Chapter 393: Schemes

When Li Luo saw Jiang Jiang Qinge appear at the bridgehead, he was stunned for a moment. What a coincidence?

Jiang Jiang Qinge's gaze was looking this way; clearly she had taken in the tugging and pulling between him and Zhao Zhao Huiyin here. Her breathtakingly beautiful face, however, was quite calm, still as usual giving nothing away about her feelings.

Only, she also stopped where she was, not walking over.

Li Luo wanted to wave and greet her, but then he found that Zhao Zhao Huiyin, who was right before his eyes, had suddenly pressed closer. In that instant, the posture between the two of them became quite intimate.

Then Li Luo saw Jiang Jiang Qinge turn and leave.

Li Luo's brow furrowed slightly. Paying no more heed to the difference between men and women, he directly reached out and shoved Zhao Zhao Huiyin hard. He put quite a bit of force into it, but Zhao Zhao Huiyin only trembled slightly in her delicate frame, then leaned her upper body back a little.

Li Luo used that to step back two paces, his gaze coolly fixed on the Zhao Zhao Huiyin before him—whose looks and bearing were both excellent, yet carried a beguiling air.

Zhao Zhao Huiyin revealed a faint smile on her red lips and said, "Junior Li Luo, is this the Holy Profound Star Academy's way of treating guests? It doesn't seem very gentlemanly."

Li Luo said coolly, "Senior Sister Zhao, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Zhao Zhao Huiyin innocently blinked her long lashes and said, "Junior Li Luo, what are you talking about?"

"That collision just now was deliberate on your part, wasn't it? Truly worthy of the Fox of Blue Abyss. You've only been at Holy Profound Star Academy half a day and you've already stirred up a mess. I know your target probably isn't me, but Jiang Jiang Qinge." Li Luo said calmly.

"Let me think about what you're trying to do... You know about my relationship with Jiang Jiang Qinge, so you staged this little scene. Your aim is to anger Jiang Jiang Qinge, isn't it?"

"You know Jiang Jiang Qinge's strength, and in the Ticket Competition you'll most likely run into her. So to give yourself a slightly better chance of winning, you used me as a lever, trying to anger Jiang Jiang Qinge through this. And an angry person, when fighting, will always be affected a little. That is probably what you wanted."

Li Luo shook his head and sighed, "Senior Sister Zhao, you really do know how to stir up trouble."

Zhao Zhao Huiyin, the corners of her lips carrying a faint smile, watched Li Luo as he spoke. Tilting her head slightly, she said, "Junior Li Luo's cleverness is no less than his handsomeness."

"I've already read through the intel on Jiang Jiang Qinge many times. She's almost an unassailable person, but she seems to regard you with particular importance. That engagement between you two looks far more solid than many people imagine."

"Honestly, I didn't quite believe it before. After all, with a girl as outstanding as Jiang Jiang Qinge, it's hard for me to imagine she'd look at a member of the opposite sex differently. But judging from her reaction just now, it seems I really did underestimate the feelings between you two."

"But this also shows that my little trick wasn't entirely without effect, doesn't it?" she said with a grin.

Li Luo stared at Zhao Zhao Huiyin's lovely fair face for a while, then gave a rather odd little laugh and said, "Senior Sister Zhao, angering Jiang Jiang Qinge really isn't a wise decision."

"Believe me, you may regret it the day after tomorrow."

Zhao Zhao Huiyin gave a noncommittal smile and said, "Really? Then I'll have to try it out when the time comes."

"And compared to me, I think Junior Li Luo should worry about yourself. From our academy's One-Star House, there's Lu Cang and Lu Zang. No matter which one takes the field, it'll be hard for you to handle."

Li Luo laughed at her words, said no more to this Zhao Zhao Huiyin, waved his hand, and brushed past her as he went on his way.

Zhao Zhao Huiyin watched his departing back with an amused smile, then tucked her hands into her pockets and began to admire the lake and mountain scenery here.

After a while, two figures walked over and stood on either side of her.

One in white, one in black. If Li Luo were here, he would have recognized them—Lu Cang and Lu Zang from the One-Star House of Blue Abyss Holy Academy.

"Did Senior Sister's scheme work?" Lu Cang in white asked with a smile.

Zhao Zhao Huiyin said casually, "How could that count as any scheme? Just a little trick done on the spur of the moment. Actually, I was just curious whether the engagement between Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo was merely nominal. After all, when it comes to Jiang Jiang Qinge, I actually hold her in high regard, even admire her. If only she were from our Blue Abyss Holy Academy—I would fall for her."

She spoke these shocking words outright, completely unheeding of others present.

But Lu Cang in white didn't seem surprised by this, because everyone in Blue Abyss Holy Academy knew that their Senior Sister Zhao's orientation was rather unusual.

"But from the test just now, I found that there really does seem to be some feeling between Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo. I don't know what kind of feeling it is, but between them, it isn't fake."

Zhao Zhao Huiyin smiled and said, "Of course, we can't rule out that Jiang Jiang Qinge did it on purpose—making me think I've angered her, so that when we face off, I'll make some misjudgments because of it."

Lu Cang was speechless.

"That Li Luo—you two were secretly observing just now too, weren't you?" Zhao Zhao Huiyin turned and asked.

Lu Cang nodded and said, "From the intel, he should possess dual aspects, the Water Aspect and the Wood Aspect... that's truly rare. Still, my odds of winning should be a bit higher than his."

Zhao Zhao Huiyin gazed at the mountains and waters within Holy Profound Star Academy and said, "Don't underestimate him because of that. Holy Profound Star Academy's foundation is far stronger than our Blue Abyss Holy Academy's. Our academy spent years preparing for this Ticket Competition before we could scrape together a decent lineup. But who could have expected that Holy Profound Star Academy would produce not only a Jiang Jiang Qinge, but also a dual-aspect Li Luo."

"How it ends, we'll only know after we fight." Lu Cang laughed, a faint pride in his words.

Zhao Zhao Huiyin gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"Let's go, time to eat. Let's try the food here at Holy Profound Star Academy."

Li Luo left the stone bridge and walked all the way back to the dormitory building. When he pushed the door open and went in, he saw that by the window in the living room, Jiang Jiang Qinge and Bai Bai Mengmeng were sitting across from each other at the tea table, chatting softly with light smiles—the atmosphere quite harmonious.

Seeing Li Luo return, Jiang Jiang Qinge raised her eyes, glanced at him once, and looked away.

Bai Bai Mengmeng, however, stood up and said, "Captain, you're back from cultivation? Let me make you a cup of tea."

Li Luo smiled his thanks, then came to the tea table and sat down on the side closer to Jiang Jiang Qinge. Resting his chin on his palm, he smiled at Jiang Jiang Qinge's flawless, jade-like, breathtakingly beautiful cheek and said with a laugh, "You couldn't really be angry, could you? You're so smart—there is no way you couldn't see through Zhao Zhao Huiyin's little tricks."

Jiang Jiang Qinge's slender jade fingers held her teacup. She took a shallow sip and gave a faint laugh.

"I have to thank Junior Sister Lü Qing'er for this. After her training, you think Zhao Zhao Huiyin's little act could upset me?"