Meng Hongchen looked at him and said nothing; she knew her brother all too well.
Proud, stubborn, and never one to admit defeat.
Lu Ren’s appearance was like a blunt blow to the head, waking him from his dream of being the “greatest genius in the history of the Sun Moon Empire.”
“Good luck,” she whispered.
“I believe in you.”
Xiao Hongchen nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
“Grandfather talked to you last night too, didn’t he?”
Meng Hongchen froze for a moment, then lowered her eyes and nodded gently.
Her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the previous night.
The hospital room was filled with the scent of herbs and disinfectant.
Xiao Hongchen lay in bed receiving treatment, while Hall Master Jing Hongchen sat in a chair by the window.
“That child is not someone you can catch up to right now.”
That was what he had said at the time, his tone devoid of blame, filled only with the calm of stating a fact.
“But you can follow behind him, see the path he takes, observe the hurdles he crosses, and then find your own direction.”
“Furthermore, if you want to become the strongest in the future, you must keep pace with Lu Ren.”
“His path is different from yours.
You might not reach the heights he can attain.
If you don’t want to be left too far behind, put away your pointless pride.”
She had just listened silently then, without asking further questions.
Thinking back now, what Grandfather meant by “following behind” didn’t seem to apply only to cultivation…
Meng Hongchen’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Lu Ren was indeed handsome and strong.
Although his attitude toward her was a bit cold, he was never overbearing.
He also maintained a proper distance with girls; when he helped her off the stage yesterday, his hand only touched her sleeve, without the slightest impropriety.
Such a person perfectly met her standards.
“Sister?
Sister!”
Xiao Hongchen’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“Ah?” Meng Hongchen blinked.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve called you several times.
Why are you dazed?”
“It’s nothing…
I just didn’t sleep well last night and got distracted.” She raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to hide the blush on her face.
Xiao Hongchen gave her a suspicious look but didn’t press further.
He simply urged her, “You should also focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to Spirit King soon,” before turning to leave.
Meng Hongchen watched his back disappear at the end of the corridor and sighed softly.
Beating Lu Ren…
how could it be that easy?
…
Under the shade of a tree not far from the cafeteria, another pair of eyes was staring in the direction Lu Ren had left.
Wang Shaojie leaned against the tree trunk.
The bruises on his face hadn’t fully faded, and a medical soul tool patch was fixed on the bridge of his nose to stabilize the bone.
He looked utterly pathetic.
His teeth ground together audibly.
“Even those two freaks from Mingde Hall, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, were no match for him…” he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with venom.
“Then who else can deal with him?”
He thought long and hard, but only one candidate kept appearing in his mind.
“Cousin…
yes, find my cousin!”
He suddenly sprang up from the tree trunk and turned to walk out of the academy, his pace hurried as if he were afraid he would change his mind.
“So what if you’re powerful?
Once I bring my cousin here, you’ll be in for a world of hurt!”
“Daring to harm someone from the Imperial family—it doesn’t matter how strong you are, it’s useless!”
Wang Shaojie had never suffered such humiliation in his life.
Since he was a child, relying on his status as a branch member of the Imperial family and his cousin’s power in the Inspection Team, he had walked through the academy without anyone daring to stop him.
Now, he had been publicly humiliated by some wild kid of unknown origin, used as a stepping stone to fame, and made the laughingstock of the entire academy.
Without Wang Shaojie, who would even know Lu Ren existed?
To be used as a stepping stone for no reason—Wang Shaojie could not swallow this insult!
Not far away, Lu Ren suddenly stopped.
He turned his head, his gaze falling on the back of the figure hurrying away in the distance.
Wang Shaojie.
Although he couldn’t see the face clearly, the negative emotions radiating from that figure were like a mass of burning black flames—anger, resentment, and hatred so intense they almost felt tangible.
“I see.
He holds a grudge against me.
That’s normal, considering I used him as a stepping stone to rise.”
Lu Ren realized the reason almost immediately.
“It looks like I’ll have to deal with you first before you’ll settle down.”
Lu Ren withdrew his gaze and continued walking.
A short while later, Lu Ren arrived at Mingde Hall.
After entering, he went directly to the door of Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s office.
He raised his hand and knocked.
“Come in.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s voice came from inside.
Lu Ren pushed the door open and entered, but his steps paused for a moment.
Meng Hongchen was standing by the desk, holding a cup of tea, talking to Hall Master Jing Hongchen about something.
Both of them turned their heads to look at him simultaneously.
“Am I interrupting?” Lu Ren asked.
“No.” Hall Master Jing Hongchen waved his hand, gesturing for him to come in and sit.
“What is it?”
Lu Ren didn’t sit down.
Standing where he was, he calmly recounted the situation with Wang Shaojie.
“I suspect he will involve the Imperial Inspection Team,” he added at the end.
“His cousin is the team captain.
He has power in his hands and resentment in his heart; he won’t let this go.”
After listening, Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s brow furrowed into a knot.
“The Imperial family…” He rubbed his temples, his tone carrying obvious irritation.
“That boy really is a handful.”
Dealing with Wang Shaojie himself wasn’t hard; what was difficult was his background as part of the Imperial family.
The branch relations of the Sun Moon Empire’s Imperial family were intricate and intertwined; pulling one thread would move the whole body.
Even as the Master of Mingde Hall, he didn’t want to easily enter into a direct conflict with those people.
“How about I go teach him a lesson?”
Meng Hongchen set down her teacup, her eyes sparkling with eagerness.
“He may be a Spirit King, but my poison can keep him in bed for ten days to half a month.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen glanced at her, pondered for a moment, and slowly nodded.
“You can, but you absolutely cannot be the one to initiate the trouble, otherwise we’ll be in the wrong.”
“The people of the Imperial family will give face to the Hongchen Family.
Moreover…”
He paused, a meaningful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
“As the Master of Mingde Hall, this old man still carries some weight in the Sun Moon Empire.”
“Even if the current Emperor were to see me, he would have to politely call me ‘Hall Master’.”
He spoke plainly, but his words carried an undeniable confidence.
This was natural; within the Sun Moon Empire, his status was equivalent to that of a State Preceptor.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen turned to look at Lu Ren:
“From today on, you will stay by Meng Hongchen’s side twenty-four hours a day.
If Wang Shaojie dares to come looking for trouble, with her there, the people from the Inspection Team won’t dare move against you.”
“If they still dare to touch you, then we’ll have a reason to get rid of them.
A mere Inspection Team, hmph.”
Lu Ren thought about it and decided this method was quite good:
“Understood.”
Meng Hongchen quietly turned her face away, the tips of her ears flushing slightly.
Twenty-four hours…
staying together?
She quickly shook those messy thoughts out of her head and picked up her teacup, pretending to drink.
Lu Ren didn’t notice her abnormality at all and continued to Hall Master Jing Hongchen:
“One more thing, I suggest raising the academy’s alert level even higher.
The people from Shrek might find their way here at any time.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen’s face instantly darkened.
“You have the nerve to bring that up?” he snorted, his tone full of unabashed disdain.
“If you hadn’t caused trouble by showing off your spirit rings over there, why would I have to go to such lengths to clean up after you?
Now get out, I have my own arrangements for this matter.”
Lu Ren stood up with a grin and walked toward the door.
Meng Hongchen hurriedly put down her teacup and followed behind him.
Inside the office.
Hall Master Jing Hongchen leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the closed metal door, silent for a long time.
There was still one thing he hadn’t figured out.
Why did Lu Ren choose to expose himself at Shrek Academy first before running to the Sun Moon Empire?
With his talent, whether he stayed at Shrek or came to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, he would receive the best treatment.
Why take such an unnecessary extra step?
“So annoying.” He snorted and drained the tea in his cup in one gulp.
“This brat left a total mess for me to clean up.
Meanwhile, he just pats his butt and leaves, easy as can be.”
The teacup clattered heavily onto the table.
“However, at least one good thing has happened.
Xiao is finally willing to put aside his pride and work hard in closed-door cultivation to push for Spirit King.”
Hall Master Jing Hongchen broke into a smile.
*******************************
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