Picking Up a Stone Only to Drop It on His Own Foot

Xu Xingyu and Ma Xiaotao both stared speechlessly at the two deans, who were still busy arguing.

Although both of them knew it was a little rude to look at people that way, especially when those people were their teachers,

they still couldn't help giving the two deans dead-fish stares.

It was simply because watching the two deans argue endlessly like children who had never grown up left them feeling somewhat disillusioned.

Xu Xingyu was fine with it, since he had never expected much from the people at Shrek in the first place. Ma Xiaotao, however, had never imagined her own teacher had such a side to him.

After all, there was still an Outer Court student watching from the side!

If he came away thinking that the teachers of Shrek Academy were all a bunch of children who had never grown up, wouldn't Shrek's glorious image be completely ruined?!?!

Right now, she just wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground and forget everything before her eyes, so she could preserve her teacher's glorious image in her heart.

But she couldn't do that with someone else watching, so she settled for another plan.

While the two deans were still arguing, she would quietly take Xu Xingyu out of her private room and send him back to the Outer Court.

Fortunately, the two deans were so caught up arguing over their respective ideals that they didn't notice the pair leaving.

After successfully leaving that place of trouble behind, Ma Xiaotao couldn't resist stretching, paying no mind to the decorum expected of a girl.

Ma Xiaotao stretched her back and arms, loosening up a body that had begun to grow stiff.

In the process, she inevitably revealed rather too much of her graceful curves and exquisite figure.

Xu Xingyu enjoyed the sight from beside her, sighing inwardly that, if she hadn't been famous for her fiery temper, she surely wouldn't have become one of the Inner Court's few older leftover women.

Indeed, nineteen was on the young side in the Inner Court, but one shouldn't forget that in the original story, Ma Xiaotao was already thirty when she returned to Shrek, yet she still didn't end up with anyone in the future.

Just then, Ma Xiaotao noticed Xu Xingyu staring a little too intently beside her.

Only then did she realize that what she had just done wasn't particularly graceful, nor was it suitable for a child his age to see.

But one couldn't blame Ma Xiaotao for acting so rashly.

Although Ma Xiaotao was usually loud and brash, carrying herself like a big sister, she still had some idea of what she should and shouldn't show.

It was just that the scene earlier had been far too awkward. Who could have imagined that the lofty, unapproachable deans of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department would act like children squabbling over a student?

Thinking of that scene, she really felt the pressure of a mountain bearing down on her, her scalp tingling!

Of course, there was another reason Ma Xiaotao had acted that way.

After Xu Xingyu suppressed her Evil Fire, Ma Xiaotao had remained asleep until who knew when.

The color of the sky was the clearest proof. A careful look showed that the sun had already begun to set.

That meant the two of them had slept from morning until late afternoon, nearly evening. No wonder Ma Xiaotao felt a little stiff.

After sleeping for so long without moving, her body would rust sooner or later!

For some reason, though, when Ma Xiaotao saw the appreciative look on Xu Xingyu's face, she didn't show any hostility. Instead, she felt that she really did have some charm after all.

After all, what girl wouldn't want to be more charming? Ma Xiaotao was no exception.

Most people in the Inner Court ran off in a hurry at the sight of her, as though she were the plague, while those who stayed behind would unconsciously eye her figure with lecherous gazes.

Those latter gazes gave Ma Xiaotao no pleasure whatsoever; instead, they filled her with disgust.

So whenever she met someone who looked at her that way, she would give them a good beating.

As a result, despite her young age, the boys of the Inner Court had ranked her second on their list of women they absolutely didn't want to marry.

As for first place, that was Wu Ming, the Golden Crow Saintess, who shared the title of the Inner Court's two great volcanoes with Ma Xiaotao.

But Wu Ming was nearly thirty, just a little short of becoming an older leftover woman.

Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, was only nineteen and yet ranked just one place below her. That showed just how unwelcome Ma Xiaotao was in the Inner Court.

But there was no helping it. Even though Ma Xiaotao was as beautiful as a flower and had a lovely figure, leaving aside the problem of her temper, there was still her Evil Fire.

If a man actually married this woman and wasn't strong enough, she really might drain him completely dry!

Thus, Ma Xiaotao had officially become one of the least popular women in Shrek.

Although she still had a few friends she could trust, most people kept as far away from her as they could.

So, under such circumstances, when there was still someone willing to sincerely appreciate that woman's beauty, she would cherish it all the more.

With that, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help teasing Xu Xingyu. "What, has senior sister's beautiful figure made your heart flutter?"

Xu Xingyu replied solemnly, "Generally and rationally speaking, Senior Sister Ma, you do have the best figure of all the beauties I've met."

"If it weren't for the Evil Fire, I believe you'd have countless suitors, senior sister. (Of course, that's assuming you changed your fiery temper as well.)"

"Of course! I'm not bragging, but I used to have quite a few suitors. So, how about it? Want to try pursuing me too? I did accidentally steal your first kiss, after all. (Author: Actually, she didn't.) So it's not as if I couldn't give you a chance."

Hearing this, Xu Xingyu frowned. "Really?"

"No! Though I'm sorry I forced a kiss on you, that was my first kiss too, so let's just treat it as though nothing happened."

Then Ma Xiaotao changed tack and said with a teasing look, "Of course, if you insist on me taking responsibility for you, it's not as if I couldn't give you a chance."

"Oh, in that case, I'll have to tell my other fiancées first. Otherwise, it'll be a little troublesome when they ask about it later."

Hearing such scumbag-like words, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help blushing. She coughed and said, "You lecherous little brat, you really do have a slick tongue! You already have fiancées, yet you can say something like that without batting an eye!"

"Hey, weren't you the one who said you could give me a chance? Or are you saying the famous Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao is someone who doesn't keep her word?"

"You, you, you!!!"

Seeing Ma Xiaotao looking so tongue-tied, Xu Xingyu let out an unthinking chuckle.

When Ma Xiaotao saw him laughing, she knew he had definitely said all that just to tease her!

She had thought he was just a cute junior, but who would have thought he was so black-bellied underneath!

Ma Xiaotao could only put on a brave face and reply, "Hmph! Today I've learned just how thick-skinned a person can be. I really don't know why little sister Nannan is so infatuated with you."

That caught Xu Xingyu's attention. Looking slightly surprised, he asked, "You know Sister Nannan?"

"Yes!" Ma Xiaotao admitted openly. "Before you appeared, little sister Nannan was the one who helped me suppress my Evil Fire. I don't know why, but there was an accident once when she was suppressing it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have run into me after I went berserk this time."

This piqued Xu Xingyu's curiosity, and he asked, "Could I ask what kind of accident it was?"

Ma Xiaotao could only sigh helplessly. "Simply put, the Yin Qi she used to suppress my Evil Fire suddenly fused with the Evil Qi in it. As a result, a strand of Yin Fire was born and fused into my origin."

When Xu Xingyu heard that the Yin Fire in Ma Xiaotao's body was the product of the Yin Qi from Jiang Nannan's Supreme Yin Jade Body fusing with the Evil Fire, his mouth fell open.

After all, Jiang Nannan could use her Supreme Yin Jade Body in this life thanks in no small part to Xu Xingyu. So, in a way, hadn't he indirectly caused the Yin Fire in Ma Xiaotao's body?!?

He really had picked up a stone only to drop it on his own foot!!!