Opening the door, he saw two strange boys.
"You guys have business with me?"
With a puzzled face, Bai Wushang greeted them first while observing the two calmly.
One of the men looked to be from a rather well-off family, wearing a formal blue suit and little shiny leather boots. With a back-swept hairstyle, apart from his round face and slightly chubby figure, he was oozing with an "I'm-so-sophisticated-and-pretentious" air.
With a crew cut, the other was tall and fit, and had evidently exercised much, though his skin was dark and rough, and the clothes he wore were somewhat faded from washing, so his whole air was more on the side of simple and unpretentious.
"Hey, man! We're on the same floor as you. I'm Ouyang Yuan from room 103!"
The well-dressed, slightly chubby boy wiped his greasy hair, and gave what he thought was a sunny smile.
The dark-skinned guy next to him blushed a little, and said, "Hello, my name is Sha Buru. I'm from a nomadic background, and I live in room 102."
"Here's the thing, we're all new students, and we happen to live together. There's a saying that it's better to have a close neighbor than a distant relative—I thought I'd get to know you all and become friends so that we can look out for each other in the academy in the future!"
Ouyang Yuan enthusiastically introduced their intentions in coming while snatching a handshake with Bai Wushang.
It dawned on Bai Wushang that it seemed reasonable to make some new friends when he first arrived.
"My name is Bai Wushang. Hello guys."
"Haha, Brother Bai, I'll call you that if you don't mind."
Ouyang Yuan hooked his arm onto Bai Wushang's shoulder, squinted his eyebrows, and cheerfully said, "I'm not going to hide from you; my family has a small business in jewelry and jade. If you have a need in this area or have a good treasure jade you want to sell, remember to find me first. I'll certainly give you the best price!"
Bai Wushang nodded with a smile, thinking in his heart that this person's nature was quite lively and not annoying. The future life in the academy would seem to be more interesting.
"Well, there's still one missing from the Four Swordsmen of the Mountain and Sea now. Let's go. Let's go knock on the door of room 104!"
Waving his hand, Ouyang Yuan led the way, and ran towards the door of the last room at the end of the corridor, while Bai Wushang and Sha Buru followed behind curiously.
Dong, dong, dong!
"The brother inside, you there? We are next-door neighbors. Let's get together for a meal and get to know each other?" Ouyang Yuan shouted enthusiastically at the top of his voice.
"Who is it—what's wrong with you?"
The door opened, and a cold-looking boy in baggy training clothes poked his head out, and looked at the trio with an unfriendly gaze.
In terms of appearance, this boy had a face like a jade crown, and was the epitome of handsomeness and good looks.
But the grim and unpleasant look on his brow was unconcealed!
"Situ Chi? "Ouyang Yuan was startled, his expression somewhat frozen in place.
"Huh, you guys know each other, that's great—"
Sha Buru laughed nervously, but before he could finish his sentence, he was unceremoniously interrupted by the resident of 104.
"Damn, it's terrible luck. Forget about assigning me to a B-class dormitory, but to be neighbors with you?"
The face of Situ Chi was gloomy, and he sneered, "Ouyang Yuan, you don't think we are the same kind of people just because we once went to school together, do you? If you don't want to suffer in the future, get away from me and don't bother me, understood?"
After saying that, he examined Bai Wushang and Sha Buru again with a condescending gaze, and said in a disdainful tone, "And you guys, if you have time to follow and fool around with this scum, you might as well meditate or learn more. Otherwise, with your initial soul power at the middle Spiritualist level, you'll be kicked out of this academy sooner or later!"
With a bang, the door was viciously shut, leaving Sha Buru and Bai Wushang looking at each other, as well as Ouyang Yuan's gradually souring face.
"He's telling us what to do?"
Bai Wushang was the first to break the ice, finding this somewhat amusing.
'This one, Situ Chi, is quite interesting and, well, quite arrogant.'
"Did I say the wrong thing…"
Sha Buru looked bewildered and overwhelmed, squeezing his knuckles and making a crunching sound.
"Nothing to do with you."
Ouyang Yuan shook his head, took a deep breath to suppress his emotions, then patted Bai Wushang's shoulder with a fake smile, and said, "If we can't be the Four Swordsmen of the Mountain and Sea, then we can be the Three Swordsmen… Brother Bai, if you don't mind, let's go sit in your room, and I'll order a delivery dinner to treat the guys."
"Good!" agreed Bai Wushang with alacrity.
***
In the living room of Room 101, the three sat around the table.
"There's a gold mall feature in the watch, and although most of what's sold there is ordinary stuff, the food looks pretty good, so let's try it…" Ouyang Yuan introduced while tapping on the holographic screen on his wrist. Without hesitation, he shopped for sets of pots and pans, followed by all kinds of transcendent ingredients, from those flying in the sky to those swimming in the water—all sorts and kinds, so long as they were delicious.
When the order was placed, Sha Buru's eyes bulged when he realized that the meal cost over 200 gold coins.
"Mother of God, why so expensive… are we eating gold?"
Bai Wushang was also impressed with Ouyang Yuan's generous nature.
One should know that the purchasing power of 100 gold coins in the Great Qian Dynasty was enough to sustain the living expenses of an ordinary family of three for a whole month.
This one meal was worth more than two months of someone's living expenses!
"That's what Brother Sha doesn't understand. Everyone is a Master now, so how can we continue to eat ordinary food? We need to learn to break with the past and start eating quality food. Only by eating well can we grow stronger muscles!" Ouyang Yuan talked nonsense seriously.
"Ah, is that so?" asked Sha Buru, who felt something was wrong, and didn't know how to refute it, hesitation written across his face.
20 minutes later, a green-clad delivery man knocked on the door of the room.
From the special storage belt he carried, he laid out the dining utensils along with the steaming dishes one by one on the table, and handed over the bill.
Ouyang Yuan was quick to sign to confirm receipt and settle the payment of the gold coins.
"Come on, come on, guys, let loose and eat. You can drink less today, but you must eat the food to your heart's content!
"Brother Sha, try this pickled fatty beef hot pot while it's hot. It's made from the hind leg meat of the transcendental creature Thick Mountain Cow, tender and fresh, fatty but not greasy. Dip it in some ghost pepper—wow, that sourness, I can't believe it!
"This is the 10 whole tonic soup boiled with the Blue Wave Mud Chicken. Drink one bowl to whet your appetite and warm your body, drink two bowls to refresh yourself, and drink three bowls to strengthen yourself. Brothers, don't hold back. Drink more.
"Come on, brothers. Let's officially celebrate the first meeting of the Three Swordsmen of the Mountain and Sea. Cheers!"
***
After several rounds of dishes, the three men had gotten to know each other quite well.
When the lively atmosphere had cooled down a little, Bai Wushang chewed on his peanuts, and seemingly casually asked, "Tell me about it. What's the origin of that Situ Chi?"