A dazzling array of panties appeared before the boy's eyes—lace-trimmed, blue and white striped, pink, frilly, and more. The variety was so overwhelming that Ma Hongjun was momentarily stunned.
He even spotted a few with bold designs.
It had to be said: when it came to this kind of thing, girls really did mature faster than boys.
What surprised him most was that Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing—both known for their pure and aloof temperaments—were actually this bold. In contrast, Xiao Wu, a legal loli who had lived for a hundred thousand years, seemed downright modest and conservative.
What a sin.
Ma Hongjun shook his head, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the fire burning inside him. With trembling fingers, he randomly picked out a few items and stuffed them into another bag.
No… This is seriously pushing my limit.
Once this is over, I have to do something about this damn lust problem.
If things get too bad… maybe I'll have to trouble Cui Hua again. She'd probably be happy to help.
With my Phoenix Grace enhanced, the effect should be better than before—improved skin, better complexion… Not bad benefits, really.
Of course, if Cui Hua wasn't willing, I could always ask Boss Dai to help set something up.
With that decision made, Ma Hongjun stood up and started walking out. But after just a few steps, he came to a stop, frowning at the black-haired boy standing in his way.
"Why are you here!?"
Outside the girls' dormitory, a quiet path wound through the forest.
Tang San stood at the end of it, blocking the way. His eyes were locked onto the bag in Ma Hongjun's hands.
From it, he could vaguely see colors he found disturbingly familiar.
After cooling down in the dorm, Tang San had reflected on his earlier outburst toward Xiao Wu and started to regret it. Wanting to apologize, he came to the girls' dormitory—only to see this guy walking out of it.
"…That's none of your business," Ma Hongjun said with a cough, awkwardly and guiltily stuffing the smaller bag of underwear into his pocket.
The large bag was one thing—but this?
Even with a proper reason, if word got out, his social reputation would be in ashes.
Fortunately for him, Tang San hadn't noticed the small bag. Otherwise, he would've fought him to the death on the spot.
But even just seeing the pink fabric sticking out of the large bag was enough to make Tang San's eyes turn bloodshot.
That's Xiao Wu's clothes!!
"You came here to steal her clothes?! You disgusting bastard!!"
Tang San roared and lunged forward. With a snap, a mechanism triggered on his wrist, and a hidden arrow shot out toward Ma Hongjun's throat.
"Put it down!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
The sharp whistling of projectiles pierced the air. Cold glints flashed as several hidden weapons shot in from all directions, all aimed at Ma Hongjun's vital points!
At the same time, Tang San's steps became ghostlike. His hands, pale as jade, gripped a poison sac in each palm as he rapidly closed the distance!
Stealing a girl's clothes was the lowest of the low—he had every reason to kill him on the spot.
A savage expression twisted Tang San's features. A faint blue mist surrounded his head like a shroud—silent, invisible, and deadly—urging him to strike harder.
From the moment he shouted to the moment all the attacks launched, not even two breaths had passed.
By the time Ma Hongjun realized what was happening, he was already surrounded by sharp projectiles, with poisonous gas drifting in behind him.
When the God-King Tang made a move, his killing intent was absolute.
"Ah."
Yet in the face of this deadly crisis, the red-haired boy simply chuckled.
BOOM!!
A crimson blaze exploded outward. Flames surged like a tidal wave, forming a raging firestorm that engulfed his body. In an instant, the hidden weapons melted into molten slag, and the poisonous mist was completely vaporized!
The scorching heat turned the grass beneath his feet yellow, then black, before it was reduced to ash. Tang San's face twisted in alarm as he leapt back, trying to dodge.
But the flames weren't done. They surged after him with a will of their own, taking the shape of miniature phoenixes as they streaked in from both sides!
With no way to escape, Tang San clenched his teeth and curled up, doing his best to shield his vital areas.
BOOM!!
Without warning, a massive force slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward three meters. He crashed to the ground in a heap. Before he could even get up, a foot came down hard on his back.
"Listen up. I don't have time, nor the patience, to play these childish games with you. As for what I'm doing—"
CRACK!!
"Aaaahhh!!"
The foot on his back suddenly pressed down with searing heat. Tang San screamed in agony as pain surged through him.
"—it's none of your damn business. Understand?"
Flames flickered in Ma Hongjun's crystal-red eyes as he looked coldly at the writhing God-King beneath his foot.
"Next time you try to hit me—or say something that pisses me off—I'll break one of your legs. Do it again, and I'll break more… until you're dead."
The moment he said it, Ma Hongjun could feel a gaze filled with murderous intent locking onto him from a distance.
He didn't need to look to know—it had to be that lunatic, Tang Hao.
But so what?
Ma Hongjun wasn't the type to just let someone try to kill him over and over and do nothing about it.
He used to fear Tang Hao because the man was unpredictable, ruthless, and didn't care about consequences.
But now, things had changed.
He'd confirmed that Tang Hao was still secretly following Tang San.
Which meant: if Tang Hao killed him, both father and son would have to run and hide.
As long as he didn't push things beyond the final line, Tang Hao couldn't make a move.
"Y-you…"
Tang San trembled as he looked into the boy's eyes—those cold, burning red eyes. His throat bobbed, but he dared not speak another word.
"…Don't bully Xiao Wu."
Just as Ma Hongjun turned to leave, he heard those words—spoken with shame and desperation.
He nearly stumbled.
What? Are you serious?!
I'm not bullying her!
I'm literally helping her out—how did I become the bad guy?!
"Lunatic."
Ma Hongjun shook his head in disbelief. He unfurled his phoenix wings and soared into the sky, bag in hand.
He really couldn't figure out what went on in Tang San's mind.
The red-haired youth turned into a streak of red light and disappeared into the sky, leaving Tang San sprawled on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
"…Xiao Wu…"
His voice was filled with pain and longing, pitiful enough to make anyone who heard it weep.
Of course, Ma Hongjun didn't know whether anyone else felt moved—but his own scalp had gone numb.
Flying all the way to the spring, he found the three girls still splashing around happily. Their laughter echoed through the air, carefree and sweet.
Thankfully, this place was far from the village—otherwise the villagers might've been scared to death.
Splash!
Ma Hongjun landed lightly by the water's edge. His wings dissolved into flames as he coughed awkwardly.
The three girls immediately stopped playing. Blushing furiously, they ducked under the water.
"Uh… I just picked up a few things. You guys can change into them. I'll get going now."
"Oh—and I checked from the air. No one's around."
Doing his best not to peek at the beautiful scene in front of him, the red-haired boy placed the bag on the ground, took out the smaller one from inside his coat, waved, and turned to leave.