Even though they knew it was impossible, the overwhelming sense of déjà vu struck those students like they’d bitten into a sour lemon—they were green with envy.
How could a new student who had just entered the Inner Academy possibly know the Purple-Clothed Goddess?
No way! I refuse to accept it!
“That guy earlier was acting all sneaky. He didn’t look like a good person.”
Long Ying said this while eating. A small mountain of bones had already piled up beside her hand. Although she was trying to eat elegantly, her speed was still impressively fast.
“No need to pay them any mind. They’re just paparazzi stalking Zi Ji.”
“What’s a paparazzi?”
“A stalker.”
“Oh~”
Zi Xunyi rolled her eyes at Yan Zhen before picking up a piece of red-braised pork and placing it into Long Ying’s bowl. She asked, “Little Long Ying, how did you end up here?”
Long Ying answered honestly. “I was being chased by people from the Phoenix God Clan and accidentally teleported over.”
“Why were people from the Phoenix God Clan chasing you?”
“Because I ate one of their Nirvana Fruits.”
Zi Xunyi was immediately speechless.
Nirvana Fruits were the Phoenix God Clan’s supreme treasures. The Phoenix Perch Blood Wutong tree bore fruit only once every thousand years, and even then, it produced at most three. Each fruit was incredibly precious—it could awaken phoenix ancestral blood or enable a nirvana rebirth.
This child truly didn’t know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth.
“You can’t do something like that again. If it causes bad blood between the Dragon God Clan and the Phoenix God Clan, that’ll be a real disaster.”
“If there’s bad blood, so be it. That flock of silly birds struts around like they own the place, but they’re all weaklings in reality.”
“Does your clan know about this?”
“They probably do by now. But they won’t find this place anytime soon. Besides, I don’t want to go back yet.”
What a bratty kid… Zi Xunyi shook her head inwardly.
Long Ying swallowed the food in her mouth and gulped down some tea before continuing. “More than that, I’m curious—has Sister Xunyi already gotten together with Yan Zhen Zhen?”
“Huh?” Zi Xunyi’s face flushed red in an instant. “What nonsense is that? I haven’t gotten together with him like that or anything.”
As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen awkwardly scratched his cheek, unsure of how to respond.
Long Ying looked at Zi Xunyi, then at Yan Zhen. “Not yet? Then it won’t make Sister Xunyi jealous if I live with Yan Zhen Zhen?”
Zi Xunyi smiled lightly. “No matter what, I wouldn’t get jealous over a little kid.”
Long Ying shook her head. “I’m not a little kid. I only turned like this because I ate a Nirvana Fruit. Originally, I was a graceful and poised beauty!”
Her words were directed at Zi Xunyi, but her gaze flicked toward Yan Zhen.
She was desperately dropping hints.
Zi Xunyi paid it no mind. In her eyes, Long Ying was just displaying childish whimsy. “You’re still a little kid right now.”
Yan Zhen secretly curled his lip. Long Ying had indeed been a beauty in her original form, but changing back would take quite some time. And even then, it would only last less than five minutes—like Ultraman’s transformation.
“Forget the beauty talk. Just eat up. I’ve still got cultivation to do after this.”
Seeing no special reaction from either of them, Long Ying wasn’t pleased. She pouted her little mouth and kept chowing down.
Right now, she desperately needed to replenish her energy. Once she accumulated enough, she could briefly revert to her original body.
The two of them weren’t that close yet. If Yan Zhen caught sight of her killer figure, he absolutely wouldn’t react with that same oblivious boyishness as in his previous life.
With that thought, Long Ying shoveled the food even more vigorously, gradually forgetting all about maintaining elegance.
Yan Zhen nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
—Good thing the rice bucket loli was still a rice bucket loli. She’d kept insisting she wasn’t hungry, nearly throwing him for a loop.
The dishes on the table were almost entirely demolished by Long Ying. Yan Zhen called over the waiter and had him bring another full spread.
But just then, a commotion erupted from outside. A large group of people surged into the private room, surrounding Yan Zhen, Long Ying, and Zi Xunyi.
By rough count, there were nearly thirty of them. They wore crisp pure-white uniforms—white fabric with white trim and a white canine tooth badge pinned to the chest.
The elite society, White Fang!
Three led the pack, including Fu Cheng—the man Yan Zhen had beaten just a few days prior. There was also White Fang’s other Mystic General, and finally their leader: Bai Ao, ranked thirty-third on the General Star List, with cultivation at the Four-Star Mystic General stage!
He had platinum-blond short hair, sharp eyes, prominent canines, and a small scar on his face that lent him a fierce air—a man who truly lived up to his name.
—How had White Fang’s people tracked them here?
Yan Zhen frowned. In the script, his meal with Long Ying was supposed to be uninterrupted. Was the plot derailing?
Zi Xunyi remained seated with an expressionless face, not sparing White Fang’s group a single glance.
Long Ying, meanwhile, curiously eyed the intruders while scarfing down her food with gusto. In her previous life, she had never crossed paths with them.
“You’re that Yan Zhen?” Bai Ao strode to the spot opposite Yan Zhen and looked down at him. “You don’t look like much on the outside, yet you took down our society’s top fighter.”
Yan Zhen replied flatly, “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that interrupting other people’s meals is incredibly rude?”
“You’ve got quite the mouth.” Bai Ao sneered. “But this young master isn’t here for chit-chat today. Hand over that Level 4 Courtyard Card, and I’ll let you walk out safely. Otherwise, whatever you’ve eaten, you’ll puke it all up later—then you can leave.”
Yan Zhen’s brows furrowed. “You want to eat my vomit? That’s a little too kinky.”
“Kid, what did you just say?!”
White Fang’s second-in-command pointed at Yan Zhen and bellowed. Bai Ao raised a hand, silencing his subordinate.
“In the Inner Academy, strength is the only thing that matters. A slick tongue won’t save you—you talk big, you die ugly.”
“Then what are you doing barking here?” Yan Zhen turned his head leisurely, meeting Bai Ao’s gaze. “Living up to your reputation?”
Bai Ao despised anyone throwing “dog” in his face.
“You won’t drink the toast—you’ll drink the forfeit!”
With that, he reached to flip the table.
But the table didn’t budge an inch. It stood firm like a boulder.
Bai Ao froze, about to apply more force, when Zi Xunyi spoke up. “That’s far enough. Don’t go overboard, Student Bai.”
Bai Ao reluctantly released his grip. He didn’t dare offend Zi Xunyi—she was second on the General Star List, the object of Wen Canglan’s affections.
He had planned to ignore her and go straight for Yan Zhen, but it seemed Zi Xunyi had some connection to the guy and was covering for him.
Lucky bastard!
“If it’s Miss Zi Ji speaking up, then Bai will let him off this once—for your sake.”
Bai Ao turned back to Yan Zhen and muttered, “You’re lucky today. Take my advice: don’t cling to what’s not yours, or else… heh.”
“Sore loser? Just admit it—no need to put on airs.” Yan Zhen showed no courtesy. “You’re thirty-third on the General Star List, right? I already beat your society’s Fu Cheng. Come next month’s ranking update, I’ll be on the list. At that point, I’ll challenge you. Get your Academy Card ready—at least Level 5, with no fewer than three thousand points. Thanks.”
