Chapter 79 – Adolescent Hormones Running Wild

In front of a slightly aged civilian house, two student teams from the Demon Hunter Academy unexpectedly encountered each other, exchanging glances.

One team was an ordinary squad composed of regular students and newly enrolled freshmen.

The other was an elite team formed by the Academy’s top students.

Under normal circumstances, even if these two teams crossed paths, they would hardly have any interaction.

However, when Su Ming and Xu Qianqian stood in their respective teams and their eyes met, this chance encounter left both sides momentarily stunned, revealing expressions of surprise.

“She… why is she here?”

The one who spoke these words wasn’t Su Ming, but An Zijin.

An Zijin looked at Xu Qianqian with even greater surprise than Su Ming, her eyes faintly revealing a trace of wariness.

“Seniorヾ(@^▽^@)ノ”

In contrast, Lei Hao appeared overjoyed.

Ye Bai, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei exchanged puzzled glances.

As for the other side, aside from Xu Qianqian who remained stunned, the reactions of the others were somewhat subtle.

“Isn’t that Su Ming and An Zijin?”

“They’re here too?”

Several top students either glanced at each other or frowned deeply as they looked toward Su Ming’s group.

“Boss.”

“It’s Su Ming.”

Two top students with shifty eyes approached the leader of their team, speaking in hushed tones with somewhat hostile words.

Who else could the leader be but Li Wei?

The top student of the Hunter Department appeared here carrying a backpack and a weapon, leading his team.

He glanced at Xu Qianqian, then turned his gaze to Su Ming, his expression unreadable.

Without hesitation, Li Wei then strode toward where Su Ming and the others stood.

“Senior.”

Xu Qianqian seemed to snap out of her daze upon seeing Li Wei’s movement and immediately spoke up.

Her voice carried a warning tone that even she herself didn’t seem to notice.

Li Wei’s steps faltered slightly, his expression darkening for a brief moment.

But quickly, he returned to normal as if he hadn’t heard Xu Qianqian’s words, arriving before Su Ming’s group.

“Senior!”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai immediately bowed in greeting.

“Senior!”

An Zijin, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei quickly followed suit.

“Hello everyone.”

Li Wei nodded toward the group, then turned his gaze to Su Ming.

“I didn’t expect to meet here,” Li Wei said to Su Ming with a smile. “Did you also take on the defense mission for this line?”

Hearing this, Su Ming also glanced at Xu Qianqian who had silently followed Li Wei, then smiled in response.

“Since you used the word ‘also,’ that means your team has taken on the defense mission for this line too, right?”

Instead of Li Wei, it was Xu Qianqian who responded to Su Ming’s question.

“We were assigned here by the Academy.”

As if wanting to prevent Su Ming and Li Wei from conversing, Xu Qianqian broke from her usual aloofness and spoke up proactively.

However, the information she revealed surprised Su Ming.

“Academy assignment?” Su Ming asked curiously. “But why would they assign you to this defense line?”

It wasn’t strange for a team composed of top students to be assigned by the Academy.

Especially for the team led by Li Wei – this was the most elite student team established under the Academy’s direction, serving as the Academy’s representative face and arguably the strongest team in the Academy.

The Academy had formed this team precisely to gather the strongest students and create the most powerful, elite squad to handle the most difficult and dangerous S-Rank Missions.

Since arriving in Huaming District, Li Wei’s team had consistently completed high-difficulty missions under Academy assignment, unlike ordinary teams like Su Ming’s that had to go to the administration building daily to compete for missions.

It could be said that Li Wei’s team, along with other teams composed of top and elite students, were specially crafted blades under the Academy’s deliberate intervention.

The Academy’s most challenging missions were entrusted to them, and naturally, the Academy wouldn’t let these important teams waste their talents on low-difficulty trivial missions.

Especially now with the Spirit Demon Abyss entrance about to open, while ordinary student teams might be overlooked, these elite teams composed of top and elite students would definitely be assigned by the Academy to guard more crucial defense lines.

What puzzled Su Ming wasn’t the Academy assignment itself, but why the Academy would assign this strongest student team to this relatively unimportant defense line.

Just as Su Ming felt puzzled, Li Wei spoke again.

“I heard we were assigned to this defense line because some important figure made a request to the Academy.”

Li Wei cleared Su Ming’s confusion.

“Important figure…”

Su Ming muttered to himself, glancing at Xu Qianqian again.

Xu Qianqian shook her head at Su Ming, as if to say she wasn’t very clear about it either.

But judging from the faint shadow in Xu Qianqian’s eyes, Su Ming felt she probably had some thoughts about it.

This gave Su Ming an intuitive feeling.

He might have been dragged into something he shouldn’t have touched.

(This is troublesome…)

Su Ming sighed inwardly.

Li Wei remained as he was initially, watching Su Ming while speaking.

“Since we’ve come to the same defense line, let’s get along well.” Li Wei smiled as if anticipating something. “This is a good opportunity for me to see your true capabilities that even Qianqian views favorably.”

After leaving these words, Li Wei turned and left.

The top students beside him immediately followed, some with mocking smiles, others looking at Su Ming with clear hostility.

Only Xu Qianqian remained, gazing straight at Su Ming for a moment before turning to leave.

“Senior…o(╥﹏╥)o”

Lei Hao couldn’t help but reach out a hand as if trying to stop something, his face full of melancholy.

“I never thought Senior Li and Senior Xu’s team would also come to this defense line.”

Ye Bai sighed with emotion.

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei gathered around An Zijin, watching her carefully as if worried she might be in poor spirits after seeing Xu Qianqian.

An Zijin’s mood indeed wasn’t very good.

“Stop looking, Brother Su Ming.” An Zijin watched Su Ming staring intently at Xu Qianqian’s retreating figure, speaking with a hint of jealousy. “She’s already left, yet you’re still watching.”

The jealousy in her words made Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei feel somewhat helpless.

Su Ming was also startled awake, offering an awkward smile to An Zijin, whose pouted lips looked like they could hang an oil bottle.

For some reason, Su Ming felt somewhat guilty.

Although when Xu Qianqian and An Zijin had met before, Su Ming hadn’t felt particularly affected – at most annoyed by the attention they might attract – now he inexplicably felt guilty, making him quite uncomfortable.

This guilt resembled that of a young boy worried his crush might be discovered, leaving Su Ming feeling entirely unsettled.

(I definitely don’t have feelings for that female vampire… I definitely don’t have feelings for that female vampire…)

Su Ming could only repeatedly chant this in his mind, brainwashing himself.

Without doubt, he personally rejected this phenomenon.

It couldn’t be helped.

To develop feelings for a young girl because of a “hero saving beauty” scenario – was he some innocent young girl himself…!?

(Women will only slow down my growth… women will only slow down my growth…!)

Su Ming screamed inwardly.

“Let’s go, Brother Su Ming, let’s go inside!”

An Zijin, however, was quite dissatisfied with Su Ming standing there dazedly, tugging at his clothes and pulling him forcefully.

“Alright, let’s go in.Su Ming managed to calm himself somewhat, initially accepting his current state.

This was just restless hormones of adolescence – definitely not some romantic feelings!

This was what Su Ming told himself.

“Well, after we return, I should properly consult Young Master Lei and have him teach me how to relieve stress.”

With this thought, Su Ming entered the civilian house together with his group of friends.

These civilian houses were naturally different from the suites in the Academy District.

Here, members of the same team wouldn’t live together. Instead, there were different types of rooms – three-person dormitories, double rooms, and single rooms – allocated according to each team’s needs.

Since Su Ming’s group had three boys and three girls, the camp allocated them two three-person dormitories.

Thus, Su Ming, Lei Hao, and Ye Bai moved into one dormitory, while An Zijin, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei moved into another dormitory next door, similar to their arrangement in the Academy dormitory.

Now it was time to wait.

Wait for everyone assigned to this defense line to arrive, and wait for further summons.

……

On the other side, Li Wei’s team also moved into another civilian house.

They were allocated three rooms: one single room, one double room, and one three-person dormitory.

As the only female in the team, Xu Qianqian naturally took the single room.

Two other team members moved into the double room.

Meanwhile, Li Wei moved into the three-person dormitory together with his two henchmen.

At this moment, in the three-person dormitory, shortly after Li Wei had settled in, his two lackeys approached him.

“Boss, what are you thinking?”

“That Su Ming is here too?”

Their words carried implied meanings.

Li Wei’s movements paused slightly – very subtly – but this didn’t escape the notice of his two henchmen who spent every day with him.

The two exchanged glances, both showing understanding expressions.

Without doubt, their boss had some thoughts about this.

And that was only natural, right?

“Doesn’t he think he’s getting too close to Xu Qianqian?”

“Such an ungrateful guy – boss, you should teach him a lesson.”

They began to egg him on.

(End of Chapter)