After the two left, Ye Qiu had no idea what happened afterward.
At that moment, he was walking down the mountain with Xue Qinghe.
Halfway down, a gentle breeze blew past them, lifting Ye Qiu's blue hair slightly.
"I'm truly sorry," Xue Qinghe said. "I should have shown you around personally, but state affairs have kept me busy."
Ye Qiu naturally understood. Everything that had happened at the academy must have already been reported to him.
Perhaps Ning Fengzhi even had a copy of the report by now.
The two walked side by side along the stone steps.
Xue Qinghe glanced at Ye Qiu's profile. There was hesitation and complexity in his eyes.
More than anything—he was scrutinizing him.
He had already received a reply from the Hall of Worship.
"By the way," Xue Qinghe asked casually, "does your martial soul have a name?"
"Yes. It's called the Sharingan."
"Sharingan?" Xue Qinghe repeated thoughtfully. "Its abilities are quite unusual. Was what you used earlier a soul skill?"
"Not exactly."
Ye Qiu did not elaborate. He had always kept his soul skills secret.
The rest of the journey was quiet. Most of the time, Xue Qinghe asked questions, and Ye Qiu answered briefly.
Soon, they reached the foot of the mountain.
Xue Qinghe stopped on the white marble steps.
"Brother Ye Qiu, take care. If anything unpleasant happens here, you may come to me. Also… please send my greetings to Teacher."
"Of course," Ye Qiu nodded. "I'll be relying on you in the future, Brother Xue. Goodbye."
He waved as he walked away. At Xue Qinghe's suggestion, the way they addressed each other had become more familiar.
Once he was out of Xue Qinghe's line of sight, Ye Qiu used his ability and disappeared, returning directly to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Meanwhile, Xue Qinghe walked toward a secluded area and stood quietly with his hands behind his back.
"Young Lord."
A figure emerged from the shadows.
"Porcupine Dolphin Douluo," Xue Qinghe said calmly, his earlier gentleness gone, replaced with authority. "Did you see everything clearly?"
"Yes. His martial soul manifests through his eyes. It possesses mental attack abilities and spatial attributes. Just now, he used what appeared to be a spatial soul skill to leave instantly."
"An Eye Martial Soul… with space attributes." Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. "Its quality must be extraordinary."
He fell into deep thought.
"Grandfather's suggestion… I need time to consider it."
Suddenly, he recalled what Ye Qiu had said about Xue Beng.
Thinking about it now, Xue Beng's recent behavior did seem somewhat exaggerated… even deliberate.
"Go investigate Xue Beng," Xue Qinghe ordered. "See what he has been doing lately."
"Yes, Young Lord."
Using his divine power took no time at all.
Ye Qiu reappeared in the courtyard of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Cough! Cough!
The moment he appeared, he was nearly choked by smoke.
The once-fresh courtyard was now filled with thick cooking smoke. Black soot drifted in the air.
As soon as he appeared, Xiao Lan sensed him.
"Ah! Brother! You're finally back! Save Xiaolan!"
"What happened?!"
Before he could see clearly, a small figure with a soot-covered face rushed into his arms.
A tiny black face pressed against his chest, leaving a dark smudge on his clothes.
"Xiaolan? What happened to you? Why is your voice hoarse?"
Only after looking carefully did Ye Qiu recognize her.
Her face was blackened with soot. Her hair was messy and singed at the ends. Even the blue dress she had just bought had several burn holes.
"Brother… Sister Rongrong said she was bored and wanted to cook something delicious for Xiaolan…" she sobbed. "But Xiaolan didn't want to eat it… and she forced it into my mouth! Woohoo!"
Her pitiful, soot-covered face made Ye Qiu struggle not to laugh.
He crouched down and wiped her tears—only smearing the soot even more.
"How exactly did she bully you?"
"She said it was delicious! But it tasted terrible! Xiaolan almost died!"
Ye Qiu couldn't help wondering just how bad Ning Rongrong's cooking could be.
Before he could comfort Xiaolan further, another voice called out.
"Oh? Ye Qiu, you're back? Cough, cough!"
From the smoke-filled kitchen in the corner of the courtyard, a slender figure emerged.
For a moment, through the swirling smoke, she looked like a fairy descending from a painting.
Then the smoke cleared.
Ye Qiu burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Miss Rongrong, what happened to you?!"
Compared to Xiaolan, she looked even worse.
Her hair was frizzy and curled from the heat. Her face was black with soot, and the area around her mouth looked like she had grown a charcoal beard.
"Hmph! What are you laughing at?!" Ning Rongrong snapped.
She walked over with a straight face, holding a plate.
"Would you like to try the new delicacies personally prepared by Miss Ben?"
Despite her soot-covered face, her eyes shone brightly with expectation.
Ye Qiu looked at the plate.
Several black-and-reddish sausages lay neatly arranged. Strangely enough… they looked almost glossy.
He glanced at Xiaolan.
They didn't look that bad… did they?
"Xiaolan~ Want one?" Ning Rongrong lifted a sausage and waved it temptingly in front of her.
"Brother! Brother! Xiaolan doesn't want it!" Xiaolan panicked, tears welling up as she hid behind Ye Qiu.
"Hmph! She ate plenty earlier. Since she won't eat more, you can have it."
Ning Rongrong shoved one into Ye Qiu's hand.
Seeing Xiaolan trembling behind him, Ye Qiu suddenly felt uneasy.
"You're a grown man. Why are you hesitating over food?" Ning Rongrong scoffed. "You should feel honored to be the first to taste something personally made by this Miss ."
Behind him, Xiaolan visibly shuddered.
"Eat it," Ning Rongrong demanded, raising her eyebrows.
With no choice, Ye Qiu brought it to his nose and sniffed.
Surprisingly, it didn't smell strange.
He braced himself and took a small bite.
Crunch.
There was a crisp sound.
It was coated in sugar?
A sweet taste spread in his mouth.
…Maybe it wasn't so bad.
He chewed twice—
Then froze.
"Well? How is it?" Ning Rongrong leaned closer eagerly.
Ye Qiu's expression stiffened.
His face slowly turned green.
First came sweetness.
Then overwhelming bitterness.
Then an intense sourness exploded across his taste buds.
It was catastrophic.
His soul had endured mental attacks before—
But his taste buds had never suffered like this.
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