MRSG Chapter 22

Tianyan Square

Both the students of the school and the contestants and staff participating in the sports competition had gathered here. Even though the faculty members were trying to calm them down, these demons were not clueless children—they inevitably grew anxious.

What kind of joke was this? They had all seen the black smoke rising and the golden light flashing intermittently from the direction of Jinyuan. Who knew what kind of terrifying creature had appeared over there?!

Many students were already prepared—if things took a turn for the worse, they would sprint away at track-meet speeds, covering thousands of miles in an instant.

As time passed, an ominous feeling grew stronger in everyone’s hearts. Then, finally, Cui Jue arrived, leading a group of teachers and… a pig-headed monster. “Apologies for the unexpected incident just now. We didn’t mean to cause alarm,” Cui Jue said.

The unfamiliar pig-headed creature also spoke: “Regarding today’s events, our committee and the Hualing Society will issue a joint announcement to explain everything clearly. For now, we can assure you that the crisis has been resolved. You may return to your dorms or classrooms with peace of mind.”

A brief silence fell over the square before the crowd erupted into a flurry of discussion.

“Wait, hold up… is that Judge Xie?! Did I mishear?”

“Where did my elegant and handsome uncle-type beauty go?! Pig-head, get lost!”

“Don’t be like that! Something must have happened. Judge Xie must’ve risked his life to protect us and ended up getting blasted into a pig head. Don’t you remember the black smoke earlier?”

Xie Rulin: “……”

With a dark expression, Xie Rulin said, “You can all go back to your dorms now.”

Nobody paid him any attention; they were too busy speculating about what could have possibly turned a xiezhi into a pig-headed creature.

Cui Jue leaned in and whispered, “Brother Xie, I think we should just say you were beaten up by the Tan beast.”

Naturally, tomorrow’s announcement wouldn’t include the full truth. They would omit any details related to Zhou Mu, only revealing the events concerning Shu Lin.

This was part of the agreement the school had made with Zhou Mu before his enrollment. Until he had completely dealt with the demonic energy, they didn’t want to cause unnecessary panic in any form. The school was also bound by regulations that prevented them from disclosing a student’s private information without permission—including Zhou Mu’s identity.

Xie Rulin was silent for a long moment before finally saying, “…Agreed.”

Starting today, the wounds on his face would be proof of his valiant battle against the Tan beast to protect everyone!

……

With the alarm lifted, the students slowly dispersed in groups, chatting about the gossip they had just heard.

When the students from Building 5 returned to their dormitory area, they unexpectedly spotted You Qi and his roommate.

The square had been so crowded earlier that no one had noticed their absence. But what puzzled everyone now was that the two, who were usually inseparable, were walking separately. Even more surprising was that Zhou Mu—who usually avoided Chun Shijiu—was now walking alongside him.

All three of them were silent, especially Chun Shijiu and You Qi, whose faces looked particularly grim.

When they reached the twelfth floor, Zhou Mu swung open his dorm room door and began packing his belongings with loud clattering noises.

Why was he packing? Had he been so terrified by You Qi’s threats that he was planning to drop out?

Students from the same floor clung to their doorframes, peeking inside, or pretended to walk past, trying to figure out what was happening.

The atmosphere inside the dormitory was heavy with tension. Halfway through packing, Zhou Mu reached for his laptop and noticed a message from his father on the screen. Instinctively, he glanced at You Qi.

You Qi was already staring at him. A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he thought, Ah… so that’s what it meant. Zhou Mu didn’t just want to eat him—he had even discussed his taste with his family.

You Qi realized something chilling: his name had already been on their family’s menu. If this conversation continued, would Zhou Mu soon be asking his mother for recipes on how to cook him?

Zhou Mu knew this sentence could be taken the wrong way, but honestly, he didn’t know what else to say—and besides, You Qi did smell pretty delicious. He slammed his laptop shut and looked over at Chun Shijiu, his expression terrifyingly calm. “Why are you just standing there? Don’t you want to live with me?”

Chun Shijiu, frozen beside him, almost burst into tears. Why is it always me?!

How was he supposed to make any sudden moves with Zhou Mu right next to him? And wasn’t Zhou Mu clearly venting his anger at him?!

Seriously, why did he deserve this?

Just because he had kindly accompanied Zhou Mu today, now he had to suffer in return??

Back in Jinyuan, they had all seen it—Zhou Mu was way scarier than the tan beast. You could tell at a glance he had no morals. Who knew how long the school rules could hold him back in a fit of rage?

Living with him was way more dangerous than rooming with You Qi—at least he had a restriction seal on his face.

“I-I do…” Chun Shijiu swallowed his bitterness and stepped forward to help Zhou Mu pack, prompting Zhou Mu to stop moving and simply glare at him as if questioning why he had been standing idle in the first place.

Zhou Mu picked up a packed suitcase and walked straight to the dorm across the hall.

As he approached the door, the guard grass at the threshold straightened up, wondering whether it should say something nasty. Zhou Mu was moving out now, technically no longer a resident—and even worse, he was moving in with Chun Shijiu. Surely, a few insults were in order?

But Zhou Mu seemed to know what it was thinking. He cast a cold glance its way.

With just that one look, the Guardian Grass fell silent like a cicada in winter. Its leaves wilted in fright…

The students secretly watching didn’t know the details, but when they saw Zhou Mu carrying his luggage across the hall, they were all stunned. Their brains whirred—was Zhou Mu moving into Chun Shijiu’s dorm?!

No wonder You Qi and Chun Shijiu had both looked so grim earlier. They must’ve gotten into a fight over Zhou Mu.

This could only mean one thing—Chun Shijiu had real skills, snatching food right from under You Qi’s nose!

Back in Room 1203, Chun Shijiu was left alone with You Qi as he packed Zhou Mu’s things. You Qi simply stared at him with pitch-black eyes. Even without looking back, Chun Shijiu could feel the intense emotion in that gaze.

What was it—hostility, killing intent, pure malice.

Chun Shijiu couldn’t stand it anymore. Why do I have to take crap from both sides? If you’ve got a problem, go fight him! It’s not like I wanted Zhou Mu to move in with me!

He wanted to slam the table and yell, but You Qi looked downright unstable right now, and survival instinct was built into his genes.

Chun Shijiu held back his fury and forced a stiff smile. “Yeah, go ahead and keep glaring at me. At this rate, you might never see me again. I’m not even enough for one bite.”

You Qi: “……”

You Qi watched silently as Chun Shijiu moved Zhou Mu’s belongings bit by bit. Half the room was already empty.

Just months ago, this was how his room had always looked—but now, why did it feel so unfamiliar, so… wrong?

Chun Shijiu opened a cabinet to get Zhou Mu’s snacks—snacks that You Qi had personally bought and neatly arranged. Watching Chun Shijiu pull them out, he felt like something was being ripped out of him, too.

Suddenly, You Qi shot to his feet. He couldn’t stay here any longer. He stormed out of the dorm.

With both dorm doors wide open, Zhou Mu clearly saw You Qi leave. He froze for two seconds, then slammed the door shut.

You Qi flinched at the sound, turning back in disbelief. Zhou Mu was really this cold-blooded?

A chill washed over him. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and stomped downstairs.

On the first floor, two students were standing in front of the vending machine, hesitating about buying something.

Ever since Zhou Mu had enrolled, he’d been regularly wiping the machine clean—and sometimes You Qi even helped him do it. With that kind of tyrannical presence, no one dared compete.

But now, Zhou Mu was moving into Chun Shijiu’s dorm, right? Everyone knew the snacks were for Zhou Mu. So… surely it was safe to buy now?

Nervously, they pressed a button—

—but before anything came out, a wind blade sliced right past one of their hands, scaring them into stumbling back.

Without even glancing at them, You Qi walked past and said coldly, “Don’t buy.”

……

Chun Shijiu finally finished moving everything, save for one last bag of clothes. As he walked it across the hall, a student from the next dorm, pretending to just pass by, winked and grinned at him.

“Bro, congrats on getting what you wanted. Didn’t you always say Zhou Mu would move into your room one day? Heh, enjoy it!”

Oh yeah. He had said that. He’d said it everywhere. He’d even said it to Zhou Mu’s face.

Chun Shijiu: “Ugh!”

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Damn, take care of yourself,” the student said, backing away in horror, worried it might be contagious.

“It’s nothing… just karma,” Chun Shijiu muttered, wiping away the blood as he placed the clothes inside.

Afraid Zhou Mu might pick on him again, his survival instinct flared. He walked over and said humbly, “The preliminary round of the team combat event is in a few days. You and You Qi are on the same team—would you like to forfeit?”

Letting the two of them meet would only end in madness, with innocent bystanders caught in the chaos.

In Chun Shijiu’s humble opinion, it’d be best if both of them took some time to cool down.

Didn’t you see? Even You Qi had stormed off.

Zhou Mu thought about it. Forfeit?

He and You Qi weren’t in the same major, didn’t have any classes together, and their classrooms were far apart. Their schedules didn’t overlap much at all. Now that he’d moved, they might barely see each other.

If he forfeited the match, they might not even meet once a week.

The thought flickered in his mind, but only for a second. Why should I be the one avoiding You Qi? Since when do tan beasts avoid their food?

Zhou Mu tapped his chin lightly with his slender fingers and said flatly, “If I don’t compete, how will I win the prize money? What’s your motive?”

Okay, clearly a miscalculation.

Chun Shijiu lowered his head. “I just thought you’d be in a bad mood if you saw him… If you need money, I still have some.”

Zhou Mu curled a finger at him and snorted. Didn’t you want to get close? “I don’t believe you. Come here, let me check how many kilocalories you have in total.”

Chun Shijiu: “…………”

…This is pure revenge for messing with his head! Who the hell checks calories when eating people?!

The author has something to say:

Chun Shijiu: I’m junk food, okay?!