Chapter 111: After Class Rest
After Zhou Yi was helped away by the other teachers, the atmosphere in the plaza immediately relaxed. The students who had gathered to watch the spectacle gradually dispersed, but the murmuring discussions didn't stop. Quite a few people glanced back as they walked away, their eyes filled with curiosity and wonder as they looked at Furina.
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong jogged over to Furina's side.
"My god, Furina, you're absolutely incredible!" Xiao Xiao's eyes sparkled, her face brimming with pure admiration. "Who would've thought of pretending to be pitiful and crying for help?! Zhou Yi's face went completely green with rage, and she even vomited blood in the end! In my whole life, this is the first time I've ever seen a teacher driven to such a state by a student!"
Wang Dong pursed his lips, looking Furina up and down. His voice carried a complicated mix of emotions. "You're a pretty good actress, aren't you. That look just now—like you were about to burst into tears from sheer terror—even I almost believed it."
Furina smiled and dusted off her clothes, though there wasn't a speck of dust on them. "I know a little. Though, honestly—if she hadn't kept coming after me, I wouldn't have wanted it to go this far either. It would've been so simple. She does her job as a teacher properly, I do my job as a student properly—we keep to our own lanes, and everyone's happy. I could've even given her some pointers to help her improve her teaching. But since she insisted on throwing her weight around and crushing people under her authority... well, I could only play along and be a 'delicate, helpless' female student in return."
Wang Dong raised an eyebrow. "I really thought you were going to go head-to-head with her, duke it out. The way you were carrying yourself earlier—once those soul rings came out, I was all set to watch a Soul Emperor brawl."
Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Sister Furina, I was just about ready to step in and help. Though, thinking about it more carefully, even if a real fight had broken out, you probably wouldn't have lost. With Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the other two backing you up, if it actually came to blows, Teacher Zhou might not have come out on top."
He'd always had a kind of blind faith in Furina. Ever since they'd first met, the methods and hidden trump cards she'd revealed had been one after another, seemingly endless.
Furina waved a dismissive hand. "Alright, stop flattering me. Direct confrontation is the stupidest way to handle things. Win—and you've got a mess to explain to the academy. You might even end up packing your bags and leaving. Lose—well, that's even worse. Why use fists when you can settle things with words?"
She shifted gears, a bright smile blooming on her face. "But today's little operation actually went pretty smoothly. I'm in a good mood. Tell you what—I'll treat everyone to dinner tonight."
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong's eyes lit up.
But Huo Yuhao's face took on a helpless expression. "Sister Furina, when you say 'I'll treat everyone to dinner,' but I'm the one doing all the cooking... How exactly does that work? Doesn't that make it me treating everyone to dinner?"
Furina blinked, pressed her palms together, and struck a deliberately cutesy pose. "Ehe!"
Seeing her put on that deliberately adorable act, Huo Yuhao could only shake his head with a rueful smile. "Fine, fine. I'll cook. Honestly, I can't stomach the food at Shrek's dining hall either. Let's just call it a celebration—celebrating Sister Furina stirring up a huge commotion on the very first day of school and firmly planting her flag on campus."
Xiao Xiao snarked from the side, "Does this really count as 'planting a flag'? I kind of feel like it's more like poking a hornet's nest. There's bound to be even more trouble coming."
Wang Dong, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered at all. "I think it's great. At least after this whole ruckus, any teacher who wants to casually throw around threats of expulsion to scare people will have to think twice. What Furina pulled off today—she practically vented the spleen of every single new student."
As he said this, he actually felt a fair measure of admiration. On the very first day, become a temporary teacher, tear through the homeroom teacher's entire theoretical framework, and then—using this near-shameless method—turn the tables completely and force a Soul Emperor teacher to cough up blood and retreat from the field... this was simply not something an ordinary student could pull off.
Throughout the entire process, Furina had seemed far too composed, as if everything were unfolding exactly according to her plans. It made him think of the way Furina had looked when she'd proclaimed herself "Pope of the Church of the Water God." That aura—the command she held over any situation—truly carried a hint of something... divine.
Wang Dong suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Huo Yuhao, "Oh, right. Is your cooking really that good? How come I've never heard about it before?"
He and Huo Yuhao had known each other less than a day. Though they'd fought and then reconciled, he still didn't know much about him. From what he'd observed, Huo Yuhao was practically a cultivation maniac—aside from buying breakfast that morning, every other waking moment had been spent training. Yet during the afternoon practical combat class, the command and coordination abilities Huo Yuhao had displayed were remarkably impressive—clearly not the kind that came from someone who only knew how to bury his head in solitary practice.
If Wang Dong had asked directly, Huo Yuhao would have told him: back at the Church of the Water God, he'd often competed in the Spirit Arena that had been rebuilt within the church grounds. Solo matches, team battles, pure soul-tool duels—he'd fought plenty, winning far more than he'd lost. Practical combat command was a required course for control-type soul masters. Of course he'd had to learn it. Besides, he'd always wanted to be able to help Furina, so he'd put effort into every area. Soul tools and martial soul were his primary focus, but he hadn't neglected the others either.
It was just that, in terms of soul tools, the highest-ranked soul engineer in the Church of the Water God had only barely reached tier seven, and their skill still lagged somewhat behind tier-seven soul engineers of the same rank from the Sun Moon Empire. For further study beyond this point, he'd largely have to rely on his own exploration and experimentation.
Hearing Wang Dong's question, Huo Yuhao nodded with confidence. "Of course it's good. Cooking—along with spiritual power and soul tools—is one of the few things I'm really good at."
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously beside him. "Absolutely, absolutely! Wang Dong, you haven't tasted Huo Yuhao's cooking. The flavor is just out of this world! Let me tell you—even the chefs in those great noble houses couldn't produce dishes this amazing! If Huo Yuhao ever stopped being a soul master and became a chef instead, he'd definitely become a legendary culinary master whose name would shake the entire continent!"
Huo Yuhao was a bit embarrassed by all the praise and scratched his head. "You flatter me, you flatter me. But—compared to being a chef, I'd rather become the strongest soul master. Like those predecessors ten thousand years ago. To become a god."
As he said this, he glanced at Furina and added, "Together with Sister Furina."
Wang Dong shrugged. "Given the soul ring configurations, soul skills, and sheer talent that you and Furina have—becoming gods shouldn't be that hard. I might not be at your level right now, but as long as I work hard, I'll catch up sooner or later."
Xiao Xiao chimed in with a cheeky grin, "Well then, you two work hard and become gods as soon as possible. When the time comes, take me flying with you! Ehe!"
Furina laughed and poked Xiao Xiao's forehead. "Taking you flying is fine, but you have to put in the effort yourself too. Train hard. Don't waste your talent."
"I know, I know! I'll definitely work hard!" Xiao Xiao thumped her chest in assurance.
Just as the group was chatting, a greeting called out from not far away.
"Furina! Huo Yuhao!"
Turning to look, they saw Tang Ya, pulling Bei Bei along, heading in their direction. Tang Ya's face was lit up with excitement. Bei Bei followed behind, a gentle, warm smile on his face.
Tang Ya quickly closed the distance. Her gaze swept over Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong. "Hello, you two! Are these your classmates?"
Furina nodded. "Mm. Classmates—and friends. This is Xiao Xiao, and this is Wang Dong."
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong greeted them politely. "Hello, Senior Sister. Hello, Senior Brother."
Tang Ya introduced herself with refreshing frankness. "Hello, you two! I'm Tang Ya, the current Sect Master of the Tang Sect. This is my boyfriend—and currently the only other member of the Tang Sect—Bei Bei."
Bei Bei nodded to the two of them in greeting, then asked, "What are you all planning to do now?"
"We were just about to go eat," Furina said. "Want to join us? But let me say this upfront—we can't leave all the work to Huo Yuhao alone. Everyone's going to have to pitch in and help."
Tang Ya's eyes lit up the moment she heard this. She nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! Of course we'll join! Don't worry, we'll definitely help!"
As she spoke, she even unconsciously swallowed, clearly recalling Huo Yuhao's culinary skills.