After leaving Sea God Island, Zhu Ziyang quickly returned to Du Weilun's office. Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya had already completed the soul bone fusion and were now sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
"Brother!" As soon as Zhu Ziyang entered the office, Jiang Nannan immediately stood up with joy.
"Zhu Ziyang, you're finally back! If you'd taken any longer, Nannan would've turned into a stone waiting for her husband!" Tang Ya stood up as well and teased.
"That's so exaggerated!" Jiang Nannan's pretty face turned a little red as she refuted.
"Hehe!" Zhu Ziyang smiled and asked, "You finished fusing your soul bones. How was it? Did you gain much from it?"
"Really well!" Tang Ya said excitedly. "I'm already at Rank 23 now! Once I use that Soul Ascension Pill, I should reach Rank 24. Then the gap between us will start to narrow! I'm so happy!"
"Is that so? Then congratulations!" Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up as he congratulated Tang Ya, and then immediately turned his gaze to Jiang Nannan.
Jiang Nannan understood his intention right away and, feeling a bit down, shook her head slightly. "I didn't break through. I'm still at Rank 27, but my first soul skill got enhanced."
"That's still great." Although Zhu Ziyang was just a little disappointed, it wasn't hard to accept. In fact, a strengthened soul skill could bring more substantial benefits.
Since Du Weilun wasn't in the office, the three of them left together.
"Hey, Zhu Ziyang, where did you and Dean Yan go?" On the way, Tang Ya's curiosity flared up. Her eyes were filled with a desire to know.
Jiang Nannan was holding onto Zhu Ziyang's arm, her face full of joy, but the smile quickly faded.
Because a faint fragrance was coming from Zhu Ziyang's body — one that seemed to have a soul of its own, drifting straight into her nose.
Confused, the girl's cute little nose twitched slightly. The scent only became stronger.
It was body fragrance — and not hers.
Instantly, she realized something.
"To Sea God Island," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile. There was no need to hide it.
"Sea God Island? The Inner Court!" Tang Ya exclaimed in surprise, even more curious now. "Quick, tell me — what's Sea God Island like? Did you meet any Inner Court students?"
She wasn't satisfied with asking alone and tugged Jiang Nannan's arm, saying, "Nannan, aren't you curious? Let's ask him together!"
But Jiang Nannan was already absent-minded and didn't respond to Tang Ya at all.
Her mind was in turmoil. She had smelled an unfamiliar fragrance on Zhu Ziyang. Her instincts told her that it definitely belonged to another girl. Her brother must have come into contact with another girl earlier — and in a very close manner, otherwise, he wouldn't have picked up her scent.
What should she do? A sense of unease welled up in her heart.
"Nannan?" Zhu Ziyang tapped the distracted girl lightly and asked, "What are you thinking about? So focused."
"Ah! N-nothing!" Jiang Nannan snapped out of it, quickly covering up with a smile.
But Zhu Ziyang instantly read her thoughts from her expression. He smiled and said, "When I was leaving Sea God Island, I got help from a senior Inner Court student. Otherwise, I would've had to wait for the ferry."
"Is that so? Then did you properly thank her?" Jiang Nannan visibly relaxed upon hearing that. She spoke playfully, but inside she thought, 'So that's what it was... I was overthinking again. Jiang Nannan, you have to work harder — you need to be excellent enough to hold onto your brother's heart!'
"Hey! Can you two stop ignoring how I feel over here? Don't just toss your lovey-dovey stuff around!" Tang Ya couldn't take it anymore, pouting as she spoke.
"Oh, oh! We'll be more careful next time." Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan quickly responded.
"Seriously, you two are going to drive me mad! Next time, I'm definitely bringing Beibei along!" Tang Ya huffed.
The three of them arrived at the core disciples' cafeteria.
This cafeteria was dedicated to the outer court's core disciples. Whether it was the atmosphere, the variety of food, or the taste, it was second only to the Inner Court's cafeteria. Most importantly, everything here was free for core disciples — one of their exclusive privileges.
"Tang Ya, over here!" As soon as they stepped into the cafeteria, they heard Beibei calling.
"Beibei!" The three of them followed the voice and spotted him standing at a table not far away. Tang Ya ran over excitedly.
"Sit down, I've already ordered." Beibei said.
"Then we won't be polite!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile and took a seat with Jiang Nannan.
"Tang Ya, why were you guys so slow?" Beibei asked as Tang Ya sat beside him.
"Mainly because we were waiting on Zhu Ziyang. He was taken to Sea God Island by Dean Yan." Tang Ya threw him under the bus without hesitation.
"Is that so?" Beibei's expression shifted subtly but, unlike Tang Ya, he didn't start asking questions. Instead, he smiled and said, "Looks like you gained a lot."
"Of course! We all got a Soul Ascension Pill!" Tang Ya said excitedly, but she wasn't satisfied — she also wanted to tell him about the soul bone. She glanced at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan, her expression seeking permission.
"Soul Ascension Pill!" Beibei was visibly surprised and also happy. "That means your soul power will rise by one rank — that's great news."
"Hehe!" Tang Ya stuck out her tongue cheekily. Seeing that neither Zhu Ziyang nor Jiang Nannan objected, she leaned in and whispered to Beibei.
Beibei's eyes widened, his joy clearly growing. The look he gave Zhu Ziyang was filled with gratitude.
After she finished whispering, Beibei said sincerely, "Ziyang, thank you — truly."
"No need to thank me. I only made the most beneficial choice," Zhu Ziyang replied with a calm smile.
Tang Ya mischievously winked at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. Clearly, she had chosen not to reveal Jiang Nannan's soul bone.
After dinner, the four of them returned to their dormitory.
"Tang Ya, you head up first," Jiang Nannan said at the stairs.
"Remember to come back early, okay? No staying out all night…" Tang Ya teased with a mischievous smile.
"Aiya! Tang Ya!" Jiang Nannan blushed and scolded with a hint of bashfulness.
"Hehehe~" Tang Ya giggled wickedly and headed off.
Jiang Nannan followed Zhu Ziyang into his room.
"Brother." Jiang Nannan hugged him tightly, her head pressed to his chest as she murmured softly.
"What's this? Hugging me out of nowhere — worried I'll run away?" Zhu Ziyang returned the embrace, teasing at first but then speaking sincerely. "Don't worry. I won't leave you."
"Mmm!" The girl nodded and hummed gently.
"Aren't you curious why I went to Sea God Island?" Zhu Ziyang held her as they sat down on the bed, his voice tender.
"Not really!" Jiang Nannan looked up, her pink eyes full of dependence. "I'm not like Tang Ya — always dying to get to the bottom of everything."
"So sweet!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled and gently stroked her hair. "It was nothing big. Just went to meet a few people and ended up taking a teacher."
"Meet people? Take a teacher?" Jiang Nannan suddenly sat up, excited. "Did you become Dean Yan's disciple? That's amazing! I heard he's a Rank 95 Titled Douluo, and his martial soul is the Light Phoenix! It pairs really well with your Stillness Fate Ending Scythe. This is really great!"
"Hehe." Seeing her so excited, Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but smile. "Something like that."
The girl was so caught up in her happiness, she completely missed the implications of Zhu Ziyang's words.
Until he told her the truth himself, she would never guess — her dear Zhu Ziyang hadn't become Dean Yan's disciple.
He had become his junior brother.
(End of Chapter)
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