The Playful Xue Beng

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy library held far more books than Lan Hong had imagined.

To Lan Hong, it was nothing less than a treasure trove. From then on, he spent most of his days buried in the library.

For the small amount of time left, he would find a secluded place to practice his swordsmanship. At night, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivating his mental arts and increasing his Soul Power.

Just as he had at Nuoding Academy, he packed his schedule full and lived a fulfilling life.

Of course, every few days, he would also head to Heaven Dou City to take part in Soul Duels, both to hone his combat skills and to earn money.

Using Sally's name, he participated in Unlimited Soul Duels and had already defeated several Soul Ancestor-level opponents.

However, none of those Soul Ancestor-level opponents possessed high-grade martial souls, optimal Spirit Ring configurations, or Self-Created Soul Skills. Lan Hong found it rather disappointing!

One day, as usual, Lan Hong was reading in the library when a young girl sat across from him.

It was Ye Lingling, whom he had met once before. She was reading a book about plant-type martial souls.

She was probably hoping to break the limitation that only allowed two Nine Heart Begonias to appear in her family.

However, Lan Hong did not linger over her face and simply continued reading his own book.

Ye Lingling's gaze fell upon Lan Hong instead. He read far too quickly, nearly flipping through the book one page at a time.

As Lan Hong's Soul Power rose, his Spiritual Power steadily increased as well. Coupled with his cultivation of the Amber Divine Eye, his memory had improved greatly.

He could not claim to remember everything after a single glance, but with Lan Mao and Hong Mao working together, he could achieve the same effect.

Otherwise, how could he possibly fulfill his plan of reading every book in the entire library within a few years?

Yet because of this, Ye Lingling took him for a fool who came to the library merely to flip through books, or a lecher trying to attract girls with such a method.

Lan Hong had no idea what Ye Lingling was thinking. Even if he had known, he would only have laughed it off. His way of reading really was easy to misunderstand.

But later, whenever Ye Lingling went to the library, she would see Lan Hong flipping through books. With only a little inquiry, she learned that he spent every day in the library.

So she overturned her earlier assumptions and became curious about Lan Hong instead.

"Lingling! Lingling!"

"Ah! Yanzi, what is it?"

"What do you mean, what is it? What were you thinking about? You were so absorbed that you didn't even hear me calling you!"

"N-Nothing!"

"Don't try to fool me. Hurry up and tell me, what were you thinking about? Don't tell me you were thinking about a man!"

Ye Lingling's little face reddened, while Dugu Yan's mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

"No way! Lingling, you really have a boyfriend?"

"Yanzi, what are you talking about? What boyfriend? I just came across a strange person!"

"A strange person? Tell me about him. I want to see what's so strange about him."

Ye Lingling told Dugu Yan about Lan Hong, the strange man who was always buried in the library.

"Lingling, have you been tricked? Is that guy deliberately trying to hook you?"

"Definitely not. I sat across from him several times, and he never even glanced at me. Yanzi, am I really that unattractive?"

"Of course not! Our Lingling is incredibly charming. A stunning beauty like Lingling sits right in front of him and he still doesn't look? He definitely isn't a man!"

"Achoo!"

Lan Hong suddenly sneezed in the library. He put down his book and rubbed his nose.

"Who's badmouthing me behind my back? I don't think I've offended anyone."

After hearing Ye Lingling's words, Dugu Yan also became interested in Lan Hong. Yet Ye Lingling did not even know his name, so Dugu Yan had no choice but to investigate on her own.

With Dugu Yan's status as Poison Douluo's granddaughter, obtaining Lan Hong's public identity from Heaven Dou Royal Academy was incredibly easy.

"So his name is Xue Zhi. He's a distant branch of the royal family, the son of the Lord of Nova City in some small town."

"Just a minor noble, and a worthless loser who can only enter the Heavenly Micro Rank! Lingling, a man like that isn't worthy of you. Stop thinking about him!"

"No! I think he's special. Do you have the determination to go to the library every day and sit there all day?"

"I couldn't do it! But... Lingling, don't tell me you really like him?"

"Of course not! I just think he has secrets!"

"I think you've lost your mind over him. I'll take you to expose that man's true colors!"

Lan Hong was simply sitting at home when trouble fell from the sky—and misfortunes never came alone.

A group of people had now gathered before him. Their leader had golden hair, and though he wore a school uniform, his accessories were exclusive to the royal family.

Combined with that standard spoiled young master expression and posture, his identity was obvious: the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng.

"You're new here, aren't you? You don't recognize His Highness the Fourth Prince?"

"Greetings, Your Highness the Fourth Prince."

Lan Hong gave a slight bow. He did not want to clash with Xue Beng, but that did not mean he would retreat without limits.

If Xue Beng insisted on humiliating him and using him to establish his authority, Lan Hong would not mind discarding this identity to give him a vicious lesson.

Xue Beng truly had come to use Lan Hong to establish his authority. A minor noble like Lan Hong, with neither power nor influence, was the easiest sort to bully.

Moreover, his habit of spending all his time in the library displeased quite a few people. After all, didn't Lan Hong's behavior make them look lazy by comparison?

Teaching Lan Hong a lesson was also a way for Xue Beng to win people over.

If Lan Hong had known what Xue Beng was thinking, he would have cursed him out. Not being like you lot is a mistake? What kind of ridiculous logic is that?

But this world had never been reasonable. Nobles held power and strength; whatever they said became reason.

"Kid, kneel down and call me Boss right now. Be ready whenever I call for you in the future, and this Prince will let you go today. Otherwise, you won't escape a beating!"

Lan Hong frowned. Just as he began mapping out an escape route in his mind, another voice rang out.

"Oh? Which dog is barking here? Don't you know the library is supposed to be quiet?"

"Who? Who dares insult this Prince? Get out here!"

"Hmph! Xue Beng, you've got quite the mouth on you! This young lady is here now—go on, keep barking!"

The moment he saw that it was Dugu Yan, Xue Beng's expression changed completely. He truly feared Dugu Yan. She had poisoned him before and tortured him until he was half-dead.

Only after Prince Xue Xing begged Dugu Bo had his poison been cured. At Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xue Beng dared provoke anyone but Dugu Yan.

"Sister Yan, why are you here?"

"Don't call me Sister Yan. It makes me sick! I'm protecting this person. If anyone dares bully him in the academy from now on, I'll come looking for you! Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand!"

"Then get lost!"

Xue Beng fled the library with his lackeys in tow, scrambling away in a miserable heap, while Lan Hong was utterly baffled.

He could not understand why Dugu Yan had helped him. There should not have been any connection between them at all.

Here's the second chapter. Thank you all for your support, and thank you to those who pointed out typos. I've already corrected them. Please leave a bookmark and some recommendation votes—pretty please!