143 The Troublemaking Mu Fei
The Essence Flame was a marvelous thing—innately spiritual, and if one could find a way to refine it, it could forge unparalleled alchemical tools. Yet, for Theresa in her current state, such a precious material was almost like a double-edged sword: useless if consumed, wasteful if discarded. Her abilities fell far short of refining the Essence Flame, and even if she could harness it, she lacked the advanced materials needed to fuse with it. It was like standing before a treasure mountain but unable to mine a single gem—a frustration beyond words.
Theresa puckered her lips and circled the Essence Flame again and again, her longing gaze and regretful, grinding-teeth expression making the two little fox spirits uneasy, fearing she might impulsively do something rash to the flame.
After much hesitation, Theresa grit her teeth, stomped her foot, and declared, “You two little foxes caused this mess—you find a way to consume it yourselves. Don’t let it appear before me again, or I can’t guarantee what I’ll do!”
The two little fox spirits looked as if they’d won the lottery, swiftly pouncing on the Essence Flame and each taking a portion, disappearing without a trace. Judging by their demeanor, they were genuinely afraid Theresa would change her mind and snatch the flame from their mouths.
Frustrated by the Essence Flame, Theresa flopped onto her bed, rolling from side to side. Weariness soon crept over her, and she yawned, pulling the blanket over herself and falling soundly asleep.
How long she slept, she never knew. It was the rhythmic, persistent knocking that roused her. At first, she didn’t recognize it as knocking until the little wolf and little eagle tugged at her blanket, urging her awake. Still groggy, she threw on a robe, scratched her head, and scowled as she opened the door.
The moment the door swung open, regret washed over her—immeasurable regret.
“Today marks your forty-ninth day since enrollment,” the handsome half-elf standing outside said warmly. “Don’t you know all freshmen must report to their life guidance counselor within fifty days of admission, Theresa Borja?”
Though his smile was elegant and genteel, Theresa couldn’t help but feel a chill race down her spine, spreading throughout her body.
“I wasn’t aware of that rule,” Theresa replied reflexively, nodding emphatically to lend credibility to her claim—she had to be genuinely unaware, no matter what!
Seeing this, the half-elf continued smiling, golden and silver eyes gleaming with interest, but his tone remained kindly and teacherly: “Alright, since you didn’t know before, I’ll let it slide. But now that you do, please fulfill your obligations accordingly. Of course, it’d be best if you tidied yourself up before coming to my office.”
With that, he turned and walked away with graceful composure—so elegant it made Theresa grind her teeth, so calm it made her gnash them.
No sooner had he left than another person burst out from the side, tackling Theresa back into her tree-hole dorm. Immediately, she was overwhelmed by a barrage of questions—
“You actually know Teacher Mu Fei? Why didn’t you mention he’s your life guidance counselor before? If you knew about the rule, why didn’t you go to him sooner?”
Blabbering nonstop.
Being questioned while her collar was grabbed, Theresa discreetly rolled her eyes to the ceiling, silently cursing, “Mu Fei, you’re a disaster!”
Once Flora’s excitement subsided, Theresa seized the chance to explain: “Mu Fei studied alchemy for years in the empire. His great-uncle—should be great-uncle if I recall correctly—has a small villa in Cervantes City. I worked odd jobs there once, so I know him. But back then, his temper was bad. Every time we met, his words were either sharp or biting—hard to bear. So I kept my distance.”
Fearing Flora wouldn’t believe her because of her admiration for Mu Fei, Theresa gave a few examples to prove her point. But before she finished, Flora’s face lit up with starry-eyed adoration: “Wow, so much personality!”
That tone of awe and envy made Theresa feel like banging her head against a tree.
After Flora’s infatuation passed, she looked at Theresa’s troubled expression without explanation, just chuckled and patted her shoulder, saying earnestly, “Theresa, for the sake of our shared life-and-death experiences, I give you two words—take care!”
Theresa felt a wave of gloom wash over her, deep and heavy.
***
Theresa was averse to trouble but not one to avoid it. She had been avoiding Mu Fei to keep things peaceful, but now that he had come to her, the trouble was unavoidable. Though it gave her a headache, she wouldn’t dodge it anymore. After sending off a gleeful Flora, she changed into appropriate clothes and calmly left her dorm toward the faculty offices.
Along the way, she keenly noticed the increased attention from passersby and the growing whispers—confirmed by the two little fox spirits’ sensitive “data compilation.” She couldn’t help but marvel quietly at Mu Fei’s terrifying charm.
Though many whispered behind her back, no one had approached her yet, allowing her to reach Mu Fei’s office without incident. Under many watchful eyes, she knocked and entered.
“Sit,” Mu Fei glanced up at Theresa, tapping his fingers to signal her to take a seat across from his desk. He pulled the top file from the left-side stack and placed it before her.
Theresa scanned the cover—an official report on the three of them: Theresa, Flora, and Habata, completing a mission.
“I wouldn’t have known you’d enrolled if not for this,” Mu Fei said, his tone playful but no longer elegant or kindly. “So, knowing I’m your life guidance counselor... are you scared?”
Theresa flipped through the report, smirking inwardly. She candidly admitted, “I’m just afraid of trouble. On the first day, I heard the whole world talking about how popular Teacher Mu Fei is and how many admirers he has. Given that, I figured it was best not to bother you.”
Her words were humble, but she didn’t miss the chance to take a jab at Mu Fei.
Mu Fei chuckled, “Since when did people from Angamen start fearing trouble?”
Mentioning Angamen made Theresa purse her lips involuntarily. “Hey, just because people from Angamen aren’t afraid of trouble doesn’t mean I’m not. I’m not from Angamen.”
“Uncle Andy never fails in what he does,” Mu Fei replied with a smile, not waiting for her response as he seized the report and changed the subject, “I called you here mainly about your term exams.”
“Problem?” Theresa suppressed the urge to ask about Mu Fei’s relationship with her father and followed his lead—she could learn that by other means, which might even be more thorough.
“You registered at the end of the term. You could have requested to take exams next semester, but since you participated in the Autumn Festival assessments, you must also take exams for the other subjects. If you fail half, your enrollment could be revoked.”
“I know that,” Theresa said, relieved. “I’ve reviewed past exams and think I can pass.”
Mu Fei raised a brow in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Theresa nodded firmly.
Mu Fei stared at her doubtfully for a moment before saying, “Alright, if you’re that confident, I’ll test you right now. If you can’t get past me, you might as well take a medical leave for future exams—save Uncle Andy some embarrassment.”
Theresa puffed her cheeks in defiance, as if to say, “Bring it on.”
Mu Fei’s eyes twinkled but quickly grew serious and began his questioning.
***
Two hours and thirty-seven minutes later, Theresa pushed open Mu Fei’s office door and was startled by someone standing outside. Already exhausted, the small shock left her looking pale.
“Flora, what are you doing here?” Theresa asked, patting her chest, annoyed at Flora’s strange expression.
Flora sized Theresa up and down, then grabbed her hand and dashed far away, stopping under a large tree. With a serious and somewhat exasperated tone, she said, “Theresa, why didn’t you listen to me?”
Theresa blinked, not understanding.
Flora continued, “I told you to take care of yourself! How could you spend two hours and thirty-seven minutes alone with Teacher Mu Fei like that?”
“Uh, what’s wrong with that?” Theresa genuinely didn’t get it.
Flora placed both hands on her shoulders solemnly. “Don’t you know some people in this world ‘hate inequality more than scarcity’? Everyone agrees Mu Fei is hard to approach, yet you spent over two hours alone with him—and it might happen again. How can the women who fancy him stay calm?”
“Theresa, a woman’s jealousy is terrifying, terrifying, terrifying!”
Flora’s words hung like a prophecy, firmly setting the tone for the already difficult path awaiting Theresa’s academic journey... (To be continued)