Chapter 18: "Dormitory Mates"
Sima You Yue gave the boy the name 'Little Spirit' and after she gained some understanding of the Spirit Pearl and how to use it, she returned back to her own room.
Upon returning, she remembered the Academy matters, as she quickly called her two maids in and found out that 4 days had passed since then. When she heard that, she was startled and jumped up and quickly stuffed everything she needed into her interspatial ring and ran out.
"Yun Yue, just now… Young Master used an interspatial ring, didn't he?" Chun Jian asked in disbelief.
Yun Yue who was equally stunned nodded back in a daze, "It seems like it."
"Then, you mean that our Young Master can now cultivate?"
"Yes…and before he left he still told us to cultivate properly."
They both looked at each other in confusion. "That person, was that really our Young Master?"
"He…should be…"
Sima You Yue had quickly dropped by and informed Sima Lie about her lodging in the Academy and then she headed back to the Academy in the beast carriage. Thinking on how many days she was late for school, she was worried that Feng Zhi Xing would not let her in.
Imperial Academy, the first years of the elite class were all having their lessons and when Feng Zhi Xing came into the classroom and saw the empty seat at the back of the class, a glint came into his eyes, as he looked at the rest of the class and said: "It's been two days since you all started attending our Academy, by now you should have a grasp and better understanding of how things work in here. Also, those that are in this class are all who harness Spirit Energy so I will not repeat all the basic stuff to you, now we will learn how to absorb Spiritual Qi into our body faster…"
At the end of the day, the first years each returned to their own yard.
These students were all who had topped the selections this year and were all the top talents, the cream of the crop, many who had attained the level of Spirit Warriors much earlier.
As the elite class, their treatment received was not the same. For example, other regular students were living together in a big dormitory, while they had the privilege of staying in a cluster of five rooms to a courtyard, and each of them enjoyed the luxury of having a single room all to themselves. Although the courtyard was not large, but the facilities were not lacking. It was fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom as well as a garden.
Standing before the entrance, Bei Gong Tang was about to open the door but found that it had been opened prior to this.
"Bei Gong Tang, how are you always so fast? After classes end you always rush back, why don't you wait and walk back with everyone?"
Behind her was a voice that was filled with short gasps and a string of complaints, and Bei Gong Tang turned and saw that it was her roommate for 3 days, the Fatty Qu followed by the frosty Ouyang Fei and gentle Wei Zi Qi.
Fatty Qu's name was called Qu Li, and because he was rather chubby all over, he had on the first day that everyone had met each other, he had self mockingly told everyone that they could all call him Fatty Qu.
"It wasn't you guys?" Bei Gong Tang asked when she saw Fatty Qu and the other two with him, her face frowning slightly.
"What happened?" Ouyang Fei keenly sensed that something was wrong and asked immediately.
Bei Gong Tang turned his body slightly to show them the opened lock, and said: "I didn't do it."
"Oh? Does that mean that another one of our dormitory mates has arrived?" Wei Zi Qi took a step forward and pushed open the doors leading into the courtyard while saying: "I'm rather curious who it could be?"
As Wei Zi Qi stepped in, the others followed behind and went into the courtyard. As predicted, noise could be heard coming out from the second unit on the right.
In the room, Sima You Yue was holding a rag in hand and wiping at the tables and chairs. Little Roar was lying on the table that had just been cleaned as its mouth poured out a string of endless grumbles: "This place is so tiny! And they allocated only one to each individual. Compared to the place you stayed in before, this is a dump."
"It's not really that bad, downstairs as the space for learning, upstairs houses my bedroom. It's great! Moreover, as long as it's a roof over our heads, it is good enough. Why would you want such a big place for?" Sima You Yue asked, stretching her hand out to poke at Little Roar's tiny head.
The houses here had two levels, and both levels belonged to the same unit.
Little Roar rolled over and lay on its back on the table saying: "Yue Yue, hurry up and regain your powers. Your spirit is incomplete and it has greatly reduced my powers too. The current me is just so weak!"
"These things can't be rushed." Sima You Yue continued: "Anyway, you're not that young anymore, waiting a few hundred years wouldn't make a difference to you anyway."
"Sigh, that's awful….." Little Roar rolled its eyes.
"Oh yes, don't forget, do not reveal your identity before anyone. You are just an ordinary little bunny. Alright?" Sima You Yue reminded.
"Yes, yes, I remember. You've said it many many times. Not to reveal my identity. Don't worry, I will not give you any trouble!" Little Roar said.
"Glad you know." Sima You Yue said, and proceeded to continue with the cleaning.
"Cough… cough…"
Two coughs sounded from outside the door. Sima You Yue turned to look and saw four people standing there.
"Why is it you! ?" Fatty Qu exclaimed in shock as he stared at Sima You Yue.
"You know our new dorm mate?" Wei Zi Qi asked.
"Err….. Yes." Fatty Qu was starting hesitatingly at Sima You Yue, looking as if he was afraid that he would pounce on him any moment.
Fatty Qu's family resided in the Capital City and when it came to people with widely known infamy such as Sima You Yue, he would naturally know them. He had heard the rumours about the Fifth Young Master of the General's Residence being not exactly a straight guy.
"You guys are my new dorm mates?" Sima You Yue said, smiling at them. When she saw Fatty Qu's expression, his face fearful, Sima You Yue said: "Fatty Qu! Why are you looking like you've seen a ghost? Don't worry, I have no interest in you!"
[Not interested? What did that mean?]"Hi, my name is Wei Zi Qi, and I stay just in the next house to your left." Wei Zi Qi introduced himself, smiling at Sima You Yue.
"Ouyang Fei, first unit on the west side." Ouyang Fei said simply.
"Bei Gong Tang, to your right." Bei Gong Tang said.
"I know about you guys. In the new student selections, I saw it. Ouyang Fei is a Double Faceted Spirit Master and Bei Gong Tang, you are a Tri Faceted Spirit Master." Sima You Yue said.
She had not thought that her dormitory mates would turn out to be the most gifted students among the new students, and why did Feng Zhi Xing put a useless piece of trash among these elites?
"I… I….."
"It's alright. You are staying in the second house on the west side, you don't need to say it." Sima You Yue looked at Fatty Qu and he suddenly felt weak.
"We have all introduced ourselves but you have not said who you are." Wei Zi Qi pointed out.
My name is Sima You Yue." Sima You Yue simply said in reply.
"You are Sima You Yue? Didn't they say Sima You Yue was….." Wei Zi Qi stared at Sima You Yue aghast, unable to control the expression on his face for a brief moment.
Even Ouyang Fei's expression was looking a little strange.
"Sima You Yue, the High General's fifth grandson, Dong Cheng nation's most useless piece of trash, inclined towards guys." Bei Gong Tang unreservedly repeated the rumour about Sima You Yue as she looked at Sima You Yue. "We've met. Now I'm going back to my room."
Finishing her statement, she immediately turned to go to the unit beside them.
What an icy girl! She was very beautiful, and now she had became a cool and aloof beauty. When she thought back to having seen her withdrawn from all others, isolating herself during the selections, Sima You Yue could not help but feel that she was hiding a secret she did not want others to find out about herself.
"I'm going back too." Ouyang Fei left as well after saying.
"Cough cough. Then erm… We welcome our new dorm mate." Wei Zi Qi said, laughing awkwardly. "The teacher taught us quite a bit of knowledge today, and I need to go back and revise. Bye!"
Sima You Yue looked at Wei Zi Qi's back as he fled in terror and she felt herself on the nose.
Wei Zi Qi was just little more suave than others, did he really need to react so strongly? Was she really that terrifying?
"Cough cough, then, I will need to go back and catch up on cultivation." Fatty Qu said hurriedly, preparing to flee as well.
"Fatty Qu, you stand right there!" Sima You Yue stretched out her hand and grabbed Fatty Qu by the collar and dragged him back.
"Wh… What do you want?" When he saw the evil glint in Sima You Yue's eyes, Fatty Qu instinctively raised up his arms and crossed them protectively over his chest, his face in abject horror.
Chapter 19: “Gaining a Better Understanding”
When Sima You Yue saw his reaction, she smacked him hard the back of his head and yelled: "With you looking like a bear, even if this Young Master is perverted, I won’t choose the likes of you!!!"
Hearing this, Fatty Wu felt more assured and no longer wore the same horrified expression on his face as he quickly switched and put on an amicable smile and asked: "May I ask why did Fifth Young Master stop me for?"
Sima You Yue grabbed him and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind them and asked earnestly: "Fatty Qu, are you familiar with the other three people's situation? Do you know them well?"
Liao Qu shook his head and replied: "Bei Gong Tang is a person of few words and she likes being alone, other than her name, she has never divulged anything else about herself."
Sima You Yue touched her chin as she thought out loud: "Mmm..she has on that frosty expression, she doesn’t seem to like to interact with others."
"Ouyang Fei as well, other than his name and that he is a double faceted Spirit Master, we don’t know anything about his family, his background or even where he’s from." Fatty Qu continued sharing.
"Damn it. Why is everyone so mysterious!" Sima You Yue couldn’t help but exclaim out irritatedly. "How bout that last guy? Wei Zi Qi? He looks amiable?"
"Fifth Young Master, although he is better looking, I’d advise you to have any designs against him." Fatty Qu quickly interjected when he saw the expression on Sima You Yue.
"Why?" Sima You Yue asked in response, before the underlying meaning became clear to her, she smacked him hard on his shoulder and cried out: "Since when did I even say that I have any designs on him?!!"
"Well… your eyes were bright and sparkly when you spoke about him, almost the same expression when you look at Murong An." Fatty Qu answered as he cast her a contemptuous glance.
"Cough cough, the past is the past. Now I’m a changed man and I’m no longer interested in men." Sima You Yue couldn’t help but cough slightly in an embarrassed manner. "Enough of this talk, Now tell me, why should I not have any designs on Wei Zi Qi?"
"Because he has quite a powerful background. He comes from the lineage of the Beast Tamers. Wei is the largest Beast Tamer clan in the Northern Forest City, and they hold a very prestigious status in Bei Chen Kingdom. Even though your Grandfather is the General, he is still not in a position to directly confront such a powerful Beast Tamer Clan. It is said that Wei Zi Qi is the direct descendant of the most talented Beast Tamer, so you can imagine the status he has in his family." Fatty Qu explained.
"Oh, so he hails from the Beast Tamer Clan." She finally let go of Fatty Qu and sat down as she continued asking: "What are his Spirit attributes?"
"It’s the rarely seen Ice attribute coupled with Wood." Fatty Qu said.
"Ice attribute? I thought there were only Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth for the various Spirit attributes?" Sima You Yue asked.
"Those are just the more common Spirit attributes." Fatty Qu knew what kind of a useless piece of trash Sima You Yue had been before and it was completely understandable that Sima You Yue did not understand it, so he explained it patiently. "Beyond the basic five attributes, there are a few more rarer ones. Ice, Wind and Lightning attributes. However these are really very rare so not many people know about them. It’s said that perhaps among ten thousand Spirit Masters, you may be able to find one or two with such rare attributes."
"That rare?!" Sima You Yue could not help but gape out loud.
"Yes, and I’ve also heard that their attacks are especially powerful." Fatty Qu replied enviously.
"Why are you putting on such a disgusting expression?! Envious? As long as you work hard, you can also become as strong!" Sima You Yue chided.
"Haha, true." Fatty Qu scratched the back of his head and looked down in embarrassment.
"Well, now that I know more about the rest of them, now let’s talk about you, what is your attribute?" She asked him.
"Oh, I have a double attribute of Fire and Earth." He replied.
"Fire and Wood attributes? Wow, not bad boy, didn’t know you had it in you." Sima You Yue looked at him and cheered him on.
Fatty Qu wanted to roll his eyes, oh please, in the past you only knew how to chase Murong An, where in the world did he have the time to care about a second character like him?
"Hmm? I thought that multifaceted Spirit Masters were rare? How are there so many just in this one dormitory?" Sima You Yue asked curiously.
"Yes, that’s true, I’ve heard that there were even years where not a single multifacet Spirit Master, and yet this year alone, four such people popped up, and even amongst us there’s a tri faceted Spirit Master. What’s even more coincidental was that the four of us were in the same group and were lined up consecutively. Ouyang Fei was the first who was tested, next was Bei Gong Tang, Wei Zi Qi was the third and I was the fourth. You should have seen that teacher's reaction then! He was shocked silly!" Fatty Qu chortled on as he thought back on the selection day.
He was surprised that chatting with Sima You Yue was actually quite fun!
She had witnessed the selection of Ouyang Fei and Bei Gong Tang, and had left right after Bei Gong Tang got selected. She hadn’t expected that right behind would be Wei Zi Qi and Fatty Qu.
At that time that teacher was drowned in ecstasy when he had tested Ouyang Fei and Bei Gong Tang. Adding in the the two other geniuses behind, she could more or less imagine his expression then.
If he knew that she was a Perfect Prism, what would his expression be? Would he have died of a heart attack on the spot?
"But Fifth Young Master, why are you in the elite class?" Fatty Qu could not help but ask.
"What elite class?" Sima You Yue asked back in query.
"That’s our class! We had the best results on the selection day so we are all in the elite class. Do you not know that?"
"I have absolutely no idea, all I did was follow Feng Zi Xing and he brought me here and gave me the keys."
Is it because his Grandfather is the General? So he gets preferential treatment? Fatty Qu couldn’t help but think in that direction.
"Since Master Feng gave you the keys means that you are a member of our class. But you'll have to be mentally prepared, the people in our class all have quite a bit of background, most of them are nobles and coupled with their talent, they are very arrogant, with your … prestige and reputation, some people may not be able to take it and may come find trouble for you." He warned seriously.
"Haha, thanks for the reminder." Sima You Yue smiled, did not think that this boy’s heart was pretty good.
"You're welcome." When Fatty Qu heard the word "thanks" coming out from Sima You Yue's mouth, he was suddenly feeling that it was rather surreal. In the past, they would have been utterly grateful if Sima You Yue had not tried to give them a hard time, they wouldn't have dared dreamed that they would be thanked at all. "But as your grandfather is a decorated General of the country, people would normally be afraid to say anything against you, and you will only have to be a little more careful of some who might have come from big distinguished families."
"Mmm, I know it now." Sima You Yue nodded.
"Then, I'll go back and get back to my cultivation." Fatty Qu got up to say.
"Go, go. And thanks again for giving me so much information. When I go back, I will get something delicious as a reward for you." Sima You Yue said, patting Fatty Qu on the shoulder.
"Cough, cough. There….. is really no need for that. I will need to go now." When Fatty Qu heard that Sima You Yue was even going to get him food, he immediately turned tail and ran.
It was widely rumoured, that the food the Fifth Young Master of the General Residence prepared, was able to poison a hardy Spirit Beast to death! He was still young and he did not want to die a martyr so soon.
Little Roar peeked open its eyes and said: "See? Didn't I do a good job? I did not even say a word!"
"Not bad, we'll do it this way from now on." Sima You Yue said, full of praise for Little Roar.
Although Fatty Qu had said that he didn't need Sima You Yue to prepare him any food as a reward, it was very early the next morning that he was drawn by a delicious and enticing scent wafting out from the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen, his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw the figure bustling busily inside.