MRSG Chapter 19

Lord Cong was clearly shaken by You Qi, unable to speak for a long time, with a look of melancholy on his handsome face.

It wasn’t until his colleague reminded him that it was time to leave.

Lord Cong finally looked at You Qi with a complicated gaze, his eyes even carrying a hint of confusion. Everyone present speculated that he was probably trying to figure out where exactly he had lost. Even the proud aura of the Spring and Autumn King’s Sword had diminished, and with a dejected tone, he said, “Then I’ll be off… good luck with the competition.”

He turned around, and even the arc of his white robe fluttering in the air seemed low-spirited.

“Alright, thanks! See you at the competition!” Zhou Mu waved, as if completely unaware of Lord Cong’s strange behavior. In this light, his enthusiasm seemed almost cruel.

Chun Shijiu analyzed the situation in his mind and suddenly developed a new perspective on Zhou Mu. This seemingly harmless half-human, who relied on clinging to strong allies to survive in Hualing, actually had a cold and even indifferent side?

The next second, Zhou Mu stretched lazily and said, “Ahh, my leg’s cramping!”

Then, the campus’s model student, You Q,i personally escorted him back to the dormitory.

Chun Shijiu: “……” Maybe he was just overthinking things.

Following the arrival of the referee panel, the representative teams from various universities also gradually arrived at Hualing before the opening ceremony of the sports competition. They were housed in specially designated contestant dormitories and underwent brief training sessions—similar to the freshman orientation Zhou Mu had attended before—informing them of the school’s rules and restrictions.

A total of 1,500 students from different universities participated in this event. Including team staff, 1,832 visitors stayed at Hualing for twenty days to compete in thirteen events.

Because of this, Hualing was incredibly busy. Accommodating so many contestants, each from a different species with unique habits, meant that tailored hospitality was often necessary.

Tian Qi, who could never sit still, managed to become the youngest volunteer in the event. He ran around helping with everything and even secured a small team leader position.

On the day of the opening ceremony, Zhou Mu put on his school uniform—something he hadn’t worn once since enrolling.

Having grown up in a human city, he wasn’t used to wearing traditional-style clothing. Since Hualing didn’t enforce dress codes, this was truly his first time wearing it. He haphazardly threw it on, tied the waist belt, looked in the mirror, and nodded in satisfaction. “Hmm, not bad.”

A hand suddenly reached over, pinching his waist belt and pulling it loose.

Zhou Mu was a beat slow in reacting, placing his hand over the one interfering with his clothing. “…What are you doing?”

You Qi gave the belt a firm tug and pulled it away.

Zhou Mu tensed slightly, feeling the belt slip from his hands. Then, You Qi deftly undid his sash as well and lowered his head to say, “Your lapels were crossed the wrong way.”

You Qi adjusted the overlapping of Zhou Mu’s robe to the proper right-side-over-left style before retying the waist belt. He was used to wearing these garments and moved with expert ease. After finishing, he draped the final outer robe over Zhou Mu’s shoulders. The light blue fabric suited Zhou Mu’s fair skin, almost giving it a translucent glow under the sunlight. You Qi paused slightly while adjusting the collar—this seemed like a good opportunity…

“Huh, are you mixing styles?” Zhou Mu’s gaze landed on You Qi’s neckline, and he suddenly noticed something. He tiptoed and pulled the robe aside slightly, confirming that You Qi was wearing the dress shirt Zhou Mu had gifted him underneath. It had practically become a permanent fixture in You Qi’s wardrobe, almost replacing his school uniform. Zhou Mu couldn’t help but laugh. “Not bad, not bad. This combination actually looks pretty good.”

Just then, Zhou Mu’s phone kept buzzing—it was the event notification group urging everyone to gather.

“It’s time to go!” Zhou Mu grabbed You Qi and ran outside.

You Qi was slightly disappointed but quickly consoled himself—winning the championship first, then he’d bring it up again.

According to the event committee’s arrangements, Zhou Mu and his four teammates gathered with the other Hualing contestants, lining up to enter the opening ceremony. Photographers roamed the venue, capturing footage of the grand event.

—For this occasion, Senior Yan had been banned from going outside for ten days to prevent him from wrecking the venue. It was fine if Hualing students fell into his pits, but they couldn’t let visitors from other schools laugh at them during the event.

The gathering site was bustling. The university teams, when viewed from above, looked like irregularly shaped blocks of different colors.

The reason they were ‘irregular’ was that their formations were clearly not as neat as those Zhou Mu had seen in human schools. Not only were they uneven in width and depth, but because some ghost cultivators liked floating, their ranks even protruded upward…

Among the Hualing team, Zhou Mu and his four teammates had an obvious empty space around them.

It was clear that the main reason was You Qi, and the other four were simply caught in the ‘isolation zone’ by association. Most of the time—whether in class, the cafeteria, or on the sports field—no one dared to stand too close to You Qi.

When Zhou Mu was alone, he was often surrounded by classmates. But the moment You Qi was present, everyone kept their distance. He didn’t seem to mind, though. Instead, he looked over at Gui Youqi and asked with concern, “The weather’s getting cooler. Won’t you get cold with your sleeves rolled up like that?”

Floating three feet off the ground, Xu Tianyi looked down and chuckled. “Zhou Mu, you’re too kind. So concerned about your classmate’s… meat quality—oh, I mean physical health.”

Gui Youqi: “…………”

%￥#& Stop pretending. You said it all already.

Standing next to Hualing’s team was another squad, all wearing uniforms with the characters “Jingshan” printed on them—they were the contestants from Jingshan Academy.

Jingshan Academy was a school exclusively for demons. In past years, they wouldn’t even accept ghosts, let alone students with mixed human blood. However, with the increasing number of mixed-blood individuals in modern society, they had no choice but to keep up with the times.

After glancing over for a moment, Zhou Mu noticed that among their ranks, two contestants were in a similar predicament as their group—isolated from their peers.

A shared fate indeed.

At that moment, the two turned around, and Zhou Mu saw that they looked identical—clearly a pair of twins. They had slightly darker skin, but it gleamed with a healthy glow under the sunlight. Their long hair was neatly tied back, with wisps left loose by their cheeks. Their eyes were bright, and together, they radiated an aura of athletic beauty. Holding hands, they stood together, their beauty seemingly amplified.

As Zhou Mu looked at them, they also glanced in his direction. Their gazes met, and each instantly recognized the other’s situation. A sense of mutual understanding passed between them.

“Hi,” Zhou Mu greeted first.

The twins spoke in unison, “Hello.”

Their accent carried a regional tone—these were demons from Lingnan.

Zhou Mu asked sympathetically, “Are you guys being bullied by your school too?”

Hualing students: “…………?”

The twins, with synchronized expressions of pitiful innocence, shook their heads. “No, it’s our fault. Even after years of cultivation, we haven’t fully shed our original instincts. Understandably, others would keep their distance. This doesn’t count as bullying.”

Zhou Mu’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Wow, that’s too pure.” He turned to You Qi and said heavily, “Really hits close to home. Boohoo.”

The other students then saw You Qi actually nodding in agreement. “Yeah.”

Hualing students: “……”

Gui Youqi saw that Zhou Mu was talking with two beautiful female classmates, and his interest was piqued. Putting on a stance of solidarity with Zhou Mu, he squeezed through and approached them, saying, “Your Jingshan Academy is really too much, still engaging in discrimination. Everyone has to cultivate step by step to overcome their racial instincts.”

Hearing Gui Youqi’s words, the two girls blushed slightly, lowered their heads shyly, and fidgeted with the hem of their clothes.

Gui Youqi immediately reached out and took their hands. “We, the bullied, should stick together for warmth. Come stand with me. What are your names?”

The twins replied, “I’m Xixi.”

“And I’m Susu.”

Gui Youqi felt their hands were smooth and slippery. Smiling, he introduced himself, “I’m Gui Youqi, a South Sea Ghosthead Fish.”

He had never hidden his original form and, at this moment, even spoke with a bit of pride, as if making a statement. He also glanced at the other Jingshan students, but they all wore indifferent expressions—some even rolled their eyes at him.

Xixi and Susu exchanged a glance. These two honest girls, seeing that Gui Youqi had openly revealed his origins, decided to be truthful as well. “We’re sisters, and we’re cockroaches.”

Gui Youqi said, “Oh, cockroaches.”

Wait a minute—cockroaches?!

His expression froze. Weren’t cockroaches…

Behind him, Zhou Mu curiously asked, “Are you American cockroaches or German cockroaches? Coming from Lingnan, I’d guess you’re American cockroaches?”

The twins shyly fidgeted with their hands again, making a faint rustling sound. “Mhm!”

Gui Youqi: “……”

Cockroaches?!

Now, when he looked at their hand-fidgeting gestures and the two strands of hair by their cheeks—which now looked suspiciously like antennae—nothing felt right anymore. No wonder their hands were so slippery—he had thought it was just hand cream. But now, it seemed more likely that they had just finished rummaging through some garbage!

Wait… were they even twins? Or just two out of a fifty-sibling brood…?

Just then, a live event photographer flew over and zoomed in on Gui Youqi, Xixi, and Susu, seemingly wanting to capture a friendly moment between contestants from different schools.

Noticing that they were on camera, Xixi and Susu shyly leaned in on either side of Gui Youqi, snuggling up to him.

Gui Youqi, who had been contemplating an escape, now felt too embarrassed to move. Instead, he forced a numb smile at the camera. He was defiled.

……

Stuck in an awkward situation, Gui Youqi had to endure until the opening ceremony’s contestant procession was over before he could finally return to his team. Zhou Mu even reminded him to take a thorough shower afterward—not out of discrimination, but purely for hygiene reasons.

As the host school, Hualing’s representative team was the last to enter.

Nearly all the students and faculty had come to watch the ceremony. When the Hualing contestants appeared, the stadium erupted into deafening cheers and applause. The noise reached another peak when the big screen’s camera focused on Zhou Mu.

The other school’s contestants were stunned. Who was this? Someone with such insane popularity—was he a championship favorite?

But on closer inspection…

So weak.

His breathing wasn’t even steady, and his energy flow was disjointed—he looked like an ordinary human and not even one of the stronger ones. His entire presence screamed ‘easy to bully.’

Because Zhou Mu was a new student, the other schools hadn’t gathered much intel on him. At this moment, no one knew who he was or what event he was competing in.

What they also didn’t know was that Hualing’s students weren’t just cheering for Zhou Mu because he was part of a championship-favorite team. They had long discussed among themselves that, even with You Qi’s presence, combat events were dangerous, and there was a chance Zhou Mu could get injured.

And if he got hurt, they’d get to smell that delicious scent again! Even if they couldn’t eat him, just the fragrance would be worth it. You Qi could have his meat and broth—wasn’t it only fair for everyone else to at least catch a whiff?

Being so enthusiastically welcomed—or rather, coveted—Zhou Mu noticed himself on the big screen and waved excitedly.

The director, feeling bold, adjusted the camera to include You Qi in the frame as well.

Zhou Mu loved lively crowds, especially when the atmosphere was so electrifying. When he saw You Qi on the screen—notably, the cheers had briefly dipped by two or three seconds when You Qi appeared, as if getting caught in people’s throats.

But Zhou Mu noticed from the screen that You Qi was lowering his head to look at him, seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere at the scene. Zhou Mu immediately turned around, jumped up, and climbed onto You Qi’s back. You Qi supported him with his left hand, a smile appearing on his face as well.

Zhou Mu grabbed his hand and waved enthusiastically. “I love Hualing so much!”

The crowd, whose cheers had slightly dropped due to You Qi’s presence, instantly erupted into another wave of wild excitement.