Master of Nine Stars

On the way back to the Martial Arts Hall, Rong Taotao didn’t hide anything. He described what happened that night and the current state of the Lotus Petal inside his body.

Gao Lingwei listened, secretly alarmed. ’She really hadn’t expected this. Rong Taotao, living within the First Wall, was somehow leading a more "eventful" life than her, who was out beyond the Third Wall...’

The news about Pine Soul Four Rites: Smoke also caught Gao Lingwei completely off guard.

The Snow Realm was indeed dangerous. Even a top-tier expert like that could be twisted into something neither human nor ghost, enslaved by a Soul Beast like a marionette.

"I’m going to grab a bow. Wait for me here for a minute?" Rong Taotao said.

"Mm." Gao Lingwei nodded slightly, her mind in turmoil as she continued to process the information Rong Taotao had given her.

Rong Taotao quickly went up to the second-floor armory. He usually didn’t pay much attention to the bows hanging on the walls, but now that he took a proper look, he was completely stunned!

There were so many bows it was dizzying.

And besides the numerous practice bows, there were even rows upon rows of bows with nameplates?

"Xuanyuan, Overlord, Zhen Tian, Sunset..." Rong Taotao couldn’t help but grimace. ’Holy cow. What kind of names are these? Could I even handle a bow with a name like that?’

As a newcomer to archery, Rong Taotao naturally didn’t know much about famous historical bows. He just thought the names sounded a bit over-the-top...

Rong Taotao sensibly chose a practice bow. Just as he was stepping out, he saw Lu Mang carrying his luggage and heading for the first floor.

"Hey!" Rong Taotao called out.

"Hm?" Lu Mang, standing at the top of the stairs, let his usually stoic expression soften slightly. He glanced at the bow in Rong Taotao’s hands and said, "Developing a new skill?"

Rong Taotao nodded and asked curiously, "Where are you off to? I remember Coach said you guys don’t go home for the New Year."

Lu Mang shrugged. "I’m going home. Not to Shanghai, but to Songbai Town. It’s only about 50 kilometers from Songjiang Soul City, so it’s really close."

Rong Taotao was filled with doubt. Lu Mang was obviously an incredibly diligent student. With cultivation in the Martial Arts Arena currently accelerated, there was no way he would just leave. ’Unless...’

Rong Taotao came up beside Lu Mang and asked with concern, "Did your family move out this way? Is someone sick?"

"No one’s sick." Lu Mang smiled and started down the stairs with his luggage. "I just got homesick and wanted to go back a little early to see them."

"The New Year is just over a week away, and there’s a group from Songjiang Soul City heading to Songbai Town today. The next one won’t be for another week."

"Dude, if you’re in any trouble, you have to let me know," Rong Taotao said. "You moved thousands of kilometers from Shanghai. You don’t know anyone here. If something’s going on with your family, just say the word." Seeing how genuinely eager Lu Mang was to get home, he didn’t press the issue.

Lu Mang, however, just smiled. "Why? Are you familiar with Songbai Town?"

"Er..." Rong Taotao scratched his head in embarrassment. ’I’m not familiar with it at all, I’ve never even been. But that doesn’t matter. Yang Chunxi will be.’

Rong Taotao puffed out his chest, guaranteeing, "My sister-in-law knows it for sure. Seriously, if you run into any trouble, just say something. You might be too embarrassed to ask Coach Yang, but I’m shameless, heh heh."

Lu Mang’s heart warmed. He hummed a soft "mm" and kept his head down as he walked away.

As Rong Taotao followed him down the stairs, he couldn’t help but complain to himself, ’That damn Jiao Tengda. Isn’t he always showing off his "Bamboo Flower" flair?’

’Why does someone else have to remind him to do something as basic as seeing off a teammate?’

The sky had finally brightened and the snowstorm had subsided, greatly increasing visibility. At that moment, Songjiang Soul City looked no different from any other northern town in the winter.

When Lu Mang and Rong Taotao came outside, the others immediately spotted the two of them.

Jiao Tengda, who had been discussing techniques with Zhao Tang, looked bewildered by the sight and immediately ran over. "Where are you off to?"

"I didn’t want to interrupt your training, so I didn’t say anything," Lu Mang said with a nod. "I’m heading home. See you after the New Year."

"Ah? But..." Jiao Tengda stammered.

But Lu Mang simply summoned his Snow Night Shock, vaulted onto its back, and said, "The convoy leaving the city won’t wait for me. I only just got the notice myself. I’m off."

CLIP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP...

"He’s acting like a total jerk. We live together every day, and he just ups and leaves without a word of warning." Jiao Tengda whined, watching Lu Mang’s retreating back. He kept hoping Lu Mang would turn around and wave, but he got absolutely nothing.

"If you ask me, it’s because you don’t care enough about your teammates. You’re slacking on your duties as captain. Whether he’s just pretending to be cold or is a genuine jerk, it’s your job to win him over!" Rong Taotao said, slapping Jiao Tengda on the shoulder.

Jiao Tengda was the only male student in the Junior Class shorter than Rong Taotao—at about 173 or 174 centimeters—which made his shoulder a particularly convenient target.

Jiao Tengda pouted. "Win him over, my ass. He’s only nice to you. Ugh, this is so depressing. Forget it, I’m going back to training."

As Jiao Tengda walked away, Rong Taotao’s gaze drifted past him to Zhao Tang, who was waiting in the distance. Their eyes met.

Zhao Tang gave a slight nod in greeting. "Going to learn the bow?"

"Yeah," Rong Taotao replied.

Zhao Tang said, "If you run into any problems, we can discuss them."

As he spoke, Zhao Tang gestured with his empty left sleeve. "I can’t draw a bow anymore, but I trained hard at it since I was a kid. If there’s anything she can’t explain clearly, you can come to me."

Zhao Tang’s piercing eyes were bright and sincere. Even as he gestured with his empty sleeve, his smile was remarkably carefree.