Chapter 31: Give the Master a Surprise
As the group walked away, Mushroom let out a sigh of relief, but soon, worry crept onto her face as she turned to Xia Feng.
"Feng, his spiritual weapon is the Forest Scepter, which is said to be invincible at the same level. Are you sure you want to fight him?"
Xia Feng seemed distracted, his gaze fixed on the bright moon under the night sky, his brow furrowed.
The pocket watch hanging on Pingshan Yanxujia's collar, engraved with the word "Pingshan," had left him with a strange feeling. The vivid dream he had a few days ago felt like it was guiding him toward something.
As the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat. But Xia Feng couldn't shake the itch to uncover the mystery of the "unborn wife."
"It's annoying," Xia Feng muttered.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Mushroom angrily patted Xia Feng's cheek.
Xia Feng casually brushed her hand away. "Haven't you eaten yet?"
Gurgle~~
Her stomach answered for her.
She paused, then whispered, "I... I was fine. I wanted to wait for you to come back. But Blue was starving, so I ordered takeout for her. I didn't expect her to go out looking for food herself, and then—"
Her emotions suddenly overflowed, tears streaming down her face as her eyes turned red. "I'm sorry! If I hadn't gone out, we wouldn't have clashed with Yan Xujia and the others, and you wouldn't have to fight him."
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect Grandpa Mushroom to be so cute when she cries~" Xia Feng teased, stroking his chin. "Cry more, I love seeing it~"
The girl in the bear pajamas suddenly stopped sobbing.
She wanted to laugh but couldn't, the sound still resembling a cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she angrily patted Xia Feng's shoulder. "You—you—"
Her tearful state made it hard for her to speak, leaving her frustrated and jumping in place.
"Alright, alright~" Xia Feng patted her head. "Let's go. You must be hungry. I'll cook for you."
"Blue, follow me," Xia Feng snapped his fingers.
The white Persian cat, sitting quietly under the streetlight, stood up, shook its fur, and followed Xia Feng with its proud catwalk.
Mushroom hesitated for a moment before hurrying after them.
It took her a while to calm down. Wiping her tears, she sat at the dining table, her voice steady again. "Feng, I'm serious. Yan Xujia isn't easy to deal with."
"Don't worry. He has the Forest Scepter, but my spiritual weapon isn't so simple either," Xia Feng said, placing a fruit salad in front of Blue.
"Oh?" Mushroom was stunned, then widened her eyes in disbelief. "Your psychic power has been unlocked?"
"Yeah," Xia Feng replied casually, not wanting to worry her.
Mushroom was still shocked. She knew how rare it was to unlock psychic power, especially at the age of eighteen. Seeing Xia Feng's confidence, she guessed his spiritual weapon must be powerful. Though she couldn't imagine how he'd defeat Yan Xujia, she didn't pry further. After all, it was private.
One reason Xia Feng initiated the bet was to get Yan Xujia's Forest Scepter. It was a famous spiritual weapon, and Xia Feng couldn't resist the idea of copying it.
Seeing Xia Feng's confidence, Mushroom felt relieved. "Well, okay. If you need my help, just let me know."
"There is one thing," Xia Feng said.
"What?" Mushroom's eyes lit up, eager to help.
Xia Feng had earned 240,000 yuan a few days ago. After paying off loans, rent, and buying summoning materials, he was left with 110,000 yuan. The fair duel at the academy didn't restrict external help, so he decided to buy an "unsolvable stone" to temporarily upgrade his spiritual weapon. But the stone cost 200,000 yuan, far beyond his budget.
Fortunately, he knew some wealthy women.
"Lend me 100,000," Xia Feng said.
Sizzle—
Mushroom pulled away her chair and ran to the bedroom. After some noise, she returned with slightly messy curly hair.
Snap—
A black gold card was placed on the table. Mushroom raised her chin, smiling proudly. "One million. Use it as you like!"
"."
Why did this scene feel so familiar?
...
Temple.
Moonlight and dew filled the pool.
A woman in a snow-white dress and a tilted beret stood in the center of the pool. The water formed a vortex around her, vaporizing into star-shaped streams of light that sank into her palms.
She used the starlight as ink, writing letters in the air, listing complex and obscure programs. As time passed, more and more programs surrounded the earth and sky, like stars.
Suddenly, Chanaxue stopped writing, frowned, and sighed.
The S-level spirit clothe, 'Moon Goddess Domain,' was the most challenging she had encountered. Even with the Moon Dew Pool aiding her comprehension, progress was slow. After months of study, she was stuck at the underlying lepton architecture, with tens of thousands of complex formulas still ahead.
In short, progress was stuck at 1%.
She knew this couldn't be rushed. However, another quasi-saint in the North had recently made a breakthrough. Falling behind wasn't something she liked.
It was said that the northern quasi-saint took the 'Double Moon' route. While Double Moon was harder to cultivate than Solitary Moon, her latest calculations showed that some difficult spirit sub-structures would be easier through the Double Moon path, requiring high compatibility between the two parties.
This might be why the northern quasi-saint broke through so quickly.
Thinking of this, Xia Feng's image appeared in her mind.
Xia Feng's promotion to the first level was a low-probability event, but she had made a choice in her interest. However, fate sometimes favored certain people. Though surprised, she wasn't shocked.
Since Xia Feng was now a first-level spiritual master, he was qualified to practice Double Moon.
"Maybe I should try Double Moon with him," she thought, hesitating.
She preferred relying on her own abilities over collaborating with others.
After a long moment of contemplation, she sighed.
"Forget it, don't worry about it."
She took a deep breath, her eyes firm. "Five more days. If there's no progress, I'll switch to Double Moon."
Since Solitary Moon's progress was less than 1%, switching to Double Moon wouldn't cause much loss.
The only difficulty was her estrangement from Xia Feng over the past few months. She had introduced her fiancée to him, and he might harbor resentment. But according to her calculations, the probability that Xia Feng still liked her was over 90%. With their childhood friendship, winning him back was 99.99% likely.
So easy~
"Yan Xujia! What have you done?!"
In a manor, a fat man with glasses stood before a quiet fireplace, furious.
Yan Xujia, wearing an open-collared dark red suit, sat on the sofa, legs crossed, savoring red wine. He ignored Panda's anger.
Panda's eyes turned cold. "I don't care if you went to get the token of love back from the master, but last night—"
"Okay, Fatty Pan. It's just a fair fight. I'm not killing him," Yan Xujia said, glancing at Panda.
"Ha~" Panda sneered. "A fair duel? What's the difference between that and killing him? With your ability, you'd cripple him in three rounds. Do you think I don't know your thoughts?"
Yan Xujia laughed sarcastically. "Tsk tsk, you figured it out? You're indeed the master's smart advisor."
Panda narrowed his eyes, a flash of murderous intent crossing them.
"But don't worry, Fatty Pan," Yan Xujia sneered. "Beating that kid into a pulp is just a lesson. I'll pay for his recovery. I won't cripple him."
Yan Xujia wouldn't cripple Xia Feng in the academy. He could wait until they were in southern Xinjiang.
Seeing Yan Xujia's determination, Panda frowned but didn't argue further. While Yan Xujia's actions would make Xia Feng an enemy, it wasn't a big deal. Xia Feng's potential was great, but after this, he'd be useless to the master.
Hatred could dilute the "positive emotional ties" before the age of eighteen.
Panda stood by the fireplace, the flames reflecting on his glasses. The master had said she no longer had feelings for Xia Feng, but the bond line was still clear. The only possibility was that Xia Feng still had feelings for her.
If Yan Xujia had killed Xia Feng, the bond would have been severed. But he failed.
If the master had lower morals, like the quasi-saint in the third district, willing to kill relatives to prove her faith, things would be simpler. But now, making Xia Feng hate her might be the best option.
"Yan Xujia, I won't stop you," Panda said.
Yan Xujia was surprised. "Really?"
"Of course. Just don't cripple him. Teaching him a lesson might be good," Panda said, smiling mysteriously.
He glanced at the female knight curled up on the sofa, drinking milk tea. Over a dozen empty cups were on the table.
"Yin, what do you think?" Panda asked.
The female knight looked up blankly. "Are you asking me?"
"Yes."
"Oh," she said, looking down at the sofa, then up again. "I'll sit and watch."
"." Panda turned back to the fireplace. He shouldn't have asked her.
If hatred could dilute the bond, it might be for the best. Panda smiled, looking at the moon. "When the master comes out of seclusion, maybe I can give her a surprise."
"I need an explanation."
In the car, Wei Shutong stared at Xia Feng seriously. "What's going on with this fair duel?"
"It's a long story," Xia Feng said, glancing at the wine cabinet. "By the way, do you have any soy milk, Old Wei? I'm thirsty."
Dong dong—
Wei Shutong knocked on his dragon-headed cane, expressionless.
"Alright, alright," Xia Feng said, briefly explaining the previous night's events.
Someone had pushed the news, and within a day, the entire academy knew about the duel. Tickets for Friday's fight sold out, with scalpers reselling front-row VIP tickets for up to 30,000 Imperial Coins.
Xia Feng wasn't surprised. Yan Xujia's undefeated myth was famous in the academy and the Holy Church, with many fans. Xia Feng, on the other hand, was just good-looking with no notable achievements. But recently, he'd gained black fans, calling him "a dog pretending to be a tiger" and "a bastard who defiles the Temple God."
When these black fans united online, Xia Feng knew he was on the verge of fame.
"Xia Feng, do you know who you're facing? Yan Xujia isn't like Qi Xiao," Wei Shutong said, rubbing his temple.
"The Yan family of the Northern Territory is a noble family with a thousand-year history. Their power is beyond your imagination, even mine. True geniuses need talent, resources, and time. You only have talent. How can you compete with the son of a marquis?"
Xia Feng fell silent. Wei Shutong was right. Boundless Academy had no shortage of geniuses, but they often lost to those with powerful backgrounds.
It was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
"But you have a Marquis father, and I have a Goddess mother. You're a genius, and I'm a cheater," Xia Feng thought. With his spiritual weapon, 'using copper as a mirror,' he had nothing to fear.
"So, kid, think again," Wei Shutong said. "If you change your mind, I can talk to Lord Wang and cancel the duel. You can apologize to Yan Xujia and make this a small matter."
(End of this chapter)