Chapter 11
“Beep, beep...”
“That old man...”
Su Jiu expressionlessly ended the call, pulled another strawberry lollipop from her skirt pocket, and leaned against the base of the tree, looking toward Bai Qianyu, who was truly the center of attention, like the moon surrounded by stars.
The butterfly effect had already begun. Bai Qianyu’s first awakening hadn’t taken place in a hospital, but in full view of the public. Who knew whether those vermin from the Ancient God Cult would set their sights on her? Bai Ming had been targeted all along because of his bloodline, after all.
But Huayang City was such a small place that the Ancient God Cult couldn’t be very powerful here. They probably wouldn’t have anyone above the high-ranking Battle General level... With the principal’s strength, he shouldn’t be in any danger, right?
“Good girl. I never expected you to have hidden your talents so well. Were you pretending to play on your phone every day while secretly studying Blood Condensation, then going home to diligently cultivate your bloodline?” Lu Nan finished wrapping things up with his class and came over to Su Jiu, speaking with heartfelt relief.
“No. I really was watching anime.”
Su Jiu lifted her head slightly and looked into Lu Nan’s eyes as she answered with complete sincerity.
“But your bloodline concentration is so high...” Lu Nan’s lips twitched.
“Could it be that I’m just naturally gifted? Maybe I’m better than everyone else even when I’m eating, sleeping, or playing Dou Dou?” Su Jiu fell silent for a moment, then gave Lu Nan a 45-degree smile, her expression utterly sincere and her face touched with a hint of modesty.
“?”
Lu Nan’s eyelid twitched. He could barely keep it together. Su Jiu was just as cutting as ever. Damn it, why had he thought she might have changed?
You’d sooner believe a sow could climb a tree.
But he had something else to say. He straightened his glasses and spoke with some concern. “Tomorrow, they’ll test your attributes and reassign the classes based on the results. Do your best to get into Class A. From the way you look, your attributes shouldn’t be too low...”
“Hehe, Old Lu, they really aren’t. I feel like I could take on a Blazing Wolf in a straight-up fight right now.”
At this, Su Jiu blushed slightly and lowered her head with feigned modesty, then raised it again and cocked her brows at him.
“A Blazing Wolf? You’ve probably never even seen one up close. Pfft, you’re so tiny that even if you slide-tackled one, you wouldn’t be enough to give it indigestion.”
Lu Nan suddenly laughed. He’d realized this student did have some good qualities. At the very least, she was pretty funny.
Then he looked up at the darkening sky and said softly, “You didn’t look well today. Get back to the dorm and rest early. There’ve been strange people hanging around the school lately. Don’t go wandering around like some hoodlum.”
“All right, all right. You go ahead, Old Lu. I’ll hurry back to the dorm and watch anime.”
With a cheeky grin, Su Jiu waved at Lu Nan and headed toward the dorm. She could ask Bai Qianyu about her awakening and use it as a point of reference.
“Get going!”
...
“Something’s not right...”
At the senior-year Class A awakening area, Huang Fusheng held a dimmed Awakening Stone in his left hand and another, still gleaming, in his right. His brows slowly furrowed.
“Principal Huang, what’s wrong? Is there a problem with our class’s Awakening Stone?” Lu Nan came over to Huang Fusheng and asked, puzzled.
“Can an initial awakening completely drain an Awakening Stone?” Huang Fusheng set the two stones down and murmured to himself.
“Drain it? How could that be?”
When Lu Nan didn’t believe him, Huang Fusheng tossed him the Class A Awakening Stone. A glint flickered in his eyes as he said, “Old Lu, take a look for yourself.”
“This... It’s empty?!”
Lu Nan took the Awakening Stone. He barely had to sense it before his expression filled with shock. He clutched the stone, speechless.
“There’s only one way this can happen during an initial awakening...” Huang Fusheng glanced around to make sure no one was there, then continued slowly, “A super bloodline has been born.”
“Like Bai Qianyu from the class next door?” Lu Nan asked in astonishment.
“No... Something far more terrifying. We need to keep all of this hidden for her. Go ask an old friend in the military for a half-used Awakening Stone to submit in its place.”
“No one else can find out about this. The Ancient God Cult’s White-Clad Cultists are everywhere, after all.”
Huang Fusheng shook his head and gently set down the Awakening Stone. His eyes turned as sharp as a hawk’s as he stared through the trees toward the moving shadows at the distant school gate.
“Whoosh!”
A few feathers appeared in his hand. With an unruffled expression, he flung them toward the shadows. Several streaks of white light flashed, pinning the shadows firmly to the ground.
“Squeak!!”
They were actually a few young monkeys, but their eyes were savage and glinted with menace.
“Things are about to get rough...”
...
When Su Jiu entered the girls’ dorm, she suddenly spotted several “old friends.” The corners of her mouth lifted. She deliberately walked past them, then pretended they’d run into each other and put on a high-pitched voice. “Oh, oh! Who do we have here? Isn’t that our Big Sister Lu? Didn’t someone say I wouldn’t awaken successfully?”
“Big Sister Lu, does it hurt?”
Then, as if acting out a scene, she patted her own little face twice and secretly raised her middle finger, all as naturally as if she were greeting an old friend.
As Su Jiu walked away, she felt much better. Even her steps felt lighter.
Lu Ke watched Su Jiu skip away, her eyelid twitching wildly. It felt like Su Jiu had hit her with a whole combo of taunts designed to make her furious. Her chest felt ready to burst.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Ke told herself to keep up appearances. She absolutely had to maintain her image. She couldn’t stoop to arguing with some wild girl. She was a noble Divine Ape bloodline, a direct-line descendant of a branch of the Lu family...
“That little bitch not only awakened successfully, but her awakening was so powerful, too. Damn it, she must’ve stayed up all night secretly cultivating instead of sleeping. What a shameless cheat... And what’s even more infuriating is that the class next door has a Chongming Bird, and Bai Qianyu has a Black Dragon. They completely overshadowed my Divine Ape bloodline. This is such bullshit!”
On the surface, Lu Ke was the very picture of a cool, aloof beauty. In her mind, though, she was already cursing up a storm. Her own awakening had gone so well, yet she hadn’t even gotten a chance to show off.
Su Jiu returned to her dorm and felt the completely different looks from her roommates. At last, she met Bai Qianyu’s gaze.
Su Jiu’s heart gave a little jolt. She’d made a name for herself at school and forgotten all about the male protagonist’s younger sister. Had Bai Qianyu recognized her?
“I...”
Su Jiu awkwardly touched her nose, about to say something, but Bai Qianyu cut her off before she could finish.
“You’re Su Jiu, right? Su Xiaoyu’s older sister.”
Bai Qianyu quietly stared at her with eyes tinged with amber. Her cool voice gave Su Jiu a bad feeling. Sure enough, she’d been recognized.
“About what happened that time...”
Su Jiu took a deep breath and gently closed her eyes, intending to apologize and come clean.
“What happened that time was my fault. I wronged your younger brother. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
To her surprise, Bai Qianyu apologized first. Seeing the other girl bow, Su Jiu didn’t know what to do. She awkwardly took hold of Bai Qianyu’s equally soft, pale arm and gently raised her up. “I should be the one apologizing to you... Forget about the money. That brat Xiaoyu would’ve given it to some other woman anyway. Just consider it an investment in your older brother.”
“Mm. My brother and I will remember your kindness, Miss Su.” Bai Qianyu wasn’t one to make a fuss over things. She straightened up slightly and spoke with complete sincerity.
At that moment, Su Jiu saw Bai Qianyu’s rather delicate face and, on a whim, rose onto her toes and gently flicked her forehead. She blinked and smiled. “What Miss Su? Call me Big Sister Jiu.”
“Well...” Bai Qianyu looked troubled. At first, she’d called Su Jiu Big Sister Jiu because she thought she was an intern. Later, she’d continued because she thought Su Jiu was older than her.
But now, she knew Su Jiu was a year younger than she was...
Seeing Su Jiu’s cheeks puff up, Bai Qianyu let out a breath and pressed her lips together. She remembered Su Jiu stepping in to help someone that day. She’d looked kind of cool. Then Bai Qianyu opened and closed her mouth, as if summoning every ounce of courage she had.
“Big Sister Jiu.”