Chapter 27: The Veteran Member of the King’s Hall
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After the breakfast incident, Mo Ming has been staring at Senior Jiang Yan nonstop, even as we walk to the classroom. Right now, Senior Jiang Yan is walking ahead of us, and behind him, closely following, is Mo Ming, glaring at him intensely.
Senior Jiang Yan has his hands in his pockets, holding a yogurt in his mouth, looking relaxed and content, as if finally eating something other than blood has revived him. No matter how many people are surprised, gossiping, or how many girls are taking pictures of him, he walks naturally, as if he’s used to this kind of attention.
Mo Ming, on the other hand, walks a meter behind him with his arms crossed, his eyes locked on Jiang Yan’s back, deep and serious. Only Mo Ming could trail someone so openly with a look that says, “I’m following you, and I’m perfectly justified.”
I, Mao Mao, Si Yinuo, and Qing Ming are walking far behind them. I can’t be bothered to deal with Mo Ming. Honestly, I can’t control his temper anyway, and who knows why he’s suddenly developed such a strong “interest” in Jiang Yan. Both of them have been acting weird lately, so I’ll just let them be.
I put on my headphones and started playing Justin’s new song: What Do You Mean. The kid’s personality may have gone downhill as he grew up, but his voice is addictive. Sigh, the world is so unfair—giving beautiful voices to people who don’t deserve them. After so many celebrities got caught doing drugs, I stopped trusting those shiny stars. It felt like I grew up overnight, and I no longer idolize anyone.
I hope Justin is just young and reckless, and that he’ll turn things around as he matures.
“Senior Jiang Yan is really popular now…” Mao Mao hooked her arm around mine, watching the girls who had stopped to take photos of Jiang Yan. Today’s headlines were all: “Who! Is! He!” followed by a picture of Senior Jiang Yan, taken from a 45-degree angle, seemingly admiring nature.
What a staged shot! Just by looking at it, I can tell Senior Jiang Yan knew someone was secretly taking pictures and posed on purpose! And they made him look so fresh and clean—it’s infuriating.
His beauty is all thanks to me!!!
I never thought that the always weak, sickly Senior Jiang Yan, who used to get tired after walking just two steps, could actually pull off such a professional act. This guy definitely wasn’t simple in the past!
“How old is Senior Jiang Yan?” I asked Mao Mao, Si Yinuo, and Qing Ming.
The three of them exchanged confused glances.
Mao Mao pointed at Qing Ming. “I came after him.”
Qing Ming pointed at Si Yinuo. “Senior.”
What?! Si Yinuo, this little kid, is actually a senior?!
Si Yinuo hugged Xiao Bai tightly and timidly pointed toward Jiang Yan. “When I got here… he was already here…”
“What?! What do you mean?!” I echoed Justin’s lyrics. “You mean to say Senior Jiang Yan has been repeating grades for years?!”
Si Yinuo looked at me and nodded.
I was dumbfounded.
“Shenmo Academy’s grading system is different from the human world,” Mao Mao said, sounding defeated. “Shenmo Academy doesn’t have a fixed three- or four-year system like you mortals. It’s based on credits. Credits can be earned, but they can also be deducted. Once you accumulate enough, you advance a grade. If you lose too many, you can be demoted.”
“What?! You can even be demoted?!” What kind of insane grading system is this? No wonder Xuanyuan Chen was so generous, handing out credits after just wiping his eyes. Turns out, if he’s in a bad mood one day, he could just take them away!
“In short, the grading system here is designed to drive you crazy and make you feel hopeless. They’re just torturing us! Torturing us! Torturing us mercilessly!” Mao Mao trembled in fear, her claws twisting in distress.
I immediately grabbed her hands. “Calm down! Calm down!”
She took a few deep breaths and regained her composure. Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, quickly switching directions and hiding on my inner side. Just then, a group of boys and girls walked past us—all of them from the Wolf God clan!
Since arriving in Xianyu, I’ve been so busy that I hadn’t seen so many members of the Wolf God clan together. There were both men and women, with varying hair colors. The guys were handsome, and the girls were truly beautiful!
Suddenly, I understood why Mao Mao felt so insecure. Those girls were either cute, pretty, or sexy, with fair skin, rosy cheeks, and slender necks exposed above their collars. Unlike Mao Mao, who had to wear high-neck clothes to hide hers.
My heart ached for her. If I were in her shoes, I’d feel insecure too.
“Look, it’s Mo Ming!” They all looked in the same direction. They had spotted Mo Ming, but not Mao Mao. Mo Ming had mentioned that the Wolf God clan had a keen sense of smell for their own kind. From a thousand meters away, they would know if another wolf was nearby, so there’s no way they didn’t know Mao Mao was with me.
They all approached Mo Ming, led by a boy with long, pale-golden hair. The boy was incredibly good-looking, with soft, delicate features. His pale-golden hair gave him an air of grace, but instead of making him appear feminine, it added a classical beauty to his appearance.
Mao Mao clung to my arm tighter, keeping her head down, pulling me to a stop. I looked at the members of the Wolf God clan, feeling a bit angry. Why were they only greeting Mo Ming and not Mao Mao?
“Mo Ming, long time no see.” They surrounded him, but I knew Mo Ming too well—he wasn’t going to respond to them. Sure enough, Mo Ming looked at them with his usual stern face and said, “You’re in my way.”
“Oh, Mo Ming, you’re still the same. So cold,” the golden-haired boy said with a smile. “We just wanted to remind you that the clan’s totem festival is coming up soon. Don’t be late this year. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you. Oh, and…” The golden-haired boy turned and looked in my direction, his voice soft and gentle. “Mao Mao, don’t hide in your room this year. Come out and join us.”
Mao Mao, who had been clinging to me, froze. She slowly lifted her face, her sapphire eyes trembling like a spring lake, her face flushing with shyness and excitement.
Qing Ming blinked and lowered his head.
Could it be… Mao Mao likes him?
The golden-haired boy and the other wolves finally noticed me. He paused, then started walking toward me. Suddenly, Mo Ming stepped in front of him, blocking his path like a wolf protecting his food.
The golden-haired boy shook his head with a wry smile. “Can’t I even say hello to your master?”
“No,” Mo Ming replied bluntly.
“Alright then. Our masters will all be there. This year, now that you have a master, the clan leader will be pleased.” The golden-haired boy nodded politely at me, then turned and left with the other wolves.
“Who is he?” Honestly, the other wolves seemed far more normal than Mo Ming! If it were that golden-haired wolf instead of Mo Ming, I would have made a pact with him in a heartbeat.
“He’s my cousin… Qi Yuan William.”
“William? A foreign last name?” I looked at Mao Mao curiously, but by then, Mo Ming had already stepped in front of me, his face clearly saying: Stay away!
“Yes, the gods and demons aren’t just from the East. We all have the same origins, but later on, we managed different regions, so we split into East and West. We even have exchange students and sparring matches every year. It’s really exciting!” Mao Mao said, getting more animated.
Now I understood why Qi Yuan William had an Eastern face but Western golden hair. But… do wolves have golden fur? Maybe he wasn’t of pure Wolf God bloodline. That seemed likely.
“Mao Mao, William must have some ulterior motive toward you,” Mo Ming suddenly said, very seriously.
Mao Mao was startled, her face immediately turning red with both embarrassment and anger. “Brother! How can you say that?!”
Qing Ming and Si Yinuo looked at Mo Ming, whose face was now filled with the protective and strict expression of an overbearing older brother. “He’s never greeted you before. The fact that he suddenly called out to you today is suspicious!”
“Brother! You’re being too much!” Mao Mao was so upset she was about to cry. “I’m your sister! How can you say that!” She finished and ran off.
Qing Ming quickly followed after her.
Mo Ming looked confused. “Why is Mao Mao so angry?”
“Ugh…” Si Yinuo shook his head.
I was also upset and looked at him. “Do you even realize what you just said? Mao Mao has always been insecure about herself. What you said is basically telling her that the others used to look down on her, and now that they’re finally acknowledging her, there must be an ulterior motive. Of course, she’s hurt! It’s not like she doesn’t know why they never greeted her before. And now that they finally did, you’re saying it’s because they have some scheme. How do you think she feels?”
Mo Ming froze, furrowing his brows. His expression became domineering again. “But I wasn’t wrong. She’s my sister, and I need to protect her.”
“You’re just pushing her away! Mao Mao wasn’t wrong—you have no idea how to deal with girls.” I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed Si Yinuo, walking away.
He immediately followed, crossing his arms and speaking seriously. “I heard that Jiang Yan used to be a member of the King’s Hall.”
I stopped in my tracks, shocked. Si Yinuo hugged Xiao Bai tighter, lowering his face slightly, using his long bangs to cover his sparkling eyes.
“What?! How could that be?!” I looked at Mo Ming in shock. So, even though he had been walking ahead of us the whole time, his ears were still eavesdropping on our conversation?
Mo Ming frowned slightly. “It’s just a rumor. But still, you need to be careful with him. The person you trust the most could end up being the one who betrays you in the end. He’s hiding too many secrets.” Mo Ming’s serious words unsettled me because I really did trust Senior Jiang Yan. He knew all my treasures, my secrets, and my abilities. And now, Mo Ming was telling me that Jiang Yan used to be part of the King’s Hall.
No, Mo Ming said it’s just a rumor. Even if it’s true, it doesn’t mean Senior Jiang Yan can’t be trusted. After all, Senior Feng Lincan is also from the King’s Hall, but he still helps protect my secrets.
I have to trust my instincts. I trust Senior Jiang Yan. If he really was a member of the King’s Hall, it would explain why he knows so much about everyone in Xianyu and why he’s so familiar with the powerful King’s Hall. I remember when Feng Lincan found out about my abilities, Jiang Yan specifically reminded him to protect my secret and not let the King’s Hall find out.
Senior Jiang Yan is protecting me. He’s been protecting everyone in our dorm all along.
