Ren Suo glanced at the guest room door, wondering why there was no sound coming from inside—it didn't make sense. Shouldn't they have shown some surprise?

But even with his "Insight into the Mortal World" at his aid, he couldn't hear a thing.

Could it be that they had learned some sort of silencing spell...?

The doorbell didn't ring again, and when Ren Suo went to open the door, he found nobody there.

The elevator was on the first floor, and there was no one in the hallway. A cold breeze blew, making Ren Suo shiver.

It wasn't some blind ghost coming to Heavenly Lotus Academy, was it...?

Debts have their debtors and grievances their claimants. It was Yu Kuangtu who did all the killing and arson in Lianjiang City, go to the Tactical Bureau!

Please don't come trouble me, I'm super ferocious. Once I put on the "Goddess Jade Pendant," I can turn Demons and Ghosts into experience points!

Quickly closing and locking the door, before Ren Suo could catch his breath, his heightened hearing picked up the faint sound of ice fragments popping outside.

Rumbling white fog blurred the Moonlight, and as Ren Suo stepped onto the balcony, he saw a huge Ice Pillar rise from the ground, reaching the height of the fourth floor. The tip of the Ice Pillar bloomed like petals, revealing a handsome figure sitting on a throne.

The chilly Moonlight cast upon his slender figure, the rising mist made him seem like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Ren Suo's eyes widened. "Is this... the Ice Throne!?"

"Shh," Bai Ji placed a finger on his lips, softly laughing. "It's late at night. Let's not disturb the others."

With those words, he gently leaped from the throne and landed firmly on the balcony, while the Ice Pillar over ten meters high quietly dissipated into fog, without even the sound of splashing water, as if nothing had happened.

Ren Suo couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Awesome!"

His limited vocabulary could only come up with 'awesome' and '666' as words of praise—seeing such a cool and explosive entrance, he felt the sentiment A real man should show off like this.

With a smile, Bai Ji lifted the box in his hand. "Happy birthday."

"Hmm... thanks." Receiving his third birthday wish of the evening, Ren Suo felt completely unfazed, even thinking three cakes would surely be too much to finish...

"I made it myself," Bai Ji said. "It's a honeydew melon fruit cake."

"You can make cakes?" Ren Suo tugged at the corner of his mouth. "If I take a picture and post it on social media, telling everyone it's from Bai Ji, I could probably get a few hundred likes... even though I don't even have a hundred friends. A cake made by Lianjiang's 'Ice Emperor' Bai Ji! That name could be trademarked and make a killing off the younger generation's wallets..."

"Then you have to finish it tonight," Bai Ji said with a smile. "I put a lot of thought into making this cake. It's not meant to be sold."

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't actually take pictures," Ren Suo waved his hand. "You have no idea, back home someone even tried to set me up on a blind date."

"Oh?" Bai Ji dragged out his tone. "And then what?"

"Then my mom told me that the person actually wanted to meet you, using 'Feign Madness' from the Thirty-Six Stratagems, hoping I could arrange a meeting for you two..." Ren Suo sighed. "Just by revealing a bit of my connections at Heavenly Lotus Academy, people are already looking to meet you through me. If others knew how well I know you, my phone would probably explode."

Bai Ji sat down and crossed his legs with a flourish, undoing his scarf and placing it on the sofa, laughing. "Indeed, several entertainment companies have sent invitation letters directly to the academy, hoping I'd become an idol or join a youth group to appear on variety shows and the like..."

Ren Suo asked with a smile, "Are there any Rich Ladies who want to keep you?"

Bai Ji lowered his eyelids, speaking softly, "It's not just Rich Ladies..."

Bai Ji's low murmur echoed, "I don't like being teased like this..."

"Sorry, sorry," Ren Suo immediately responded. "I'm just used to talking trash with Zhao Huo and the others. I was just thinking about how your looks have brought you many benefits and happiness that someone like me can hardly imagine."

"No worries." Hearing Ren Suo's immediate apology, Bai Ji flicked his fringe and smiled. "I don't really see any benefits or happiness either. I don't want to use this advantage to gain anything."

"Is that so?" Ren Suo shrugged. "Just look at you and Yu Kuangtu. Yu Kuangtu is more active than you, using flashy fire that is no worse than your ice... but do you know what Yu Kuangtu's nickname is among the people?"

"What is it?"

"Red Dog. Although Yu Kuangtu himself is quite happy with the nickname, Zhao Huo is even envious of him... But compared to your 'Ice Emperor,' it really feels like a complete overshadowing in terms of looks."

Ren Suo, resting his chin in his hands, said, "You see, companies come looking for you to be an idol, but Yu Kuangtu doesn't get that kind of treatment. He doesn't even have fan girls, and he had to trick his girlfriend with one skewer after another..."

"Is that so? I'm actually quite envious of Yu Kuangtu," Bai Ji said. "Idols, fans, fan girls... What do these things mean to us Cultivators? Conversely, it's the fact that Yu Kuangtu has found someone who truly loves him that's more real than any vanity."

"Ren Suo, do you remember my previous predictions about the future?"

Ren Suo was startled for a moment, thought about it, and said, "You mean you used to think that sooner or later the world would be destroyed by a Transcendent who amasses great powers? Individualism supersedes collectivism, and society would inevitably collapse..."

"I still think so," Bai Ji said. "Were it not for the existence of the Fairy Palace World Tree, those Sources of Disaster from the 'Destiny' live stream would sooner or later lead to even greater calamities befalling humanity..."

"The Transcendent heroes celebrated by nations today, people like You Jiu and Angel Zack, their individual combat power is no longer restricted by conventional tactics. If they were to conduct lightning destruction raids, solely aiming to destroy and not kill, how many countries could withstand their assault? Only other Transcendent might be able to check them."

"While currently only the Three Gods are manifest on Earth, and the Three Gods Church is neither hot nor cold, preaching the joy of helping others, who can guarantee there are no other deities? And what if other deities are Evil Gods thirsting for slaughter and chaos?"

Noting that Ren Suo wanted to speak, Bai Ji raised his hand and said, "Although I am a pessimist, I will still cultivate diligently. I won't slacken because of pessimism. What I wanted to say is..."

"Life is short, and no one knows if tomorrow could be the day of Doom, so I don't care about others' affection. After all, if it really came down to the last moments of life, those by my side wouldn't be fans."

"That's why I envy Yu Kuangtu so much. No matter what crises he may face in the future, no matter how dark and cold the night becomes, he'll always have a firefly light in his heart that will never allow his Hope to extinguish, compelling him to use all his strength to return to someone."

Ren Suo: "..."

I also know that being in love is a very wonderful thing, but you elevate it to a level of 'something you must do once in your lifetime' and 'if you don't, you're not human,' which even makes me, the birthday boy, envious of Yu Kuangtu...

"But... you look good. If you like someone, can't you just easily win them over?" Ren Suo said, steering the conversation back.

Bai Ji smiled and replied, "Not necessarily. Sometimes, my looks might even be an obstacle..."

Looks as an obstacle? Is this world really like Zhao Huo said, filled with beautiful girls who are crazily infatuated with deadbeat otakus?

CRACK.

Both of them turned to look at the balcony's French windows that had been struck again by a pebble. Bai Ji curiously asked, "Does it get windy on your balcony often? There are quite a few stones on the ground."

"Heh," Ren Suo said, "Not usually, it's just extra windy today. Anyway, I wasn't planning on celebrating my birthday and I don't have other plans, so after eating the cake, there is nothing to do... How about you..."

"Then let's have an all-night talk tonight," Bai Ji suddenly became a little excited. "I never stayed in a dormitory while in university. I've always been curious about the activity where roommates stay up late chatting... After joining the Yangtze Troops, everyone is so busy with training that as soon as their heads hit the pillow, they fall asleep and don't feel like talking."

Chatting like in a dormitory?

Ren Suo thought about it. During his university days, the topics they talked about at night were usually 'girls from other majors,' 'what time to get up tomorrow morning,' or 'complaining about the nonsensical classes taught by the teachers'—all closely related to school life.

What is there to talk about now? Discussing if we still remember the Lagrange mean value theorem or the several applications of Fourier transform?

"Talking all night," Ren Suo clicked his tongue, thinking of how he had promised Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi to send people away. "But I'm actually quite tired and want to sleep early."

"That's okay. Then we can just talk while lying in bed, and fall asleep when we're tired," Bai Ji said, nodding.

"Talk while lying in bed?" Ren Suo was taken aback.

"Yes, why not just sleep together? The beds in school can fit two people if you push it, and neither of us is fat... It creates more of a dorm atmosphere that way!"

While it's true that a school bed can fit two people, I meant that you should hurry back to your dorm to sleep!

DING-DONG—

The doorbell rang, and Ren Suo quickly looked at Bai Ji saying, "If someone sees you here late at night, they won't suspect any kind of improper relationship between us, right?"

Bai Ji paused for a moment. "…No."

Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief. "Then stand here and don't move, I'll go open the door—"

SNAP.

Ren Suo had barely taken a step before Bai Ji pressed down on his shoulder.

Bai Ji, with a calmly mischievous air, said, "Who do you think it is?"

"It must be my sister." Ren Suo couldn't think of any other possibility.

"Not necessarily. It could be Cheng Ling, or maybe... Qiao Muyi." Bai Ji smirked, a chill in his smile. "It doesn't matter if I'm at your place late at night, but if a woman comes to your place in the dead of night and finds me here... She'd definitely feel embarrassed, right?"

"Why would she feel embarrassed?" Ren Suo inquired, slightly puzzled.

"A woman visiting a man's home late at night can seem quite indecent, almost promiscuous. If someone else were to find out, she would be terribly ashamed." Bai Ji emphasized the words 'indecent' and 'promiscuous'. "Out of consideration for her reputation, it'd be better for you to make her leave quickly."

"…But the person outside is definitely not Dong Chengling or Qiao Muyi," Ren Suo said with certainty. "It's my sister."

Because Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi are right now in the guest room behind you!

Bai Ji's thoughts raced. He had already noticed that Ren Xingmei particularly disliked him—although he didn't know where this hostility came from. It was obvious that if Ren Xingmei saw him there, she would cling to Ren Suo, insisting that Bai Ji go home.

It had taken so much effort to find a reason to come over, and Bai Ji certainly didn't want to miss out on this chance for nothing. His original plan was to gradually win over Ren Suo, but since Ren Suo was hardly alone, Bai Ji's 'warm water' had almost turned into ice-cold water. Tonight, he had to turn up the heat rapidly!

Moreover, the visitor might not even be Ren Xingmei…

Since he couldn't find a legitimate reason…

He would have to take action based on whoever the visitor was!

If it was someone else, then he would send them away quickly. If it was Ren Xingmei, he would try to win her over.

Bai Ji's gaze turned icy as he stepped forward and opened the door first!

"Brother..." Ren Xingmei, who was outside holding a cake box, hadn't finished her greeting before her voice got caught in her throat, and she froze, looking at Bai Ji who opened the door.

"Sis, you're a bit late," Ren Suo remarked with a sigh.

"Ren Suo, it just so happens I have something to discuss with Xing Mei…" Bai Ji warmly took the cake box from Ren Xingmei's hand and put it aside. "Can I have a moment alone to talk with her? It won't be long."

Ren Xingmei looked at Bai Ji, feeling extremely confused — Why the hell are you at my brother's place late at night?

Aren't you my brother's rival?

And I planned to celebrate my brother's birthday tonight and then play games together all night… How did you, Cheng Yaojin, come out of nowhere?

Moreover, what do you have to discuss with me? Did you find out that I helped Salted Fish cheat in Advanced Mathematics…?

Ren Xingmei's thoughts spun rapidly. Thinking she needed to get this blockhead to leave quickly, she nodded and said, "Um, bro, I also have something to discuss with Teacher Bai."

Ren Suo looked at the two of them, wondering what they could possibly have to discuss… and something that they suddenly remembered needing to talk about the very moment they met?

Could there be some misunderstanding? Like Ren Xingmei stumbled upon some dark secret of Bai Ji, discovering those unspeakable secrets he kept...

Although Bai Ji and he had a deep Bond, Ren Suo didn't dare to be so trusting, so he said, "Okay, but let's talk inside the house."

"No problem," Bai Ji gave an OK gesture. "Then let's talk in your bedroom."

Ren Xingmei had no objections and followed Bai Ji towards the master bedroom. However, as they passed by the guest room, she suddenly opened the door and pulled Bai Ji in!

She certainly didn't want anyone else entering her brother's bedroom!

"Let's talk here... okay?"

After coming in and casually closing the door, Ren Xingmei's words had barely fallen when she realized that the light in the guest room was not from the moon but from flickering candlelight!

Dong Chengling was sitting upright in a chair, hands on her thighs, her expression cold. Qiao Muyi was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed at the knee, elbow propped on her knee, hand supporting her chin, and her head tilted as she looked at them.

Seeing them suddenly, Bai Ji was also slightly startled. He glanced at the two birthday cakes on the table and his face showed a 'just as I thought' expression. "Turns out... everyone is the same."

He had long had a vague inkling of the feelings Dong Chengling had for Ren Suo, but the appearance of Qiao Muyi did surprise him. However, he quickly came to terms with it—no wonder Qiao Muyi had been targeting him intentionally or unintentionally.

"Not bad, Bai Ji," Qiao Muyi said with a smile. "You really know how to use the gender advantage. And to give it a nice name, 'reminiscing the days in the dormitory' to share a bed?"

Dong Chengling said indifferently, "'Immodest,' 'flirtatious'... Bai Ji, it's not good to badmouth others behind their back."

Bai Ji laughed. "What are you talking about? I haven't overstepped in my actions, and I haven't named names in my words. I'm just having a normal interaction and discussion with Ren Suo, and I certainly didn't insult anyone... But Qiao Muyi, don't you have to work tomorrow? What are you doing here at Heavenly Lotus Academy so late? How long have you been here?"

Dong Chengling said, "Xiao Qiao, when exactly did you come here? We agreed not to sneak ahead, but are you trying to force your way tonight?"

Qiao Muyi chuckled. "I have a day off tomorrow, I'm just idle. But Dong Chengling, do you really have any right to speak about me? Who's really trying to force their way?"

Bai Ji said, "Cheng Ling, when I talked to you about Ren Suo, had you already... Turns out you've been secretly monitoring my every move. And here I've always trusted you!"

Qiao Muyi smiled. "Everyone has their own little schemes, it's just that usually there's nobody worth using them on... Why did you think Cheng Ling would be selfless?"

Off to the side, Ren Xingmei was already gaping in shock. When it came to brains, she could easily outclass Ren Suo, so she quickly figured out what was going on—

All three of them had come separately to celebrate Ren Suo's birthday!

All three of them had feelings for Ren Suo that went beyond friendship!

All three of them had unseemly intentions punishable by law for Ren Suo!

Wait, hold on, I thought there was just Teacher Dong, or maybe add Lin Xianyu—with Lin Xianyu's silly nature, she matches really well with the Sand Sculpture big brother—I had no idea big brother you had reached the level of attracting both men and women!

And how can someone like Dong Chengling, a pure-hearted girl, fall for you? I understand that virgins are attracted to each other. Bai Ji's boundless love, I can barely understand, after all, Ren Suo had similar achievements in the past. But how could even Qiao Muyi, this vixen, fall for you too?

Weren't you just happily playing video games at home? Weren't you the one who didn't even play online games? How did even playing games turn into becoming an evil, Successful and Showy Person with a personal Guard Squad?

Ren Xingmei was bewildered by the overwhelming amount of information. Glancing at her, Qiao Muyi said, "I've used 'Soundless Trace' on the door, so no one outside can hear us... It's a rare opportunity, so let's have a good talk."

"Little Star, who do you hope becomes your sister-in-law?"

Ren Xingmei's face darkened.

She had lived for 18 years, and the word she hated the most was 'sister-in-law', without a doubt.

「…」

Ren Suo glanced at the guest room and his ears twitched slightly. He still couldn't hear anything inside.

But with Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi inside, he wasn't worried that something would happen. He guessed they were probably having a discussion like 'What the heck are you doing here?' 'What the heck are YOU doing here?' 'You brought cake too?' 'What are we going to do with all this cake?'

Ren Suo felt that everyone who was coming must have arrived. He didn't pay any attention to the story unfolding in the guest room, and took out two packs of Spicy Fish Kid from the snack box on the coffee table, then walked to the balcony and vaulted over.

A few days ago, Ren Suo had gotten up late and realized his clone was about to be late. So, he hurriedly told his clone to just put some clothes on over his underwear and rush to the infirmary. Since waiting for the elevator was quite time-consuming and the clone going to the infirmary was his perfect 100% clone, Ren Suo simply let his clone jump down.

The clone was completely fine.

Ren Suo himself tried it and ended up with a broken leg.

However, if he jumped down using the air conditioner exterior unit, it was quite safe. But Ren Suo rarely did this. Mainly because it looked bad, and it would be quite embarrassing if other students saw him—others were flying down directly, and here he was, jumping down using the air conditioner unit.

But now it was late at night, and there was definitely no one around, so Ren Suo didn't care about appearances.

In just three seconds, Ren Suo landed on the ground. He looked around and didn't see any cats, so he softly called, "Black Bell~?"

Black Bell had certainly done a huge service tonight, warning him four times in a row. He had to reward her properly, so Ren Suo brought two packs of Spicy Fish Kid down for her, with more great meals waiting for her in the future.

But with a glance, Ren Suo noticed Black Bell was not downstairs and wondered where she had run off to.

He sniffed. The enhanced sense of smell granted by 'Evolution of the Cat' had actually been surpassed by 'Insight into the Mortal World,' but it still had its unique benefits. For instance, he could smell cats more easily.

He rounded to the back of the dormitory building and soon saw Black Bell in the Shadow at the corner. But instead of being frisky because of the winter breeding season and unable to sleep, she was crouching next to a girl, watching the girl write glowing characters on the ground with her glowing index finger, the yellow bell on the Red Ribbon jingling merrily.

"Classmate Gu?"

Gu Yueyan, who was scribbling on the ground, looked up in surprise to see Ren Suo standing in front of her. She was so scared that she fell on her buttocks, her voice trembling as she said, "Don't come any closer."

Ren Suo immediately stopped and raised his hands. "Fine, no problem, I won't come over. Don't be nervous, don't yell."

Gu Yueyan took a deep breath, wiped away the traces on the ground with her hand, picked up Black Bell, and stood up saying, "Weren't you... How come you're here?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Ren Suo chuckled. "Aren't you supposed to be in the student dorms? This is the staff residence."

"I..." Gu Yueyan remained silent for quite a while. "I... have other things that require me to go out at night."

Other things?

Ren Suo frowned, deep in thought for a while, then suddenly had an epiphany. "You sneaked out to train your awakened spells by destroying plants and flowers!?"

Gu Yueyan had a history of this, as she had previously gone to the back mountain late at night to train her awakened spells. Now the academy had forbidden solo training of Transcendent abilities and instead required everyone to train to their heart's content at the combat training ground. For a diligent top student like Gu Yueyan, it was perfectly normal for her to sneak in extra practice.

Gu Yueyan was taken aback for a moment before she slowly said, "I didn't destroy any plants or flowers... but it's true I'm training my awakened spells."

"If you're not going to the back mountain, how did you end up here..." Ren Suo pursed his lips, tossing over two packs of Spicy Fish Kid.

"This is what Black Bell likes. You're familiar with it, so you feed it."

Gu Yueyan caught them neatly, asking in surprise, "Black Bell?"

"Hmm? I don't know its real name. I just call it Black Bell. Do you know it?" Ren Suo said with a smile. "Just head back early after you're done with your training. Although Heavenly Lotus Academy is very safe, a girl wandering around by herself... and with the weather this cold, you should be enjoying the warmth under the covers."

Gu Yueyan said, "Enjoyment is not a word that should be coming out of a Cultivator's mouth."

"You..." Ren Suo shook his head and turned to leave.

Gu Yueyan breathed a sigh of relief internally, lifting Black Bell in front of her eyes, using it to block the view of the person about to leave. Black Bell, however, yawned at that moment, licked its lips, seemingly sneering at Gu Yueyan's timidity.

Bad cat!

"Oh, right."

Just then, Ren Suo suddenly turned back around, startling Gu Yueyan so much that she clung to the wall and nervously watched him. "What is it?"

"If you still need to train alone at night next time... just look for me," Ren Suo said, scratching his head. "It would be troublesome if you got hurt. Better I play on my phone nearby than you train alone, like when you hired me to provide Healing while accompanying you before."

Gu Yueyan blinked and said, "I didn't plan on hiring you, though."

"It's free, but only this once," Ren Suo said. "I mean, I did promise to help you out for free as an apology."

Gu Yueyan was stunned.

"You... still remember?"

Of course, I remember. Our long conversation has been all about bringing this up again... Ren Suo muttered in his heart, but he now recalled that incident, saying, "Fragrance City, Ailan Lake. I almost got you into trouble there. As an apology, I promised I would assist you."

"Whatever you need, don't hesitate. If I can help, I will."

That incident had occurred before 'Mage Under the World Tree' echoed into reality. He had accompanied Gu Yueyan to her Awakening, and during a boat ride on Ailan Lake, they had nearly been dragged into a Secret Realm by the Holy Grail in the lake...

Now it seemed that Ailan Lake had become a military restricted area, and every once in a while, the Cultivators of the Yangtze Yellow River Troops would go in to clear out the monsters.

"No need."

Noticing the surprised expression on Ren Suo's face, Gu Yueyan said, "Just providing Healing while accompanying you shouldn't be considered such a big favor that it clears the debt. That would let you off too easily."

Ren Suo gave a wry smile. "Then... have you decided what you want me to do?"

"Not yet, we'll talk about it later." Gu Yueyan asked, "If I don't mention it, does that mean you'll owe me indefinitely?"

"Yes."

"Then just remember that you owe me one."

"Alright, there's no interest anyway," Ren Suo shrugged and walked away.

"And another thing."

Gu Yueyan, with her head lowered, stared into Black Bell's large eyes and whispered softly, "... Happy birthday."

Ren Suo blinked. "Thank you. Do you want to come to my place for some cake?"

"I don't want to visit your house in the middle of the night."

"Then come over tomorrow to have some. I don't think I can finish it all by myself."

Watching Ren Suo finally leave, Gu Yueyan relaxed, slumping down against the wall. Black Bell meowed and wriggled out of her embrace, jumping onto a gift box hidden in another corner of the wall, scattering two amusement park tickets.

Gu Yueyan hurriedly picked up the tickets, but after a thought, she laughed bitterly and stuffed them into her pocket.

She picked up Black Bell and held its two front paws, pinching its little paw pads. Black Bell obligingly didn't extend its claws, meowed, and let Gu Yueyan knead them.

Looking up, her eyes shone with Radiance as if bathed in Moonlight, as if the Moonlight itself was reflected in her pupils—

"Forget it, I won't look anymore," Gu Yueyan closed her eyes, sighed, and murmured, "Ugh... Xianyu is going to tease me for being a coward later, especially since she spent the whole evening helping me buy the gift... "

"If only you could transform into a human... You and Teacher Fan both give me such a sense of Affinity, but Teacher Fan doesn't teach freshmen..."

"It would be great if you could become my close friend too, Luna."

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