Chapter 48

Over the next two days, no one came to provoke Li Luo again. However, whenever he went out, the gazes cast at him from the surroundings seemed to carry a hint of peculiarity.

But did Li Luo care about this? Obviously not.

After all, compared to what he had experienced in the past two years, this was nothing.

At Bai Ling Garden, Feng Can Lou.

Li Luo and Zhao Kuo came here to find food. However, when they went upstairs, they found the spacious hall packed with energetic young men and women, with laughter and chatter breaking out from time to time.

"There are too many people," Zhao Kuo said helplessly.

Li Luo was also a bit helpless. Just as he was about to leave, he saw someone not far away by the window waving at him.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Lu Qing'er.

"Come, let's join for a meal."

Li Luo didn't hesitate and led Zhao Kuo over. As they approached, he noticed that sitting with Lu Qing'er were Tifa Qing and Song Yunfeng.

"If you don't mind, you can sit here; there are still some empty seats," Lu Qing'er said, pointing to the empty seats with her slender fingers.

Tifa Qing glanced at Li Luo but didn't mock him as she used to; instead, she quietly drank her water.

Song Yunfeng, however, frowned slightly, showing some displeasure. He felt that if someone had a bit of sense, they would know what to do at this moment.

Then, he saw Li Luo plop down next to him, smiling gratefully, "Classmates are the best, helping out in times of need."

The corners of Song Yunfeng's mouth twitched, and he said coolly, "Li Luo, I heard you caused trouble again. With so many people from other academies here at Bai Ling Garden, can you please not tarnish the reputation of Nanfeng Academy? Your actions make us, who are also from Nanfeng Academy, feel quite embarrassed."

Li Luo, upon hearing this, immediately said, "If my actions make you feel embarrassed, then I suggest you drop out quickly."

These words immediately made Song Yunfeng's eyes flash with anger, while Lu Qing'er's lips curved slightly.

Song Yunfeng sneered, "Whether I drop out or not is not up to you, Li Luo. I'm doing this for your own good. Don't think that just because you fought me to a draw in the preliminary exam, you can offend people from other academies at will. You know very well whether that draw is useful here."

However, Li Luo ignored him and said to Lu Qing'er, who was calling a waiter, "Order us a meal, please."

Lu Qing'er didn't respond, but when she spoke to the waiter, she clearly added two more expensive dishes.

Seeing this, Song Yunfeng's anger intensified, and a hint of jealousy rose within him. He had never spoken to Lu Qing'er like this, yet Li Luo, the bastard, dared to order her around right in front of him.

"Tomorrow, the final exam will begin. Are you all prepared?" Lu Qing'er, apparently not wanting to continue the cold and sarcastic banter, took the initiative to speak.

Everyone nodded, and the conversation shifted.

Li Luo didn't participate much, focusing instead on eating.

However, halfway through the meal, he suddenly noticed the atmosphere at the table had changed. His gaze immediately turned to a direction, where he saw a figure approaching.

The young man didn't look particularly outstanding, but he exuded a subtle aura of oppression. Even with a gentle smile on his face, this aura made people wary.

Dong Yuan Academy, Shi Kong, the son of the governor of Tian Shu Prefecture.

Shi Kong, upon reaching the table, looked directly at Li Luo and his group, then smiled and said, "Excuse me, can I join you?"

Lu Qing'er raised her eyes and said coolly, "Sorry, it's full."

Shi Kong smiled and borrowed a chair from the side. The people at the table clearly knew him, so no one dared to stop him.

Shi Kong sat down on the other side of Song Yunfeng and said, "Qing'er, my father and your uncle are acquaintances. There's no need to be so cold, right?"

"You and I are competitors. Why pretend to be friendly? Isn't it tiring to act?" Lu Qing'er said.

Shi Kong smiled helplessly and said, "We will both enter the Holy Xuan Star Academy in the future. There's no need to be so distant."

"Yunfeng, don't you agree?" he asked Song Yunfeng.

Song Yunfeng nodded calmly.

Li Luo, having eaten to his heart's content, put down his chopsticks and looked at Lu Qing'er, saying, "Are you done? Want to go for a walk to digest?"

Lu Qing'er nodded immediately, knowing that Li Luo was helping her defuse the situation. She didn't want to stay here and talk nonsense with the fake Shi Kong.

Seeing this, Shi Kong's eyes narrowed slightly. He picked up a soybean, then flicked it with his finger. A faint thunder sound seemed to echo, and a silver light shot directly at Li Luo's face.

However, just as the silver light was about to hit Li Luo, a cold chopstick flew over and deflected the soybean, which was wrapped in lightning, away. The chopstick then embedded itself firmly into the pillar, the cold aura spreading and causing a layer of frost to form nearby.

Lu Qing'er's eyes turned cold as she stared at Shi Kong, a chill rising around her. "Shi Kong, don't start trouble for no reason."

This commotion caused some disturbance in the hall, and curious gazes were cast their way. When they realized the conflict was between Lu Qing'er and Shi Kong, interest flared. Could it be that the two most capable competitors for the top spot in this year's academy exam were about to clash here?

Amidst the attention, Shi Kong smiled and said, "My apologies, Young Master. No need to be angry."

Li Luo shook his head and said helplessly, "I'm not angry, but you're wasting food. It seems your upbringing is lacking. Does Governor Shi not teach you these things? If you need a whip, I can give you a couple."

Shi Kong smiled and said, "Young Master is right. I'll be more careful next time."

"Good, knowing your mistakes and correcting them makes you a good child."

Li Luo nodded in approval and then turned to leave with Zhao Kuo.

Lu Qing'er gave Shi Kong a cold look and followed, with Tifa Qing quickly joining them. Song Yunfeng glanced at Shi Kong before getting up and leaving.

Shi Kong watched them leave without concern, picked up the remaining soybeans from the plate, and chewed them lightly, a smile on his lips, but a cold look in his eyes.

"Is Li Luo hiding his true strength, or is he really incapable? I need to find out."

He muttered to himself, then smiled and shook his head.

Forget it, a crippled Young Master shouldn't pose much of a threat. As long as I eliminate Lu Qing'er, Nanfeng Academy won't be able to hold onto the title of the top academy in Tian Shu Prefecture this time.

But this guy is really annoying.

It seems I need to make some arrangements to get him eliminated early.