The girl in green gauze lightly pursed her lips and said nothing.
After a moment of silence, she slowly raised her right hand, quietly gathering power-
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
Within moments, ice crystals of varying lengths and sizes had formed around her fingertips.
With a gentle wave of her fair hand, the ice crystals obediently arranged themselves into three large characters-
Xia Nuoyi.
"Xia Nuoyi..."
After hearing Bu Wuchen murmur her name, the girl in green gauze waved her delicate hand again-
"Whoosh~"
In an instant, the large ice-crystal characters shattered into fine snow that drifted through the air, a truly breathtaking sight!
"All right, you can leave now!"
"Huh? Oh, right, right. Okay, bye."
Only then did Bu Wuchen shake off his astonishment, turn smartly, and leave.
Once he was gone, puzzlement appeared on Xia Nuoyi's face, and her graceful, willow-leaf brows drew together slightly.
She murmured to herself, "Huh? Why did I go out of my way to write my name for him?"
"Was it because seeing him today gave me such a comfortable feeling?"
"I even sedu... did that to him more than once."
At the thought, rosy clouds immediately bloomed across Xia Nuoyi's pretty face.
"Although I did it so I could suddenly strike and intimidate him the moment he took the bait;"
"After panic muddled his mind, it would be easier to control him and the power of his 'Blood Dragon Birthmark,' but..."
"But why do I keep feeling that this time was a little different from before?"
"Could it be that I'm fond of that brat?"
The girl in green gauze startled herself with this conclusion and hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, no, impossible!"
Then a blade-like chill flashed in her eyes. "If he really had harbored filthy thoughts back then and approached my bedside..."
"He could have waited to become a eunuch!"
No wonder Lü Chunyang had inwardly exclaimed, "Damn it, why is it this enchantress?" when he recognized Xia Nuoyi as the one coming to spoil his plans in the arena.
Who could have imagined that this girl, clad in flowing green gauze like an immortal, possessed such impish, bewitching qualities?
Xia Nuoyi could never have guessed that her somewhat unusual feelings toward Bu Wuchen were due to [Spirit of First Impressions]...
Meanwhile, when Bu Wuchen, the owner of this "special skill," saw Wan Xiaoyao and A Chun waiting at the academy gates, his heart finally settled.
He had been afraid that, unable to do anything to him for the moment, the Lin Lineage would take their revenge on Yao'er and A Chun instead.
"Young master~"
Wan Xiaoyao called sweetly, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
Bu Wuchen breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried those Lin Lineage bastards would strike at you two after I was taken away."
At his words, the gentle smile on Wan Xiaoyao's face immediately stiffened. "Speaking of that, we owe it all to that fairy sister who pulled you away!"
"Oh?"
Bu Wuchen frowned. "What happened?"
As it turned out, since Wan Xiaoyao and A Chun were not members of Blood Dragon City Academy, they had been asked to leave after the wager match ended.
Yet just after they stepped outside the gates, several masked people suddenly attacked, trying to abduct them!
Fortunately, an expert claiming to be a friend of the honorary vice dean had intervened and saved them.
"Thank goodness it was a scare without any harm!"
After this exclamation, Bu Wuchen felt as though a ball of furious flame were burning in his chest. "Lin Lineage of Blood Dragon City, sooner or later, I'll settle this debt with you in full!"
"Come to think of it, I owe Miss Xia Nuoyi another favor."
"If she hadn't sent someone to protect them in secret, the consequences would have been unthinkable..."
"Oh, young master."
The old servant A Chun suddenly remembered something. Handing over a property deed, he pointed toward a small courtyard at the street corner and said, "That mysterious benefactor gave us this."
"She said that although she had promised the vice dean she would keep us safe during this period;"
"If we lived too far away, even her long whip wouldn't reach us."
"So she gave this old servant the deed and said she was giving us this residence to live in, which would also make it easier for her to protect us."
Bu Wuchen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I didn't expect Miss Xia Nuoyi to be so kindhearted."
"Giving us a bodyguard and a house..."
"Could she really have fallen for me?"
The boy smugly tidied his hair. "Ah, this damned charm of mine, with nowhere to put it~"
"Achoo!"
Inside the elegant chamber.
The girl in green gauze suddenly sneezed and rubbed her dainty nose in bewilderment.
In truth, Xia Nuoyi had provided both a bodyguard and a residence mainly so that, one day, Bu Wuchen would willingly lend her the power of the "Blood Dragon Mark"-
"It isn't time yet."
"That brat's mystic cultivation realm is far too low. There's no way he can awaken the power within the mark."
"Before, he was afflicted with a strange illness and looked certain to die, so the 'Blood Dragon Birthmark' on his body had lost its use."
"But now..."
"If he really can recover his strength and cultivate diligently at Blood Dragon City Academy, then my waiting for him to awaken the 'Blood Dragon Mark' might not stretch into the distant future after all!"
At dusk, the orange-red afterglow spread across the streets and alley corners;
Everywhere the eye fell was a comforting scene of warmth and peaceful light.
In their newly occupied residence, Bu Wuchen was feasting heartily!
He had made a special trip to a nearby restaurant to buy all these delicious dishes.
With the Lin Lineage, that vicious wolf, watching him from the shadows, Bu Wuchen had no desire to risk enjoying a feast in a restaurant before he grew strong enough.
So he had simply packed everything up and brought it back, eating until his lips glistened with grease.
"Ah, delicious, delicious~"
"Though it's still a little short of Yao'er's cooking, it's quite good!"
Bu Wuchen burped, patted his stomach, and praised the food.
"My cooking isn't nearly as good as you say, young master~"
Wan Xiaoyao's pretty face reddened slightly.
Yet a trace of unease remained in her expression. "Actually, young master, you should enjoy it all yourself;"
"Giving some to this maid is truly a waste..."
"Although you have a little more money to spare now, you-you still shouldn't waste it on this maid."
Beside her, A Chun nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed."
"The twenty thousand gold coins won today may seem like a lot, but on the long road of cultivation, they truly aren't worth a laugh."
"Young master, your cultivation is arduous. No food is too good for you;"
"But Xiaoyao and this old servant are no longer cultivators."
"Especially this old servant. These old arms and legs barely move anymore. A couple of bites of anything will do."
"How could that be acceptable?!"
Bu Wuchen's star-bright eyes widened. "If it weren't for me, neither of you would have had your cultivation crippled."
Both hurriedly waved their hands. "That was only as it should be..."
"Then having you enjoy good fortune with me is only as it should be, too!"
Bu Wuchen said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Back then, you risked your heads to follow me;"
"From now on, I'll show you that everything you did back then was worth it!"