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Su Wen was blissfully unaware of the schemes brewing in the minds of the two old foxes, Zhu Douluo and Yan Shaozhe. He sat casually on the grass beside the young lady, chatting away.
He had no true "peers" at the academy. Sister Xiaotao was six years his senior, and she was either tormenting him or pulling him into her bed to sleep. Their conversations never strayed beyond "cool me down" or "are you asleep yet?" If he wasn't, she'd wake him up to help her "cool off." This terrified him into feigning sleep every night. The moment he heard her footsteps, his snores would begin to thunder. Then she'd strip down to her light undergarments and slip into bed beside him, as if testing the waters…
Aside from Ma Xiaotao, senior sisters like Zhang Lexuan were always busy—either completing missions across the continent or secluded in cultivation for months at a time. In the Outer Court, aside from Ling Luochen, he rarely knew any other students.
Still, he had to admit, Ning Tian—despite her cropped hair and initial impression as some aristocratic young master—revealed a gentle femininity when she spoke with him. Every smile and frown carried a graceful warmth.
"Stop torturing that tree. You've almost stripped a whole layer of bark off," Su Wen said with a sigh when he heard the dull thumps from nearby.
"You mind your own business!" Wu Feng fumed, powerless.
Ning Tian's brow furrowed. She glanced over to see that Wu Feng, apparently having hurt her fists or still not vented her anger, had pressed her small mouth to the trunk and was fiercely tearing at the bark. (Reference: Yuan Hua's antics.)
Ning Tian: "…"
"Wu Feng!!!" she ground out through her teeth. The sweet, bird-like image she had just presented shattered in an instant. She was genuinely furious—could this girl not just behave herself for a moment?
Looking like a dejected puppy, Wu Feng slumped down beside Ning Tian. Su Wen grinned and couldn't resist stroking her red hair, which was surprisingly soft to the touch. For once, Wu Feng didn't dodge. Instead, she just gave Su Wen a pouting glare, a sliver of bark still stuck to her lips.
"You're here to help Wu Feng capture her second spirit ring?" Su Wen asked quietly.
"Yes. She just broke through to rank 20 last month and couldn't wait to come to the Star Dou Great Forest. But our trip isn't just for her. We also need to swing by the Extreme North to sort out the ores we purchased last time, and then head to the Xuanming Sect to negotiate a business deal…" Ning Tian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling warmly.
"Tsk tsk, as expected from the richest sect on the continent," Su Wen remarked.
At such a young age, she was already traveling far and wide under Zhu Douluo's guidance. It was no wonder she was so mature. In the original story, everything she did was for the sake of reviving the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. To be thinking of reviving her sect at her age was far better than a certain ungrateful traitor from ten thousand years ago, who had bled her sect dry before taking off without a second thought…
"But when wealth and strength don't align, it becomes a disaster," Ning Tian murmured, her expression growing a little downcast.
Su Wen fell silent for a moment, rather surprised.
It wasn't in Ning Tian's nature to speak so candidly with others. She shouldn't have, even with a normal friend… Could it be that she didn't see him as just a normal friend?
However, hearing her mention the Xuanming Sect reminded him of an unpleasant affair.
According to the original timeline, Jiang Nannan would soon be forced to sell her first night due to her mother's grave illness. That kid Xu Sanshi wasn't a bad person, but the whole situation should never have happened at Shrek Academy.
Besides, a conspiracy theory from his past life suggested that the Xuanming Sect might have orchestrated Jiang Nannan's mother's illness. The timing was just too coincidental.
It was difficult to find a young maiden of Jiang Nannan's caliber in the entire Heaven Soul Empire (the imperial family had some, but the sect wouldn't dare touch them). For a commoner to enter Shrek Academy with such excellent talent and strength, at a perfect age to match with Xu Sanshi, and on top of all that… for them both to be from the same city?
He would die before believing the Xuanming Sect hadn't done something to push things along.
I'll ask Dean Yan about it when I get back, he thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ning Tian noticed he was in a daze and waved her slender hand in front of his face.
"Oh, I was just thinking that in a year, we'll be classmates. It'll be interesting," Su Wen said with a cheerful smile.
"In a year…"
A faint blush appeared on Ning Tian's pretty face, a hint of anticipation shining in her eyes.
"Hmph…"
Wu Feng rested her head in her hands, glaring resentfully at the two of them.
How dare he steal Miss's heart so brazenly! she fumed internally.
I'll definitely tell Uncle Zhu on him later! Her eyes shifted, a glint of "wisdom" flashing within them. That's right! This Su Wen kid can't marry into the sect, so there's no way the sect will marry Miss off to him! I'm a genius! Miss and I will be together forever! Forever!
A foolish grin spread across Wu Feng's face.
"Wu Feng! What are you grinning foolishly about now? You're drooling!" Ning Tian said through clenched teeth.
She had only looked away for a moment and the girl was already acting silly again. She really wanted to get far away from her…
"Oh, oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something happy," Wu Feng said, snapping out of it. She wiped the drool from her mouth and put on a serious expression.
Su Wen shot Wu Feng a strange look.
He had a feeling the girl was up to no good, but she was such a goofball. How much trouble could she possibly cause?
He smiled fondly and thought no more of it.
"Xiao Wen, aren't you going to introduce me?"
Ma Xiaotao's tall figure appeared beside them. She looked down at the two, her presence rather oppressive, and her cool gaze fixed on them.
"Oh. This is Ning Tian, the Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
"And this is—"
Before Su Wen could finish, Ning Tian stood up and warmly took Ma Xiaotao's hand. "You must be the Inner Court's Sister Xiaotao! I've long heard of your great name. Seeing you today, you truly are the number one genius on the continent. Your beauty and grace are unmatched. I'm your biggest fan…"
"Ah? Haha, is that so?"
A corner of Ma Xiaotao's mouth twitched, and her stunningly beautiful face couldn't quite maintain its indifferent mask. Her expression became awkward, and she coughed twice. "Well, that's quite a coincidence."
"It is, Sister Xiaotao. And as it happens, I brought a small gift."
With that, she took out a crimson hairpin from her storage-type soul tool.
She carefully handed it to Ma Xiaotao.
With a brilliant smile, she said, "It's our first meeting, so the gift isn't expensive, but it matches your temperament perfectly. I hope you will accept it."
"Ah, this…" Ma Xiaotao swallowed, took a deep breath, and then said with a magnanimous air, "Since that's the case, I'll accept this gift. From now on, when you come to Shrek Academy, just mention my name! I've got your back!"
"Okay," Ning Tian said with a sweet smile.
"Give it to me, I'll help you put it on."
Su Wen shook his head.
She's been completely won over.
He stood up, took the jade hairpin from Ma Xiaotao's hand, and had her sit down. He then stood behind her and skillfully began to arrange her hair. After weaving it into a style, he secured it with the hairpin.
(End of Chapter)