MRSG Chapter 7

Title: So what exactly is it??

Content: Outside the Beast Academy’s lab building this afternoon, there was a freshman whose scent almost knocked me out. Before I could get a few more whiffs, You Qi rushed over, covered them up, and took them away. I bet he wanted to keep it all to himself. Anyone with a good nose figure out what it was? Where can I buy something similar online??

1L: You Qi has been missing, and you don’t care. He might get expelled, and you don’t care. If he gets expelled and turns against society, attacking us, you still don’t care. But you do care about whether you can eat the same thing as him…

2L: I was there. Take out the ‘I bet’ part. I’ve never smelled anything that fragrant before, and I’m a ghost cultivator! I always thought nothing suited my appetite better than incense offerings. How did You Qi hold back? His restriction was practically trembling—his desires were definitely stirred.

3L: Holy crap. Forget that you’re a ghost cultivator, even as a human, just smelling it made me so hungry I ate two extra bowls of rice.

4L: Stop talking about it—I’m drooling just thinking about it. Heading to Building 5 to investigate.

5L: But the school’s restrictions didn’t activate either, so I’m not sure he ate them. There were student council members at the scene, and the school wouldn’t react so slowly. If something had happened, we’d have heard something by now.

6L: Maybe he kidnapped them and ran off-campus, and Senior Little Howl is chasing him.

7L: Senior Little Howl was the one who got tempted first today—he’s probably getting his food rations docked now…

30L: This freshman is seriously something. Based on all the reports so far, they’re not just fragrant but universally tempting to every race!

31L: I just told my grandpa about this on a video call. He said he’s encountered something similar before—back when he was working at Black Wind Mountain, he passed by a Tang monk…

32L: ?? LOL. Not quite the same. The demons wanted to eat Tang Monk because his flesh granted immortality. We don’t even know what this freshman’s meat does.

33L: I just found out that this freshman is human? When they first arrived, Chun Shijiu even took a bite, and now he can’t stop thinking about it. He originally wanted to keep the freshman for himself, take them back and raise them for food—but You Qi swooped in first.

34L: Are humans really this tasty?

Could they be some celestial being reincarnated, or a saint who accumulated virtue over ten lifetimes?

The school year had just started, and they’d already nearly had a major incident. To ease tensions, all the freshmen—including Zhou Mu—were granted special permission to take a break from classes and training.

Especially Zhou Mu. Rumor had it that he’d injured his ankle. Even Professor Luo Guanzhong personally called to check in, asking if Zhou Mu wanted to stay at his snail shell for a few days, but Zhou Mu politely declined.

Teacher Luo didn’t insist and instead said that Senior Yan would visit him. If Zhou Mu needed anything, he could ask Yan Xingke.

Meanwhile, Tian Qi, the elementary schooler he added on WeChat during training, also sent a long-winded voice message to check on him. Each message was 60 seconds long. After ten minutes of listening to Tian Qi’s concerned ‘leader-like’ speech about taking care of his injury and recovering soon, Zhou Mu was left in a daze.

After replying to the messages, he sat in his dorm and opened his laptop to write in his journal.

There’s an old saying: No serious person keeps a diary…

But Zhou Mu believed that a bad memory was worse than a written record. Not only did he write a diary, but he also maintained an Excel sheet to log everything new he encountered at school—new experiences, new friends—afraid he might forget anything.

After all, having lived in human cities for so long, everything here felt new and exciting.

When You Qi approached from behind, Zhou Mu had just typed his name.

What kind of notes would he write about him?

You Qi silently continued watching, only to see Zhou Mu pause in thought before inserting an image—five little stars.

…What kind of kindergarten-level evaluation system was this?

“You gave me five stars. Is that a high rating?” You Qi asked out of nowhere.

Zhou Mu jumped in surprise, patted his chest, and earnestly explained, “Of course! But there’s no upper limit, so you always have room for improvement!”

You Qi: “…”

“Oh, right! I never asked—how do you normally eat?” Zhou Mu asked curiously.

You Qi looked down. “Most of the time, fasting pills are enough…”

Then he took out his specially marked utensils and water cup. For example, when drinking water, the metal mesh on his muzzle would turn semi-transparent, allowing him to drink through it.

Technically, he could eat certified food this way, but he preferred to just take fasting pills.

“Aw, that sounds so tasteless.” Zhou Mu’s boldness, much like his star-rating system, seemed limitless. As long as his probing wasn’t stopped, he would push further each time.

Right now, he was cautiously reaching out to touch You Qi’s muzzle.

You Qi’s gaze darkened instantly, but he didn’t move. He figured he could afford to trust Zhou Mu a little more—let him be even bolder.

Zhou Mu’s fingers brushed over the red cinnabar runes, flicking the metal grid piece by piece. You Qi’s breathing hitched slightly. Even though there was no direct contact, with the mesh being semi-transparent, it felt like it wasn’t there at all—or as if it was connected to him. He noticed Zhou Mu lingering outside his canine teeth and couldn’t help swallowing.

Then Zhou Mu suddenly pulled his hand back and announced, “I’m hungry! Let’s go to the cafeteria!”

You Qi felt a tiny bit… disappointed.

“Mm.”

……

Hualing’s first cafeteria had three floors. The first was half supermarket, half stir-fry stalls. The second had snacks, fruit, and large buffet-style dishes. The third was the breakfast section—which, for ghost cultivators, was basically a ‘midnight snack’ area.

Right now, the cafeteria was packed. Groups of students gathered, laughter and chatter filling the space.

“Hahaha, this is delicious.”

“Really? You don’t mind if I take a bite?”

“Wow, you call that ‘a bite’?!”

Zhou Mu sat obediently by himself at a two-person table, looking left and right at the lively crowd, his expression one of complete helplessness.

You Qi had told him to find a seat on the first floor while he went up to the second floor to grab some fruit. It wouldn’t be right to make Zhou Mu stand in line upstairs.

The moment You Qi appeared, the noisy cafeteria gradually quieted down as people recognized him.

After all, this was the most talked-about person of the semester so far!

The school forums were practically exploding with discussions about this freshman—his background, the incident, and even how he ended up as You Qi’s roommate.

“So this is Zhou Mu? I don’t smell anything—does he really smell that good?”

“Wasn’t he already eaten by You Qi?”

“I heard the dean saved him. Word is the academic office is drafting a punishment.”

“Oh… poor thing, he looks so cute. Slurp.”

“Wipe your drool.”

Yan Xingke had already warned Zhou Mu that Hualing’s rules weren’t rigid—this was a school with many different species, and plenty of arrogant demons didn’t bother concealing their presence.

Some might even think: If You Qi can have a taste, why can’t I?

Especially when Zhou Mu smelled so delicious… and had no one protecting him.

A tall male student strolled over to Zhou Mu, grinning. “Zhou Mu?”

Zhou Mu had to tilt his head back to look at him. “Do I know you?”

The guy spoke sincerely, “You don’t, but I heard you taste really good, so I wanted to get to know your flavor.”

Zhou Mu: “…”

The guy turned back to his watching friends and flashed a confident ‘Got this’ gesture. He wasn’t going to eat Zhou Mu completely—worst case, he’d just get a slap on the wrist like You Qi did.

Demonic energy was already leaking from him, and since he knew Zhou Mu came from a human settlement, he deliberately showed his original form to intimidate him. His upper body remained human, but his legs split into eight long tentacles covered in barbed flesh, writhing on the ground…

—’The octopus, large and formidable, a spectral creature among fish.’

This guy was a ghosthead fish.

Zhou Mu stared at him, dumbfounded.

Seeing that Zhou Mu was frozen in fear, the ghosthead fish smirked, feeling quite pleased with himself. Confident in his impressive physique, he reached out a tentacle toward Zhou Mu’s waist—

“Hold up, what do you think you’re doing?”

A lazy voice rang out.

Before the sound even settled, Chun Shijiu had already moved, pulling Zhou Mu over.

“Gui Youqi, bullying freshmen now?” Chun Shijiu said with a half-smile.

Gui Youqi—the ghosthead fish—hesitated when he saw Chun Shijiu. He forced a grin. “No, I was just introducing myself.”

Chun Shijiu drawled, “Introducing yourself, huh? I’d say you had other intentions.”

He exaggeratedly sniffed Zhou Mu. “Mmm, smells fishy!”

Zhou Mu glanced at Gui Youqi, hesitating to speak.

Good food was naturally desirable to everyone. Weighing his strength against Chun Shijiu’s, Gui Youqi decided it wasn’t worth it. He lifted his tentacles and started retreating—

Smack.

Something stomped down.

Gui Youqi snapped around, furious. “Don’t step on my leg!”

He turned back angrily—only to come face-to-face with You Qi.

You Qi stood there holding a plate of fruit, looking like he had been there for quite some time. With zero remorse, he asked, “Does it hurt?”

Gui Youqi nearly jumped out of his skin, his eight legs almost tying themselves into knots.

He cursed his friends internally—weren’t they saying You Qi had been detained by the academic office? Yet here he was, perfectly fine, guarding his food!

Even worse, when he looked back, all his friends who had been watching earlier had their faces buried in their meal trays, pretending to be deeply focused on eating.

Now it was just him, caught red-handed trying to steal from You Qi’s bowl. If he didn’t leave now, he was definitely getting beaten up.

“Heh-heh-heh, no problem at all!” Gui Youqi’s teeth chattered. Without changing his expression, he twisted his tentacles and smoothly slid forward. “Well then, classmates, I’ll be heading out first.”

“Goodbye.” You Qi responded indifferently—but his foot didn’t budge an inch. All of his strength pressed onto that single point. Meanwhile, Gui Youqi was trying to move forward in a hurry—

Snap.

A tentacle tore off.

It wriggled on the ground, still alive.

Gui Youqi: “…………”

He glanced at You Qi, and You Qi looked back at him. Immediately, Gui Youqi turned away, covering his severed limb with a face full of silent rage.

Zhou Mu, who had been behaving obediently just a moment ago, suddenly perked up as if he had found his protector. He shoved at Chun Shijiu, saying, “Let me go, let me go!”

You Qi extended a hand toward Chun Shijiu.

Though he didn’t say a word, it was clear he was asking for Zhou Mu back.

Chun Shijiu’s smile gradually faded as he held down the squirming Zhou Mu. “What, the school didn’t punish you? And you still dare?”

“None of your business. Let go.” You Qi replied. “Don’t you have your own roommate?”

Chun Shijiu’s eyes flickered.

…So they were still roommates?

What was the administration thinking, still assigning Zhou Mu to share a dorm with You Qi?

He thought back to how he had been the first to find Zhou Mu, intending to tease and scare him a little. But he had carelessly let him into You Qi’s dorm, and now not only had he missed his chance for a bite—he couldn’t even get him back.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to move in with me instead? I could even treat you a little better.” Chun Shijiu didn’t bother hiding his emotions—he was jealous. Especially because, right after he spoke, Zhou Mu forcibly broke free from his grip and hopped on one foot toward You Qi.

That close? Even while limping, he was determined to move toward You Qi…

Wait. Hold on. Something wasn’t right.

Zhou Mu was heading in You Qi’s direction, but halfway there, he suddenly stopped and crouched down.

Then… he picked up Gui Youqi’s severed tentacle, sniffed it with appreciation, poked at it, and checked its texture.

“So fresh!” Zhou Mu’s face lit up with joy, like he had just struck gold. “I didn’t expect to go tide-pooling in the cafeteria!”

Gui Youqi, who had been trying to quietly sneak away: “&%￥#@#@!”

Was this something a human would say?! Just because he had a backer, did he have to be this arrogant?!

Chun Shijiu: “……”

He was silent for a moment—then suddenly burst out laughing. Good one, little monster. The moment someone’s backing you, you get this cocky?

Zhou Mu, holding his freshly acquired seafood, turned to Gui Youqi and asked innocently, “Classmate, you don’t mind if I take a bite, do you?”

Gui Youqi: “……………… I don’t mind!”

Having a backer really was amazing…!