Master of Nine Stars

Night had fallen at Pine Soul Soul Martial University, inside the Martial Arts Hall.

Rong Taotao sat on the edge of his bed with a towel draped over his head. His mass of natural curls was still dripping wet, clearly fresh from a shower and not yet dry.

So much had happened today.

In the afternoon, Xia Fangran’s group had rushed back to Pine Soul Soul Martial University and gone straight to the principal’s office. The news that they had been ambushed right on their own doorstep had reached Principal Mei’s ears.

Rong Taotao would probably never forget the atmosphere in the principal’s office that afternoon. It was obvious that on their way back, Principal Mei had already received word and understood the specifics of the situation.

When Rong Taotao walked into the principal’s office, the air was so frigid it felt like being plunged into an ice cave. It was no exaggeration.

Mei Hongyu was truly furious.

But unlike most people, he didn’t shout, flip tables, or throw things. Principal Mei’s anger was a quiet one, so quiet it made Rong Taotao feel like it was hard to even breathe.

What should have been a happy reunion was completely ruined by the assassination attempt. Although Mei Hongyu praised Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, and highly commended Xia Fangran and Yang Chunxi for their work... on his grim, aged face, neither students nor teachers could sense any joy.

And it wasn’t just the meeting with Principal Mei that had been ruined.

Just now, Rong Taotao had returned from a celebration ceremony.

With Coach Si’s help, his friends from the Junior Soul Class had set up a lavish banquet in the school cafeteria—specifically, on the second floor in the Teacher’s Cafeteria. They had even meticulously prepared a "Champion Cake" for Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei.

On top of that cake sat a golden trophy sculpted from frosting, a sight that made Rong Taotao feel rather agitated.

Of course, both Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei did their best to suppress their emotions and tried hard to blend into the celebratory atmosphere. They didn’t want to spoil their companions’ high spirits or let their friends’ careful preparations go to waste.

You couldn’t really expect people who had just survived a life-or-death battle and fled an assassination attempt to be cheerful. Fortunately, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei put on a good act, and it was reasonably effective.

The gesture from the Junior Soul Class students was truly heartwarming. Their blessings and celebrations were all very sincere, and these things helped soothe the pair’s frayed nerves.

After the celebratory dinner, both Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei felt considerably better.

The Junior Soul Class students didn’t know what had happened, and Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s acting was good enough that most people didn’t sense anything was wrong.

Among the students, only Jiao Tengda vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"KNOCK~ KNOCK~ KNOCK~" A series of knocks came from the door.

Si Huan Nian was in the shower, so Rong Taotao got up and shuffled to the door in his slippers.

He opened the door to find a smiling, round-faced guy wearing glasses.

"What’s up, Little Banana," Rong Taotao asked with a smile, casually resting his elbow on Jiao Tengda’s shoulder.

In the year and a half since enrolling, Rong Taotao had indeed grown quite a bit. Especially after returning from this trip to the Imperial Capital—maybe it was the change of environment—he was now almost six feet tall.

Little Banana had grown a bit too, but he was still just a little over five-foot-seven.

"Hehe, is Coach Si not here?"

"In the bathroom. You looking for her?"

"What would I be lookin’ for her for?" Jiao Tengda’s sudden Northeastern accent startled Rong Taotao.

’Uhh... Forget how much skill he’s learned for a moment; that Northeastern dialect of his is getting more and more authentic.’

It couldn’t be helped. The local dialect was just infectious. The students of the Junior Class came from all over the country: the Shi Family Sisters and Zhao Tang from the northwest, Jiao Tengda from Sichuan and Shu in the southwest, Fan Lihua from Jiangnan, Lu Mang from Modu...

Every single one of these young talents would probably be speaking fluent Northeastern dialect by the time their four years of university were over...

Rong Taotao asked curiously, "So you’re looking for me?"

"Yeah, let’s go chat for a bit," Jiao Tengda said with a grin.

"Alright." Rong Taotao nodded thoughtfully, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Your learning ability is insane. You’ve even picked up the ’er’ sounds."

Jiao Tengda, who was from the land of Sichuan and Shu, had rarely used that ’er’ suffix back when they first met.

As he spoke, Rong Taotao slung an arm around Jiao Tengda’s shoulders and started walking toward the end of the hallway. "This won’t do. You’re losing your special flair. Don’t forget your hometown accent."

Jiao Tengda grinned. "Sun Xingyu’s a real motor-mouth. She alone can throw off the accent of the entire class."

Rong Taotao: "..."

The two of them headed east, passing several unused offices before reaching the end of the corridor. They pushed open a frosted glass door and stepped out onto the balcony.

On the side of the Martial Arts Hall building, each floor had a small, square balcony, which was rather suitable for private conversations.

Rong Taotao was certainly "wild." The temperature was now over twenty degrees below zero, yet he came out with wet hair and just his pajamas on.

"What’s up?" Rong Taotao asked, curious.

Jiao Tengda closed the hallway door behind them, took two steps forward, and leaned on the balcony’s stone railing. He looked at Rong Taotao with the same curiosity. "Are you and Wei doing okay?"

Rong Taotao: "Huh?"

’Where is this coming from?’

Jiao Tengda smiled. "Something felt off. For such a festive celebration dinner, you ate a little less than usual."

Rong Taotao: "..."

In reality, Rong Taotao hadn’t eaten a small amount at all. Jiao Tengda was deliberately saying this to leave some room in the conversation.

Rong Taotao even thought that if he just said he’d eaten plenty and brushed it off, Jiao Tengda would go along with it, and the matter would probably be dropped.