"You just got here, go ahead and put your things down first."
Fang Ling placed the box on the wooden bed and took out a few bowls.
He then scooped the prepared braised meat into the bowls.
He handed the bowls to the others first. They thanked him and immediately started eating heartily.
Glancing sideways at Tang San, whose throat was visibly moving, Fang Ling chuckled to himself and handed him a bowl as well.
"Tang San, come, eat some meat."
"I'm good, I brought some flatbread," Tang San declined, showing the coarse bread he had taken out of his bundle.
"Why be polite with me? Meat is expensive. Don't be shy, eat up."
Fang Ling placed the bowl beside him in a generous manner.
"You're going to be the dorm leader from now on and need to protect the working students. I have my own business to handle, and I can't always listen to you. So the least I can do is bring you some food."
Tang San still shook his head and didn't take it.
Fang Ling added, "How about this, just think of it as me buying your protection with food."
That worked perfectly for Tang San. He could reject a favor, but a transaction was easier to accept.
It would also make it easier for him to act ruthlessly toward her mother's soul bone later, without emotional burden.
Seeing that he couldn't refuse anymore, Tang San finally accepted the bowl and sniffed the aroma. "Cardamom, cinnamon, star anise..."
Fang Ling noticed his surprised expression and proudly said, "I know a bit about cooking. I bought the spices myself and made the marinade."
"Go ahead and eat, it's not poisoned. We've been eating this for a year, and nothing's happened."
Once Tang San identified all the spices, he was reassured and said, "Thank you."
Just as he was about to eat, a crisp little girl's voice came from outside.
"What smells so good? Is this Dorm Seven?"
A pretty little girl walked through the door.
She looked around six years old, about the same height as Tang San, a bit shorter than Fang Ling.
Her cute little face was rosy and tender with a bit of baby fat, making people want to pinch her cheeks.
Everyone else was stunned on the spot, eyes fixed on her.
Fang Ling quickly noticed a faint charm emanating from her and snapped back to reality.
Then he looked on wordlessly.
This ten-thousand-year-old rabbit was just throwing her charm around carelessly, wasn't she afraid of being captured?
Even if no one could tell she was a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, there were plenty of perverts in Douluo Continent.
Xiao Wu twirled her scorpion braid that reached below her hips, her big watery eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at everyone.
She used to be a soul beast, how could she not be curious about the human world she would now live in?
No one responded to her at first.
Xiao Wu looked up and confirmed that it was indeed Dorm Seven.
With a sweet smile, she introduced herself, "Hi everyone, I'm Xiao Wu, 'Wu' as in dancing."
Fang Ling nodded slightly but didn't speak.
Tang Hao was probably watching from somewhere.
He only wanted to grow stronger through combat and didn't want to get involved in any drama between this rabbit and Tang San.
Otherwise, if Xiao Wu got close to the wrong person, a giant hammer might drop out of nowhere and turn him into a puddle.
Dying before even making it out of training? That would be ridiculous.
It was best to stay neither humble nor arrogant, and keep a proper distance.
Besides, Tang San was the current dorm leader. It was his place to speak first.
"Hi, I'm Tang San, the dorm leader here."
Faced with the sweet and adorable Xiao Wu, Tang San's cheeks immediately turned red, and he seemed a bit nervous.
After a brief exchange, the two began to spar.
Both of them were seasoned monsters in disguise, and there was much to learn from their fight.
If you didn't know how to fight, you could at least mimic their moves.
This rare opportunity couldn't be wasted.
Fang Ling watched intently, not daring to miss a single move.
Xiao Wu set down her uniform and went for Tang San's chin, her right leg kicking swiftly.
But Tang San reacted just as quickly and grabbed her ankle with precision.
Then, stepping forward with his right foot, his shoulder aimed at Xiao Wu's chest, about to perform a classic Iron Mountain Lean.
A powerful move like that would knock anyone flying.
"Nice technique. Got it." In Fang Ling's mind, a little version of himself was silently practicing, eyes wide with excitement.
But Xiao Wu reacted quickly. Tang San's grip wasn't tight enough, and her strong leg slipped free.
She immediately counterattacked with her flexible fighting style.
She blocked with her hands, raised both legs over her shoulders, and wrapped them around Tang San's neck.
Fang Ling clearly noticed that when Xiao Wu's smooth legs touched Tang San's neck, he froze for a moment.
He could've resisted, but he didn't react in time and ended up getting slammed to the ground.
Fang Ling felt a chill and kept reminding himself:
"Fang Ling, when you're fighting for your life in the future, you must never be distracted by beauty. Otherwise, you might lose a fight you should've won."
Losing would mean death.
At that moment, Xiao Wu leaned back, supported herself with her palms, and her long legs flung Tang San backward.
He landed flat on his back.
A clean defeat, quick and almost careless.
Only Fang Ling noticed that he lost because he was distracted by her appearance.
Clearly, Tang Sect's assassins still needed more training.
Off to the side, Wang Sheng and the others were stunned. The dorm leader they had just acknowledged had been swiftly defeated by the newcomer.
This year's new students were unbelievably strong.
Xiao Wu picked up a pleasant scent from Tang San, which made her feel an unusual closeness to him.
After exchanging a few simple words, she looked at the bowls in everyone's hands.
"What was that just now? It smelled amazing."
"That was my homemade braised meat."
While they were talking, Fang Ling had already scooped another bowl.
"Here, Xiao Wu, have some meat."
Forget the stereotype about rabbits eating only carrots, he knew full well that rabbits ate meat too.
Normal rabbits only ate grass because they had no choice. A ten-thousand-year-old soul beast like Xiao Wu must've eaten plenty of meat.
Even if it was raw and disgusting in the past, this cleanly prepared meat should be fine.
Xiao Wu smiled, revealing two charming dimples, and took the bowl.
"I'm the dorm leader now. You all have to call me Sister Xiao Wu, got it?"
"Got it, Sister Xiao Wu," Fang Ling replied without arguing.
The rabbit was kind to the working students, so calling her "sister" wasn't a big deal.
She glanced at Fang Ling's injured leg and was a bit surprised. Her sharp senses picked up a faint scent of blood on him.
"What's your name?"
"Fang Ling."
"Are you injured?"
"No?" Fang Ling looked confused.
"Hmm?" Xiao Wu twitched her delicate nose and tugged at Tang San. "Tang San, do you smell that?"
Tang San also frowned.
"Oh," Fang Ling suddenly understood their reaction.
"I work at the slaughterhouse helping butcher pigs. It's normal to smell a bit like blood. I'll take a bath later."
"Killing pigs? Ew..." Xiao Wu gave him a disgusted look.
"Sister Xiao Wu, do you hate me?"
She shook her head. "No, but... can you stop killing pigs?"
Seriously? You empathize not just with soul beasts but with pigs that haven't even become soul beasts yet?
Fang Ling said nothing.
"Sister Xiao Wu, do you eat meat?"
"Yes."
"Do you have money?"
"What's money?"
Just as Fang Ling expected, the rabbit was a bit clueless.
But like the others, he still put on a surprised expression.
"You need money to buy things. Meat is expensive. Working students can't afford it."
Xiao Wu's nose twitched again, the aroma tempting her to pounce on the food. She forced a smile. "I get it..."
She didn't have any money.
Why didn't those two dumb bears, Da Ming and Er Ming, prepare some for her?
"That settles it then. I work at the slaughterhouse, so I can bring back free meat for you all." Fang Ling grinned.
"Working students can't afford meat. I can bring it for free. We're all partners here, I won't charge."
Meat was expensive, after all.
Before he came, the working students lived off scraps.
Their janitor pay barely covered a day's living expenses.
As for meat? They'd only get a few shreds. Want more?
Keep dreaming.
By giving away easy-to-get meat, he repaid any favors, leaving no emotional debt behind.
For someone as straightforward as Fang Ling, this was the perfect kind of deal.
"Alright then, keep killing pigs, but remember to take a bath quickly and wash off the smell." Xiao Wu nodded cluelessly.
She didn't understand much. Was meat really that expensive?
But she had already embarrassed herself enough asking what money was, no need to act even dumber.
That would be too suspicious.
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