True Solution of the Sword Dao

"Shuang’er, is there any news?" Lin Fei asked softly.

"Yes." Shuang’er responded emphatically, "There are too many of our kind here, I dare not make big moves, otherwise, I would have found it already." She belonged to the Dream Eaters, highly adept at concealing her aura and in reconnaissance, which was why she was always called elusive. It was also the reason why those organizations let her occupy Ping City. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to remove Shuang’er, but those with lesser strength, she could devour in an instant, and those stronger, she could easily evade. And those stronger than Shuang’er wouldn’t bother to station here for a mere Ping City. So they simply ignored her. After all, as a Red Boot, Shuang’er had no ambitions; she just roamed around in the city.

"Give me the exact address. I’ll make a trip tonight," Lin Fei said softly.

"Alright. I’ll text it to you," Shuang’er confirmed.

After hanging up, Shuang’er’s text immediately came through.

Lin Fei opened it, took a quick look, remembered the details in secret, and immediately deleted it.

Thump thump thump!!

The dormitory door was knocked. Du Xiaosheng’s voice came from outside.

"Lin Fei, are you there? I didn’t bring my keys!"

Lin Fei secured her phone, then opened the door.

Du Xiaosheng darted in and plopped down on his chair, then threw a small bag of beef strips to Lin Fei. "The guy next door gave it. Try their local delicacy. Another brother also brought a big bag of jujubes. My mouth got all tender eating them."

Lin Fei listened to him with a smile but didn’t say a word.

"Oh, by the way, the class advisor is holding a class meeting tonight to get acquainted with all the students. All students must attend. Remember after dinner at 7:30," Du Xiaosheng reminded. "Anyway, whether I can solve my single status in college depends on this encounter."

"Thinking of finding someone from our class?" Lin Fei asked.

"If the quality is good, I’ll consider, if not, forget it," Du Xiaosheng picked up his water glass from the desk and took a sip, "Ouyang Dong and Shi Ran also disappeared somewhere. Can’t see them all day."

"They probably have their own circles, one is a local, and the other is from the coastal area, both are from two of the largest metropolises in Hua Nation. Unlike us who came from far away," Lin Fei said with a smile. "Where is the class meeting held?"

"The fifth teaching building, let’s go together, someone knows the place. Also, the cafeteria opened today. Our meal cards have also arrived. We can get them tonight and then elect a class representative," Du Xiaosheng continued.

For the past few days, everyone had been solving their food and drink needs at the small eateries near the school gate since the cafeteria was still semi-operational, and they didn’t have meal cards, and the cafeteria didn’t accept cash. So they had to settle for the small dining establishments in the snack street, providing boxed meals and such, which tasted not bad, just not as cheap as the cafeteria.

"Is that so? I should compare and see how this cafeteria’s food tastes," Lin Fei followed up. In truth, he cherished such ordinary life, knowing well that once he truly stepped onto the stage of the Inner World, embarked on the path to the peak, such a life might become impossible.

He would no longer possess such tranquility and relaxation.

*************

The fifth teaching building, located right next to the male dormitory area, was a modern structure with a silver-white exterior. By evening, all the classrooms inside were brightly lit. Some students, still dressed with a high schooler’s vibe and clearly freshmen, flocked here in groups. Obviously, it wasn’t just Lin Fei’s class that had chosen to hold their class meeting here.

In the bustling crowd, Lin Fei and Du Xiaosheng were just two of them.

Du Xiaosheng walked right beside Lin Fei, with the other two nowhere to be seen. Then, there were other classmates from different dorms around them—some fat, some thin, some tall, some short. Lin Fei didn’t recognize a single one, but Du Xiaosheng was pulling him along, introducing him to other dorm buddies. As he introduced them, he said, "For future male dormitory social activities, Lin Fei will be our main attraction."

Indeed, compared to others, Lin Fei could be considered the most handsome among the group of boys. At a glance, if the lighting were dimmer, one might even mistake him for a girl.

However, the topic among the surrounding classmates quickly shifted from Lin Fei’s looks to cross-dressers, then from cross-dressers to more feminine senior male and female students they each had encountered, later moving to various big and small events at the school they had heard about from these seniors. Finally, the conversation settled on various matters relating to the fifth teaching building.

Following the crowd, they entered the teaching building. Inside, the building was quite spacious and refreshing. They went up to a classroom on the second floor.

Lin Fei entered the classroom with a group of people and casually found a place to sit. At this time, most students sat in clusters according to their dorm units.

Du Xiaosheng sat down in the row next to Lin Fei. His hair still carried a faint scent of hair gel, indicating he took great care of his appearance. His face had acne that seemed to have been squeezed but it apparently didn’t work well and had become inflamed.

Du Xiaosheng sat by the window on Lin Fei’s left, and on the right were boys from the next dorm, who had entered the classroom together and also sat together.

Looking down the row, the nearest boy looked like a university student from the eighties, with black-rimmed glasses and a crew cut, a serious expression as if that was his permanent look. He wore a neatly, somewhat faded blue T-shirt and similarly faded brown baggy casual pants, and was constantly adjusting his glasses. This student was named Hu Yong, and that was all the information Lin Fei knew about him.

The next boy over looked like a typical high school student, with short, unevenly cut hair, dressed in a milk-white hoodie and jeans. The hood of his hoodie was being flicked back and forth by another boy sitting behind them, as they playfully tussled—clearly, they were on good terms. This boy’s name was Chen Zaonian, also from Hedong. The other two were unknown; Du Xiaosheng had only just introduced these two.

Inside the classroom, the boys were mostly seated on the left side, while the girls came in a bit later, laughing and chirping as they walked in. They found places to sit in the right-side area. The boys on this side were each sizing up the girls in their class, determining which were the "non-renewable resources" for the future. Obviously, these girls had also dressed to their own satisfaction, though some inevitably stood out the most.

With the arrival of the girls, the classroom became even more noisy. Amid the chatter, Du Xiaosheng leaned close to Lin Fei and whispered,

"Which girl do you think is the prettiest?"

Lin Fei gave a wry smile. Truth be told, he really had no intentions of finding a girlfriend.

"They’re all pretty good," he said. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote with your recommendation or Monthly Ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)