Making his way back to Nuoding Academy, Su Yan walked with a skip in his step. The gold soul coin in his pocket had a lot to do with it—and the thought that he'd be getting one every month made it impossible to wipe the grin off his face.
At least his day-to-day problems were finally handled: better food, better supplies. Now he could dedicate more time to cultivation.
Still… compared to Tang San and Xiao Wu, his innate talent was painfully ordinary. If he wanted to catch up, he needed faster methods. The kind that cost money, and even with his stipend, he was still far too poor for that.
Crossing the gates of Nuoding Academy, he headed straight for Dorm Seven. When he pushed the door open, he saw Xiao Wu sprawled across her bed, looking absolutely dead to the world. At the sound, she cracked one eye open, turned her head lazily—and the moment she recognized him, her expression lit up. She sprang up like she hadn't been tired at all and dashed toward him with her arms wide open.
"SU YAANNN!!"
Xiao Wu clamped onto Su Yan like a koala on a tree, hanging off him. With a face full of grievance, she said, "What took you sooooo long? I've been so bored!"
Su Yan looked at her expression and let out an exasperated sigh. "Hunting for my soul ring took a bit longer than I expected. It couldn't be helped." He shifted slightly under her weight. "And don't you have the whole academy at your beck and call? Surely you can call someone to play with you?"
Xiao Wu pouted. "I could, but today Tang San was busy, and everyone's suddenly obsessed with training because of you two." She huffed. "When I asked Wang Sheng to play, he actually said he needed to train and brushed me off!"
Xiao Wu buried her face against his shoulder dramatically. "This big sis has lost all face," she whined.
A grin worked its way onto Su Yan's face. "And what makes you think I can play with you now that I'm back?"
Xiao Wu's expression turned to horror. "You have to!! No one else will, and I haven't seen you in forever!!" She shook him aggressively.
"Stop, stop, stop—okay, okay, I get it!" Su Yan blurted out. "I was only teasing."
Xiao Wu froze. Her eyes went wide, suddenly full of hope. "Really?"
Su Yan was tempted to say no, but he thought better. Saying no would either end with a crying girl… or being bitten. "Yes, really," he said, raising his hand in surrender. "But not for long. It's been a long day, and I'm still tired."
Xiao Wu immediately let go and cheered, "Yay! Su Yan is the best!!" Before grabbing his arm and tugging him outside.
Halfway to the rear gate, Xiao Wu slowed down as if she'd realized something. She turned back, looked up at Su Yan, and with a gentle smile said, "Welcome back, Su Yan. I missed you a lot."
Su Yan hesitated, then coughed. "Don't say that so suddenly. It's scary."
Xiao Wu's expression soured. "What do you mean by that!!"
Su Yan rubbed the back of his head. "It's just… I'm not used to seeing you so gentle."
Xiao Wu crossed her arms and glared up at him. "I can be gentle if I want!"
Xiao Wu huffed, but the pout didn't last more than a second before she tugged him along again.
"Really, you're not proving your point by being this rough. I'm delicate, you know," Su Yan joked.
Xiao Wu huffed again and didn't answer, just dragging Su Yan along.
As they headed toward the rear gate, they did not notice Tang San returning. Upon seeing Xiao Wu dragging Su Yan along, he furrowed his brows, an unmistakably displeased look settling on his face.