Shen Xuan was baffled. Why was everyone running off so fast?
He wasn't some man-eating Monster!
The youth shook his head helplessly, picked up the soup spoon, and prepared to take a sip.
Suddenly, however, his movements froze. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze locking onto the edge of the spoon, where a faint red lip print still lingered.
"Ah—wait! Let me get this straight. Two people using the same spoon to drink soup, does this count as..."
[An indirect kiss,] the Love-Brain System helpfully supplied.
Shen Xuan rolled his eyes, desperately wanting to say: Oh, shut up!
Ignoring the Love-Brain System, Shen Xuan stared at the spoon, recalling the strange emotion that had flashed through his mind back in the fire when he saw the little Luo girl crying into a complete mess.
What kind of feeling was that, anyway?
He couldn't figure it out.
Throwing the question to the back of his mind, Shen Xuan began pondering another matter... should he continue using this spoon to drink the soup?
"Drinking straight from the bowl doesn't seem very elegant."
"Besides, the chicken soup is still very hot. Without a spoon, it will definitely burn my mouth."
"Most importantly, that girl used the spoon too. If I don't use it, it will make me seem even less capable than a white-haired loli."
Shen Xuan muttered to himself, listing three reasons why he had to use the spoon.
In conclusion, the consequences of not using the spoon were too severe and unbearable, so he might as well...
System: [...]
They say there are some humans in this world who want to have their cake and eat it too. They must be just like its master!
Having made up his mind, Shen Xuan silently brought the soup spoon to his lips and took a sip of the broth.
"As expected, the soup is delicious..."
***
The next morning, Shen Xuan, who was sleeping in and basking in the morning sunlight, was awakened by a round of knocking on the door.
"Who is it (／_＼)?""Shen Xuan, Shen Xuan, wake up! The sun is already high in the sky! Grandpa will be back at noon, and he said he'd have something to tell us."
Reluctantly, Shen Xuan crawled out of bed. Opening the door, he found a little girl with twin pigtails standing prettily right in front of him.
Her lips were slightly puffed out, as if she were angry that it had taken Shen Xuan so long to answer her.
Yet at this moment, the girl's delicate red lips held a strange, inexplicable attraction, causing Shen Xuan's gaze to linger just a moment longer than intended.
After two seconds of thought, Shen Xuan suddenly reached out and pinched both of her cheeks, applying just enough pressure to physically deflate her anger.
"..."
Luo Xiaoxue's face turned crimson with rage. How she wanted to hit someone!
If the jerk Shen Xuan hadn't saved her yesterday, her "punishing evil little fist" would have already landed on him!
Shen Xuan's lips curved slightly upward.
Even when angry, this girl was still terribly cute. If he were to grab her and lay her across his knees to spank her, she'd probably cry for a long time, right?
*Tsk tsk, what on earth am I thinking...*
Shen Xuan dismissed the wicked thought from his head, preventing himself from evolving any further in the direction of a "creepy old uncle."
"Be a good girl, Xiaoxue. Go play by yourself for a bit; big brother still needs to brush his teeth and wash his face."
With that single sentence, he dismissed the little girl and strolled off leisurely.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon.
Curator Jin Kela arrived home a little later than usual. By now, he was practically the "acting city lord" of Winter City; as soon as the official appointment documents came down from above, he would be the rightful lord in name and fact.
Accordingly, every day from now on would likely be very busy."Grandpa, welcome home. Come eat!"
"Hahaha! Xiaoxue, Grandpa is back, but dinner can wait. Grandpa has a very important matter to discuss with you and that brat Shen Xuan."
Soon, a "family of four" unlike any normal household gathered around the dining table, waiting for Curator Jin Kela to speak.
"It's the end of the year, and you should know that during this time, all the academies in our Roland Empire are preparing to recruit a new batch of students," said Curator Jin Kela.
Luo Xiaoxue nodded.
Shen Xuan wore a thoughtful expression.
As for Mother Stanley, she had long since known Curator Jin Kela's plans and remained silent.
Old Man Jin continued, "Actually, a while ago, I contacted a good friend of mine at the Imperial Central Academy and got two entrance exam slots from him. The Admission Tickets just arrived in my hand this morning. Xiaoxue, kid Shen, you both meet the age requirements for enrollment now, so get yourselves ready over the next couple of days. In two days, join the merchant caravan and head for the imperial capital, Rhode City."
"Ah? Grandpa, this is so sudden," Luo Xiaoxue exclaimed in surprise.
Shen Xuan was equally surprised; he hadn't expected Old Man Jin to have anything other than a capitalist side to him.
Still, Shen Xuan rubbed his nose and put on a helpless expression. "Curator, you know what my magic talent is like. Forget the Imperial Central Academy; even that Low Grade magic academy here in Winter City wouldn't take me..."
Curator Jin Kela waved a hand in dismissal. "You don't need to worry about that. The Central Academy doesn't just have a Magic Department; there's also a Swordsmanship Department, a Forging Department, and so on. Your physical strength is quite prominent, so you have a certain chance of getting into the Swordsmanship Department. As for Xiaoxue, with your dual-element talent, you're bound to enter the Magic Department, and the mentors there will be fighting to take you on as a student."
"The entrance exams for the Central Academy should still be half a month away, and traveling from Winter City to Rhode City takes about seven days. Originally, I wanted to let you set off in a week, but now, with Liu hiding goodness knows where, staying in Winter City might put you in danger. Rhode City will be much safer than here."
"I pulled every string I could to get these two entrance exam opportunities. You don't have to go, but if you want to become stronger, you must work hard to seize this chance. As for all the expenses after enrollment, I will cover them, so neither of you needs to worry."
With that, Curator Jin Kela took out two Admission Tickets from his spatial magic storage and placed them in front of Luo Xiaoxue and Shen Xuan for them to make their own choice.
The young girl glanced at the permit, then looked at Shen Xuan with hopeful eyes, as if wanting to say: Let's go together.
Shen Xuan scratched his head, then took his Admission Ticket. "Let's go give it a try, then. Thank you, Curator."
Anyway, the library had been burned to the ground, so he couldn't be a librarian anymore, and freeloading at Mother Stanley's house waiting to die wasn't his style. He might as well go be a student—besides, there was a living allowance every month.
Seeing Shen Xuan agree, Luo Xiaoxue couldn't help revealing a sweet smile as she took her permit as well. "Thank you, Grandpa."