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Chapter 49: How About I Call You Xiao Wu From Now On?
Early morning.
Zhu Zhuqing was up bright and early. She shared a dormitory with Ning Rongrong, so she woke her up as well.
This pampered young lady recalled her father's instructions from when she arrived. Although she originally wanted to laze in bed a bit longer, she had no choice but to give her new classmate some face and dutifully get out of bed.
After the two finished washing up and tidying their appearance, they opened their door, preparing to go eat breakfast first.
Soon, after being directed by passersby, the two arrived at the academy's dining hall.
The so-called dining hall was actually just an agreement between the academy and the village, which involved hiring a few villagers to be responsible for the students' meals. Breakfast was nothing more than a bowl of thin porridge with white flour steamed buns, accompanied by some pickled vegetables at most.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but furrow their delicate brows as they looked at the crude meals in the dining hall. Soul Masters were also human and needed to eat to survive. Moreover, compared to ordinary people, Soul Masters needed to eat better for their daily three meals due to their cultivation. Affluent Soul Masters even ate Soul Beast meat.
This was because the energy contained in Soul Beast meat was very beneficial to a Soul Master's body. Therefore, in some mid-to-high-level academies, the food provided to students was basically Soul Beast meat or meals made from plant-type Soul Beasts.
But what about this academy?
Thin porridge and white flour steamed buns. Oh, right, with pickled vegetables.
What nutrition could such food possibly provide?
For ordinary people, it might be acceptable.
But for Soul Masters, it was simply too crude.
Besides, they were only twelve years old and still growing. Eating this every day? If they also had to face high-intensity training, wouldn't it wreck their bodies?
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's evaluation of this academy dropped once again in their hearts; they were vaguely regretting having enrolled.
Is this school truly reliable?
Although they had quite a few complaints about this academy, the two girls did not show any disdain on the surface. Instead, they calmly received a portion of white porridge with steamed buns and pickled vegetables from the dining hall attendant and found a random seat.
They silently began their meal.
Leaving Zhu Zhuqing aside, Ning Rongrong, though pampered since childhood, wasn't someone who couldn't endure a little hardship. Therefore, after her first taste of the steamed buns and pickled vegetables, she actually found them acceptable, not inedible. After all, she had never eaten such common food before. It was a novel experience.
But if she really had to eat this kind of food every day in the future, she definitely wouldn't stand for it.
Just as the two were eating, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the dining hall's entrance. A moment later, four boys walked in.
Aside from Tang San and Dai Mubai, the other two were a handsome youth with a pair of 'peach blossom' eyes, and a short, stout little fatty with two wisps of a 'rat whisker' mustache.
“Wow! Two beauties!” The moment the little fatty entered, he saw Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. His eyes immediately glowed green, and he instinctively began rubbing his hands together. His appearance was utterly lecherous!
Dai Mubai, who was beside him, quickly elbowed him and whispered, “Behave yourself. You'd best suppress that Evil Fire.”
The little fatty said angrily, “Why? Are you going to make a move again? I say, Boss Dai, even if you're the boss, you should at least leave some scraps for your brothers.”
Dai Mubai elbowed him again, then stole a glance at Zhu Zhuqing. She seemed not to have noticed them, slowly eating her breakfast, her expression still ice-cold.
“Cough, cough.”
Dai Mubai coughed and said, “Since everyone's here, and we'll all be living and cultivating together for a while, let's get to know each other. Let me introduce you: this fatty is another student from our academy, named Ma Hongjun. His Martial Soul is a Chicken—oh, no, a Phoenix.”
Upon hearing the word “Phoenix,” Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing immediately looked up. When they saw Ma Hongjun's stout, short figure, they instantly suspected Dai Mubai had misspoken.
This... was a Phoenix?
One must know that when Martial Souls awaken on the Douluo Continent, the type of Martial Soul has a certain influence on the Soul Master's appearance. Thus, Soul Masters with Tiger-type Martial Souls mostly appear as mighty strongmen or tall beauties. Soul Masters with Cat or Fox-type Martial Souls are generally handsome or beautiful.
As for the Phoenix, an unquestionably top-tier Martial Soul that embodies both beauty and power...
Shouldn't its possessor be a handsome man?
Looking at this little fatty, it would be more believable if his Martial Soul was a swine.
A Phoenix? Was he worthy?
Sensing the two girls' distrustful gazes, Dai Mubai said awkwardly, “I know it's hard for you to believe, but Fatty's Martial Soul really is a Phoenix… Oh, and this is Oscar, a Food-Type Soul Master. His Martial Soul is a sausage.” He quickly pointed to the other peach-blossom-eyed youth.
“Hello, everyone…” Oscar nervously raised his hand in greeting.
After the introductions were complete, Dai Mubai continued, “From now on, we'll all be living and cultivating together. There's no need to be too formal with titles. Including the three of you new arrivals, there are only six people in the academy in total. Little Oscar and Fatty both call me Boss Dai because I'm a bit older than them. You can just call me Mubai. As for Ma Hongjun, just call him Fatty. That Oscar fellow, you can call him Little Oscar or Big Sausage Uncle, whatever you like.”
At this point, Dai Mubai looked at Tang San and said, “Lan Wu, how about I call you Xiao Wu from now on?”
Xiao Wu?
Upon hearing this name, Tang San's mouth couldn't help but twitch. He somewhat regretted choosing this alias.
“Just call me by my name,” he said hurriedly.
“You're right, Xiao Wu sounds like a girl's name. I'll just call you Lan Wu from now on.” Dai Mubai came to his senses, feeling that calling a man Xiao Wu was a bit gross.
Tang San nodded, indicating he had no objection. Although he hadn't interacted much with Shrek Academy yet, he already felt a sense of belonging. Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—these three students each had their unique characteristics, but he didn't dislike any of them. It could only be said that birds of a feather flock together.
Before Dai Mubai could get to her, the young lady Ning Rongrong said cheerfully, “You can just call me Rongrong. That's what my family and friends call me.”
Her smile remained on her face. With just that simple sentence, she effortlessly closed the distance with everyone. Finally, only Zhu Zhuqing remained.
When Dai Mubai's gaze fell upon Zhu Zhuqing, she stood up and said placidly, “Zhu Zhuqing. It's fine to call me by my full name or just my given name.” After speaking, she turned and walked out.
Ma Hongjun looked at Dai Mubai with some surprise and said, “Boss Dai, aren't you known for being invincible among women, hailed as a 'maiden killer'? How come this new beauty won't even spare you a glance?”
Dai Mubai's expression turned somewhat grim. He shook his head and offered no explanation. After all, his act of fleeing alone was far from manly. Anyone who knew about it would surely despise him. Naturally, he wouldn't say it out loud and become a laughingstock.
(end of chapter)
Early morning.
Zhu Zhuqing was up bright and early. She shared a dormitory with Ning Rongrong, so she woke her up as well.
This pampered young lady recalled her father's instructions from when she arrived. Although she originally wanted to laze in bed a bit longer, she had no choice but to give her new classmate some face and dutifully get out of bed.
After the two finished washing up and tidying their appearance, they opened their door, preparing to go eat breakfast first.
Soon, after being directed by passersby, the two arrived at the academy's dining hall.
The so-called dining hall was actually just an agreement between the academy and the village, which involved hiring a few villagers to be responsible for the students' meals. Breakfast was nothing more than a bowl of thin porridge with white flour steamed buns, accompanied by some pickled vegetables at most.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but furrow their delicate brows as they looked at the crude meals in the dining hall. Soul Masters were also human and needed to eat to survive. Moreover, compared to ordinary people, Soul Masters needed to eat better for their daily three meals due to their cultivation. Affluent Soul Masters even ate Soul Beast meat.
This was because the energy contained in Soul Beast meat was very beneficial to a Soul Master's body. Therefore, in some mid-to-high-level academies, the food provided to students was basically Soul Beast meat or meals made from plant-type Soul Beasts.
But what about this academy?
Thin porridge and white flour steamed buns. Oh, right, with pickled vegetables.
What nutrition could such food possibly provide?
For ordinary people, it might be acceptable.
But for Soul Masters, it was simply too crude.
Besides, they were only twelve years old and still growing. Eating this every day? If they also had to face high-intensity training, wouldn't it wreck their bodies?
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's evaluation of this academy dropped once again in their hearts; they were vaguely regretting having enrolled.
Is this school truly reliable?
Although they had quite a few complaints about this academy, the two girls did not show any disdain on the surface. Instead, they calmly received a portion of white porridge with steamed buns and pickled vegetables from the dining hall attendant and found a random seat.
They silently began their meal.
Leaving Zhu Zhuqing aside, Ning Rongrong, though pampered since childhood, wasn't someone who couldn't endure a little hardship. Therefore, after her first taste of the steamed buns and pickled vegetables, she actually found them acceptable, not inedible. After all, she had never eaten such common food before. It was a novel experience.
But if she really had to eat this kind of food every day in the future, she definitely wouldn't stand for it.
Just as the two were eating, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the dining hall's entrance. A moment later, four boys walked in.
Aside from Tang San and Dai Mubai, the other two were a handsome youth with a pair of 'peach blossom' eyes, and a short, stout little fatty with two wisps of a 'rat whisker' mustache.
“Wow! Two beauties!” The moment the little fatty entered, he saw Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. His eyes immediately glowed green, and he instinctively began rubbing his hands together. His appearance was utterly lecherous!
Dai Mubai, who was beside him, quickly elbowed him and whispered, “Behave yourself. You'd best suppress that Evil Fire.”
The little fatty said angrily, “Why? Are you going to make a move again? I say, Boss Dai, even if you're the boss, you should at least leave some scraps for your brothers.”
Dai Mubai elbowed him again, then stole a glance at Zhu Zhuqing. She seemed not to have noticed them, slowly eating her breakfast, her expression still ice-cold.
“Cough, cough.”
Dai Mubai coughed and said, “Since everyone's here, and we'll all be living and cultivating together for a while, let's get to know each other. Let me introduce you: this fatty is another student from our academy, named Ma Hongjun. His Martial Soul is a Chicken—oh, no, a Phoenix.”
Upon hearing the word “Phoenix,” Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing immediately looked up. When they saw Ma Hongjun's stout, short figure, they instantly suspected Dai Mubai had misspoken.
This... was a Phoenix?
One must know that when Martial Souls awaken on the Douluo Continent, the type of Martial Soul has a certain influence on the Soul Master's appearance. Thus, Soul Masters with Tiger-type Martial Souls mostly appear as mighty strongmen or tall beauties. Soul Masters with Cat or Fox-type Martial Souls are generally handsome or beautiful.
As for the Phoenix, an unquestionably top-tier Martial Soul that embodies both beauty and power...
Shouldn't its possessor be a handsome man?
Looking at this little fatty, it would be more believable if his Martial Soul was a swine.
A Phoenix? Was he worthy?
Sensing the two girls' distrustful gazes, Dai Mubai said awkwardly, “I know it's hard for you to believe, but Fatty's Martial Soul really is a Phoenix… Oh, and this is Oscar, a Food-Type Soul Master. His Martial Soul is a sausage.” He quickly pointed to the other peach-blossom-eyed youth.
“Hello, everyone…” Oscar nervously raised his hand in greeting.
After the introductions were complete, Dai Mubai continued, “From now on, we'll all be living and cultivating together. There's no need to be too formal with titles. Including the three of you new arrivals, there are only six people in the academy in total. Little Oscar and Fatty both call me Boss Dai because I'm a bit older than them. You can just call me Mubai. As for Ma Hongjun, just call him Fatty. That Oscar fellow, you can call him Little Oscar or Big Sausage Uncle, whatever you like.”
At this point, Dai Mubai looked at Tang San and said, “Lan Wu, how about I call you Xiao Wu from now on?”
Xiao Wu?
Upon hearing this name, Tang San's mouth couldn't help but twitch. He somewhat regretted choosing this alias.
“Just call me by my name,” he said hurriedly.
“You're right, Xiao Wu sounds like a girl's name. I'll just call you Lan Wu from now on.” Dai Mubai came to his senses, feeling that calling a man Xiao Wu was a bit gross.
Tang San nodded, indicating he had no objection. Although he hadn't interacted much with Shrek Academy yet, he already felt a sense of belonging. Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—these three students each had their unique characteristics, but he didn't dislike any of them. It could only be said that birds of a feather flock together.
Before Dai Mubai could get to her, the young lady Ning Rongrong said cheerfully, “You can just call me Rongrong. That's what my family and friends call me.”
Her smile remained on her face. With just that simple sentence, she effortlessly closed the distance with everyone. Finally, only Zhu Zhuqing remained.
When Dai Mubai's gaze fell upon Zhu Zhuqing, she stood up and said placidly, “Zhu Zhuqing. It's fine to call me by my full name or just my given name.” After speaking, she turned and walked out.
Ma Hongjun looked at Dai Mubai with some surprise and said, “Boss Dai, aren't you known for being invincible among women, hailed as a 'maiden killer'? How come this new beauty won't even spare you a glance?”
Dai Mubai's expression turned somewhat grim. He shook his head and offered no explanation. After all, his act of fleeing alone was far from manly. Anyone who knew about it would surely despise him. Naturally, he wouldn't say it out loud and become a laughingstock.
(end of chapter)
