Master of Nine Stars

After eating, Si Huan Nian led Rong Taotao to the Martial Arts Arena.

It was worth noting that during the walk to the Martial Arts Arena, Rong Taotao’s gait grew steadier. Although his steps were still a bit shaky, it seemed he would be able to get his bearings back before long.

When Si Huan Nian brought Rong Taotao to a classroom on the second floor of the Martial Arts Arena, the students of the Soul Class were in the middle of a lesson.

That was right. The Junior Class had already moved into the Martial Arts Arena. Everything from sleeping and resting to daily classes and training all took place there.

It was clear the school placed great importance on the youths of the Soul Class—far more than those in the Martial Arts Class, at least.

This was likely also due to the Lotus petal by Rong Taotao’s side. After all, having him move in all by himself probably wouldn’t have been a good idea.

With the added effect of Si Huan Nian’s Lotus providing cover, it wouldn’t matter how Rong Taotao used his own petal of the Sinful Lotus.

"KNOCK KNOCK." Si Huan Nian knocked on the door of the temporary classroom.

Since the classroom was a converted small activity room, it was different from a normal one; the front and back doors had no windows, making it impossible to see inside.

"Come in," a middle-aged man’s voice sounded. The seven Little Souls in the class all looked toward the door curiously, until...

...until they saw the demon teacher, Si Huan Nian, and, at her side, Rong Taotao.

"Ah! Taotao!" Sun Xingyu cried out softly, her small face filled with a joyous smile. Forgetting all about the teacher at the front, she shot to her feet and waved enthusiastically at Rong Taotao.

"Huh? Juanjuan is back!?" Shi Lan, sitting in the last row, had a look of disbelief on her face. She leaned over, craning her neck to see the doorway, and finally caught sight of that familiar face.

"Well, well," Li Ziyi said with a grin, tilting his head as he looked at the door. "If it isn’t the legendary Little Sleepy Soul of Songjiang. Finally decided to wake up, have you?"

"You should be glad he woke up. Otherwise, the two of us would’ve felt guilty for the rest of our lives. Have you forgotten how you tossed and turned all month, unable to sleep?" In the second row, Lu Mang leaned back in his chair, balancing on its two back legs. His head rested on Jiao Tengda’s desk as he looked back and to the side at Li Ziyi.

Li Ziyi snorted. "How do you know I wasn’t sleeping?"

Indeed, on that night one month ago, Rong Taotao had used their two shoulders as his "catapult launch" device.

In fact, there were many people who were relieved that Rong Taotao had woken up, like Fan Lihua, for example, and the Shi Family Sisters.

The battle that night had undoubtedly forged a powerful bond among the remaining Little Souls, one that clearly went beyond classmates and reached the level of comrades-in-arms who had faced death together.

"It’s good you’re back! Haha, it’s good you’re back!" Jiao Tengda was beaming, a wide, happy grin on his face. He wanted to stand up but seemed to remember they were still in class and forcibly suppressed the urge.

Fan Lihua, sitting in the front row, parted her lips, couldn’t help but clench her small fists, and even stomped her foot. It was obvious that the usually shy girl was truly excited this time.

Whenever a person acts in a peculiar way, it’s almost always because they are extremely emotional.

After all, Rong Taotao had saved her life.

If Fan Lihua was the savior who gave Shilou and Shilan a new life, then Rong Taotao was the savior who gave *her* a new life.

’Hmm... what a strange way to put it. Suddenly, I’ve gone up two generations.’

"Take a ten-minute break," the unfamiliar teacher at the front of the class said. He was probably moved by the scene and decided to just call for a recess.

’Small class sizes are the best. The teacher can call for a break whenever he wants...’

As the teacher spoke, he walked toward the door to chat with Si Huan Nian, leaving only the eight youngsters inside the classroom.

"Holy cow~! Bro, you’re freaking awesome! Haha! I thought ’Night-Patrol Taotao’ was just a nickname, but I didn’t expect you to be a goddamn legend!" Now that a break had been called, Jiao Tengda no longer held back his emotions. He shot up from his seat and ran toward Rong Taotao.

"Hey? Hey? You... holy shit..." From the moment Jiao Tengda started running, Rong Taotao knew something was wrong, but he was still caught in the boy’s embrace.

The hug itself wasn’t the problem. The issue was the considerable momentum of Jiao Tengda’s charge, combined with Rong Taotao’s already frail body...

The others stared, stunned. In their memory, Rong Taotao was supposed to be swaggering and full of vigor, but right now, he was truly like a helpless weakling. He couldn’t even stand steady and was tackled to the ground by Jiao Tengda.

"Hey! Get off him, you stinky banana! Don’t you crush my Juanjuan!" Shi Lan was instantly displeased. She took a few long strides to the front of the classroom, grabbed Jiao Tengda by the collar, and yanked him right up.

Jiao Tengda knew he’d messed up. For someone who was usually so well-behaved, he shouldn’t have made such a mistake, but he was just a little too excited...

Shi Lan pulled Jiao Tengda away, then knelt down and quickly helped Rong Taotao sit up.

The next moment, to everyone’s surprise, Shi Lan suddenly threw her arms around Rong Taotao and hugged him tightly.

’Hah, look who’s talking.’

This was just how messy reunions were after a long separation and a brush with death.

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but grimace, feeling a little awkward inside.

’A hug from Jiao Tengda is one thing, but Shi Lan, this tall girl...’

’She’s a little *too* well-developed. A shame she’s not my type.’

’If you used a Heaven-piercing Halberd, though, I’d definitely put you on my goddess list...’

"Thank you, thank you, Juanjuan. This is wonderful, you’re okay." Shi Lan’s fragmented whispers reached his ear. He could even feel her shaking her head from side to side, nuzzling his cheek. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

’Talk about perks~’

’What kind of amazing class is this? I’m lovin’ it, lovin’ it...’

At this very moment, Rong Taotao’s and Shi Lan’s inner thoughts could not have been more different.

In truth, Rong Taotao hadn’t yet truly realized what his reappearance, alive and well before everyone, meant to the Shi Family Sisters.

That night, the Shi Family Sisters had been caught in the blast of a Celestial Burial Snow Meteor, knocked completely senseless, and then taken advantage of by the Snow Cage Grass, which dragged them toward the pine forest.

That night, Fan Lihua had risked everything, trading her life for theirs, to rescue the Shi Family Sisters.

The problem lay in what happened next.

Fan Lihua, the one who had traded her life to save the Shi Family Sisters, was in turn saved by Rong Taotao.

Transforming into a "human jet," Rong Taotao had used his own body as a cannonball, charging forward recklessly and diving headfirst into the Snow Cage Grass, forcing it to spit out the meal it had already taken into its mouth.

This flashy, heaven-defying reversal of fate had truly stunned everyone.

And because of this, Rong Taotao, who had put himself in mortal danger and remained unconscious for so long, became the cause of the Shi Family Sisters’ sleepless nights.

The Shi Family Sisters were not cold-hearted or selfish by nature. On the contrary, the long-absent Rong Taotao was like a giant stone pressing on their chests, making it hard for them to even breathe.

For an entire month, the unconscious Rong Taotao knew nothing, but for the Shi Family Sisters, and even for the other Little Souls, those days had been excruciating.

Just now, the teacher had suddenly announced a break precisely because he saw a spark of "life" return to the gloomy classroom.

People always say that time heals all wounds, but if you have a good remedy, you don’t need time to work its magic.

At this very moment, Rong Taotao himself was the remedy for all the members of the Junior Class’s Soul Class.

"WOOF! WOOF WOOF!" The Cloud Dog suddenly floated out of Rong Taotao’s body, sprawling across the top of his head and yapping furiously at Shi Lan below.

’Hmph!’

’You audacious witch!’

’Are you trying to strangle my master?’

’If I had even a shred of attack power, I’d bite you to death!’

’Aargh, I’m so mad~’

The Cloud Dog jumped onto Shi Lan’s head and bounced up and down with all its might, but it seemed to have no effect. With its negligible weight, it couldn’t hurt her at all...

With his neck being squeezed tight, Rong Taotao gasped out, "Tea... Teacher, let’s... let’s just... have... class..."

"Alright, that’s enough!" Outside the door, Si Huan Nian, who was chatting with the teacher, couldn’t help but call out when she saw the scene. Her tone wasn’t harsh, however; it was actually quite gentle. It was clear she understood how the students were feeling.

But Si Huan Nian still said, "Everyone, back to your seats. Calm yourselves. Taotao is still recovering, so all of you need to be more careful. For the time being, treat him like he’s made of glass. Handle with care."

At Si Huan Nian’s urging, order was restored in the classroom.

As he was about to take a seat, however, Rong Taotao noticed that there were only eight small desks in this converted activity room.

The front row had two single desks. Fan Lihua sat at one, and the other was empty, clearly saved for Rong Taotao.

’The front row again!?’

’Right under the teacher’s nose again!?’

Rong Taotao felt miserable. Still sitting on the floor, he turned his head to look outside the door. "We got to pick our dorm beds first based on our grades, so the same should go for classroom seats, right?"

The substitute teacher chuckled. "There are only 8 students in total. What difference does it make where you sit?"

There should have been "9" students, but now it was "8". Yet, no one in the classroom reacted to what Rong Taotao said.

They didn’t react, and neither did Rong Taotao.

’Everyone has their own path. There are so many passersby in life; you just have to get used to it. Mmm, that must be it.’

"I don’t care. I’m second place, so I get to choose after Fan Lihua." Rong Taotao’s sudden whining almost made Si Huan Nian throw out her back...

’Good heavens!’

’On this day, I’ve suddenly remembered I’m not even sixteen yet...’

Beside him, Fan Lihua whispered, "I... I’ll let you have it. You can choose first."

"The back row, by the window, the VIP deluxe seat for stargazing, covertly eating snacks, and making an early exit through the window." Rong Taotao snapped his fingers twice at Shi Lou. "SNAP~ SNAP~"

Seeing Rong Taotao’s gesture, Si Huan Nian pursed her lips but didn’t say anything.

’I’ve been teaching this kid for so long, when have I ever seen him snap his fingers? He’s clearly copying the way I woke him up at his bedside yesterday.’

’As expected of a genius student. He learns so fast!’

’Mmm... it’s just that what he learns is a bit of a mixed bag...’

Shi Lou was also a bit stunned. Aside from the "covertly eating snacks" part, Rong Taotao had summed up her entire daily routine in a single sentence.

The difference was, she couldn’t see a starry sky, only the pitch-black night and endless blizzards. Moreover, she wasn’t enjoying the view outside the window; with the heavy mood of the past month, it was impossible for her to enjoy any nightscape.

Without another word, Shi Lou stood up, gathered her books, and rose.

Seeing this, Si Huan Nian spoke up, "Since you’re choosing by rank, you can all pick again."

However, no one else re-selected their seats, and Shi Lou ended up in the front row.

Rong Taotao plopped himself down into the seat befitting a protagonist and let out a soft sigh of relief.

’Much better~’

He looked around. This temporary classroom converted from a small activity room was actually pretty nice. There was even an outlet nearby.

’Tomorrow, I’ll get a power strip and an electric kettle. Then I’ll grab the electric blanket from the mailroom and build a little nest for my Cloud Dog to sleep in.’

’I can boil some water in the classroom, brew some goji berries, add a couple of red dates and longans, and then throw in some Hongtang. Wouldn’t that be a nice little nutritional boost?’

Suddenly, for a fleeting moment, Rong Taotao realized he wasn’t here to attend university, practice Martial Arts, or gain knowledge.

He finally understood what he was here for!

Nourishing People, raising a dog, and tending a flower...