted down by a love-addled brain and the national power grid, he would also be hunted by that blue-haired guy grilling fish beside him!
Oh, no, no, no. I was undoubtedly doomed.
Wang Dong'er was happily munching on her grilled fish, both cheeks bulging. Noticing Lin Mo's fixed stare beside her, she raised her beautiful pinkish-blue eyes in confusion.
The instant their eyes met, she instinctively stuck out her little tongue and licked the grease from the corner of her mouth, looking adorably clueless.
She tilted her head and stared at Lin Mo, thinking for a few seconds.
Then realization dawned.
The next second, Wang Dong'er abruptly pulled her remaining half a grilled fish against her chest and turned sideways, guarding her food and hissing:
"You can't have any!"
Lin Mo instantly let out a long sigh of relief.
Wang Dong'er was a silly girl. I was definitely overthinking that whole confession thing.
Ma Xiaotao also arrived midway through the fish sales.
This time, however, she had not come to cause trouble. After curiously asking about Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul and soul skills, she left, dragging a dejected Xu Sanshi along.
Only as things were drawing to a close did Beibei and Tang Ya arrive together.
After offering Huo Yuhao a few words of encouragement, they thrust a treasure pouch into his hands.
When they returned to the dormitory, Huo Yuhao opened the treasure pouch and looked inside, giving both himself and Lin Mo a fright. It was filled entirely with hidden weapons. There were over a dozen kinds, including throwing knives, flying needles, and Bone-Piercing Nails, with more than a hundred of each.
This treasure pouch could practically be called a hidden-weapons arsenal.
Lin Mo slapped his forehead.
Right! The freshman assessment prohibited soul tools, but it never said hidden weapons were forbidden.
If he hurled over a hundred Tang Sect hidden weapons with special effects, even a Soul Elder would have to avoid their edge, or probably end up pierced like a hedgehog.
Lin Mo suddenly spoke in an eerie tone. "Huo Yuhao, do you have ulterior motives toward me?"
Huo Yuhao's hand paused as he put away the treasure pouch.
He looked at Lin Mo in some surprise, his face also a little red. Could it be... that my feelings had been seen through?
Lin Mo's expression froze, then turned horrified.
Damn it, I knew it! Huo Yuhao really did have ulterior motives toward me!!