Chapter 76: and then the title translation (the chapter title: we need to infer from the lines

Bei Bei laughed and said, "Junior brother, you don't see it? He's beating around the bush, just not planning to tell you!"

Xu Sanshi spoke earnestly: "I'm also doing this for your own good. Caotou has already become a tight-lipped gourd; if you knew the activity's content, you'd probably be just like him. Who let you two still be innocent youths?"

"How does that have anything to do with being innocent?" Huo Yuhao suddenly felt something was off.

Bei Bei sternly said from the side: "No discriminating against innocent youths, I'm one too."

"Cough cough! Actually, I'm also…… at least in spirit." Xu Sanshi immediately defended himself.

Bei Bei disdainfully said: "Just forget it; otherwise, how could Nan Nan be so repulsed by you? And you still have the nerve to laugh at others—I'd like to see how you pass this round tomorrow."

Xu Sanshi's face instantly fell from the blow, looking utterly dejected.

Huo Yuhao ended up doing the right thing, hurriedly saying: "Second senior brother, you weren't going to tell a story, were you? Go ahead."

Xu Sanshi has no other merits except a thick skin; otherwise he couldn't keep getting more courageous despite setbacks with Jiang Nannan. Hearing Huo Yuhao's question, he instantly perked up.

"This is a joke..."

"Shut up." Bei Bei suddenly interrupted Xu Sanshi: "We're going back to eat dinner soon; don't spew your disgusting jokes, or you'll ruin everyone's appetite. I tell you, I'm the host tomorrow. If you offend me, even if you pass Nan Nan's round, I'll ruin it for you."

"Uh... Bei Bei, do you have any humanity!"

"To people, of course we should talk about humanity; but for those crawling on the ground, it's hard to say." Bei Bei said leisurely.

"Who are you saying is crawling on the ground?" Xu Sanshi flared up.

Bei Bei said: "Of course I mean a certain turtle, not you. There are those who pick up gold soul coins, and unexpectedly there are those who pick up insults."

"I'm going to fight you!" Xu Sanshi directly charged at Bei Bei.

Bei Bei, however, was utterly indifferent, muttering to himself: "Sea God Lake, Sea God Affinity—I think some people just don't want to be fixed."

"Me..." Xu Sanshi grudgingly stopped his steps: "Forget it, big brother is magnanimous, I won't quarrel with you. But seriously, Bei Bei, you definitely have to help me tomorrow! If I fail again this time, I'll be so discouraged I'll lose confidence."

Bei Bei rolled his eyes and said: "With a face thicker than a city wall, you'll lack confidence? I don't know who was telling me yesterday that relentless pestering until success is absolutely unyielding. But I'm really curious—what exactly did you do to Nan Nan back then? You've been pretty good to her these two years, so why does she still not accept you? I even asked her privately, and she won't say anything."

Xu Sanshi solemnly said: "Then I definitely can't say it, otherwise there would truly be no chance at all."

Watching those two brothers bicker, Huo Yuhao's smile grew richer. It feels great to be back home! The eldest and third senior brothers are still the same. However…

Suddenly realizing something, Huo Yuhao interjected: "Eldest senior brother, what did you just mean by 'Sea God Lake, Sea God Affinity'?"

Bei Bei hehe-laughed: "That's tomorrow's activity. Junior brother, you'd better put in the effort."

Huo Yuhao put on a bitter face: "Eldest senior brother, you still haven't told me what this activity is—how am I supposed to put in effort?"

Xu Sanshi interjected: "Actually, just two words are enough to describe it—blind date!"

"A blind date?" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened: "Blind what date?"

Xu Sanshi said: "You don't even get this? To you, it just means finding a girl! Got it?"

"This..." Huo Yuhao instantly felt embarrassed: "How could the academy hold such a blind-date activity? And it's even in our inner courtyard."

Bei Bei smiled: "This is our academy's traditional activity. The purpose is actually just one: to keep the fertile water from flowing into outsiders' fields. You know, our inner courtyard students are the academy's true elite. The number of permanent inner courtyard students rarely exceeds a hundred, usually around fifty or sixty. And our inner courtyard also bears the duty of the surveillance team. Everyone is also diligently cultivating. So, aside from being somewhat familiar with each other, we hardly ever have long-term contact with the outside world. Moreover, inner courtyard students have no age limit. Thus, the academy noticed that many inner courtyard disciples are already older youths, yet still lack a suitable partner."

"I also don't know when it started, but the academy has had this Sea God Affinity event. It's held once a year. Normally it takes place before the new batch of inner courtyard disciples participates in the assessment, when the original inner courtyard students attend this blind date on Sea God Lake. At the Sea God Affinity event, everyone can fully display their abilities and boldly pursue the ones they like. As long as the other party also agrees, they can try dating. Since we're all inner courtyard students with similar experiences and comparable strength, natural matches are more common. Speaking of which, our Sea God Affinity has indeed resulted in quite a few academy couples."

Huo Yuhao never expected that the interaction Bei Bei described would actually be a blind date; his heartbeat unconsciously sped up. Will Wang Qiu'er also participate in this blind date? Speaking of combat, he's experienced, but when it comes to male-female matters, he's absolutely a blank slate. Just as Xu Sanshi had said earlier, in his silence his face turned a bit red.

Xu Sanshi leaned over to Huo Yuhao, put an arm around his shoulder, and said: "Huo Yuhao, don't worry. Picking up girls is really simple; I'll teach you three tricks—be bold, be careful, have a thick skin. We're all adults, and the academy allows it, so when you see someone you like, just go after them boldly. Aren't we brothers as good as anyone? Come on."

"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded; in his mind kept replaying the image of the goddess of light. Whenever he thought of women, the first thing that came to mind was only his dream lover. Of course, occasionally there was also the stunning glance of Wang Qiu'er.

"Eldest senior brother, when will Wang Dong return?" Huo Yuhao asked Bei Bei. If Wang Dong were here, that would be great; Wang Qiu'er would probably be his twin sister, and he could also get some advice from him!

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance, then Bei Bei said: "He should rush back tomorrow to participate in this event. The event will be held tomorrow evening. Tomorrow daytime, I'll explain the specific rules to you. I and the eldest senior sister are the hosts of this year's Sea God Affinity event. This event belongs to our inner courtyard students themselves, and it's also a good opportunity for everyone to communicate. The teachers will only be guests observing from the sidelines, absolutely not interfering. Junior brother, you can rest assured; regarding you and Caotou's shy situation, we've already prepared for this event, and we'll guarantee to get you into the atmosphere. Moreover, remember, wanting to be with the person you like isn't that easy. The number of female inner courtyard students is far fewer than the males—more wolves than meat! There will also be a strength showdown segment, so you need to be mentally prepared."

"A blind date that also involves fighting?" Huo Yuhao and Caotou glanced at each other; for a moment, their feelings were a mix of anticipation and nervousness, yet also somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

"Eldest senior brother, can I not participate?" Huo Yuhao asked weakly.

Bei Bei said: "Of course not. As a member of the Sea God Pavilion and one of the Shrek Seven Monsters, if you don't participate, aren't you weakening our reputation? Moreover, such a great opportunity isn't always available. Although the event is held every year, if you fail to win the girl you like this year, she might end up belonging to someone else. Seize the moment, opportunity won't come again!" Seeing Bei Bei's earnest expression, Huo Yuhao's heart felt like fifteen buckets drawing water—up and down. He couldn't help but silently call out to Wang Dong in his mind. In this regard, Wang Dong's experience is definitely far greater than his!

After leaving Shileke Cheng, not long later the four brothers returned to Shrek Academy.

Sea God Island hadn't changed much from before, but before boarding the island, Huo Yuhao faintly saw that many people seemed to be piloting boats on the lake, busy.

Bei Bei told him that they were preparing for tomorrow's Sea God Affinity event.

"Let's go eat first, I'm starving." Xu Sanshi patted his belly, stepped onto the island, and strode straight toward the Sea God Pavilion cafeteria.

When the four arrived at the cafeteria, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but be greatly surprised.

Today the Sea God Pavilion cafeteria was bustling; looking around, there were nearly thirty students dining, and the food was far more abundant than before. What surprised him even more was that there were two large barrels of wine placed to the side, free for students to take.

"Eldest senior brother, what's going on? Does the academy allow drinking now?" Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.

Bei Bei said: "Tomorrow is the Sea God Affinity event. Tonight is Singles' Night. You haven't noticed that everyone eating is male students, not a single female? Daily cultivation is usually tense and boring; most inner courtyard students are adults now, so having a drink isn't a big deal. This is a special allowance from the academy to let everyone relax. Normally there isn't any. Come on, let's have a drink."

This was Huo Yuhao's first time drinking alcohol; savoring the gourmet dishes made by Shrek Academy's top chef, drinking that deep red wine as rich as a rose, and gazing at the night view of distant Sea God Lake, he suddenly felt unreal.

The wine tasted slightly sour and astringent at first sip, with a strong smoky plum aroma; the initial mouthful wasn't great. But soon, the mellow aftertaste of oak barrel and grape fragrance welled up. Huo Yuhao instantly felt his face heating up. That slight tipsiness was something he had never experienced before; his whole being seemed immersed in the wine's fragrance.

"Huo Yuhao?" A somewhat low voice sounded from behind, sounding somewhat unfamiliar.

Huo Yuhao turned around and saw the person calling him; his eyes, which had been somewhat dazed from relaxation, instantly sharpened.

He was a tall youth, slightly taller than Huo Yuhao, broad-shouldered and wide-backed, with a head of golden short hair that looked very neat. However, his complexion was somewhat gloomy, and his gaze at Huo Yuhao was also a bit cold. In his hand he likewise held a cup of wine; his pupils emitted twin glints, cold light flashing.

"Dai Huabin." Huo Yuhao calmly spoke the other's name.

When they parted before, they also hadn't seen each other for over two years. Huo Yuhao's inner hatred had never vanished for a moment, but he had become better at burying that hatred deep inside. At least now isn't the time for revenge.

Dai Huabin walked over to Huo Yuhao's side, also gazing at the misty vast Sea God Lake, took a sip of wine, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said lightly: "When did you come back?"

Huo Yuhao likewise took a sip of wine: "Just a few days ago."

Dai Huabin said: "Will you participate in tomorrow's Sea God Affinity?"

"Mm." Huo Yuhao replied.

Dai Huabin said: "Originally I hadn't planned to participate, since Zhu Lu hasn't yet entered the inner courtyard. But since you're participating, I'll join too. How about a bet?"

"No bet." Huo Yuhao answered bluntly.

"Are you scared?" Dai Huabin raised his eyebrows, the light in his eyes flaring even more.

Huo Yuhao turned his head toward him, his gaze still clear: "No."

"Then why don't you dare to bet?" Dai Huabin pressed aggressively.

Huo Yuhao gave a faint smile: "Because you're still not qualified enough." Though he smiled, the cold edge in his eyes was full of provocation.

Dai Huabin fell silent instantly, the muscles on his cheeks tightening, yet the wine in his hand remained unusually steady.

Just as Huo Yuhao thought he would make a move, Dai Huabin regained his composure, saying coldly, "Qualified or not, see you at the Sea God Fate event tomorrow." After saying this, he turned and strode away.

Watching his departing back, Huo Yuhao's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He had said that earlier precisely to provoke Dai Huabin. The hatred between them was irreconcilable, but this was Shi Laike, and even if Huo Yuhao had the ability, he could not kill Dai Huabin here. So he had to lure Dai Huabin into a mistake; once his mind heated and he did something excessive, the outcome would be uncertain.

But Dai Huabin showed a calm side, no longer seeming as impulsive as before; under Huo Yuhao's provocation he actually endured and then turned away. This was unimaginable before.

He's grown up, too! Huo Yuhao thought to himself. Seeing Dai Huabin reminded him of the former comrade Dai Yao Heng. Dai Yao Heng has left the academy and should now be following the White Tiger Duke into battle. By blood, they are both his brothers.

Brother—a strangely familiar title. Huo Yuhao laughed at himself.

"What's that kid Dai Huabin saying to you?" Xu Sanshi came to Huo Yuhao's side, gulped down the wine like a bull, and asked.

Huo Yuhao replied, "He said to meet at the Sea God Fate event."

Xu Sanshi said, "Looks like that kid wants to cause trouble for you! Yuhao, don't be careless. These past two years, Dai Huabin has risen quickly."

"Hm?" Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Sanshi in surprise; he knew his third senior brother was always proud, but didn't expect him to hold Dai Huabin in such high regard.

(End of chapter)