Chapter 112: Who can see the ghost!?
The next morning, Xingluo came downstairs to find Tianhe already sitting near the dining table, while Ruan Mei stood beside the kitchen entrance examining her communicator.
They had stayed awake far later than any of them intended, discussing how to confirm whether Wuxia had become visible to anyone outside the villa. Eventually, they had settled upon the simplest person available: Ji Xiaorou.
Ruan Mei looked up when Xingluo approached. "I messaged her."
"Already?"
"She replied before I even put the communicator down."
Almost immediately, another message appeared across the screen.
Ruan Mei read it and raised an eyebrow. "She says breakfast inside an A-grade villa is an opportunity no ordinary student should refuse."
Tianhe laughed. "At least she is honest."
Wuxia floated down beside Xingluo and looked toward the kitchen. "Then we should probably have breakfast ready before our test subject arrives."
"Do not call her that when she gets here," Xingluo replied.
"She cannot hear me."
"That is what we are trying to confirm."
They entered the kitchen properly for the first time and quickly discovered that the academy had taken the word residence considerably more seriously than expected.
Temperature-controlled cabinets lined one wall beside several storage formations, while the cooking array could adjust heat with far more precision than the ordinary equipment Xingluo had used back home. Drawers contained expensive utensils, sealed spices and enough prepared ingredients to feed several people for days.
Tianhe opened another cabinet and found rows of preserved meals stored beneath formation seals.
"It seems the academy refuses to let its valuable students starve."
Ruan Mei checked one of the labels. "Or cook, apparently."
Xingluo opened a cold-storage formation and immediately noticed several containers of beast meat, each already cleaned and prepared.
She picked one at random and looked at the quality mark.
"This is better than most of the meat sold around Beichen University."
Tianhe glanced over. "Then use that."
Despite the amount of prepared food around them, nobody felt like turning breakfast into a serious project. They sliced the beast meat into thin pieces, cooked it across the wide heating plate, and took several bottles of chilled fruit juice from another cabinet.
The smell quickly filled the kitchen.
Wuxia remained beside the counter, watching Tianhe steal one piece before the rest had finished cooking.
Tianhe noticed him staring and smiled. "Want some?"
Wuxia looked at the meat, then toward him. "I hope you choke."
"Still sensitive about food, I see."
"Still capable of punching you, I see."
Tianhe immediately focused on chewing.
By the time they carried everything toward the dining table, Xiaorou was still several minutes away.
Xingluo placed the plates down before looking toward Wuxia. "Where are you going to stand?"
Wuxia glanced around the room. "Somewhere obvious."
He floated toward the open space between the entrance and dining area, but Ruan Mei stopped him.
"Not like that."
Wuxia turned toward her. "Like what?"
Tianhe pointed toward his feet, which were floating more than half a metre above the floor.
"If she can see you, the first thing she sees will be some translucent bastard hovering in the middle of the room."
Wuxia stared at him for a moment before slowly lowering himself until his boots appeared to rest against the floor.
He stood there awkwardly for several seconds.
Tianhe looked at him and guwaffed.
"You finally remembered how people walk."
Wuxia gave him a cold look. "Some of us evolved beyond needing the floor."
"Very impressive my brotherBrother."
Wuxia ignored him and took several ordinary steps toward the table.
The movement was not actually difficult, but after weeks of floating everywhere without thinking, watching him deliberately imitate walking looked strange enough that Xingluo had to turn away before he noticed her smile.
You look ridiculous.
Wuxia glanced toward her.
I am doing this because you people needed a test.
You still look ridiculous.
Before he could answer, the villa notification chimed.
Ruan Mei moved toward the entrance and opened the door.
Xiaorou stood outside with her bubblegum-pink hair loosely tied behind her head, thin glasses resting over her eyes and a piece of gum already moving between her teeth.
Her expression brightened immediately.
"Good morning, Seniors."
"Morning," Ruan Mei replied. "Come in."
Xiaorou stepped through the doorway and looked around with open interest.
"I knew A-grade villas were good, but getting invited inside one for breakfast makes returning to my B-grade residence feel increasingly insulting."
Tianhe laughed from beside the table. "You can complain after eating."
She started toward the dining area.
Wuxia stood directly along the natural path between them.
Xingluo's fingers tightened slightly around the glass in her hand, while Ruan Mei stopped near the door and Tianhe lowered the piece of meat he had just picked up.
Wuxia remained still, but his attention settled completely upon the approaching girl.
Xiaorou kept talking.
"Also, I hope you understand how generous I am for coming here this early after spending my entire day helping you yesterday."
She reached Wuxia and then she walked straight through him.
Her body passed through his translucent form without slowing, and she continued toward the table as though nothing had occupied that space.
"What did you make?"
Nobody answered for half a second.
Xiaorou looked toward Xingluo. "Senior?"
"Beast meat," Xingluo replied, finally relaxing her grip. "And juice."
"Oh."
Xiaorou immediately sat down behind her, Wuxia remained exactly where she had passed through him.
He slowly looked down at his chest before turning toward Tianhe.
Tianhe was smiling.
Wuxia narrowed his eyes.
Tianhe's smile became considerably worse as he picked up another piece of meat and ate it while maintaining eye contact.
Wuxia raised one finger toward him and Tianhe gave him an innocent child-like look.
Xingluo lowered her head and hid a smile behind her glass the result was enough.
Xiaorou could not see him, hear him, or interact with him in any way.
Whatever had changed inside the villa last night had not suddenly made Wuxia visible to ordinary people.
That alone removed one problem.
Xiaorou took her first bite and paused.
"This is from the academy kitchen?"
Xingluo nodded. "It was already stocked."
Xiaorou looked at the meat again before taking another piece. "I am beginning to hate all three of you."
"You were already complaining outside," Ruan Mei said.
"That was envy and now its turning into resentment."
Tianhe pushed the plate slightly closer to her. "Eat more before your resentment gets worse."
Xiaorou accepted the offer without hesitation.
Once everyone settled around the table, conversation quickly returned to the previous day.
Apparently Xingluo's match had spread through the academy far faster than any of them expected.
"People were still discussing you when I woke up," Xiaorou said. "Somebody uploaded three different recordings of the Hell Hound fight before midnight."
Xingluo sighed. "Wonderful."
"I was supposed to show three strange transfer students around quietly." Xiaorou adjusted her glasses. "Instead, Senior Xingluo fought a Level 299 King-bloodline beast on her first day and now people keep messaging me for information."
Ruan Mei smiled. "You wanted something interesting."
"I wanted entertainment, not unpaid public relations work."
Wuxia stood near Xingluo's chair and listened without speaking.
After another serving, Xiaorou's complaints gradually disappeared and her expression brightened again.
Then she smiled.
Xingluo noticed immediately. "No."
Xiaorou froze. "I haven't said anything."
"You made that face yesterday."
"What face?"
"The one before you took us to the arena."
Xiaorou pushed her glasses higher and smiled even more brightly. "Since you brought it up, does anyone want to visit the arena again today?"
"No," Xingluo replied.
"No," Ruan Mei followed.
"No," Tianhe said immediately afterward.
The three answers came quickly enough that Xiaorou's smile remained frozen for several seconds.
She slowly leaned back into her chair.
"You people are unbelievably boring."
"You nearly watched her die yesterday," Ruan Mei replied.
"And then she won."
Xingluo pointed her fork toward Xiaorou. "That does not make it a good idea."
Xiaorou looked toward Tianhe for support.
He shook his head. "Not today."
Her shoulders dropped slightly before she silently took another piece of beast meat.
Ruan Mei watched her. "Recovered already?"
"The food is helping."
Tianhe laughed and poured himself more juice.
The conversation might have moved elsewhere, but Xingluo suddenly remembered something from the previous match.
"The Hell Hound was never supposed to be my opponent anyway."
Xiaorou stopped chewing and the atmosphere around the table shifted slightly.
Tianhe looked toward her. "I was thinking about that last night."
Ruan Mei nodded. "The registered challenge changed before Xingluo entered."
Xiaorou lowered her fork.
"The arena workers looked confused too. Registered beasts do not normally get replaced without someone changing the challenge information."
"Especially not with another Level 299 King-bloodline beast," Tianhe said.
Xingluo frowned. "We were too busy surviving afterward to ask what happened."
Wuxia looked toward her.
We should ask now.
She gave a small nod.
Tianhe noticed. "Thinking the same thing?"
"Yes. We should go to the arena administration and ask who changed it."
Ruan Mei leaned back slightly. "Ignoring that would be stupid."
Xiaorou nodded as well. "I'll come with you. I was there when the challenge was registered, and I know which counter handled it."
Nobody tried to guess further.
There were too many possible reasons and not enough information to choose between them.
Xingluo finished the remaining juice in her glass and placed it down.
"Then after breakfast—"
"There is no need to go to the arena about that."
Every person around the table immediately turned toward the source of the unexpected voice.
"I was the one who changed the beast."