Chapter 272: Surprise

After getting off the transport ship and boarding the shuttle bus, it was two o'clock in the afternoon when they returned to Tianjing Martial Arts. The bus pulled up at the entrance of Tianjing Martial Arts. Having experienced the grueling training of the Mid-Season Tournament and the excitement of advancing, everyone had fallen into a deep sleep on the bus.

Looking at the familiar Tianjing Martial Arts outside the window, a strange emotion welled up in the hearts of Zhou Naiyi and the others. In the past, Tianjing Martial Arts was just the school they attended; now, it was the alma mater they had fought for, and their hearts were uncontrollably overflowing with pride.

Ma Long turned on the mirror function of his Skynet terminal and began to groom his hair. His head could be broken, but his hairstyle could not be messed up. Especially since Sheng Man should be waiting for him—a short separation was better than a new marriage, and plus, he had returned in glory looking so handsome, he could likely make some rather excessive requests. He had been pondering this all night.

Finally, the bus arrived. Tianjing Martial Arts was still that same familiar Tianjing Martial Arts.

"Ah, why is there no one here? Did they not receive the notification that we were coming back?" Ma Long was slightly disappointed. There were only a few stray cats at the entrance, clearly not there to welcome them.

"Get off the bus, why so much fuss!" Zhou Naiyi said.

Everyone shouldered their bags and got off one after another. There really was no one to welcome them, but soon, a glance around made them feel that something was wrong. Inside the school, along both sides of the road, it was full of people, and upon seeing them, earth-shattering cheers erupted.

Tianjing.

Victory.

Tianjing, victory!

Banners were unfurled: Welcome home, heroes!

Countless people waved their arms and roared at the sky. During the Mid-Season Tournament, the entire Tianjing Martial Arts had been shrouded in gloom because the tournament format was truly too harsh. It could be said that the previously relaxed, participation-oriented Mid-Season Tournament was very unfriendly to Tianjing Martial Arts. The mere sixteen spots were filled with strong competitors, and in truth, everyone did not think highly of Tianjing Martial Arts' ability to advance. At the same time, there were rumors and gossip saying that Chao Qinglong and North Caro looked down on Tianjing, and the New Five Tigers were also targeting Tianjing. In short, Tianjing had stepped on a toad and would definitely be eliminated. Many people spread this with vivid details.

Tan Ziyuan and the others came up holding fresh flowers. Everyone who received the flowers was also a bit flattered; they had originally thought that just a token gesture would suffice, never expecting it to be so lively.

This was spontaneous. The decline of Tianjing Martial Arts was almost a consensus among everyone. This time, making it into the Mid-Season Tournament felt like a bumpy ride, and the sudden appearance of the Golden Zone assessment made everyone even more uncertain. Yet, Tianjing Martial Arts withstood the pressure and strongly advanced, and not at the bottom—they were ninth!

This was a top-ten finish with full gold content!

At the same time, it also preserved the A-level Military Academy rating of Tianjing Martial Arts. If they had been eliminated this time, Tianjing might have become A-, entering the relegation review list.

Sheng Man presented flowers, and of course, a passionate kiss. In an instant, the cheers became even louder. Naturally, this pair was already the fairy-tale couple of Tianjing; it had been a sensation since the start of the semester. Many people had not been optimistic about the school beauty and school hunk combination, waiting for the breakup drama, but it turned out they were living more and more brilliantly.

Taking the flowers presented by Lu Lingxiao, Zuo Xiaotang was a bit at a loss. He had thought the first bouquet of flowers he would receive in his life would be in front of his grave.

"Wow, Xiaotang, a big hero now, our MVP, congratulations!" Lu Lingxiao said generously.

"No, no, I'm not!" Zuo Xiaotang hurriedly waved his hands. What kind of MVP was he?

"Haha, Zuoge is a true genius master, he stunned all the snipers on Earth, awesome plus!" Ma Long said proudly, with his arm around Zuo Xiaotang. He was serious about being the straight man to his comedy.

"I... I didn't do anything." Zuo Xiaotang snuck a glance at Lu Lingxiao, his face turning red, and Lu Lingxiao laughed even more happily.

"We all know, fifth place for snipers in the Mid-Season Tournament! This is the best sniper result for Tianjing Martial Arts. You don't know how many fans you have!"

In the crowd, many people were holding portraits of Zuo Xiaotang: the little fatty, half-squatting, carrying a sniper rifle, his right hand pulling the trigger, his left hand making a cool assault command gesture. It was incredibly cool.

"Zuoge, awesome!"

"As the only one who advanced to the Mid-Season Tournament without awakening the Golden Zone, there's really no one else like you."

"Once you awaken, what will that be like?"

"I think he definitely awakened. There's no need to expose his strength at that level. Our goal is the S Tournament!"

"I think so too, Senior Zuo is a low-key person!"

"Deep and unrevealing."

Becoming famous suddenly, Zuo Xiaotang was still a bit unaccustomed to it, but some people were, such as Ma Long and Huo Ying. These two were simply like fish in water, feeling great. Although they didn't know the specifics, the briefing said that Huo Ying had made a key life-or-death performance in the Mid-Season Tournament, powerfully awakened the Golden Zone during testing, single-handedly saved the near-eliminated Tianjing Martial Arts, and received a personal commendation from the officer in charge of the Mid-Season Tournament, displaying the bravery of a Warrior.

What is a true warrior?

Knowing that even if one gives their life, they might still fail, yet still going all out without retreating!

The difficulty and quality of this year's Mid-Season Tournament could be called the best in history.

One must know that half a year ago, this was still a Substitute who couldn't get into a match, a water cooler manager, a big black egg, the comedic relief of the old team, and now he was already a master who had participated in the Mid-Season Tournament.

"The Principal glossed over your performance, saying that you needed to conserve strength at this stage. I think you wouldn't mind and would even be quite happy," Tan Ziyuan explained with a smile.

"Principal, you truly know my heart." Li Wu nodded.

Smoke bombs should be set off when necessary; whether they existed or not was another matter.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, it took them half an hour to return to the dormitory. Ma Long and Huo Ying, in particular, wished they could have stayed right there, but they were swept away by the chilling gaze of Big Sister. Long Danni gave them two days of vacation, skipping the flowery official formalities, and also refused interviews from over a dozen media outlets.

Zhou Naiyi and Wuzang were going home, Ma Long and Sheng Man were of course going on a date—this was something single dogs couldn't understand. Huo Ying had to go to the hospital for a comprehensive re-examination to formulate a recovery plan. Li Wu and Zuo Xiaotang went to the orphanage first.

Compared to Li Wu, who brought a large bag of Mars potatoes, Zuo Xiaotang had bought some specialty small toys.

The two of them, laden with bags, took a taxi to the orphanage, hearing the laughter and bustling noise inside.

"Could it be they knew we were coming back?" Zuo Xiaotang laughed.

Li Wu didn't care about that; he opened his mouth and roared, "Little rascals, Zuo Dashuai is back!"

Whoosh, a group of little brats rushed out. Dandan ran the fastest, jumping directly onto Li Wu with a flying pounce.

"Haozi, Haozi, where did you go? You haven't been back for so long!"

"You little rascal, I went to buy something delicious, Mars specialties!"

"Wow, Mars specialties, what, what, let me see!" Hearing about food, Dandan immediately climbed down, and the group of children behind him flipped open the package.

"Tch, I thought it was something else, potatoes, we've eaten these!"

"Ahem, these are different, these are Mars potatoes!"

"Still potatoes!"

"Haha," Zuo Xiaotang on the side laughed until he was doubled over, "Come, look at what Zuo Dashuai brought."

Because of luggage weight restrictions, Zuo Xiaotang had bought a pile of small trinkets of all kinds. The children immediately snatched them up happily, and the potatoes on the ground were exceptionally awkward.

Er Ya, however, picked one up and took a bite, but her not-yet-fully-grown front teeth couldn't bite into it at all. She looked at Li Wu, that liar, with teary eyes.

"Wow, Er Ya, haven't seen you in a few days, you've become even prettier. Let me see, whose little kid is so beautiful!"

As soon as Er Ya heard she had become prettier, she was immediately happy again.

"Senior, I think I might have been tricked. You are so good at coaxing girls," a sweet voice rang out. A Youyou appeared prettily in front of Li Wu, her bright eyes also carrying an excited glow.

Li Wu was stunned and rubbed his eyes, "Ah, why are you here?"

"Brother Haozi, Brother Haozi, this big sister can even sing, and she brought so many gifts, just as pretty as the big sister from last time!"

"I still think the big sister from last time was prettier, and she could dance."

"No, this big sister is pretty, and she sings beautifully."

Sweat poured down Li Wu's forehead; these little rascals, if they couldn't speak properly, they shouldn't speak at all.

"Ahem, A Youyou, that... it's a long story."

"A Youyou..." Li Wu was a bit flustered; the twelve styles of deceiving the heavens that Ma Laoshi had once taught him were long forgotten.

"I know everything, don't say anything." As she spoke, she walked up to Li Wu and leaned gently against him.

Embracing A Youyou, feeling a warmth and a refreshing fragrance he had never experienced before, and watching the little ones nearby having the time of their lives bullying Zuo Xiaotang, Li Wu suddenly felt that it would be quite nice if time just stopped right there.

This was the family he wanted to protect for the rest of his life.

"Ahem."

An impatient and ill-timed cough sounded, and Su Yu and the Dean walked out of the house.

"A Youyou, you've seen the person, we have to go back, we're in a hurry!" Su Yu tried her best to remain calm.

This crazy girl, having finally returned to the Solar System, didn't go back to the Moon first, but instead snuck to Earth, insisting on waiting to see Li Wu; she was crazy, and she herself was crazy for actually agreeing to it.

"Aunt, give us a little time," A Youyou said; having been through Kepler, she had also grown up.

"Be careful!" Su Yu said, her heart softening as she looked at the lively and cute children; a little time shouldn't, probably, lead to any trouble.

Arriving in the room, Li Wu gave A Youyou a passionate hug and slowly cupped her face; A Youyou bit her lip lightly, her eyes, filled with stars, becoming watery and tender.

Mmm.

After a good while, Li Wu sat A Youyou on his lap, still not having recovered from the surprise, "How did you know about this place?"

"Dita told me; hmph, I can tell, she was showing off to me!"

"That time was..." Although it was nothing, Li Wu still wanted to explain clearly.

"I know, silly, I'm just teasing you!" A Youyou laughed, "Congratulations on advancing to the S Tournament."

"It's nothing much."

"I know, I know, the great Puppet master." A Youyou still couldn't help but tease him, showing a little temper.

Mmm.

Could Li Wu endure this?