After the trouble that day, the following month passed in relative peace for Huo Yuhao.
However, his instincts kept warning him that things weren't over yet.
So, during that month, Huo Yuhao quietly began investigating who exactly was targeting him behind the scenes.
He had some leads, but no solid proof yet. The fact that he couldn't definitively expose the person pulling the strings gnawed at his nerves.
What's more, his attention was also focused on preparing for the upcoming soul tool engineer certification. The exam date—set for three months after enrollment—was drawing near.
Throughout the past month, Huo Yuhao had used Murui's soul tool shop to mass-produce piercing cannons—or rather, "rocket launchers"—to train his skills. Sales had been fantastic.
Boss Mu was overjoyed, and Huo Yuhao had happily made a tidy profit.
'A hundred gold soul coins... Two hundred gold soul coins... Hehehe.'
Just thinking about the joy of splitting profits with Boss Mu during accounting made the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.
What made him even more excited was that, thanks to Murui's promise to sell him rare metals at a discount, Huo Yuhao had finally completed his beginner-level floating cannon after countless experiments.
The only thing souring his mood was the invisible rat poisoning the well—the unknown schemer making things stink from the shadows.
The upcoming soul tool engineer assessment was relatively straightforward. Examinees simply had to craft a soul tool corresponding to their qualification level in front of a panel of judges. The more advanced or innovative the tool, the more recognition they'd receive from the senior instructors of the Imperial Soul Tool Academy—paving the way for significant benefits in the future.
Huo Yuhao had already decided that he would use a Level-2 floating cannon as his test project.
'This floating cannon... heh, it's my proudest invention so far.'
'And that weasel hiding in the dark... You better pray I don't find out who you are. Otherwise, you're done for.'
'What a damn pest.'
Trying to dispel the irritation from his mind, Huo Yuhao walked casually through the campus with his hands in his pockets, enjoying the scenery while muttering to himself.
Wandering aimlessly, he soon found himself in the high-grade student area.
Looking around at the upperclassmen who were all a head taller than him, Huo Yuhao realized something was off.
'Uh... I might've walked a bit too far.'
Just as he was about to turn around, someone called his name from behind.
"Hey, Huo Yuyuhao, don't be in such a hurry to leave~"
The voice was familiar.
Turning his head, Huo Yuhao spotted Meng Hongchen—whose stunning appearance at the grilled fish stand had left a lasting impression on him. She was also, as he recalled, quite a key character in the original story.
With a resigned shrug, he walked toward her.
"Senior Meng, is there something I can help you with?"
Watching this handsome junior walk toward her so calmly, Meng Hongchen almost swooned again. She fought hard to maintain her image as a graceful senior sister and not let her inner fangirl run wild.
"Hmm, not really. You just seemed free, so I thought we could take a walk and chat~" she said with a smile.
Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but the moment she finished speaking, the once-busy area filled with upper-grade students fell dead silent.
After all, Meng Hongchen was practically the top beauty of the entire Imperial Soul Tool Academy. Add to that her status as the granddaughter of Mingde Hall's head, Jing Hongchen, and she was the epitome of a highborn lady. Countless boys in the academy adored her.
Though she often acted silly and infatuated in front of her brother, she usually kept a cool and aloof demeanor toward her peers.
Well, maybe it was just that she looked down on most boys her age... even infatuation has standards!
So when the students nearby saw this junior—okay, he was pretty handsome—being treated with such attention, they were too stunned to react.
Huo Yuhao wasn't dense. He immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere, especially the burning jealousy radiating from the upper-grade boys.
'That killing intent... It could probably one-shot all the jealous first-years back in my class.'
Of course, he was no stranger to this kind of scene.
Remaining composed, he gave Meng Hongchen a gentlemanly smile and gestured politely.
"Sure, Miss Meng. Shall we head this way?"
Seeing him act so mature despite being slightly shorter than her, Meng Hongchen couldn't help but giggle into her palm, catching Huo Yuhao a little off guard.
"Hehe, you're only twelve and already act so composed. That contrast is just too cute. Let's go~"
Huo Yuhao blushed slightly and turned his head away.
'Sheesh... What a dangerous woman.'
Meng Hongchen was quietly fangirling in her heart.
'Such a cute little guy... I have to tease him more during our walk!'
Just as the two of them were about to escape the pressure-cooker atmosphere, trouble—as expected—arrived.
Some of the boys couldn't take it anymore. Their goddess was walking away with a junior?
Now, a normal person would just lament their heartbreak in silence.
But there are always people who don't understand social cues.
One well-dressed, handsome student stepped forward and blocked their path.
"Miss Meng, given your noble status, wouldn't someone like me—the son of Elder Yan from the Hall of Worship—be a more suitable conversational partner?"
Here comes the idiot.
Clearly implying that Huo Yuhao wasn't worthy of her.
Huo Yuhao wasn't angry—he was more embarrassed that someone could lack this much social awareness.
'Are people like this for real? She asked me to chat, not you. Who even are you?'
Of course, with his past life experience, Huo Yuhao knew that yes, people like this did exist.
Hands still in his pockets, he watched the fool in front of him while sensing the icy aura emanating from Meng Hongchen beside him.
A cold voice suddenly cut through the tension.
"What, are you saying my sister has bad taste? You seem awfully eager to get close to her."
A hand landed heavily on the student's shoulder.
He froze, turned stiffly around, and saw the dangerously smiling face of Xiao Hongchen—Meng Hongchen's older brother, the undisputed number-one genius and school tyrant of the Imperial Soul Tool Academy.
"H-Hello, Brother Xiao..."
Xiao Hongchen ignored him, removed his hand, and stepped toward Huo Yuhao, extending his own hand.
"You're Huo Yuhao, right? I'm Xiao Hongchen. We didn't get a chance to talk back at the food street, but it's nice to meet you now."
Anyone with half a brain could tell—this guy wasn't someone ordinary.
Meng Hongchen had taken the initiative to chat with him, and now Xiao Hongchen was greeting him politely? That wasn't normal.
Huo Yuhao cast a glance at the now-pale fool standing nearby before pulling his hands out of his pockets and shaking Xiao Hongchen's.
"So you're Miss Meng's brother? A pleasure to meet you."
"I'd love to chat more, but I've got something to take care of. You two go ahead," Xiao Hongchen said, raising his brow at his sister and watching them leave.
Then, he turned to the other boy, who didn't dare move an inch.
As the academy's infamous school tyrant, Xiao Hongchen's solutions were always simple.
"Come to the training field later. One-on-one. You disrespect me, you fight me. Don't show up, and you'd better drop out of the academy."
He patted the guy's shoulder and walked away, heading toward the training field.
Hearing this, the other students perked up.
"Ooh, he's going to beat the idiot! Finally, some entertainment!"
"It's been ages since the last show. This is gonna be good!"
The area quickly cleared out, leaving only the pale-faced student alone and dejected.
Listening to the commotion behind him, Huo Yuhao couldn't hold back a chuckle.
He looked at Meng Hongchen and noticed her puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"Ugh, that dumb brother of mine! Always stealing my thunder. I was gonna handle that myself!"
Apparently, she'd been planning to show off in front of her junior.
Huo Yuhao broke into a cold sweat.
'Indeed... Big brothers never understand their sisters.'
"Ahem, Miss Meng, was there something you wanted to talk about?"
Hearing his pleasant voice, Meng Hongchen's mood brightened again.
"Oh, right. You got bullied by some students a while ago, didn't you~?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right, senior."
"I've been watching you ever since that day. Bet you didn't know it wasn't so simple, huh?"
"That's why the mighty and invincible Miss Meng went and dug up the truth for you. I found out who was behind it all! Aren't I amazing?"
Huo Yuhao was genuinely touched.
"That's incredible, Senior Meng. I've been troubled by this for a whole month."
She gave a sly grin.
"Of course I'll tell you who the bad guy is... but only if you promise me one little thing."
'Ah, here it comes.'
"What is it, senior? If it's within my power, I'll climb mountains and swim seas for you."
"Haha! You've got a sweet mouth, kid. Don't worry, it's not that hard."
She leaned close and whispered into his ear.
The warmth of her breath made Huo Yuhao's heart skip a beat.
After hearing the request, he gave a bitter smile.
"Senior... You call that 'not hard'? Whatever. I'll do it."
Meng Hongchen jumped with joy.
"I knew you would! Yay~! The one behind everything is..."
Huo Yuhao listened, nodding with only mild surprise.
(End of Chapter)
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