The first soul ring beneath Xiao Wu's feet lit up.
"First Soul Skill—Waist Bow!"
Whoosh!
Her scorpion braid wrapped tightly around Tang San's neck, lifting him into the air.
With her back to him, Xiao Wu kicked him hard in the waist, using it as a pivot.
Tang San was instantly flipped upside down.
Coming back to his senses, he tried desperately to loosen the braid, but it was already too late.
All he could do was watch helplessly as the ground rushed toward him.
Bang!
"Ah—!"
Tang San screamed in agony. Xiao Wu hadn't held back at all; pain surged through every bone in his body.
Before he could even recover, the sensation of weightlessness returned.
"First Soul Skill—Waist Bow!"
Tang San's pupils shrank in terror.
Does Xiao Wu really want to kill me?!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ignoring everything else, Xiao Wu mechanically activated her first soul skill again and again.
Ye Qiu had just finished tearing the Blue Silver Grass from his body when a chill suddenly ran down his spine.
A strong sense of unease surged within him.
He's here… He's nearby!
"Enough, Xiao Wu!" Ye Qiu shouted urgently.
Snap!
He grabbed her wrist firmly.
"Let it go…"
"But Xiao Qiu—"
"Stop," Ye Qiu said quietly, tightening his grip until her wrist turned red.
Xiao Wu winced slightly and looked at him in confusion.
Tang San lay motionless on the ground, already unconscious. Several of his bones were likely broken.
"Wang Sheng! Carry Tang San to the bed!" Ye Qiu ordered.
No one moved.
Only after Xiao Wu shot them a sharp glare did they react.
"Y-Yes!"
Xiao Wu didn't spare Tang San another glance. She hugged Ye Qiu's arm and tilted her head.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Qiu didn't answer. He simply patted her head.
Beneath his black cloth, his martial soul quietly activated. His gaze sharpened as it passed through the wall, surveying the surroundings.
Only after confirming there was nothing abnormal did Ye Qiu finally relax.
Seeing his strange behavior, Xiao Wu reached out and placed her hand on his forehead.
"Xiao Qiu, are you feeling unwell? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"It's nothing," Ye Qiu replied softly. "I just want some peace and quiet."
"Who is 'peace and quiet'?" Xiao Wu pouted. She had beaten Tang San so badly, yet Xiao Qiu didn't even praise her.
Ye Qiu smiled bitterly but didn't answer.
What a silly rabbit… so carefree.
Seeing that Wang Sheng and the others had settled Tang San, Ye Qiu was about to send someone to call the teacher—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the dormitory door was hammered violently, like raindrops striking wood.
It was obvious the visitor was not in a good mood.
After knocking for a while without a response, an angry voice rang out:
"Xiao Wu! Open the door immediately!"
Wang Sheng and the others recognized the voice but didn't dare step forward.
"Yu Xiaogang…" Ye Qiu muttered.
As expected.
He hadn't misjudged it—Tang Hao had been nearby earlier. Otherwise, how could Yu Xiaogang have arrived so quickly?
Without hesitation, Ye Qiu stepped forward to open the door.
"Xiao Qiu…" Xiao Wu called out worriedly.
He gave her a reassuring look.
Open the door. Face it calmly.
The door swung open.
Yu Xiaogang stood outside, dressed in his academic robes. His usually expressionless face was now twisted with anger, and fear flickered in his eyes.
He was breathing heavily, clearly having rushed over at full speed.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't wanted to run like this—
But he had no choice.
He had been reading in his room when Haotian Douluo, his idol, appeared once more.
And told him that his disciple—the future star—had been beaten unconscious by a little girl.
Upon hearing that, Yu Xiaogang didn't dare delay for even a second.
After pounding on the door for so long—
It finally opened.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?!"
Yu Xiaogang was furious as he glared at Wang Sheng and the others, who were huddled together inside the dormitory.
His gaze swept past Ye Qiu and landed on Xiao Wu, clearly preparing to reprimand her.
"Tang San is over there."
Ye Qiu, too lazy to listen to his nonsense, pointed toward Tang San, who was slumped on the bed.
"Disciple!"
Yu Xiaogang saw the figure lying there and rushed over in panic.
"Disciple! Disciple!" He shook him hard, but there was no response. Fear slowly crept into his heart.
He was nothing more than a useless man who had been kicked out of his family, a fraud expelled from Spirit Hall by the Holy Maiden, and a fool abandoned by his own cousin—but he didn't want to die.
After being ridiculed for most of his life, he wanted to prove himself to the world!
"Damn it! How dare you!"
Yu Xiaogang glared viciously at Xiao Wu, his eyes bloodshot as saliva flew from his mouth.
"If anything happens to my disciple, all of you will be executed!"
"Hmph! He was the one who started it!"
Xiao Wu wasn't afraid of a mere level 29 useless old man.
"Master, don't worry. He's probably only broken a few bones. As long as he's taken to a healing-type Soul Master in time, he'll be fine."
Ye Qiu tugged at Xiao Wu's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking, then told Yu Xiaogang to take Tang San away.
Hearing Ye Qiu's words, Yu Xiaogang finally calmed down a little. He placed his hand on Tang San's neck to check his breathing, then let out a sigh of relief.
A gust of cold wind blew in from outside, making him shiver. His back was already soaked with sweat.
"Hmph! It'd better be as you say. Otherwise, none of you will escape!"
After leaving those harsh words behind, Yu Xiaogang carried Tang San on his back and left without another word.
As Ye Qiu stared into the night, he noticed a dark figure appear beside Yu Xiaogang as he hurried away. The shadow blended into the darkness, indistinct and fleeting.
---
"Xiao Qiu… how about we leave Notting Academy?"
Xiao Wu's voice pulled Ye Qiu back to reality.
Leave? Where would we go? And could we even leave?
Without saying much, Ye Qiu pulled her into his arms.
"Don't worry. Get some rest. Everything will be fine in a few days…"
"Mm…"
Xiao Wu replied softly. She didn't understand what Ye Qiu was thinking, but she trusted him completely.
---
Late at night, the lights in Dormitory Seven were extinguished. Everyone else had fallen asleep, but Ye Qiu couldn't close his eyes.
This incident will definitely catch Tang Hao's attention. Staying by Xiao Wu's side won't last much longer…
"Xiao Wu?"
As Ye Qiu was lost in thought, he noticed Xiao Wu quietly getting up.
She tiptoed to his bedside and lay down beside him without hesitation.
Xiao Wu leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, nestled into his embrace, and rubbed her head gently against his chest.
"Xiao Qiu~ It's been so long since we slept together like this. Hug me… okay?"
Her sweet, gentle voice soothed his restless heart.
The tension in his stiff body slowly melted away.
Holding the soft girl in his arms, their eyes met.
I should go to the Soul Hunting Forest soon. Without soul skills, I won't be safe at all.
Today's incident had proven that Xiao Wu had to step in to protect him.
He had already made up his mind—no matter what happened to him, he would never allow anything to happen to Xiao Wu. Sacrifice was out of the question.
Ye Qiu had no interest in soul rings meant for his deceased wife.
While thinking about tomorrow's plans, he suddenly felt a soft, familiar touch on his lips.
After a brief moment, Xiao Wu's gentle voice sounded again.
"Xiao Qiu~ Rest early. Xiao Wu will always be with you."
"Mm…"
---