Chapter 107: The Human Shield (Seventh Update – Please Subscribe)

Hearing this, Xiao Yu’s smiling face immediately darkened, and she said with some impatience, “Why did that annoying guy come as well?”
“Isn’t it all for the sake of seeing our beautiful Xiao Yu? Along the way here, he’s been pining for you day and night,” Xue Ni teased with a laugh.
“Forget it, just ignore him.” Xiao Yu waved her hand dismissively.
As they approached the large green tent, they saw over a dozen young men and women gathered in small groups in the tent’s cool shade, chatting casually. Judging from their relaxed demeanor, they were likely students of Canaan Academy, just like Xue Ni.
Outside the shade, more than twenty young men and women sat on the ground beneath the blazing sun. Though beads of sweat ran down their faces from the heat, their expressions were tense and reserved. It seemed they were new students who had just passed the preliminary test.
Inside the tent, several girls who had been chatting suddenly looked up at Xiao Yu and her companions as they approached. Their faces lit up with delight, and a group of girls rushed over, immediately surrounding Xiao Yu, chattering and laughing incessantly.
“Oh, come on, could you all try to be a bit more reserved?” Xiao Yu protested helplessly, pushing away the friends who kept clinging to her.
“Yu’er, you haven’t been around for two months, and you’ve grown so much fuller. Be honest now, is it because… hmm?” A pretty-faced girl slid her hand covertly across Xiao Yu’s chest, then draped her arm over Xiao Yu’s fragrant shoulder with a mischievous grin.
Watching this scene, Xiao Xie felt awkward—why did it seem all the female students at Canaan Academy were so bold? He glanced at Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin beside him, secretly cautioning himself, “I’d better be careful not to let Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin be influenced by them.”
“Get lost! Don’t you dare mess around with me.” Xiao Yu’s cheeks flushed as she pushed the girl in her arms away, only to see another woman about to pounce. Xiao Yu quickly took a step back, pointed at Xiao Xie and the others, and hastily made introductions, finally distracting the women from their teasing.
“My, such lovely little beauties,” the women exclaimed as their gazes swept over Xun’er and Little Doctor Fairy. The four girls’ outstanding looks drew amazed admiration without surprise.
Their eyes then shifted toward Xiao Xie and Xiao Yan. As for Xiao Ning, since he was Xiao Yu’s brother, he was fortunately ignored.
“Wow, handsome, you’re so young and already a fifth-tier alchemist!” When the women noticed the badge on Xiao Xie’s chest, all eyes were drawn to him, leaving Xiao Yan completely overlooked. Xiao Yan actually felt relieved by this.
Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin saw Xiao Xie surrounded by women and, ignoring his pleading look for help, shook their heads in exasperation. They had long grown accustomed to how his knack for attracting attention drew flocks of young women. Thankfully, though he liked being in the spotlight, Xiao Xie was never a playboy, or else who knew how many girls would be willing to spend a night with him at a mere word!
“All right, enough of this!” Xiao Yu pushed the women away, coming to Xiao Xie’s rescue.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu caught sight of a male figure hurrying toward them.
Just as Xiao Xie was letting out a sigh of relief, he saw Xiao Yu’s lovely face change slightly. Her delicate eyebrows knit for a moment before relaxing, and a faint, seemingly shy blush spread across her cheeks. She suddenly took his arm and whispered, “Xiao Xie, help me out.”
“Uh…” The crowd was dumbfounded by Xiao Yu’s unexpected move—when had she ever treated a man like this?
“Xiao Yu, it’s been a long time,” a male voice suddenly interrupted the stunned crowd.
They turned to see a young man in gray and white standing behind them, his face wreathed in a broad smile. He was rather handsome, but his radiant smile struck Xiao Xie and his friends as a bit forced.
The blush on Xiao Yu’s cheeks faded as she turned, still holding Xiao Xie’s arm. She glanced at the young man and said coolly, “Luo Bu, it’s been a while.”
Xiao Xie now understood he was being used as a shield, but since she’d just helped him, he decided not to expose her.
“Ha ha.” Luo Bu nodded with a smile, his eyes lingering deliberately on their linked arms. A glint of chill and anger flashed in his gaze at Xiao Xie.
“So, did you bring these friends?” Luo Bu asked with a genial smile as he stepped forward.
“Yes.” Xiao Yu nodded casually, then introduced Xiao Yan and the others once more. “I brought them for the test.”
“Oh, I see.” Luo Bu nodded, then drew a fist-sized red crystal sphere from his pocket and held it up. “Instructor Ruolin just gave me this test crystal. Let them try it. All the other test crystals have been taken to the front testing area, so if you don’t use mine, you’ll have to wait a while.”
Xiao Yu hesitated briefly before nodding. She turned to Xiao Xie and his group and gently explained, “The test crystal is simple. Once your fighting aura reaches the eighth rank, it will light up automatically, which means you’ve passed the preliminary test.”
“You can let go now.” Xiao Xie smiled and whispered.
“Oh.” Xiao Yu gave a sweet smile and obediently released his arm. Watching her demure behavior, Luo Bu’s hand tightened fiercely around the crystal sphere.
“Little Doctor Fairy, you all go ahead and test first,” Xiao Xie said.

With a smile and a nod, Little Doctor Fairy and the others stepped forward, pressing their palms to the crystal sphere. After the crystal shone, they stepped back.
Seeing their success, Xiao Xie approached and touched the sphere as well, achieving the same result.
“Don’t worry, if they hadn’t met the requirements, I wouldn’t have brought them in on my own authority,” Xiao Yu said calmly as she watched the four pass.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just the rules.” Luo Bu smiled apologetically at Xiao Yu, put away the crystal, and then gestured at the group of young men and women sitting outside in the blazing sun. He said to Xiao Xie and the others, “Congratulations on passing the preliminary test. Now, please wait outside for half an hour.”
“Luo Bu, what do you mean by this?” Xiao Yu’s eyebrows shot up as she snapped coldly, her face frosty.
“Xiao Yu, you’re a veteran student. You know this is the rule during admission. New students are getting more and more arrogant, so making them wait is good for tempering their spirits for life at the academy,” Luo Bu replied, smiling.
“Hmph. Luo Bu, say that to the ignorant newcomers if you like, but don’t try those pointless rules on the ones I brought!” Xiao Yu retorted icily.
“It’s the rule,” Luo Bu replied through clenched teeth, his anger and resentment mounting at being publicly rebuked by Xiao Yu.
“Luo Bu, quit making trouble. You know as well as anyone these rules are optional—why make such a fuss?” The surrounding women frowned, clearly fed up with Luo Bu’s use of trivial rules to show off his authority.
“Heh, sorry. Since they passed the test with me, I’m supposed to oversee them during this period.” Luo Bu gave a radiant smile, but seeing Xiao Yu about to explode, he changed tack, “Fine, for your sake, not everyone needs to go out—just one representative. Let’s see… how about this young man here? After all, a grown man doesn’t need to worry about getting a tan.” Luo Bu’s finger swept over the group and finally pointed at Xiao Xie with a smile.
“Hmph! You’re asking for trouble!” Before Xiao Xie could say anything, Little Doctor Fairy spoke up. With a flick of her finger, a drop of poison shot out and landed precisely on Luo Bu.
Immediately, Luo Bu’s face turned purple, foam gushed from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
Seeing Luo Bu’s sorry state, Xiao Xie asked Little Doctor Fairy, “He won’t die, right?”
She shook her head calmly. “No. He’ll just be bedridden for a month.”