Chapter 128: Yes, Yes, Miss Wang Dong
Once Yan Shaozhe and his retinue had gone, tranquility returned to the lakeshore. Only then did Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong scramble up from the ground.
Wang Dong frowned, brushing dirt and blades of grass from his clothing with evident distaste, and slapped at the damp mud smeared on the hem of his robe. He grumbled, "Finally, we can get up. I'm filthy all over! This lord has never been in such a sorry state before!"
Watching his fastidious manner, Xiao Xiao couldn't resist a teasing jab: "Wang Dong, you're not even a girl—why are you so fussy? Don't tell me you've got some kind of 'aristocratic young master complex'?"
"What? A boy can't like being clean?" Wang Dong shot back immediately, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "That's blatant prejudice!"
Huo Yuhao laughed and stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, Xiao Xiao, stop teasing Wang Dong. But honestly, Wang Dong, you really are... well, exceptionally delicate and good-looking. Sometimes you really do make people think you're a beautiful girl." His words were sincere, his gaze clear.
Xiao Xiao nodded frantically like a pecking chick, chiming in: "Exactly, exactly! Even your martial soul is called the Goddess of Light Butterfly—that name sounds perfectly suited for a girl. It's a bit of a shame you're not one, don't you think, Furina?"
She tossed the topic over to Furina, who had been watching with an amused smile.
Furina let her gaze linger for a moment on Wang Dong's exquisitely refined features. A flicker of knowing understanding mixed with playful mischief passed through her eyes, and she nodded with a smile: "Mm, I think so too. But then again, being a boy is also just fine. If in the future you ever want to try cross-dressing, with such an excellent foundation, you barely even need makeup. You'd absolutely be a peerless beauty capable of toppling kingdoms."
Her words were laden with double meaning, for she knew Wang Dong's true gender—the Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul was indeed only passed down to females. It was merely that this secret was known to very few at present.
Wang Dong, rather than taking offense this time, instead lifted his chin with a touch of smugness, the corner of his lips curving into a proud arc: "Naturally! This lord is blessed with inherent beauty. Even if I truly were to become a girl, I would undoubtedly be a matchless vision capable of charming countless young men."
He seemed to thoroughly enjoy this kind of praise, even flaunting it with a hint of playful boasting.
Xiao Xiao made a face and stuck out her tongue: "Tsk, tsk. Give you a ray of sunshine and you really do blossom, don't you?"
Wang Dong suavely swept a hand through his slightly disheveled powder-blue short hair, entirely unapologetic: "So what? Can't a boy be a little narcissistic? Besides, this lord has the assets for it. What's wrong with a little self-admiration?"
This tsundere yet utterly self-assured attitude of his left Xiao Xiao with no choice but to shake her head helplessly.
Wang Dong quickly steered the conversation back on track and looked toward Furina, his eyes filled with evident admiration and curiosity: "Speaking of which, Furina, your nerve is absolutely incredible! How dare you confront Dean Yan to his face like that? He's a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, and the Dean of Shrek, no less!"
Xiao Xiao felt the same way deeply. She patted her chest, still shaken: "Yeah! Even though we were in the right, if it had been me, I would never have dared to speak to a Titled Douluo in that tone. Just the pressure alone would be suffocating."
Huo Yuhao also nodded in agreement, then added his own reflection: "I probably would have just quietly accepted the compensation too. But after hearing your analysis just now, Sister Furina, Dean Yan's approach truly was remiss. Such a dangerously unstable Inner Courtyard student should be under far stricter supervision. Had innocents truly been harmed, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Furina smiled calmly and explained, "When you have power and influence, your words sometimes carry more weight. What they were wary of is nothing more than the potential depth of the 'Church of the Water God' behind me, plus the fact that my own talent is at least presentable. As a 'genius' worth recruiting, they were naturally willing to extend a bit more tolerance—even to lower their posture. Besides, it won't be long before I break through to rank 50. When that happens, I should become the fastest freshman in the outer courtyard's history to reach the Soul King level."
She spoke evenly, as if stating a matter of simple, natural fact.
"That fast?" Wang Dong's eyes widened in surprise. "You're already at rank 49?"
Huo Yuhao was equally taken aback: "Sister Furina, I remember you were at rank 47 before. How did you gain two ranks in just the last few days?"
Furina smiled faintly and revealed, "Because I just absorbed a rather decent soul bone, which allowed my soul power to increase in rapid succession. With a little more consolidation, breaking through to rank 50 within two weeks should be no problem."
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao was genuinely overjoyed for her: "That's wonderful! Congratulations, Sister Furina!"
He didn't press further about the specific origin of the soul bone. In Huo Yuhao's heart, Furina had always been profoundly mysterious. Even back in the Church of the Water God, she had been able to produce all kinds of unheard-of wonders, even supplying soul bones of ten-year and hundred-year vintage in batches.
Therefore, that she could acquire and absorb a high-quality soul bone was hardly surprising. He believed that any soul bone Sister Furina deemed worthy of absorption had to be ten-thousand-year at minimum—otherwise it couldn't possibly have brought such a significant surge in soul power.
Wang Dong clicked his tongue in amazement: "You even have soul bones to absorb... Your Church of the Water God truly is obscenely wealthy and hides its depths well."
Xiao Xiao was shaken yet again, her understanding of the Church of the Water God's strength now far more concrete: "That incredible! So does that mean I might have a chance to get a soul bone in the future too?" Her eyes brimmed with anticipation.
Furina nodded with a smile, giving an affirmative answer: "Of course. As long as you contribute to the church and accumulate sufficient merit points, you can exchange them for all kinds of resources, including soul bones. Besides, isn't Shrek Academy going to compensate us with two soul bones in a few days anyway? When the time comes, you can discuss among yourselves how to allocate them according to your needs."
"Y-you... you don't want one?" Xiao Xiao asked in disbelief. "Even though your Church of the Water God has deep foundations, a soul bone is still a treasure worth more than gold!"
Furina waved her hand, appearing quite unconcerned: "It's fine. You all need to boost your strength faster. Growing strong as soon as possible is the proper path. Of course, that's contingent on the soul bone's attribute being a good match. If it doesn't fit, then no matter how high its quality, don't force the absorption. Better to trade it for something more suited to yourself, or for other urgently needed resources."
She paused, then added, "Though I doubt the academy would make such a basic mistake. Dean Yan also promised to find compatible soul bones. Alright, let's put this aside for now."
She clapped her hands, pulling everyone's attention back to their original purpose: "Haven't we forgotten what we came here for? Hurry up and catch a few fish from Sea God's Lake, and let Yuhao show off his skills. Grilled fish is the real priority! All that commotion just now completely delayed us."
Only then did the group suddenly recall their original intention, and they all broke into laughter. Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong, belatedly, felt a wave of relief—if Furina hadn't acted so decisively, given Ma Xiaotao's condition at the time, the two of them would likely have been in mortal danger.
"Yes, yes! Huo Yuhao, hurry up! Grill me the biggest, plumpest, most tender fish!" Wang Dong immediately perked up, urging him impatiently.
Huo Yuhao, both exasperated and amused, acquiesced: "Alright, alright, I've got it—Miss Wang Dong. I'll go catch the fish right now."
"Bastard!"