---o---
Huaiyan's hand, originally stroking his beard, stiffened in mid-air. He had heard from Jing Yuan that Fu Zhu was Yanqing's master, but he hadn't expected that March 7th, who was previously just a companion mentioned by Jing Yuan, would turn out to be Fu Zhu's girlfriend upon his return to the Luofu.
The scene instantly stagnated. After a long silence, Huaiyan finally offered a stiff congratulation to Fu Zhu.
"Congratulations."
Fu Zhu also bowed his hands to Huaiyan, slightly reserved.
"Thank you."
Subsequently, the scene fell into silence once more.
Yunli also felt that having Yanqing's "Mistress" become a disciple for the two of them was truly a bit... absurd. She proposed, "How about we switch to someone else?"
But switch to whom? Everyone present knew that the Nameless of the Astral Express were the most suitable candidates; no one fit the bill better than they did.
Yunli realized this as well and silently turned her gaze toward Xing. Xing spread her hands with a face full of innocence.
"Don't look at me. Even if I do it, the seniority will be just as messy."
In the end, it was Fu Zhu who offered a solution.
He looked at Yanqing and Yunli with a hint of helplessness and said, "You two just act as March's sword art teachers. If you aren't 'Masters,' the seniority won't get messed up. Just treat it like a remedial class on the weekend."
"..."
Everyone felt this was the only way. Yanqing finally let out a sigh of relief.
He really didn't dare to have Mistress March call him "Master"—that feeling was just too weird!
After settling this matter, Yunli excitedly grabbed March 7th's hand. "March, let's go, let's go! Let's go practice swordplay!"
"Eh? In such a rush?"
"Of course! We have to make sure you win at least one match. There's an old saying: the best time to do something was yesterday, the next best time is now! Let's go, let's go!"
Unable to resist Yunli, March 7th could only turn her head and reach out to grab Fu Zhu's hand. "You come too! This is the remedial class you paid for; you have to take responsibility!"
Fu Zhu didn't resist. He docilely followed March 7th and Yunli toward the Seat of Divine Foresight's exterior. Yanqing also hurriedly bowed to Jing Yuan and Huaiyan before following them.
Left behind, Xing scratched her head. She actually wanted to follow them to watch the drama unfold, but her intuition told her that if she went, some troublesome things might happen. It was better not to go!
But staying alone was boring...
"Dan Heng, what do you plan to do next?"
Dan Heng glanced at her. He knew perfectly well that Xing was a restless fellow. Asking him now clearly meant she wanted to go find some fun, but unfortunately, she found the wrong person.
"Chatting with old friends and the like. You know I don't like to move around much."
Xing pouted, understanding Dan Heng's meaning.
"Alright then, I'll go back and play on my phone by myself. Bye-bye."
...
March 7th and Fu Zhu were brought by Yanqing to the Wardance arena Fu Zhu had visited last time. The space here was ample, and all sorts of weapon training equipment were complete. It was an excellent place to teach March 7th swordplay.
Yunli glanced at the complete range of equipment around her and couldn't help but click her tongue in praise.
"Eh~ I didn't expect the Luofu's Wardance arena to be quite decent!"
Yanqing gave Yunli an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Naturally, the Luofu wouldn't be sloppy in this regard."
Then, he turned his head and bowed to Fu Zhu and March 7th. "Master, Mistress, please wait a moment. I need to go fetch something."
Yunli also spoke up at the right time, "I'm going to prepare a bit too. March, you wait here, okay!"
After speaking, the two of them retreated from the arena in unison, leaving only Fu Zhu and March 7th standing there.
Watching her two teachers leave, March 7th felt a mix of nervousness and panic. She grabbed Fu Zhu's sleeve. "Fu Zhu, what do I do? I'm a bit nervous! Do you think I can learn this? Or maybe you can help me? Like that [Proud Soul Fragment] you took out last time? Just let me speed-run it?"
"That won't do."
Fu Zhu decisively shook his head and refused. "Martial arts isn't achieved in a single leap. It's not just about technique; you also need the corresponding physical stamina."
Although explicitly rejected by Fu Zhu, she was still a bit unwilling to give up. She simply grabbed Fu Zhu's right hand with both of hers, shaking his arm while swinging her body along with it.
"Just help me out, pleeease~"
Seeing March 7th acting spoiled, Fu Zhu really couldn't hold back. He lowered his head and planted a fierce kiss on her lips, then lifted his head and grinned.
"I will help you spiritually."
Attacked suddenly by Fu Zhu, March 7th's face flushed red. Subconsciously, she began to savor the sudden kiss and didn't pester Fu Zhu to help her anymore.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A burst of coughing rang out. Yanqing and Yunli were standing awkwardly at the entrance of the arena, holding things in their hands.
Yanqing scratched his head, his eyes drifting a bit. "Master, Mistress, did I... come at a bad time?"
While Yunli felt a bit awkward, she still stared with wide, watery eyes, unblinkingly fixated on the pair.
March 7th hurriedly waved her hands, forcing a smile. "No, no, you guys came at just the right time."
Yunli immediately walked over carrying her items and handed them to March 7th. "March, March, look quickly! Check out the gift I prepared for you!"
"Eh? For me?" March 7th was somewhat surprised. "Shouldn't it be me preparing gifts for the two teachers?"
Yanqing walked over with a serious face and handed out the item in his arms as well. "Mistress, this is a gift Yanqing prepared to wish you and Master well. Please accept it."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Yunli directly copied Yanqing's reason and said with a grin, "Although we haven't known each other long, you're already my good friend! A good friend finding a boyfriend naturally calls for a celebration! Go try this gift on and see if it fits!"
Yunli forcefully stuffed the gift in her hands into March 7th's, then urged her toward the changing room.
Not long after, when March 7th stood before Fu Zhu with two braided pigtails, dressed in red clothes filled with an immortal, chivalrous aura, he suddenly clutched his chest.
Because the young girl in front of him right now truly looked too much like those "Junior Martial Sisters" from the cultivation novels!
Fu Zhu excitedly leaned in, held March 7th's shoulders, and said urgently, "March, can you call me 'Big Senior Brother'?"
"Huh?"
March 7th didn't quite understand Fu Zhu's meaning, but she still sweetly called out.
"Big Senior Brother?"
Fu Zhu clutched his chest fiercely, feeling as if his heart had just been struck by an arrow. He hurriedly said to Yanqing and Yunli on the side, "Can you two close your eyes and cover your ears for a moment?"
Yanqing obediently did as told. Yunli glanced at Fu Zhu suspiciously, but then honestly covered her ears—though she quietly opened her eyes a slit once they were closed.
Waiting until the two had closed their eyes, Fu Zhu immediately pulled March 7th into his embrace and rubbed her vigorously.
"Don't... go back for now, okay?"
March 7th glanced shyly at Yanqing and Yunli. She didn't refuse, only feeling that doing this in front of two teachers was really shy-inducing.
Fu Zhu didn't care about that. March 7th in her "Junior Sister Form" was practically dancing on his XP (fetish). He directly used his mouth to seal her lips, preventing her from saying any more words of refusal.
Yunli, quietly peeking through narrowed eyes, saw this scene and was scared to the point that her eyes almost popped open. So, so bold!
A long time passed, until March 7th went completely limp in Fu Zhu's embrace, panting lightly, before Fu Zhu contentedly held her.
Yanqing and Yunli opened their eyes at this moment. The former saw the scene and silently turned his head away, whispering, "Master, Mistress, perhaps we should forget about today's practice?"
Yunli also chimed in teasingly, "Yeah, look at Little March. I'm afraid she can't even hold a sword now."
Hearing the two of them teasing her, March 7th shyly punched Fu Zhu's chest with her pink fist.
"It's all your fault! You could have done these things after we went back."
Fu Zhu, however, smiled brazenly and guaranteed, "I promise I absolutely won't disturb your class. Besides... Little March, you were the one who invited me! You have to take responsibility!"
"Me?" March 7th stared at her boyfriend in shock, discovering for the first time that his face was this thick!
Yanqing silently glanced at the time on his phone. Since they arrived at the Wardance arena, half a [System Hour] had passed. Excluding the time he and Yunli spent preparing gifts for their Mistress...
Just the Master and Mistress flirting had taken up half a [System Hour]. At this rate, they probably wouldn't get much practicing done today!
It was just as the General said: Love only slows down the speed at which he draws his sword!
Even Yunli, who loved watching drama, couldn't stand it anymore. The drama was fun to watch, but if they missed the timing to sharpen the blade, that would be bad!
"Alright, you two go back to flirting slowly later. Let's practice swordplay first, okay?"
Fu Zhu and March 7th also felt they had gone a bit overboard and nodded in agreement repeatedly. March 7th walked forward to cooperate with her two teachers, while Fu Zhu took March 7th's camera and walked to the side to sit and observe the teaching.
Because it was the first day of teaching, Yunli and Yanqing only taught March 7th the correct Horse Stance (Zhamabu) and a few simple sword-swinging postures.
However, Fu Zhu, sitting on the side, kept pressing the shutter. His hand speed was so fast that it made one worry whether the camera's memory card could handle it.
Looking at March 7th on the camera screen—holding the Horse Stance, her eyes tightly closed due to the fatigue in her legs, her small mouth pouting in that cute manner—Fu Zhu felt an itch in his heart.
He suddenly had the urge to use a tool from MC to turn March 7th into...
After watching for a while longer, Fu Zhu truly couldn't sit still anymore. He knew deeply that if he continued to stay here, he wouldn't be able to resist making a move on his girlfriend in her cute "Junior Sister Form." He could only shout to the three of them.
"March, I'm going out for a trip. I'll come to pick you up when your class is over."
Because March 7th was currently holding the Horse Stance and had to tense her entire body, she could only hum a muffled acknowledgement.
Fu Zhu nodded to Yunli and Yanqing, then left the Wardance arena.
Watching Fu Zhu leave, Yunli couldn't help but say to Yanqing beside her, "How about we put up a sign inside the Wardance arena later? 'Fu Zhu prohibited from entering during class time.' What do you think? I feel like this could effectively increase the teaching progress."
Yanqing, however, rejected it with a serious face. "I will not allow such defilement of my Master."
Yunli pouted. "I was just saying..."
After leaving the Wardance arena, standing outside, Fu Zhu felt as though he was currently wrapped in a nameless fire. This wasn't some negative status effect, so it couldn't be cleared by drinking [Milk].
"I need to find someone to vent this fire..."
The first person Fu Zhu thought of was naturally the most excellent punching bag, Hulei. He handily took out his phone and sent a message to Jing Yuan. Since he had agreed with Huaiyan to let him watch when he modified the Demon Blade, but didn't have Huaiyan's contact information, he could only ask Jing Yuan to pass the message.
After sending the message, Fu Zhu went directly to the skiff dock, hailed a starskiff, and rode it straight toward the Shackling Prison.
When Fu Zhu got off the boat at the dock before the Shackling Prison, he discovered that Huaiyan had actually arrived a step ahead of him.
"Old Yan, you're fast."
Huaiyan looked at Fu Zhu walking over with a jolly expression and stroked his white beard, explaining, "This old man was a bit impatient, so I simply flew over here myself."
"Then shall we go in?"
"Mn."
As Fu Zhu and Huaiyan walked into the Shackling Prison, a judge immediately surrounded them.
"Lord Fu Zhu, General Huaiyan, please come this way. General Jing Yuan has instructed us long ago."
Because they had reported to Jing Yuan in advance, the judges in the Shackling Prison already knew about Fu Zhu and Huaiyan's arrival. As soon as they arrived, the judges immediately led them outside Hulei's cell.
Just standing outside, separated by the thick door, Fu Zhu and Huaiyan could hear the muffled groans ringing out from inside from time to time. However, the tone of these groans was a bit strange.
After the judge opened the door, Fu Zhu and Huaiyan walked in. Subsequently, for safety reasons, the door was closed again after the two entered. However, this time the judge gave Fu Zhu a [Jade Abacus] specifically used to notify them to open the door.
As soon as they walked into the cell, Fu Zhu noticed that the [Sheep F*cker Machine] he had previously left here was still operating at high speed. The muffled groans heard outside the door earlier were precisely emitted because Hulei was being attacked by the [Sheep F*cker Machine].
"Judges... they actually haven't dismantled the [Sheep F*cker Machine]? Does this mean they acknowledge my torture device?"
Fu Zhu muttered to himself cheerfully.
Huaiyan also noticed the strange machine behind Hulei. He walked over to take a look, and with just one glance, he couldn't help but turn his head away, shaking it and sighing.
"The decline of public morals... I didn't expect the judges of the Luofu to actually come up with such... a torturous device."
Having lived for so many years, this was the first time he had seen such a method of torturing people. This was truly too stimulating for an elderly man.
Fu Zhu, however, said with a chuckle from the side, "Old Yan, you've misunderstood. This is my masterpiece. I left this [Sheep F*cker Machine] here previously."
Huaiyan froze for a moment, stroking his beard for a good long while, not knowing what to say. He could only stare tightly at Fu Zhu with a gaze containing unknown emotions.
And during the moment the two were conversing, Hulei suddenly snapped his eyes open. Those bloodshot eyes stared deathly at Fu Zhu.
"FU——ZHU——!!!"