"What?" "Another one with innate full spirit power?"
Faces around the room were etched with pure disbelief. All eyes turned to the corner where Tang San was lying on his bed. After Huo Feng's bombshell, they suddenly remembered that this other new kid was also pretty impressive. He had fought their boss, Wang Sheng, to a near standstill before the even more dazzling fights with Huo Feng and Xiao Wu had made them forget about him.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Tang San sat up and forced a stiff smile. "Huo Feng," he said quietly, his voice polite, "thank you for your help just now."
Some of the older students nodded, their impression of the quiet boy improving. Xiao Wu, however, just gave him a passing glance before her attention returned to Huo Feng.
Huo Feng simply waved his hand. "You should get more rest," he said, sounding genuinely concerned.
Tang San was taken aback for a second, and a wave of embarrassment washed over him. He's right. Huo Feng grew up in the same village as me, and he just stood up for me. And here I was, looking down on him just because he didn't become the Grandmaster's disciple. I've been too narrow-minded.
"Okay," Tang San nodded, saying nothing more.
Meanwhile, Wang Sheng felt a great sense of relief. His boss, Huo Feng, had innate full spirit power and an attack-type weapon Spirit. It was perfectly normal to lose to a genius like that. And Tang San, who also had innate full spirit power, had been defeated by him. That was more than enough to make him proud. My Battle Tiger Spirit is a powerful beast Spirit, he reasoned. Once I get my first spirit ring, a guy with a Blue Silver Grass Spirit won't stand a chance against me, even with full spirit power.
Just then, a teacher came into the dormitory. He introduced himself as Mo Hen and brought two sets of fresh bedding and pillows for Huo Feng and Tang San, explaining that the Grandmaster had sent them.
It made sense for Tang San, who was now his disciple. But Huo Feng was surprised that Yu Xiaogang had also sent a set for him. It seems that guy still hasn't given up on me, he thought. He can forget about me becoming his disciple, but there's no way I'm turning down free bedding. It would be foolish to refuse something that's already been given.
Mo Hen then assigned their work-study duties. Huo Feng and Xiao Wu were paired up to clean the southern half of the playground for ten bronze soul coins a day. Tang San was assigned the northern half with an older student. After explaining a few things about class schedules and other rules, Mo Hen left.
Tang San gratefully carried his new bedding to his bed. He was exhausted from the day's events and fell asleep almost instantly. Huo Feng, holding his own set, realized he still hadn't picked a bed.
"Bedding?" a voice said beside him. He turned to see Xiao Wu staring at the quilt in his arms. "I don't think I have any," she said, looking a little lost.
Hearing this, the other work-study students glanced at each other. None of them had an extra set. More importantly, Xiao Wu was a girl. They all looked at their own dusty, worn-out quilts and knew that no girl would ever want to use one of them.
Xiao Wu's eyes darted around the room before they landed back on the bedding in Huo Feng's arms. A clever idea seemed to strike her. "Huo Feng," she began, "can we talk about something?" For the first time, the confident girl seemed a little hesitant. A light blush crept onto her cheeks, and she lowered her head shyly.
"What is it?" Huo Feng asked, putting on his most innocent and serious expression. Inwardly, he was bracing himself. Here it comes. The famous plot point.
"Your quilt is so big," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "If we pushed our beds together... wouldn't it be just the right size to cover both of us?"
Her words fell into a stunned silence. The other boys stared, their jaws agape. Did a girl really just say that?
Huo Feng pretended to be just as shocked. "Huh? What did you say? Men and women are supposed to keep their distance. That's... that's not right."
His feigned reluctance seemed to strengthen Xiao Wu's resolve. "What's not right about it?" she challenged, looking up at him. "I'm a girl, and I'm not afraid. What are you so scared of? Are you afraid I'm going to eat you or something?"
"Ahem." Huo Feng coughed twice, pretending to be embarrassed. Then he puffed out his chest. "Who's afraid of who? If you're not scared, then neither am I!"
Before either of them could say another word, Wang Sheng sprang into action. "What are you all standing there for? The boss has spoken! Help them move the beds!"
At his command, a half-dozen boys rushed forward. They quickly pushed two empty beds together, took the bedding from Huo Feng's arms, and neatly made the new, larger bed.
Seeing their work was done, Xiao Wu happily hopped onto the bed and bounced a little. "It's nice and soft!" she declared with a smile. "This will be our bed from now on." She then started arranging her few belongings on the nightstand.
Whoa, Huo Feng thought. He knew the original plot, but this was a little different. In the story, Xiao Wu had placed a line of clothes down the middle of the bed as a boundary between her and Tang San. But with him, she didn't seem to feel the need for any boundary at all. Could this be the effect of those 99 points of charm?
[Ding!] [Correct. The 99 points of exclusive charm value only affects Xiao Wu's perception of the host. The host is not affected.]
The system's prompt explanation confirmed his theory.
From the corner of the room, Tang San couldn't help but watch. Even for someone who had lived two lives, Xiao Wu's forwardness was surprising. He looked at the large bed they had made and felt a strange pang in his chest.
"Boss! Xiao Wu! It's your first day, so dinner's on me!" Wang Sheng announced, scratching his head. "It's just the cafeteria, nothing fancy. I hope you don't mind."
Huo Feng and Xiao Wu looked at each other, hesitating. They knew the work-study students came from poor families and didn't have much money.
As if sensing their concern, Wang Sheng added, "Don't worry about it! You can treat me back someday when you have money."
Only then did Huo Feng and Xiao Wu agree.
"Alright, let's go!" Wang Sheng said, ready to lead the way. But then he stopped, remembering the person lying in the corner. It wouldn't be right to leave him out.
Smack!
Wang Sheng slapped his thigh. "Hey, Tang San! You should come too! My treat!"
Tang San, who had just drifted off, was jolted awake. Annoyed, he waved his hand without sitting up. "You guys go ahead. I'm not going."
The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment. Huo Feng quickly stepped in. "Tang San's probably not feeling well today. Let's just go."
Though he said that, Huo Feng knew the real reason. Tang San didn't have a single coin on him. His pride would never allow him to accept a free meal that he couldn't repay. Huo Feng, however, had a secret advantage. He had discovered earlier that he could convert his sacrifice points into the continent's currency. A single point was worth one hundred bronze soul coins. Money would not be a problem for him.