Chapter 322: Chapter 161: Returning to School: Trivial Matters 12-2

Zhao Rui reached out and gave her a light rap on the head. "Come on," he said with a smile. "I’ll show you around campus and finally fulfill my duties as your host."

"Okay!"

Tian Yaru happily linked her arm through Zhao Rui’s.

The two of them then started walking away from the dormitory area.

"Wasn’t that Tian Yaru, the freshman? She found a boyfriend that fast?"

"She’s so pretty, I’m sure tons of guys are chasing her!"

A few girls who knew Tian Yaru couldn’t help but whisper as they passed by.

"Wait a minute, why does that guy look so familiar?"

"Doesn’t he look like that photo of the Martial Arts Team Captain they posted in the group chat!"

"You mean the top dog of our school’s martial arts scene?"

"Yeah!"

"No way!"

The few who had noticed couldn’t help but pull out their phones and open their group chat. After a single glance, their expressions changed drastically.

They exclaimed, "It really is him! I’m so jealous of that girl."

At the hallway entrance, Tian Yaru’s roommates, who were in the middle of gossiping about her, naturally heard the girls’ shouts. They turned to look at each other in astonishment.

A bitter expression appeared on all their faces.

’Well, that’s just great. Our roommate isn’t just pretty and rich, she even has a boyfriend with off-the-charts Combat Power.’

’Seeking advice online, should I offer to be her handmaiden from now on? It’s urgent! I’m afraid if I piss her off, there won’t even be a body left to find!’

In no time at all, news of Zhao Rui strolling around with a freshman girl spread through all the campus class and group chats.

As the reigning top dog of the Martial Arts Team, Zhao Rui’s every move was noticed.

This was the price of fame.

Fortunately, the rumors just stuck to the facts and were ultimately harmless. After all, nobody wanted to find out for themselves just how hard Zhao Rui’s fists were.

"Brother Rui, I’m already Martial Arts Level 3! Aren’t I amazing?"

The two strolled along a campus path, with Zhao Rui pointing out various scenic spots and telling her interesting anecdotes along the way.

To be honest, he didn’t know that much himself.

All year long, he was either away from school or busy training; he might as well have been a visitor.

"Impressive. But starting tomorrow, come find me at the Martial Arts Team’s headquarters after your classes."

"Hee hee, do you miss me that much?"

"What are you talking about? I’m going to teach you martial arts."

Zhao Rui said in exasperation.

"Oh. It’s not like I need it for fighting. Just learning a little is fine."

Tian Yaru said dismissively.

Seeing her attitude, Zhao Rui’s brow furrowed. His tone grew heavy as he said, "A lot of people died in the recent conflict. The crisis isn’t over. You can’t afford to think like that."

Seeing that Zhao Rui was a little angry, Tian Yaru pouted, mumbled an "oh," and nodded vigorously.

"Let’s go. While you’re at school, study hard—both in Martial Arts and your major. Don’t waste time. If you run into any trouble, just use my name."

"Does that actually work?"

Tian Yaru giggled.

"It should!"

Zhao Rui chuckled.

A crimson disk in the sky slowly sank into a wall of brilliant clouds, casting a gentle glow across the land and stretching their shadows long behind them.

「The next day.」

Outside the Front Mountain Wall-Facing Chamber of Mingcan Courtyard.

Zhao Rui exhaled a long stream of breath that hung in the air, refusing to disperse.

This single exhalation of "aged" air contained decades of his profound Power. Talk about well-aged!

Wherever it passed, leaves instantly froze solid, swaying and glittering in the sunlight with the swirling air.

"So this is Cold Ice True Qi? It’s incredible!"

Qin Rui and Tian Yaru exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with awe and admiration.

"The world is being reshaped. An extra skill means an extra layer of protection. I will teach you the first half of this Cold Ice True Qi. Once I have Elder Ge’s permission, I will teach you the rest."

"Don’t underestimate this first half. It’s enough for you to produce the same cold energy I just did."

Zhao Rui said with a serious expression.

Having witnessed the methods of Xu Wenlei from the military, Zhao Rui felt more and more that this world was not a safe place.

He originally thought it would be enough to teach the Guiyuan Skill to those close to him, but now it was clear he had underestimated the power of Guixu Martial Arts.

"Mm, I know. I’ll study it seriously."

Qin Rui nodded vigorously.

"Me too!"

Seeing this, Tian Yaru hastily agreed as well.

For the next few days, Zhao Rui didn’t go anywhere else, focusing wholeheartedly on teaching Qin Rui and Tian Yaru martial arts on the mountain. He only went down to the team headquarters for a look around on occasion.

But the junior girls on the team were too enthusiastic, and he found it a bit overwhelming.

He wouldn’t stay long before making a hasty escape.

After teaching the two girls at his school for a week until they had grasped the basics, Zhao Rui immediately headed off to his younger brother Zhao Ke’s university.

He planned to teach his brother a powerful Guixu Martial Art as well.

Although his brother’s aptitude was only average, with two ultimate techniques under his belt, he would at least have the power to protect himself.

His brother Zhao Ke’s university was in Zizhou City, which wasn’t close to Jeju.

It took Zhao Rui half a day of driving to get there.

Having heard his older brother was coming to see him, Zhao Ke was waiting at the school gate early with his girlfriend.

That’s right, Zhao Ke and his girlfriend had gotten into the same university.

"Does your brother know about me? Won’t this be too sudden?"

Zhao Ke’s girlfriend, Shao Qianwen, asked, feeling a little apprehensive.

"Of course not. My brother knows about you. I told him about you a long time ago."

"Really!"

Hearing that her boyfriend had mentioned her to his family, Shao Qianwen immediately broke into a smile.

"Hey, Qianwen, what are you doing here?"

Just then, a large motorcycle slowly rolled up.

When it reached Zhao Ke and his girlfriend, the rider put his feet down to stop, reached up with both hands, and took off his helmet.

Revealing a handsome face underneath.

"Senior Brother Ge, it’s you! I’m waiting for someone!"

Shao Qianwen’s face lit up with pleasure upon seeing him, and she greeted him with a smile.

"Oh, and this is...?"

The man asked, looking at Zhao Ke.

"My boyfriend, Zhao Ke!"

After the introduction, Shao Qianwen tugged on Zhao Ke’s hand and added, "This is Senior Brother Ge from our student council. He’s been a great help to me."

"Hello, Senior Brother Ge!"

Zhao Ke greeted him.

"Mm. Hello."

Senior Brother Ge looked Zhao Ke up and down, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Alright, you two carry on waiting. I’ll be going now!"

With that, he gave the throttle a cool twist and rode off stylishly on his motorcycle.

"I don’t really like him."

Zhao Ke said with a slight frown, watching the man’s retreating figure.

"Huh? But he’s a really nice guy!"

"I just don’t..."

Before Zhao Ke could finish, Shao Qianwen placed a finger on his lips and said softly, "If you don’t like him, I’ll ignore him from now on."

"Okay."

Zhao Ke smiled and gave his girlfriend’s hand a firm squeeze.

The two waited at the school gate for about ten more minutes before they saw a large SUV slowly approaching in the distance.

"That’s my brother’s car!"

Zhao Ke pointed at the SUV and pulled Shao Qianwen toward it.

Soon, the vehicle stopped right in front of them.

Zhao Rui pushed open the door and hopped out.

He smoothly took off his sunglasses, looked at his brother, then turned his gaze to Shao Qianwen. "Hello," he said with a smile. "I’m Zhao Ke’s older brother. He mentions you often!"

"Hello, Brother!"

Shao Qianwen called out to Zhao Rui, looking a little shy.

"Hop in. Let’s go get something to eat first. I’m starving after that long drive. We can try some of Zizhou’s local specialties."

Zhao Rui said.

"Alright! You’re treating, right, Bro?"

Zhao Ke chuckled, quickly ushering Shao Qianwen into the car.

The car started up again and headed toward the chosen restaurant.

Although it was the first time Zhao Rui and Shao Qianwen had met, the meal felt like a family dinner.

They mostly just made small talk while they ate.

They had a simple meal, and by a little after one, it was over.

After lunch, Zhao Rui drove the two of them back to the university, then headed to a nearby hotel to check in.

"Your brother is pretty handsome!"

Shao Qianwen said to Zhao Ke with a smile, her eyes on the departing SUV.

"Of course he is! My brother isn’t just handsome, he’s a Grandmaster Martial Artist."

"What? He’s that powerful?"

"You know it."

"Then how come you..."

Shao Qianwen blurted out, but she quickly caught herself and tried to recover. "I mean... I like you no matter what."

"It’s nothing. I can practice martial arts now, too, so that’s all in the past. To be honest, I was really jealous of him when we were kids..."

Zhao Ke said, looking up as memories of the times he’d thrown tantrums at his brother surfaced in his mind.

A smile of acceptance touched the corners of his lips.