MRSG Chapter 4

Zhou Mu was speechless. He hadn’t expected the door-Guardian Grass not only to recognize residents but also to master the skill of bullying the weak and fearing the strong…!

The door-Guardian Grass respectfully opened the door for Zhou Mu, making it easier for him to move the tiger eagle inside.

The dormitory at Hualing Academy had ample space—after all, many students here had massive original forms.

The most convenient feature was that the doors had some elasticity. Otherwise, given the strength of many students, ‘breaking out through the door’ would probably become a regular occurrence. The dorms also had large storage spaces for students to keep their personal belongings.

This was especially useful for Zhou Mu, who had packed his luggage to the brim. Worried that the school wouldn’t have much human food, he had even brought a bag of fragrant long-grain rice and some seeds, planning to grow scallions in his dorm room.

Zhou Mu carefully tidied up the counter, laying out an entire set of knives.

Then, he happily began the process of draining the blood and plucking the feathers of the tiger eagle.

With a single stroke, he severed the spine and removed the head.

The wings were detached separately—he slid a sharp knife into the inside of the scapula, slicing through layers of muscle to separate the shoulder blade from the chest wall.

After dealing with the limbs, he split open the abdominal cavity, removed all the internal organs, and categorized them properly, even labeling them.

His movements were smooth and precise, wasting nothing.

Wearing a mask and rubber gloves, Zhou Mu lifted a rack of ribs, his eyes glowing as he turned to You Qi. “Look at this! Such big ribs! I knew its meat would be firm! I love bone-in meat the most. Did you know that the connective tissue near the bone makes it extra juicy and tender? The texture is rich, and when roasted, the juices just burst out—”

You Qi had witnessed the entire process from start to finish.

This seemingly weak roommate, who could trip over his own feet, handled butchering with incredible skill. His passionate speech against cremation earlier wasn’t just empty talk—he was genuinely excited about preparing his favorite cuts using human culinary methods.

For a brief moment, a thought flashed through You Qi’s mind—if this level of understanding of meat and bone were applied to combat…

But his thoughts quickly returned to Zhou Mu, scanning him inch by inch. A frail body, slender limbs, half his face covered by a mask, and those shining eyes reflecting the rack of ribs.

Weak yet fierce.

How should he put it? Surprisingly, this was an oddly endearing little creature.

And it wasn’t just because You Qi had never even had a pet since kindergarten—most living beings instinctively kept their distance from him. It was in their genes. Innate fear, reinforced by learned behavior, told them to stay away from a beast of prey.

You Qi tapped his fingers on the table. “If you need anything, let me know.”

Zhou Mu’s face lit up. “Thanks! You’re really nice!”

You Qi: ? That was the first time anyone had said that to him.

Half an hour later, the roasted ribs were ready.

Just as Zhou Mu had hoped, the high heat had caused the surface to undergo a Maillard reaction, turning it a perfect golden brown with slightly charred edges. Tiny flecks of seasoning dotted the sizzling fat, the glaze baked into the meat, and even the little piece of bone sticking out looked tempting enough to gnaw on.

Food must be refined, finely prepared.

Growing up among humans, Zhou Mu had developed a certain appreciation for good food.

He eagerly took a bite, feeling the tender yet firm meat separate from the bone, the rich juices spilling into his mouth beneath the crispy surface.

“Amazing! Oh my god, tiger eagle, tiger eagle, I have to write this down—tiger eagle tastes great!” Zhou Mu looked moved. He pushed the plate toward You Qi, hesitated, then picked out the smallest piece as a token of gratitude for the ingredient supplier. “Hurry, eat while it’s hot!”

You Qi turned his head, quietly observing.

He wasn’t particularly interested in eating this way, but something about Zhou Mu’s enthusiasm amused him. He reached out his hand.

Not for the plate, though. Instead, he reached past it and landed his hand right on top of Zhou Mu’s head, giving him a pat.

Zhou Mu: “Hmm?”

He only looked at You Qi with slight confusion, making no move to dodge.

You Qi absentmindedly ruffled his hair. “You eat it.”

Zhou Mu’s gaze turned a little more sympathetic— Was the muzzle locked on? Could he not take it off himself? So pitiful! Oh no! Hahaha, this means I can eat more!

Zhou Mu quickly cheered up and continued chomping on his ribs. “Something’s missing, though.”

You Qi: “?”

Hualing Academy had a large cafeteria.

Since it was a comprehensive academy accepting students from various races, it offered a wide range of food options. Maybe not everything imaginable, but it wasn’t as lacking as Zhou Mu had feared.

After the opening ceremony, Chun Shijiu had gone straight to the cafeteria. The taste of Zhou Mu from the previous day lingered in his mind, so he drank another two shots of liquor.

Sigh. Why was the little monster avoiding him? Didn’t he hear the principal’s warning today?

Right, he needed to talk to Zhou Mu—staying with You Qi was too dangerous.

He should move in with him instead. At the very least… well… it wouldn’t be as terrifying.

When he returned to the dormitory building, he had just reached the stairwell when he noticed a crowd of students gathered near Room 1203, whispering among themselves.

Hmm?

Chun Shijiu sniffed the air, catching a whiff of a delicious, smoky meat aroma. Even though he had just eaten, the scent was still incredibly enticing. But as he got closer, he overheard the students’ discussion:

“What kind of pill smells this good? Why does it have a meaty aroma??”

“What kind of pill is You Qi refining?! It smells amazing!”

“Who’s brave enough to knock and ask?”

“You dare? Just passing by is enough to get sprayed by that Guardian Grass for five minutes. Damn, that thing has such a foul mouth.”

Chun Shijiu clicked his tongue. Many people still didn’t know that You Qi had a roommate and mistakenly thought the delicious meat aroma was from You Qi refining pills.

He hadn’t drunk much today. Walking up before the Guardian Grass could speak, he said, “Oh, I know, I’m a pervert.”

Guardian Grass: “……”

Guardian Grass: “&*%￥# Are you serious?! You’re so shameless, you XXXXXX! If I had hands, I’d slap you so hard you’d land in a lecture hall!”

Ignoring it completely, Chun Shijiu pounded on the door. “You Qi! Are you secretly eating the Zhou Mu I stored?! Open up! Give me half!”

At that moment, the door to Room 1203 swung open, and You Qi appeared in the doorway.

There had been quite a few people watching, but the moment they saw You Qi’s face, everyone suddenly found something urgent to do and scattered in all directions.

“Class is starting, gotta go!”

“Time to collect the laundry!”

You Qi’s gaze landed on the only one who hadn’t moved—Chun Shijiu. “Perfect timing. Where’s your cauldron? Lend it to me.”

“Don’t you have your own? You’ve never borrowed from me before.” Chun Shijiu grumbled but still turned back to fetch his alchemy cauldron. While at it, he tried to peek into Room 1203, searching for Zhou Mu.

The Guardian Grass continued its tirade: “Do you even know what kind of crap you are? Ha! Don’t think too highly of yourself just because someone asks you for something! XXXXX”

Zhou Mu was hiding behind You Qi. He reached out to take Chun Shijiu’s cauldron, but the moment he saw Chun Shijiu’s face, he clutched the cauldron and immediately shrank back inside.

Chun Shijiu called out regretfully, “Why are you hiding from me? If I had known it was you, I wouldn’t have minded lending it. Didn’t prepare well before school started, huh? You should’ve told me earlier. How could I refuse? My cauldron is brand new! If you moved in with me—”

The Guardian Grass remained diligent: “Get lost! XXXXX Don’t come to my house acting all shady! You’re greasy as hell! XXXXX!”

Just then, Chun Shijiu caught a faint whiff of something burning. The scent itself wasn’t unusual—alchemy always involved fire. But beyond that, there was also the distinct aroma of some plant-based ingredient. He had smelled it before… in the cafeteria?

A bad feeling crept over him. “Zhou Mu! What exactly are you using my cauldron for?!”

Zhou Mu’s voice wavered. “Making scorched rice.”

Because, well, having ribs without some rice just felt incomplete.

Chun Shijiu: “…”

WTF!!!

Chun Shijiu lost it and tried to snatch the cauldron back.

Zhou Mu, from inside the room, seemed to sense his intentions and pitifully reminded him, “But you just said I could borrow it…”

Chun Shijiu’s face darkened.

If he had known Zhou Mu was using it for this… He had saved up for three months to buy that Nine-Star Cauldron! And now it was being defiled like this!

He tried to step inside to have a serious talk with Zhou Mu, but You Qi stood motionless in the doorway, blocking him completely. This had to be revenge. It had to be!

You Qi had always lived alone. It was because of Chun Shijiu that Zhou Mu had ended up in his dorm. And this little human-raised monster was quite stubborn—not even scared off by You Qi.

Now You Qi was stuck with trouble, and he was probably doing this on purpose just to watch him suffer.

Chun Shijiu imagined all sorts of scenarios.

But since the Nine-Star Cauldron was already gone, he couldn’t lose face too.

Forcing a stiff smile, he pretended to be composed and added a subtle threat: “I’m letting you use it, but make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Zhou Mu, all innocence, reassured him, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I hardly ever burn the pot.”

Chun Shijiu: “…”

Guarding Grass: “Pffft, hilarious.”

Chun Shijiu: “…………”

“&%￥# Did you at least wash it properly?!” Chun Shijiu, full of resentment, took the returned cauldron and peered inside, genuinely worried that Zhou Mu had burnt rice onto it.

“It’s clean,” Zhou Mu said.

Chun Shijiu narrowed his eyes and leaned closer, murmuring near Zhou Mu’s cheek, “You can count this meal on me, but I will be collecting my debt later.”

Zhou Mu swallowed and retreated back into Room 1203.

“You haven’t attended the orientation training yet, have you?” Chun Shijiu smirked, hugging his cauldron as he shut his dorm door. “If you think… there’s a truly safe place here, you’re wrong. One day, you’ll come looking for me on your own.”

Zhou Mu closed his door as well.

The orientation training Chun Shijiu mentioned was something Teacher Luo Guanzhong had also brought up before.

Hualing Academy is unlike human institutions, which conduct military training at the start of the school year. Instead, they have an orientation training program.

Hualing has stood for hundreds of years, and as the dean and principal have repeatedly warned, the school harbors many taboos. If new students unknowingly trigger one, it could very well be life-threatening. Such incidents have never been uncommon since the academy’s founding.

Clearly, orientation training is absolutely necessary.

This training isn’t conducted full-time but takes place during extracurricular hours over the course of half a month.

Right now, Zhou Mu was on his way to complete this training.

According to the notice, he arrived at the school’s grand auditorium for the assembly…

It’s important to note that this ‘orientation training’ is specifically for those coming to Hualing for the first time. As previously mentioned, while Hualing is a comprehensive institution, due to its regional location and other factors, very few outsiders manage to gain admission.

The higher the grade level, the rarer it becomes.

And this year, among the new students at Zhou Mu’s level, he was the only outsider. All the others had either been directly promoted from the main school or transferred from branch campuses.

Moreover, as the demon race has begun placing greater emphasis on education, cases of older individuals enrolling have become increasingly rare.

In short, what all this meant was…

“Hey, bro, what grade are you in? How’d you get so tall?” A first-year elementary student, barely 1.4 meters tall, stood with hands on his hips, looking up at Zhou Mu and striking up a conversation.

Zhou Mu: “……”