Chapter 165: Justice Squad

After finalizing some details of the plan with Zhao Kuo and the others, everyone dispersed, and Li Luo descended the stairs with Lü Qing'er and Yu Lang, preparing to return to their respective quarters.

Just as he stepped off the stairs, Li Luo halted, his gaze startled as he stared ahead.

Four figures approached from the opposite direction; one of them looked strikingly familiar—it was Shi Kong, Li Luo's greatest rival in Tian Shu County.

In the months since they last met, Shi Kong's former sharpness had faded considerably; his expression was grim, his eyes darker and more gloomy than before.

Beside Shi Kong were three others, entirely unfamiliar; the central figure was a tall, unruly youth with disheveled hair, thick black eyebrows that nearly met when furrowed, radiating an air of ferocity.

Upon seeing each other, the thick-browed youth stepped forward with a smile.

"Li Luo, it's an honor to finally meet you," he said.

Li Luo studied him and said, "Shen Ya?"

The fact that he spoke first clearly marked him as the leader of the four—likely the captain of this Governor's Squad, Shen Ya.

The thick-browed youth grinned and nodded. "What an honor—I never expected Li Luo to know my name. Has our plan been discovered?"

"Young man, having ambition is a good thing," Li Luo remarked seriously.

"Then thank you for the encouragement, Li Luo. We'll strive to succeed and knock you off your perch," Shen Ya smiled.

"Do your best—but know your limits. Don't end up hunting a tiger and getting crushed yourself. That'd be hilarious," Li Luo nodded, then said no more, waved his hand, and left with Lü Qing'er and Yu Lang.

As for Shi Kong, he didn't exchange a single word with him.

A loser isn't worth noticing.

Shi Kong clearly understood Li Luo's attitude; his face darkened further as he glared fiercely at Li Luo's retreating back.

"Forget it—he's not the powerless Deputy Magistrate from Tian Shu County anymore," Shen Ya patted Shi Kong's shoulder and smiled. "He now holds dual Prodigy titles and even defeated Du Ze Duze Beixuan—a genius new recruit."

"Still, causing trouble for a genius like him is quite entertaining."

With that, he led the three onward, turned a corner, and knocked on the door to a private room.

Inside the private room, Wang Wang Hejiu and Du Ze Duze Beixuan glanced at the four; the former smiled. "Took you long enough."

"We just ran into Li Luo," Shen Ya and the others sat down, grinning. "This time, we've definitely offended him."

Du Ze Duze Beixuan said coolly, "You didn't need to get involved at all. In the ranking battle, we'll crush Li Luo's team without fail."

Shen Ya smiled. "But didn't you already have one accident? Would another one really be surprising?"

Du Ze Duze Beixuan's eyes instantly turned icy.

"Shen Ya, do you think I'd ever take your so-called strongest Gold Radiance squad seriously?" Du Ze Duze Beixuan said coldly.

Wang Wang Hejiu quickly unfurled his fan. "Let's talk reasonably—no need to make things this tense."

Shen Ya picked up a wine cup from the table and drank. "Since we took this job, we'll spare no effort to cause trouble for Li Luo's team. I've already said it—we've fully offended him. I want to know: will our rewards be delivered?"

He fixed his gaze on Wang Wang Hejiu and the other. "Next year, will Master Shen Shen Jinxiao select new Violet Radiance students from among us?"

"Shh."

Wang Wang Hejiu smiled faintly. "Don't ask that again. If you do, we'll deny ever saying anything. Understood?"

Shen Ya fell silent, then finally nodded.

"Alright. I understand."

When Li Luo returned to the small building, he summoned Student Xin Fu and Bai Bai Mengmeng to discuss the matter, especially the need for Xin Fu to assist Zhao Kuo's group.

After all, though he was captain, he still had to respect his teammates' opinions.

"The Governor's Squad is likely targeting us because of my past feud with Shi Kong—you two got dragged into this because of me."

Bai Bai Mengmeng smiled sweetly, her voice gentle. "Captain, we're a team now. If they come after us, it's our team's problem—you don't need to feel guilty."

Li Luo felt deeply relieved—soft, cute girls were truly delightful.

"What about you, Xin Fu? Are you okay with helping Zhao Kuo's group?" Li Luo asked.

Student Xin Fu replied listlessly, "Oh."

Li Luo rolled his eyes—this guy was utterly drained, lacking any drive or initiative.

"Then it's settled: Xin Fu will assist Zhao Kuo's group, while I and Bai Mengmeng hold off the Governor's Squad."

"According to what I've heard, when we enter the competition zone, the five Violet Radiance squads will be deliberately scattered in different directions, so we don't need to worry about interference from rival squads early on," Li Luo declared.

"Captain, can the two of us really hold them off? I've heard of the Governor's Squad—they're still very strong. Don't underestimate them just because they're Gold Radiance," Bai Bai Mengmeng asked timidly.

Li Luo rubbed his chin and smiled. "Of course I won't underestimate them. I'll prepare thoroughly."

Bai Bai Mengmeng nodded, then added, "By the way, Teacher Chi Chan said that since we need to register for the ranking battle, we should pick a team name."

"My sister's squad is called 'Wind Rider Squad.' Qin Qin Zhulu's squad is called 'Pure Moon Squad.' Beside Yi Yi Lisha's squad is called 'One Leaf Autumn Squad'—the name comes from Yi Yi Lisha's name pun. Wang Wang Hejiu's squad is called 'Golden Gate Squad,' derived from Master Shen Shen Jinxiao's school…"

After hearing these squad names, Li Luo was puzzled: why was Qin Qin Zhulu's squad called 'Pure Moon Squad'? Anyone could tell that name was chosen by the two girls in the team. As captain and the strongest fighter, didn't Qin Qin Zhulu even have the right to name his own squad?

How pitiful was his position within the team?

And Wang Wang Hejiu's squad name—could it be any more obsequious?!

"I already have a name picked out for our squad," Li Luo smiled at Bai Bai Mengmeng and Student Xin Fu, his expression brimming with wisdom.

Both stared at him in surprise.

"From now on, our squad will be called 'Justice Squad,' because beauty is justice!" Li Luo declared solemnly.

Too cliché.

Student Xin Fu's face twitched—he was about to object.

"Anyone who objects is admitting they lack confidence in their own beauty. That's a tragic thing," Li Luo said slowly, before Xin Fu could speak.

So Xin Fu swallowed his words—he didn't care about looks, but he didn't think he was ugly either.

Bai Bai Mengmeng blinked her big, sparkling eyes and whispered, "I think the captain's name is perfect."

"Bai Mengmeng has excellent taste," Li Luo praised.

"Since no one objects, we'll have Teacher Chi Chan register this name tomorrow."

Li Luo stood up, raised his palm, and said, "Let's celebrate—the birth of a legendary squad. The world will tremble because of it."

Bai Bai Mengmeng very enthusiastically stretched out her little hand at once and placed it on Li Luo's hand.

Student Xin Fu indicated he was embarrassed, not wanting to do something so childish.

Seeing this, Li Luo laughed and said: "Bai Mengmeng, Student Xin Fu has been very tired from cultivating these past two days. In the future, if he doesn't have time to go to the cafeteria, I think you could help him prepare a few more meals."

A palm swiftly came down, and Student Xin Fu's pale face beneath the hood lifted into a smile.

"Captain, there's no need to trouble Bai Mengmeng over every little thing, is there?"

Li Luo gave a carefree laugh.

"That depends on whether you know how to play along."

(One update today.)