Chapter 393: Scheming

When Li Luo saw Jiang Qing'e appear at the bridgehead, he was also taken aback. Could it be such a coincidence?

Jiang Qing'e's gaze was directed this way; clearly, she had seen him and Zhao Huiyin's tug-of-war. Her stunning face remained quite calm, as usual, making it impossible to tell if she was happy or angry.

However, she also stopped there and did not walk over.

Li Luo wanted to wave to her, but he discovered that Zhao Huiyin, who was right in front of him, had suddenly leaned in close, and in that instant, the two of them were in a rather intimate position.

Then Li Luo saw Jiang Qing'e turn and leave.

Li Luo's brows furrowed slightly. No longer caring about the boundaries between men and women, he reached out and pushed Zhao Huiyin away with force. He used plenty of strength, but Zhao Huiyin's delicate body only trembled slightly, and her upper body leaned backward.

Li Luo took this opportunity to step back twice, his eyes calmly fixed on Zhao Huiyin, who possessed both excellent features and temperament, yet carried a hint of allure.

Zhao Huiyin's red lips curled into a faint smile as she said, "Junior Li Luo, is this the hospitality of the Astral Sage College? It doesn't seem very gentlemanly."

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

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

"The collision just now—it was intentional, wasn't it? You truly live up to the name 'Fox of Blue Abyss'. You've only been at the Astral Sage College for half a day and you've already stirred up a mess. I know your target probably isn't me, but Jiang Qing'e," Li Luo said calmly.

"Let me guess what you're trying to do... You know about the relationship between me and Jiang Qing'e, so you pulled this stunt. Your goal is to provoke Jiang Qing'e, right?"

"You know Jiang Qing'e's strength, and you'll likely run into her during the ticket matches. So, to increase your odds of winning, you used me as a springboard to try and provoke her. Angry people are always affected during a fight; perhaps that is what you want."

Li Luo shook his head and sighed, "Senior Zhao, you really are a troublemaker."

Zhao Huiyin stared at Li Luo with a faint smile on her lips, tilted her head slightly, and said, "Junior Li Luo's intelligence is no match for his handsomeness."

"I have read the intelligence on Jiang Qing'e many times. She is almost a flawless person, but she seems to hold you in extremely high regard. The engagement between you two looks much more solid than many people imagine."

"Actually, I was a bit skeptical about it before. After all, with a girl as outstanding as Jiang Qing'e, it's hard for me to believe she would look at a member of the opposite sex differently. But seeing her reaction just now, it seems I really did underestimate the feelings between you two."

"However, this also shows that my little trick wasn't entirely useless," she said with a giggle.

Li Luo stared at Zhao Huiyin's beautiful, fair face for a moment, then gave a somewhat strange smile and said, "Senior Zhao, provoking Jiang Qing'e is really not a wise decision."

"Believe me, you might regret it the day after tomorrow because of this."

Zhao Huiyin smiled noncommittally and said, "Really? Then I'll have to see when the time comes."

"And compared to me, I feel Junior Li Luo should worry about yourself. Whether it's Lu Cang or Lu Cang from our college's First Star Academy, I'm afraid you won't find it easy to deal with them."

Li Luo smiled upon hearing this. He didn't say anything more to Zhao Huiyin, waved his hand, and brushed past her.

Zhao Huiyin watched his departing back with an intrigued smile, then shoved her hands into her pockets and began to admire the scenery of the lake and mountains.

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

One was in white, the other in black. If Li Luo were here, he would recognize them as Lu Cang and Lu Cang from the Blue Abyss Sage College's First Star Academy.

"Did the Senior's scheme work?" the white-clad Lu Cang asked with a smile.

Zhao Huiyin said casually, "How can this be considered a scheme? It was just a little trick done on a whim. Actually, I was just curious if the engagement between Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo was merely in name. After all, I actually value and even admire Jiang Qing'e quite a bit. If she were from our Blue Abyss Sage College, I would fall in love with her."

She made this shocking statement without any regard for those around her.

However, the white-clad Lu Cang did not seem surprised, because everyone in the Blue Abyss Sage College knew that their Senior Zhao had a rather unique sexual orientation.

"But from the probing just now, I discovered that there really seems to be some affection between Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo. Although I don't know what kind of affection it is, it is not fake."

Zhao Huiyin smiled and said, "Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Jiang Qing'e did it on purpose, just to make me think I had provoked her. That way, when we face each other, I might make some misjudgments."

Lu Cang was speechless.

"That Li Luo—you two were secretly observing him just now, right?" Zhao Huiyin asked, turning her head.

Lu Cang nodded and said, "According to the intelligence, he should possess dual resonances, a Water resonance and a Wood resonance... That is truly rare. However, my odds of winning should be higher than his."

Zhao Huiyin gazed at the landscape within the Astral Sage College and said, "Don't underestimate him because of that. The foundation of the Astral Sage College is much stronger than our Blue Abyss Sage College. Our college spent many years brewing to put together a decent lineup for these ticket matches, but who would have thought that the Astral Sage College would not only produce a Jiang Qing'e but also a dual-resonance Li Luo."

"We won't know the outcome until we fight," Lu Cang said with a smile, his words carrying a hint of pride.

Zhao Huiyin nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"Let's go, time to get something to eat. Let's taste the delicacies of this Astral Sage College."

Li Luo left the stone bridge and walked all the way back to the dormitory building. When he pushed the door open, he saw Jiang Qing'e and Bai Meng sitting across from each other at the tea table by the window, chatting and laughing in a very harmonious atmosphere.

Seeing Li Luo return, Jiang Qing'e lifted her eyes to glance at him, then withdrew her gaze.

Bai Meng stood up and said, "Captain, are you back from training? Let me brew you a cup of tea."

Li Luo thanked her with a smile, then came to the tea table and sat down near Jiang Qing'e. He rested his chin in his hand, smiling as he looked at Jiang Qing'e's smooth, jade-like, stunning face, and said, "You aren't actually angry, are you? You're so smart, it's impossible you didn't see through Zhao Huiyin's little tricks."

Jiang Qing'e held the teacup with her slender jade fingers, took a light sip, and smiled faintly.

"For that, I have to thank Junior Lu Qinger. Under her training, does Zhao Huiyin really think she can anger me with such a petty display?"