Chapter Ninety-Five: Foolish and Innocent

If it had been any ordinary day, this young lady would have considered nothing of a worthless crystal core from a mere fifth-tier demon beast. But the way this brat had spoken, it sounded as though she had robbed him outright.

Zhuo Yuqing mentally cursed every one of Luo Chen’s ancestors for eighteen generations, then reluctantly drew out three gold coins. “The crystal core has already been sold. This is the money from it. I’m giving it all back to you, Luo Chen. I’m sincerely apologizing to you!”

“You sold it for three gold coins?” Luo Chen stared at her, making her feel a little uneasy. For some reason, though she had never feared anything and had always ignored everyone, she now felt vaguely guilty standing before him, unable to guess the meaning hidden in his eyes. And that was only natural. After studying reverse psychology for so long, Luo Chen’s control over his expressions had become perfectly natural. No one could read anything from his face or eyes.

At last Zhuo Yuqing nodded. “That’s right. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is huge. The crystal core from a fifth-tier demon beast, the Shell Dragon, could at the very least fetch four gold coins and seven silver coins on the market,” Luo Chen said with a pained expression. “Sigh, Zhuo Yuqing, you really are foolish and innocent. You were taken for a complete sucker. That cut was deep enough to hit the bone!”

A sucker?

In all her life, this was the first time anyone had used such a harsh word to describe her. Even those old monsters in the Sacred Martial Hall had always praised her as unimaginably brilliant, unmatched under heaven. And now she had become a sucker. Zhuo Yuqing was almost spitting blood; she even felt like dying.

She was furious. That damned profiteer had actually dared to fleece her. Fine—one day, on a dark night when the wind was high, she would set his shop on fire and see whether he still dared to cheat people after that.

Even Shi Feng nearby could no longer bear it. “You beast, since Zhuo Yuqing has already apologized so sincerely, you don’t need to make things hard for her!”

“Fine, then forget it. Zhuo Yuqing, after all, you didn’t know the market price,” Luo Chen said with great regret. Then he took two gold coins and pushed the remaining two back toward her. “Zhuo Yuqing, although you did break the hunters’ rules that day, you did take part in killing the Shell Dragon. We’ll split the money from the crystal core evenly, then.”

Zhuo Yuqing took back the coins, because she really did need money right now.

The onlookers who were farther away watched the two of them passing those four gold coins back and forth and had no idea what was going on. Why was Zhuo Yuqing giving Luo Chen money? And why had Luo Chen only taken two?

But those nearby, who had strained their ears and heard everything, quickly spread the story. Only then did the others understand. So that was it. But why would Miss Zhuo Yuqing, in the Forest of Fear, be fighting Luo Chen over a demon beast? Was she really that vulgar and greedy for money? No matter how they looked at it, she did not seem that kind of person. Besides, with Zhuo Yuqing’s proud temperament, even if she had been the one in the wrong, she would never have lowered herself to apologize to Luo Chen.

Kevin, who had been unable to break free from the round-faced infatuated girl, also heard the live version of the conversation from the mouths of those nearby. He was so furious that his lungs were about to explode. Zhuo Yuqing had slapped his face just to apologize to Luo Chen? Kevin’s expression darkened. Why was it that whenever that damned brat showed up, he was the one who always ended up unlucky?

Could it be that this was the debt he had incurred during the internship mission, and what was owed would always have to be repaid? No. Who am I, and who is that brat? How could he possibly compare with me?

“Kevin, what’s wrong?” The round-faced flirt was also startled by Kevin’s expression. She had not expected this sunny, handsome boy to look so frightening at times.

Kevin hurriedly forced out a smile. “Nothing. I was just thinking about some questions I’ve run into in my studies.”

“Wow, Kevin, you’re so diligent. You don’t even relax during meal time.”

“...”

Although the money she had recovered was less than before, it had still been lost and found again, and Luo Chen’s mood immediately brightened. He thought to himself that tonight he should be able to sleep well. By then he had also finished lunch.

“Zhuo Yuqing, in the future don’t do anything so foolish and innocent again. If you obtain a crystal core in the Forest of Fear, you can hand it to me to sell on your behalf. I guarantee you’ll earn much more, and I’d only charge one silver coin as a handling fee. That’s far cheaper than the middlemen in the crystal core market!”

Having said that, Luo Chen stood and left the dining hall.

Only after he had gone some distance did Shi Feng complain, “You beast, you’re too greedy! You even want to charge the school beauty a handling fee. Do you even have any humanity?”

Luo Chen sneered. “So what if she’s the school beauty? Can the school beauty be eaten? I’m helping her. Otherwise, being fleeced once would be enough to make her suffer!”

Shi Feng was somewhat puzzled. “Zhuo Yuqing doesn’t seem like someone who lacks money. Why would she go hunting in the Forest of Fear?”

Inside the dining hall, Zhuo Yuqing was presently in a temper as bad as if her hormones were in complete chaos. She thought that brat had humiliated her over and over again. Refusing to let her sit in that seat was one thing, but to say she was a foolish and innocent sucker was truly hateful. Still, her public apology to Luo Chen had never been entirely well-intentioned to begin with; she had deliberately wanted everyone to see it.

At that moment, her roommate Sarah ran over and sat beside her. “Yu Qing, do you know who those two were just now?”

“Of course. They’re called Luo Chen and Shi Feng.”

“And what about the rumors concerning them?”

“I’ve heard those too.”

“If you’ve heard them, then why get close to them? Those two are the infamous disgraceful duo of our academy!”

Zhuo Yuqing smiled. “Why can’t I get close to them? I think they’re very interesting. Especially Luo Chen—I even like him a little.”

“Like Luo Chen?” Sarah was shocked. “Good heavens, Yu Qing, have you gone mad? Do you know what kind of boy he is? During the internship mission at Weston Junior Martial Arts Academy, when danger struck, he abandoned his injured partner—our classmate Elijie.”

“Precisely because of that, he seems even more special to me,” Zhuo Yuqing said, resting her face in her hands like that round-faced infatuated girl. “Elijie is a beauty, and he could completely ignore her. That’s simply too stylish, too distinctive. Only a boy like that can fascinate me!”

The moment those words left her mouth, at least half the boys who heard them sprayed out their food. Damn it, their academy’s number one beauty, Zhuo Yuqing, was actually fascinated by Luo Chen. This world was insane.

Sarah nearly fainted. “What stylish? He’s clearly just heartless! Yu Qing, your taste is terribly warped. Oh my god, you must have gone off the deep end. Wake up already!”

Zhuo Yuqing’s words spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, and before long the whole dining hall was seething with righteous indignation. Especially the boys from Class One: even if Luo Chen had no previous stain on his record, they still could not accept their class beauty, who was also the school beauty, falling for some ordinary classmate—and one with such rotten character at that!

They could not change Zhuo Yuqing’s feelings, but they could change Luo Chen’s image in the school beauty’s heart by using their fists.

Zhuo Yuqing smiled triumphantly. This was her scheme. First, she would openly approach Luo Chen and show that she was interested in him. Then, without her lifting a finger, plenty of people would naturally volunteer to teach Luo Chen a lesson.

Luo Chen, Luo Chen, do you really think I would fly into a rage and hit you like a shrew just because you insulted me a few times? If I did that, wouldn’t I seem petty and uncouth? I would never do something so disgraceful. If I am to settle accounts, I will only kill with a borrowed knife. Hee hee.

Luo Chen, didn’t you want to whip me, drip wax on me, and drive me to the brink of death and back again? Didn’t you call me a sucker, foolish and innocent? Then let me, this foolish and innocent sucker, give you a great gift. Let’s see who will die and return, return and die first.