Outside the open dormitory door, a crowd was gathered.
At the forefront stood a youth dressed in white, with handsome features and a stern expression.
Lin Xiu was not unfamiliar with him. He had encountered him when he went out with Du Chaoping for experience, just after leaving the school gates.
"Are you looking for me?" Lin Xiu walked to the door, locking eyes with Bai Shan.
"It's you." Bai Shan also recognized Lin Xiu, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
He hadn't expected this Lin Xiu to be the new student who appeared beside Du Chaoping that day.
Bai Shan frowned, "Are you trying to help that useless Du Chaoping?"
Lin Xiu looked puzzled, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"I came to ask you to fish for White Carp. I've already offered 500 Task Points. Even if you refuse, you can just reject it. Why did you have to injure Xiao Long and his group?" Bai Shan's face was stern, his tone icy.
In his view, Lin Xiu's actions were clearly an expression of discontent towards him.
And fundamentally, it was likely related to Du Chaoping.
Inside the dormitory, Xiao Ning and others heard that Xiao Long had been reprimanded by Lin Xiu, a hint of delight flashing across their faces.
The day they were beaten up, Xiao Long's group were the ones who targeted them.
"My affair with Du Chaoping, I advise you not to meddle carelessly. Initially, it was that woman who actively seduced me. I had no idea she had any connection with Du Chaoping," Bai Shan wasn't one to explain himself to others, but for the sake of obtaining White Carp and thereby gaining Xun'er's favor,
he was now explaining the conflict between himself and Du Chaoping proactively.
"I think you might want to ask Xiao Long about that," Lin Xiu replied, surprised by Bai Shan's words. "Initially, he approached me offering only 100 Task Points, and this afternoon he was only willing to give 50 Task Points. I disagreed, and the three of them ganged up on me. I couldn't just stand there and take it."
Bai Shan paused, taken aback by Lin Xiu's account, which was entirely different from what he had heard from Xiao Long's group. Turning to Hu Zi, who was lurking behind the crowd, Bai Shan caught his evasive gaze, realizing that Lin Xiu was likely telling the truth.
"We'll settle the score later!" Bai Shan turned his gaze back to Lin Xiu. "500 Task Points for one White Carp. How soon can you get it for me?"
"How soon?" Lin Xiu couldn't possibly agree. "I only fish for the elders. No matter what the conditions are, I won't do it for anyone else."
Lin Xiu closed the door without saying a word.
"At Jia Nan Academy, those who dare to refuse me can be counted on one hand. Don't regret it!" Bai Shan's indifferent voice came from outside the door.
After waiting for a moment and hearing no sound from inside the room, footsteps gradually faded away.
"He's gone."
Someone approached the window and glanced out, seeing Bai Shan and his group leaving. They then turned to Lin Xiu, who had already laid back on his bed, their eyes full of admiration.
"Brother Xiu, you're amazing!"
"So domineering, Brother Xiu, please accept my admiration."
"That felt good, really satisfying."
Inside the dormitory, everyone felt a sense of relief and joy with smiles on their faces.
"Alright, instead of wasting time like this, it's better to focus on practicing more," Lin Xiu turned over, facing away from the others. "Bai Shan can't do anything to me, but who knows if he'll take out his anger on you guys."
'This guy is not exactly an upright person.'
Lin Xiu also doesn't want to accept the flattery of these people; their words are all empty.
Inside the dormitory, everyone exchanged glances, and the smiles on their faces gradually faded.
Lin Xiu's reminder made sense.
At this moment, many people looked at Lin Dun with envy in their eyes.
Anyway, Lin Dun would definitely be protected by Lin Xiu.
Bringing meals and practicing with Lin Xiu on weekdays, now these advantages were showing.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Lin Dun imitated Lin Xiu's posture, facing the wall.
Relationships are built bit by bit. Now that they see Lin Xiu's strength, they want to flatter him a bit.
Isn't this a joke?
Fortunately, he had some foresight. Lin Dun felt very lucky about his initial decision.
But Lin Dun couldn't imagine that his foresight was still limited. When Lin Xiu became a Dou God in the future, Lin Dun would understand how much reward that one time of bringing meals had brought him.
...
Outside the Jia Nan Academy, Bai Shan, with his handsome appearance and talent, was considered a prominent figure among many students.
Therefore, news of Bai Shan losing face to the new student Lin Xiu spread quickly.
"Xiao Yu, I've got good news." The dormitory door swung open as a girl rushed in, her chest heaving noticeably, attracting attention.
"What news, Xue Ni?" Xiao Yu, seated on the edge of the bed, looked up.
"Everyone in the Academy is talking about it. There's this new student named Lin Xiu who has offended Bai Shan. Bai Shan has already declared that he'll make Lin Xiu pay."
Xue Ni sat beside Xiao Yu, putting her arm around her shoulder, but her other hand naturally reached towards Xiao Yu's chest, only to be slapped away by Xiao Yu.
"Be serious." Xiao Yu gave her a disdainful glance, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. 'Strange, why am I worried about that despicable guy?'
"Why aren't you happy?" Xue Ni scrutinized her best friend with a curious gaze.
That day, Xiao Yu went out to reprimand Lin Xiu, but came back in a sorry state, worrying her dormitory mates sick.
When they heard Xiao Yu's explanation about the scuffle, they breathed a slight sigh of relief.
However, they also learned that Xiao Yu had some grudge against the new student Lin Xiu.
"Let's not dwell on that for now. The time left for our task is running out," Xiao Yu shook her head slightly. "I don't know what's gotten into Luo Bu. Getting injured at a time like this."
"That guy, with or without him, it doesn't make much difference," Xue Ni wasn't particularly concerned. "The Winter Sunflowers will probably bloom in five days. We can set out in three days, just for flower picking. As long as we're cautious, there's not much danger."
...
In the evening, Lin Xiu learned that someone was looking for him and stepped out of the dormitory.
"Senior Qin." Lin Xiu smiled and approached Qin Zhi. "Is there something you need?"
"Senior Du heard about your conflict with Bai Shan and wanted to know what happened." Qin Zhi walked ahead, gesturing for Lin Xiu to follow. "If it's because of the misunderstanding with Bai Shan from the last time we went out together, you can clarify it directly with Bai Shan."
This was to help Lin Xiu distance himself from them and avoid being associated.
"No, Bai Shan seeking me out is a different matter." Lin Xiu understood the implication in Qin Zhi's words and chuckled softly. "One Bai Shan isn't enough to make me afraid."
"Junior, Bai Shan isn't the scary one; it's his brother. They have a gang in the inner courtyard. When you enter the inner courtyard, you might face challenges." Qin Zhi explained the reason.
The outer courtyard wasn't everyone's ultimate goal; everyone's striving for deeper objectives, aiming to enter the inner courtyard.
The competition in the inner courtyard is even more brutal than in the outer courtyard. Various factions abound, and if someone offends a faction, they will face continuous targeting. The elders in the inner courtyard won't intervene in such matters.
"It's too early to talk about this now," Lin Xiu didn't take it to heart.
There's a way when there's a will.
Following Qin Zhi, Lin Xiu met with Du Chaoping and Han Pu. The latter's injuries were treated, stabilizing without worsening.
"By the way, junior, I forgot to mention to you, the teacher will be away for two months. If you encounter any issues, you can go to his brother, Mentor Huo De," Du Chaoping remembered what Mentor had instructed today during their conversation.
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