bookbashuk Chapter 156 No Woman, No Joy
Chapter 156 No Woman, No Joy
Chapter 156 No Woman, No Joy
early morning.
In front of Hu Qian's study, the open space in front of the door was already filled with a lot of people, who gathered in twos and threes and whispered to each other. Not only were the students who had passed the selection competition standing there, but also many students who had come to watch and see them off. The atmosphere was a bit noisy.
Suddenly, the lively atmosphere gradually quieted down. Sensing the change in the atmosphere around them, some trainees looked up in surprise and saw a man and two women who had appeared in the open space in the middle. The area within three meters around them seemed to be a restricted zone, and no one dared to approach.
"Xun'er, Xian'er, am I that scary?" Looking at the small open space around him and the awe-inspiring gazes falling on him, Xiao Bai was speechless. At Canaan Academy, he didn't seem to have done anything to bully men or women, right?
"Giggle." Xun'er covered her mouth and giggled, "Brother Xiao Bai, don't you know? You're quite famous in the outer courtyard now. I don't know what those rumors are about, saying you're powerful, ruthless, and..."
"And what?" Seeing Xun'er blushing, Xiao Bai was genuinely curious.
"And I can't live without women!" Little Fairy Doctor's eyes were filled with shyness, and a faint blush rose on her pretty face, like the morning glow on the horizon, which was extremely beautiful!
"Nonsense! Which bastard is spreading rumors about me?" Xiao Bai was furious. He was saying he was infatuated with women, but his spear had been gathering dust and had never been used. Where did this talk of being infatuated with women come from? Wasn't this just stabbing people in the heart?
"Alright! They probably saw that you were staying at Instructor Ruolin's place, and all the people coming and going were beautiful women. It's not surprising that they're spreading these rumors!" Little Fairy Doctor gently tugged at his hand and said softly.
"Is that so?" Xiao Bai nodded knowingly. It seems that whether in his past life or now, there is no shortage of gossip during his student days!
"Huh? Fairy, you're praising yourself!" Xiao Bai then looked at Little Fairy Doctor with a teasing expression and said jokingly.
"Isn't Xian'er beautiful?" Little Fairy Doctor's eyes dimmed, and her voice seemed to be full of resentment.
"Beautiful, of course beautiful!" Xiao Bai nodded hurriedly, though he knew she was faking it. But seeing her delicate and sorrowful expression, he still felt a pang of heartache. "My fairy, you are as radiant as spring blossoms, your face as beautiful as a flower, as radiant as the autumn moon. Your beauty is beyond description!"
Upon hearing this, the sorrowful look on Little Fairy Doctor's pretty face vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile, her eyes, like autumn water, filled with an intoxicating laughter.
Just as Xiao Bai breathed a sigh of relief, a burning gaze shot over, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Of course, there's also my Xun'er, whose beauty is unparalleled, surpassing all others, her elegance is unmatched, and her fragrance is heavenly!"
Xun'er's expression instantly relaxed, a faint smile appeared on her rosy lips, and her beautiful eyes narrowed into a pretty crescent moon as she gently glanced at him, as if to say, "That's more like it!"
Xiao Bai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and secretly rejoiced. It was a close call. If his brain had crashed and he had been at a loss for words, he would have messed up. Luckily, there were only two. If there had been another one, he would have almost failed. It was already a blessing from the gods that he could come up with these words!
The male students who had been secretly observing the area looked at Xiao Bai as if he were a celestial being, and instantly felt an urge to become his disciples. They thought of how, when they saw their female classmates, they would say to their faces, "You're so beautiful," and behind their backs, they would see their fair skin, beautiful face, and long legs.
That's so tacky! Absolutely so tacky!
I had to write it down quickly, savoring the words as I wrote. I kept shaking my head, feeling quite impressed. Look at how well he used those compliments! No wonder two such pretty girls were all around him!
Just then, the tightly closed study door opened, and Hu Qian led several elderly men out slowly. The open space in front of the door instantly fell silent.
Hu Qian's gaze swept over the fifty students in the open space. Seeing that no one was absent, he nodded in satisfaction, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Dear students, today is the day you enter the inner academy. On behalf of the outer academy, I congratulate you. Your long-term efforts have finally paid off!"
"After entering the inner academy, you may find the training methods there difficult to adapt to. However, I am certain that you will be able to unleash your full potential there. This is not an exaggeration. Some of you have had contact with the students of the inner academy, and I believe you should understand how vast the difference is between coming out of there and before you entered!"
After listening to the vice dean's words, some trainees nodded in agreement, while many more were filled with anticipation and excitement. Wasn't their hard work all for the pursuit of greater power? No matter how uncomfortable they felt, they would persevere.
"Before entering the inner courtyard, I will take you somewhere!" Hu Qian smiled mysteriously, watching the dozen or so dark figures swooping down from the azure sky, and waved his hand, saying in a clear voice, "Get on the griffins!"
"We need griffins too? Is the inner courtyard really that far away?" one of the students muttered in confusion.
Only a very small number of people looked somewhat solemn, knowing that what followed should be the "welcome" ceremony in the inner courtyard!
"Alright, five people per group. Remember to sit on the chairs. Don't try to stand alone on the griffins unless you're a Great Dou Master!" Hu Qian laughed as he watched someone try to stand on the griffin's back, only to slip and fall. He then turned to Xiao Bai and the others, saying, "The top five, you're in the same group. Go up!"
"Let's go!" Xiao Bai called to the two women, then lightly stepped forward and disappeared like lightning, reappearing on the griffin, standing firmly and motionless. Little Fairy Doctor and Xun'er exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed, their delicate bodies landing lightly beside Xiao Bai.
This scene made the trainees who had tried before envious. Only they knew how difficult it was to stand on those damn feathers!
After leading everyone up, the griffin flapped its wings and slowly rose into the air, accompanied by the shadows on the ground growing smaller and smaller.
"Xiao Bai, Xun'er, Xian'er, good luck! Remember to come back and visit when you have time!" As the griffin took off, a gentle voice suddenly came from below. Xiao Bai and the other two looked down and saw that it was Instructor Ruolin, with Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei by her side. Seeing that the three of them were looking down, the group waved with smiles.
"Brother Xiao Bai, what did you give Instructor Ruolin yesterday?" Xun'er asked, waving her little hand in response.
"It's just some pills to help with cultivation. Xiao Yu and the others have some too!" Xiao Bai said softly, looking at the figures below that were getting smaller and smaller.
"No wonder we didn't see him yesterday, he went to refine pills!" Xun'er nodded in realization.
"Well! Since you all wanted to cultivate, I took a stroll through the Alchemy Department and made some pills for you. I gave Instructor Ruolin and Xiao Yu some pills to aid their cultivation. Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei also received some; I gave each of them a Qi Gathering Powder! Instructor Ruolin has always been good to us, so I wanted to show my appreciation before leaving. As for Xiao Yu and the others, they are all from the Xiao family, so I'll help them if I can!"
Xun'er looked at the person beside her, a gentle look appearing in her eyes. She hugged his arm and said sweetly, "Brother Xiao Bai is so thoughtful. How come Xun'er didn't think of that!"
"Don't give me that, you little brat. Didn't you also give Instructor Ruolin something this morning?" Xiao Bai chuckled as he looked at the pretty girl beside him and gently pinched her cheek.
"Hehe. Instructor Ruolin refused. She said you already gave them very valuable things yesterday, and if she accepted them again, she, as their instructor, would be too ashamed to face anyone!" Xun'er gently rubbed her face against Xiao Bai's palm and smiled adorably.
"Um... Xiao Bai... no... Xiao Bai, excuse me, I wanted to ask if you really want to establish a force in the inner courtyard?" Just then, a slightly timid female voice sounded from behind.
Turning around, he saw the woman who had entered the library with him that day standing behind him. As if gathering her courage, she stepped forward to speak. Xiao Bai didn't have much of an impression of this woman, only remembering that her name was Xu Su. After looking her over carefully for a moment, he saw that she was wearing a yellow dress and had a slender figure. She didn't seem like a cultivator, but rather more like a well-bred young lady who rarely left her home.
"That's the idea!" Xiao Bai nodded in response to the woman's slightly expectant gaze.
"Great! Can I join?" The woman's face lit up with joy. Seeing Xiao Bai's slightly furrowed brow, she quickly whispered, "Don't worry, I'm very useful. I know a lot about things in the inner courtyard. If you want to build a force, you ultimately need to understand all aspects, don't you?"
"You only entered the Inner Academy this year, right?" Xiao Bai's eyes were full of suspicion. Not to mention that she had never been to the Inner Academy, even if she had been there, it was unlikely that an Inner Academy student who hadn't specifically looked into it would dare to say that they knew a lot about the Inner Academy.
"His brother was second on last year's ranking list!" Before the woman could speak, a deep voice sounded from behind her.
"Second on the Strongest List? Last year's?" Xiao Bai glanced at Tu Shan, who had just spoken, with surprise, then looked at the woman in the yellow dress in front of him.
"The Strong List is one of the Inner Academy's." Seeing Xiao Bai's confusion, the woman assumed he didn't understand the Inner Academy and was about to explain.
"You don't need to explain to me. I know about the rankings. But what about last year's second place?" Xiao Bai waved his hand, interrupting the woman's explanation, and asked.
"Uh," the woman gave a slightly embarrassed smile, her face flushed, and whispered, "He graduated last year. He originally wanted to stay at the academy, but until graduation, he couldn't beat the top student, and that top student was a little girl. He couldn't take the blow, so he went home!"
Xiao Bai nodded, inwardly marveling. He hadn't expected that even two years earlier, this Little Dragon Man would still be so domineering, dominating the rankings!
"Your brother must have some influence, so why doesn't he go there?"
Xiao Bai learned some information from the elders and knew that the top ten on the Strong Ranking were a golden brand in the inner courtyard. More or less, people would come to them for help. Moreover, they spent a lot of time in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower and needed some people to help them with other matters. Therefore, most of them would form a force to assist them. After all, as long as they were registered, others would take care of the rest. Why not?
"Um," the woman hesitated slightly, unsure of what to say.
"Sigh! Let me tell you! It's said that the last time Xu Qingshan, her brother, challenged the number one on the ranking list, the number one powerhouse got a little impatient, beat him up, and said he was..."
"What do you mean? Just say it! Why are you stammering?" Xiao Bai frowned. What could that little dragon man possibly say? He was acting like he couldn't say anything.
"He said he was destined to be second best, and that he shouldn't bother her anymore. He even said the Green Mountain Gang should just be renamed the Second Best Gang!" Tu Shan gritted his teeth and said, "Because of this, Senior Xu Qingshan couldn't stand the strange looks from others afterward, so he graduated in anger, and the gang disbanded!"
"!" Xiao Bai thought it was a big deal, so he stammered. Xiao Longren was simple-minded and said that the second place was the second position, but others misinterpreted it and then the gang disbanded and left.
"You came to me not so that I would cause trouble for that number one, right?" Xiao Bai asked the woman in front of him with a slightly thoughtful look in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xu Su hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands, saying, "No! No! My brother said that little girl is simple-minded. He lost purely because he was not strong enough, and he accepts the defeat willingly. He just didn't want to see those petty people who couldn't beat him but then gossiped behind his back all day, saying they were disgusting to even see. So he left directly. I don't have any hatred for that number one on the ranking list. I just wanted to see who could make my proud brother submit and join you. I just didn't want to be bullied in the inner courtyard!"
"Sure! If I had that idea, you would be the first veteran to join!" Seeing that the girl didn't seem to be lying, Xiao Bai nodded in agreement.
"Um, Xiao Bai, do you think I'm okay with you?" a rough voice rang out.
"I haven't asked you what your relationship is yet?" Xiao Bai looked the two of them up and down. If Xu Su knew about this because she had an older brother, then what was the deal with Tu Shan?
"We have nothing to do with each other!" Xu Su hurriedly waved her hand in denial when she saw Xiao Bai looking at the two of them as if they were a couple.
"It really doesn't matter. I only know about these things last year when we went to the Black Corner Region for training. Senior Xu Qingshan was leading the team, and Xu Su and I happened to be in the same team. That's how I found out some things!" Tu Shan hurriedly denied it, and even glanced back cautiously, as if afraid that someone would find out.
Seeing their expressions, Xiao Bai immediately understood that the two had only a slight connection. Tu Shan must have someone he liked, and it seemed that she was one of the students who entered the inner courtyard this time, right behind the group.
"I can agree to your request, but I need to investigate you first. As for the investigation, we'll see how you perform during the 'welcome' ceremony in the inner courtyard!" Xiao Bai glanced at the two of them. Both of them knew some things about the inner courtyard and knew that it was not easy to get by in the inner courtyard without a powerful backer.
"Thank you so much, Xiao Bai!" The two were overjoyed; they were sure they had it in the bag!
Amidst the casual conversation, a wide mountain stream appeared before everyone's eyes.
(End of this chapter)