Gu Xun still packed up the fish tank and headed to the cafeteria, while Dong Qianqiu silently followed behind him.
"Need something?"
Gu Xun naturally sensed Dong Qianqiu trailing him. He turned and saw Dong Qianqiu, who immediately shook her head.
"It's just that last time I was near you, I regained a bit of my memory. So I thought following you might help me recover more."
Dong Qianqiu explained. Gu Xun saw no reason to shoo her away—after all, Dong Qianqiu was quite a sight, reminiscent of an ornamental fish.
"Qianqiu, can you throw a jellyfish?"
Gu Xun suddenly turned to Dong Qianqiu with a strange look. Dong Qianqiu felt her brain freeze. Throw a jellyfish?
"Throw a jellyfish? ...What does that mean? Is it literally what I think it is?"
"Yes, just like this."
Gu Xun said, locating a skill. After clicking to learn it, he immediately unleashed it.
A jellyfish radiating colorful light appeared. The exquisite, beautiful creature instantly captured Dong Qianqiu's attention.
As the jellyfish swayed, it created ripples that washed over Dong Qianqiu. She felt her injuries begin to heal.
"Is this... a healing-type spirit skill? Are you a healing-type spirit master?"
Dong Qianqiu stared curiously at the jellyfish before turning to ask Gu Xun. Gu Xun shook his head, retracted the jellyfish, and replied.
"Just control over spirit power. Come on, let's eat."
"Oh."
In the cafeteria, Gu Xun found a seat. Dong Qianqiu glanced at him, then at the food counter, and asked.
"Aren't you getting food?"
"No need. I have my own. Sit down and eat. It'll do you good."
Gu Xun produced a plate of soy-glazed chicken drumsticks—a fusion creation from the Genshin Impact and Douluo Continent mods. Consuming it would accelerate a spirit master's meditation speed by twenty percent for three hours.
"This isn't right... You shouldn't just eat other people's food."
Dong Qianqiu sniffed the fragrant dish, swallowing hard. Yet she shook her head earnestly.
"So am I other people?"
Gu Xun took a bite, then turned to Dong Qianqiu with a question. Dong Qianqiu paused, then shook her head.
"You don't seem like other people."
"Then sit down and eat."
Gu Xun spoke as he brought out the fish tank and placed it nearby. Seeing this, Dong Qianqiu felt Gu Xun had a point and sat down to eat.
"Does Paopao eat this meat?"
Dong Qianqiu asked Gu Xun if the little shark Bubble could eat this chicken leg. Gu Xun glanced at Dong Qianqiu with amusement.
"Compare the size of the chicken leg to Bubble—which is bigger?"
Dong Qianqiu realized her mistake instantly, her face flushing crimson. Right—Bubble wasn't even as big as this chicken leg yet. How could she possibly eat it?
Dong Qianqiu fell silent, burying her head in her food, feeling utterly embarrassed.
Gu Xun was also puzzled. Hadn't Dong Qianqiu seemed sharp and quick-witted when she first appeared? Why was she acting so silly now?
Or was it because she hadn't been in human form long, and her memory loss was recent, making her seem this clueless?
Gu Xun quickly dismissed his thoughts and resumed eating. After finishing their meal, it was time for the afternoon break.
Gu Xun was a day student, so he found a pavilion in the academy grounds to play games. Dong Qianqiu, though a dormitory student, didn't return to the dormitory.
Instead, she stayed beside Gu Xun. She didn't join him in gaming but sat staring blankly at the little shark Paopao, occasionally interacting with it.
These past few days, Gu Xun and Dong Qianqiu had been practically inseparable. The academy teachers mistook Dong Qianqiu for being in a young romance and even summoned her to the office for counseling.
Fortunately, after Dong Qianqiu explained, the misunderstanding was cleared up. Upon returning, she recounted the incident to Gu Xun.
"Young romance? Us? What were those teachers thinking? To anyone watching, we look more like the aloof leader and his little sidekick."
Gu Xun found the teachers' assumptions overly sensitive. Dong Qianqiu, however, was angry at being called a sidekick.
"You're the sidekick! I only follow you because of Paopao—I'm no sidekick!"
"Fine, fine."
After months of interaction, Gu Xun and Dong Qianqiu had grown quite familiar. Dong Qianqiu's spirit power reached level sixteen, while Gu Xun hit level eighteen.
Dong Qianqiu had trained intensely these past months, boosting her spirit power by three levels. Gu Xun, however, continued his carefree lifestyle—eating and drinking whenever he pleased.
He equipped his second martial spirit with a spirit ring that could autonomously enhance itself with his body's fundamental endurance threshold.
Now both of Gu Xun's spirit rings had reached the thousand-year mark. Dong Qianqiu, observing Gu Xun who still held a level advantage over her, found Gu Xun utterly baffling.
Dong Qianqiu had barely ever seen Gu Xun practice, so how had he ended up two levels higher?
"Seriously, how come you level up so fast? That's ridiculous—four levels in four months? And these past four months only took me to level three. It's only because the academy gave me tons of resources, like pills and stuff."
"Me? I get stronger just by sleeping. Can you believe that?"
Gu Xun looked at Dong Qianqiu as he said this. Hearing his excuse, Dong Qianqiu rolled her eyes instantly.
"You might as well say you're a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in human form."