Upon entering the town, it turned out to be much livelier than Li Chang'an had expected. The town was roughly three times the size of the village where Shrek Academy was located. Though it lacked city walls, it felt like a small city. Shops lined both sides of the streets, offering all kinds of goods and services.
Li Chang'an took a closer look. Most of the shops were related to Spirit Masters—places selling weapons, armor, antidotes, recovery potions, and even clothing specially designed for Spirit Masters, with more than a dozen pockets for storing supplies while adventuring.
Oscar couldn't help but sigh,
"This town clearly relies on the Star Dou Forest for survival. I'm sure there are many similar towns around the forest."
"Mhm, exactly. This is what they call localized economic development driving the broader system... a preliminary form of an industrial chain," Li Chang'an said, a little absentmindedly.
Everyone understood the words individually, but once strung together, they were left scratching their heads. Localized what? System? Industrial chain?
"Alright, let's find a place to stay first," Li Chang'an said, clapping his hands. At this point, he already carried the demeanor of a teacher.
Zhao Wuji pointed toward a rather plain-looking inn ahead.
"Let's stay here. We'll rest for the night and head out early tomorrow. As for food and lodging, you'll cover your own expenses."
Shrek Academy was never well-funded. Zhao Wuji and Flender had no regular income, and the academy's finances were tight. On the other hand, Tang San and the others received allowances from the Spirit Hall, more than enough to cover their daily expenses. As for Li Chang'an, one look at him and it was clear—he wasn't short on money.
The inn was a two-story building. The first floor housed a simple dining hall, and the second floor was for lodging. Zhao Wuji booked a single room and went upstairs right away. Li Chang'an, under the eyes of everyone, naturally couldn't stay in the same room with Xiao Wu—not to mention, he had other plans involving Zhu Zhuqing. So, he booked a deluxe single room for himself.
Dai Mubai discussed briefly with the others, and they got one four-person room for the boys and one three-person room for the girls.
"Let's eat before going up. I've had enough sausage for the day—I'm starting to feel sick," Ma Hongjun said, voicing what everyone else was feeling. Even Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement. Li Chang'an also nodded; he had food stored in his Nullspace, but he was curious to try the local cuisine. Besides, a little drama might unfold soon.
The eight of them found a large table in a corner and sat down. Tang San asked Dai Mubai,
"Should we invite Teacher Zhao to eat with us?"
Dai Mubai shook his head.
"No need. Though he came with us, he won't pay for us, but he also won't accept anything from us. That's a rule Dean Flender set."
Fatty grinned,
"Isn't that great? Everything's clear and upfront. That's what I like most about our academy—no fake courtesy."
Li Chang'an gave a small cough to remind everyone of his presence—he was a teacher too, after all.
"Uh, Teacher Li, I didn't mean you like to freeload or anything, I was just—" Ma Hongjun quickly tried to explain.
Li Chang'an smiled and didn't hold it against him. Instead, he said,
"Ma Hongjun, go upstairs and invite Teacher Zhao down. Say that as a fellow teacher, I'm treating him to a meal and hope he'll do me the honor."
His wording was clever. As a teacher himself, inviting Zhao Wuji to dinner made perfect sense. It showed his knack for handling people and situations.
"Oh, alright!" Ma Hongjun ran upstairs enthusiastically, while Li Chang'an casually picked up the menu.
"Ladies first. Xiao Wu, you all go ahead and order."
Xiao Wu didn't hold back and took the menu, starting to discuss dishes with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
As expected of girls, they mostly picked vegetarian dishes rather than anything heavy. Li Chang'an then added over a dozen meat dishes to round things out. Though not a big eater himself, his family ran a hotel, so he had a good sense of what made for tasty food.
Soon after, Zhao Wuji came downstairs with Ma Hongjun. He smiled at Li Chang'an and said,
"Thanks, Changsheng. I should be the one treating you, as the elder here."
Li Chang'an replied sincerely,
"Teacher Zhao, no need to be so formal. I'm the junior here, so of course I should be the one treating you. The food's already ordered—let me know if there's anything else you'd like to add."
Having lived two lives, Li Chang'an had long since shed the arrogance of youth. He knew when to show respect and when to stand his ground.
Zhao Wuji appreciated this attitude and waved his hand,
"No need. Whatever you ordered is fine. I'll just eat a little."
By now, the restaurant was about 60–70% full. Just then, a group entered and immediately drew everyone's attention.
Leading them was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was fairly handsome, with neatly combed, shiny hair. He wore a refined light-blue Spirit Master robe embroidered with silver threads that shimmered with light as he moved.
Behind him followed seven young people—six men and one woman—who looked to be around twenty years old. They wore the same light-blue robes, though without the silver embroidery. On each of their left shoulders was a green circular emblem embroidered with two characters: Cang Hui.
Their attire made it clear—they were Spirit Masters. In contrast, Li Chang'an's group dressed casually and didn't stand out at all. These newcomers, on the other hand, radiated flair.
The restaurant owner quickly rushed over, bowing and smiling. Just as Oscar had said, this town lived off the Star Dou Forest. Spirit Masters were not only powerful but wealthy. Naturally, the owner wouldn't dare offend them.
"That chick's not bad, Boss Dai. These guys must be from Cang Hui Academy," Fatty said, his eyes locked onto the only girl in the group.
To be fair, she did have a good figure—definitely above average. While Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were all beautiful, they were still just twelve years old. Compared to a fully matured young woman, they naturally seemed more youthful and delicate.
For someone like Fatty, that older, more mature look had a much stronger allure. Add in his raging hormonal energy, and it was no surprise his eyes were practically glowing.
Li Chang'an also took a look at the girl with his experienced eyes. But after just a glance, he shook his head.
Fatty's taste really wasn't anything to brag about.
Judging by the way she walked—specifically the stride and how much she opened her legs—Li Chang'an immediately pegged her as a ten-man-slayer, the type known for being a total heartbreaker. He felt absolutely no interest.
Before Dai Mubai could even comment, Li Chang'an turned serious and said,
"Fatty, just eat your food and stop thinking every girl is yours for the taking."
He wasn't fond of Fatty's personality, but this time he was being genuinely honest. That kind of woman? Best to stay far away. Catch something nasty, and you'd regret it forever.
However, Spirit Masters have extremely sharp hearing. What was meant as sincere advice from Li Chang'an didn't sit well with the people from Cang Hui Academy. After all, when you're out and about, the one thing that matters most is—face.
And that wasn't all. When Li Chang'an made that remark about the girl, he noticed the awkward and angry expressions on the faces of her fellow male students—and even their teacher. It was like he had accidentally pulled on their emotional tripwire.
Li Chang'an thought to himself:
'Did I just uncover something I wasn't supposed to? All six male classmates and even the teacher seem to be into her?'
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T/N:
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