Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

Professor Mans took out the roster and called out names. Those whose names were called had to stand up and raise their hands to answer. Only then would he look at their faces and mark them on the roster with a pen.

Lu Mingfei didn't doze off because he had been drinking hot coffee early in the morning to stay awake.

When class ended, everyone handed in their papers to the professor. Lu Mingfei saw Ling's paper, which was a thick stack and clearly exceeded the word limit, even more than Lu Mingfei's 8,000-word paper.

It wasn't just zero; several people, including Qilan and Bradley, were the same. They started getting their work rejected the very first time they handed in their assignments. What will happen to them later?

Many people looked at their papers thoughtfully and nodded silently.

Professor Mans assigned a new assignment: to create a PowerPoint presentation on the topic of "The Origins of Magical Mechanical Design." This was a weekend assignment, due by midnight on Sunday. He would then select a few of the best presentations to give a lecture.

Whether you get selected or not, you have to do it, because if you don't, you'll lose points. History has shown that once you lose points for not submitting assignments in a course on the Man Iron Plate, you can basically wait to retake the course next semester.

Even if you take the free retake, the chances of passing are almost zero. According to rumors, only one person has passed the retake for this course.

After class, Lu Mingfei went to attend "Alchemy Chemistry Level 1". Although the name sounds advanced, he mostly reviewed ordinary chemistry knowledge.

This was a tough nut to crack. Lu Mingfei had long forgotten how to balance chemical formulas and could only memorize the first 36 elements of the periodic table. However, almost every student in Kassel, even those who chose liberal arts majors like literature, could recite the periodic table backwards.

The chemistry knowledge learned in high school is just the very basics here, roughly equivalent to a primary school student's multiplication table.

This advanced subject is even more difficult to learn than "Magic Mechanical Design" which starts from scratch. Fortunately, Lu Mingfei has the privilege of exemption from the exam, so he is not worried and can take his time.

After lunch, he went to Professor Mans' office for extra lessons. Professor Mans corrected his papers, pointing out the shortcomings and errors, in order to help him solidify his foundation and impart knowledge.

He went back to his dorm in the afternoon to catch up on sleep, then watched a few more episodes of a TV series. After dinner, he sneaked off to the Norton Museum.

Unlike the empty space I visited last time, the flowerbeds outside were decorated with delicate colored lights, and the windows were covered by black curtains, making it impossible to see what was inside.

Lu Mingfei saw an acquaintance before he even went inside.

Shokuya smiled and waved, her long, thin black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a green tracksuit and sunglasses.

If she hadn't greeted him, Lu Mingfei wouldn't have recognized her at first glance.

"I just saw Ye Sheng go in. Do you know what happened?" Jiu Deya took off his sunglasses, pointed to the door of Norton Hall, and said with his usual friendly smile, but Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine.

Chapter 122 The "Friendly" Wine Deaki

Major crisis!!!

Lu Mingfei tensed up, entering a state of high mental concentration.

Ye Sheng was surprised that Akito Sho would follow him in plain clothes. Was this a woman's sixth sense? Or... the instinct to catch someone cheating?

Ye Sheng is so careless! Can't he be a little more careful? Now I have to clean up his mess.

Lu Mingfei harbored resentment towards Ye Sheng in his heart.

Everyone knows that Norton Pavilion belongs to Lu Mingfei, so he can't use "I don't know" as an excuse. He is also well aware of how bad his chatting skills are. Every time he chats with Chen Wenwen on QQ, it never lasts more than five minutes. Apart from shouting a few words when playing games, his daily greetings to others are almost like taking a census.

After a while, it was always the same few questions: Have you eaten? What did you eat? The weather is so nice today.

If we get caught by Aki here, we'll definitely give ourselves away and arouse Aki's suspicion. The best way is to find an excuse to slip away and then quickly inform Ye Sheng.

"Ye Sheng isn't with you?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head, pretending to know nothing. "I just came here for a walk, I didn't expect to see you here too."

"Oh." Shudeya's smile faded as she sat down on a long, white wooden bench beside the path paved with red pebbles, patting the empty seat next to her. "Perfect timing, I was just here for a walk too, want to sit for a while?"

"Okay...okay." Lu Mingfei sat down, leaned back in the seat, and looked up at the sky.

The sky was dark and gloomy. The sun had set, and a crescent moon had risen. There were few pedestrians on the roadside because it was already time for classes. Those who had evening classes were in the classroom, while those who didn't were either doing their homework in the study room or library, playing basketball in the gymnasium, participating in club activities, or having a romantic rendezvous in the garden.

In short, everyone has their own things to do.

Lu Mingfei deliberately chose this time to go out, wearing a baseball cap, controlling his breathing rate, and walking slowly with his head down, so as to minimize his presence and avoid being caught by "fans". However, he did not expect that he would still be caught by Aki in the end.

"The weather is really nice today, haha, hahaha." Lu Mingfei chuckled a few times, managing to squeeze out a universal line.

Whether you're meeting an older relative or a younger, less mature person, you can start with this sentence.

“Yes, it’s really nice.” Shudeya also looked up at the sky. “The night view of Kassel College is always beautiful.”

"You know what? You're practically a legend." She turned to look at Lu Mingfei, covering her mouth and chuckling, "They've given you a nickname on the forum, 'Lucky Prince,' saying that if they bump into you and get your autograph, they'll have good luck for the next week, pass all their exams, and even receive a confession from their crush within a month."

"Is it really that mysterious? How come I didn't know I had such magical powers?" Lu Mingfei pinched his cheek. "This is too outrageous. Will anyone spread rumors that eating my flesh will grant immortality?"

"That means you're popular. Look at Tang Sanzang, isn't he loved by everyone and flowers bloom for him?"

"Tang Sanzang was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, the second disciple of the Buddha. He was on the emperor's orders to retrieve the scriptures. How could he not be popular? Besides, being popular doesn't necessarily mean something good. Look at how many demons wanted to skin him, drink his blood, and eat his flesh."

“This shows that the monster loves him very much,” said Shudeyaji quietly. “Look, after eating Tang Sanzang’s flesh, they will be together forever, inseparable.”

Suddenly, Shudeya smiled, a very bright smile.

A chill ran down Lu Mingfei's spine, and he froze. He realized that he had never really known Aki. The longest conversation they had ever had was when they were eating crayfish at a street food stall, but he was too busy eating and watching Ye Sheng and Aki show their affection.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he pursed his lips.

Ye Sheng, your wife seems a bit strange.

"Just kidding, why are you so nervous?" Aki turned her head to look at the Norton Building not far away and said softly, "When I first entered the university, I actually hated him. He had no gentlemanly manners at all. He would always come over and make faces at you when you were unhappy, and pat your butt to mock you. It was really infuriating. The key was that I couldn't refute him. He was number one in swimming, rebuilt the sailing team, led the small club with fewer than 5 members to grow, and finally won the trophy back from the University of Chicago."

"He was like a swan, always with his head held high, flapping his wings and splashing water. We ugly ducklings could only follow behind him and watch his performance. He stole all the limelight in those years. In the 3E exam, he was the highest in bloodline rating. Oh no, now the highest should be you, S-level, but back then A-level was the highest. You could count the number of A-level students entering each year on one hand, sometimes there weren't even any. Some A-level students who were rated before entering the school would even drop a level after the 3E exam."

Shudeya clenched her fist and said angrily, "Back then, I couldn't swallow that insult. Every time he mocked me, I wrote it down in my diary. I wrote down all the rubbish he said, waiting for the day when I surpassed him so I could say it back exactly as it was, and get my revenge all at once! For this goal, I always swallowed my anger and became his punching bag."

“I never imagined... your past was so difficult…” Lu Mingfei wiped away non-existent cold sweat with his sleeve.

To be honest, Lu Mingfei didn't expect that Aki, who looked gentle and like a Yamato Nadeshiko, would be so vengeful. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.

This is the most terrifying kind. You don't even know when you offended her, and she won't say anything. She'll just smile kindly and then write in her notebook after you leave: "Lu Mingfei lied to me today. I, Aki, will remember this grudge."

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. You never know when you might find a screw or a razor blade in your food.

"If you told my freshman self that I would be with Ye Sheng in the future and even get married, I would definitely give you a super disgusted look." Aki laughed. "Fate is so unpredictable; no one knows what the future holds."

"Do you still hate him?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Aki shook her head and said seriously, "Actually, I'm very stubborn. If it's someone I don't like, I'd rather die than be with them."

“I have felt that way…” Lu Mingfei said.

King Goujian of Yue endured hardship and humiliation for 10 years. Jiu Deya Ji was no less capable than this hero and could be considered a female hero.

"Although his boasting was annoying, without him, the sailing team was like a ship without its backbone. During my junior year, he went to participate in an emergency mission assigned by the 'A' level for about half a month. During those two weeks, I was responsible for leading the freshman team to participate in the competition. However, problems arose one after another on the first day of the elimination rounds. I didn't know how to boost morale, and everyone was in low spirits."

"Aren't hybrids much stronger physically than ordinary people?"

"That's true, but sailing tests skills and experience. We are a group of people who came together because of our hobby. There is no sea near Kassel College, so the sailing practice of freshmen is just theoretical. The college's swimming pool can't provide much help at all."

"So, you guys practiced on the spot?"

“Yes, everyone arrived at the venue a day early and practiced all night. It was a tough time to get through the elimination rounds.” Aki nodded. “Although we won the championship in the end, it was really tough. If Ye Sheng had led the team, he would have done better than me. At least everyone’s morale wouldn’t have been so low.”

Lu Mingfei silently mourned for the students of the University of Chicago. They were so unlucky to encounter such a group of people who were cheating. They had only practiced for one day and had already exhausted the hard work of others for months or even years.

Perhaps mixed-race people should make a pact not to participate in competitions with ordinary people.

“I don’t know when it started, but I’ve gotten used to having him around,” Aki said. “He always manages to handle things well. Even if he comes up to me afterwards and says a few unpleasant things, I don’t add any new notes to my diary anymore. Because I’ve realized one thing: I really can’t compare to him, and it’s understandable that he’s arrogant.”

"Did you fall in love with him back then?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“No.” Aki shook her head again. “I still disliked him back then, but I stopped arguing with him in private. How should I put it? I guess I realized my limitations. There are differences between people. Even if I trained at the swimming pool until 11 p.m. and maintained at least 6 hours of training time every day, I still couldn’t compare to his inconsistent training.”

“When you’re young, you think you can get anything through hard work. If one unit of training isn’t enough, you’ll do two, and if two isn’t enough, you’ll do three. But as you get older, you realize that some things are predetermined at birth. If you don’t have them, you don’t have them, no matter how hard you try,” Aki said.

“I believe that hard work is still useful,” Lu Mingfei said. “Talent only determines how far you can go, but what determines where you will ultimately go is hard work.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Shudeya chuckled. “Later I found out that Ye Sheng wasn’t that amazing after all.”

"He and I were selected as candidates for the 'Kuimen' project as part of the diving team. I was his diving partner because he was first and I was second. It wasn't until then that I realized he would become as vulnerable as a baby when he used his words of power."

"I'm the girl, but my job is to protect him." Aki put her hands on her hips. "Isn't that unfair?"

"Forehead..."

"He's such an idiot. To train our teamwork, we lived in the same room, and God knows how he mixed up his toothbrushes. One was pink and the other was green. He also grinds his teeth in his sleep, which is so noisy. He talks in his sleep and calls for his mother in his dreams. He doesn't eat cilantro or onions. Even though we're only allowed to eat the ship's nutritious meals, he secretly hid a bag of potato chips in his suitcase and brought it over to me late at night to ask if I wanted some."

Lu Mingfei thought to himself that Ye Sheng was quite loyal. If he were to eat some kind of nutritional meal for several months, he definitely wouldn't be able to stand it. If there were potato chips, he would probably just quietly finish them by himself.

“I reported him on the spot,” Aki said. “He was forced to do 1000 push-ups late at night as punishment, and when he came back, he was panting heavily and smelled of sweat.”

Lu Mingfei was shocked. Aki was truly ruthless. She even reported this? Wouldn't she eat the good food? How could she be so tolerant?

“I asked him if he would dare to bring potato chips again next time, and he said, ‘Why wouldn’t I dare? Do you really think I’m scared?’” Aki imitated Ye Sheng’s tone. “Next time I won’t give you any! I’ll eat them by myself secretly.”

“I recorded this conversation and gave it to Professor Mans.” Aki smiled, looking very happy. “He trained all night and was so exhausted the next day that he collapsed and couldn’t get up. He had to get an IV drip in bed.”

"Hiss~" Lu Mingfei gasped, secretly vowing in his heart that he would never provoke Aki again.

“We could disembark once a month and have half a day of free time. That time, he hid a bag of White Rabbit milk candies. I guess he used the ‘snake’s’ electric current to interfere with the inspection equipment and fooled the professor and me.” Aki said, “Actually, he could have eaten them by himself. No one was monitoring us when we slept, and our beds were separated by curtains. As long as we didn’t say anything, no one would have found out. But one night when I was sleeping, I suddenly found a handful of milk candies under my pillow. There were 15 of them. I remember it very clearly.”

“I asked him if you’d been secretly bringing snacks again, and he said no, don’t frame me. You can come and search here, and if you find anything, you can report it to Professor Mans.” Aki’s smile widened. “I said, actually I wanted some snacks too, my favorite is White Rabbit candy, and guess what this idiot did?”

Lu Mingfei had a bad feeling: "What...did he do?"

“He took me to the place where he hid his snacks. In a drawer compartment in the duty room, there was half a bag of milk candies, with twenty or thirty left. He said he hadn’t been able to bear eating them, and only ate one or two a day to taste them.”

"Could it be... that you reported him again?" Lu Mingfei asked slowly.

"No way, that's too mean!" Aki waved her hand, her smile growing even brighter. "I just happened to walk into the duty room while chatting with Professor Mans, and then I just happened to bump into Ye Sheng stealing milk candy."

"What happened to him...?" Lu Mingfei's voice gradually weakened.

"Him? I don't know either. Anyway, I didn't see him for a week after that. I don't know where Professor Mans went either. But after he came back, he kept talking in his sleep at night, saying, 'I will never do it again... I will never do it again...' His voice was trembling, as if he was frozen. Even though there was air conditioning in the room, he was probably having nightmares."

Aki gently shook her head, extended her left hand, her slender fingers like those of a pianist, her skin fair and delicate.

"Do you think he's stupid? He could have just not told me. He ate by himself and nothing happened. After that, I always thought he was an idiot, not smart at all. If I left him alone, I don't know what kind of trouble he would cause."

Aki smiled warmly, turned her head, and squinted at Lu Mingfei: "So, Lu Mingfei, can you tell me what Ye Sheng was doing at the Norton Mansion? It wouldn't be good if that idiot caused you and Caesar any trouble, wouldn't you say?"

Her smile was as kind as a neighbor's older sister, but for some reason, Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine.

Chapter 123 The Thirty-Six Stratagems

The pressure is once again on Lu Mingfei.

Honestly, if you really want to get away with it, you probably can. Aki Shuto doesn't seem like the type to press for answers. The most likely scenario is that she'll just say a few words and send you on your way, with a smile, a wave, and a wish for your good health, all the best, and a long and happy life.

But what will happen next is unknown.

Thinking about someone's fate, a blood-red ominous light seemed to flicker between his brows. Perhaps because he hadn't slept well last night, Lu Mingfei's right eyelid twitched.