Free Web NovelChapter 707: Chapter 668: A dark shadow slowly climbed up.
Hearing their completely opposing opinions, Zhao Rong immediately asked the third woman, Lili, "Lili, do you plan to stay or leave?"
Before Lili could speak, Yu Lan grabbed her arm and said coquettishly, "Sister Lili, please listen to me and let’s leave this place... I really don’t like it here. It feels so eerie."
Xuelian stepped forward, grabbing Lili’s other arm. "Sister Lili, you’re our eldest sister. I think this place is great, and we can even learn magic. Please, let us stay here and learn for a while."
Caught between the pleas of her two sisters, Lili turned her gaze to Zhao Rong, leaving the decision to him. "Big Brother, you should decide."
Just when everyone was at a loss, Zhao Rong made a firm decision. "Since we’re here, let’s make the most of it. We’ve already arrived at the Magic Academy, so let’s stay for a while. Who knows? We might make some interesting new discoveries."
After Zhao Rong made the decision, the three women fell silent. They completely accepted his authority, saying, "Big Brother Zhao Rong, you’re our leader. Besides, you’re the backbone of our team, so we’ll all listen to you."
With that settled, Zhao Rong turned to the Headmaster. "Headmaster, could you please arrange our accommodations first? We’ve decided to join your Magic Academy and study for a while. As for the tuition, we can pay you tonight."
When the Headmaster heard that Zhao Rong’s group was willing to stay and study, he said happily, "Since you’re willing to stay and learn, why would we charge any tuition? Our Magic Academy has a rule: anyone who wishes to study here may do so for free."
When the three women heard that studying at the Academy was free, they were overjoyed. "I can’t believe studying here is free! This is wonderful!"
Lili said in disbelief, "Every other place charges a fee to study... I never imagined it would be free at a Magic Academy. We really lucked out!"
Yu Lan’s mood brightened instantly. "There were two main reasons I didn’t want to stay and learn magic," she admitted. "First, this place felt eerie. The other main reason was that I assumed learning magic would be incredibly expensive, and I didn’t want Big Brother Zhao Rong to spend so much money.
"But I never thought it would be free! If I had known that earlier, I would have agreed to stay right away!"
Xuelian was so ecstatic she nearly danced with joy. "It looks like my childhood dream is finally going to come true here at the Magic Academy!"
While they were all celebrating, the Headmaster led Zhao Rong’s group to the student dormitory. Pointing to one of the doors, he said, "Room 203 is your dormitory for the four of you. Please, get some rest."
When Zhao Rong heard that the Headmaster had arranged for him and the three women to stay in the same room, he asked in surprise, "Headmaster, don’t tell me your academy has co-ed dorm rooms?"
He had barely finished speaking when a thought crossed his mind. This Magic Academy can’t possibly be so bizarre that the dorms are mixed-gender, can it? That’s just too absurd.
Just as Zhao Rong was dismissing the idea as impossible, the Headmaster pointed to a list of rules on the wall. He smiled at Zhao Rong and the three women. "You guessed right," he said. "Our academy has a rule: the dormitories are not separated by gender. We use a co-ed living arrangement as part of our magical instruction. This is to achieve a balance of yin and yang and to increase the students’ interest in learning magic."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong gasped. He looked up at the dormitory building before them and saw that it was indeed co-ed.
When the three women saw the rule, they were incredulous. "How can this possibly work? Putting men and women in the same dorm room? That would be absolute chaos!"
Lili said with disgust, "If I were assigned to a room with a male stranger, I would rather quit learning magic than live with him. It would be far too awkward!"
Yu Lan couldn’t believe it. "Headmaster, what kind of half-wit came up with such a bizarre rule for your academy? It’s just insane!"
At this, the Headmaster said sheepishly, "To be honest, I’m the one who came up with the co-ed dormitory rule. I chose this method to foster a greater interest in learning magic among the students.
"You see, when men live with only other men, they just become jealous of one another. And when women live with only other women, they only compete over trivial things.
"Therefore, I believe that only by having men and women live together can they be motivated to impress one another, learn from each other, and make progress together."
Even with the Headmaster’s clear explanation, Xuelian still scoffed at the rule. "Headmaster, with a system like this, I don’t think your academy has any future at all."
Listening to Xuelian’s words, the Headmaster replied awkwardly, "Miss, thank you for your input. However, our academy has its own system of management. We ask that you please abide by it."
With that, the Headmaster led them into the dormitory room and departed.
When Zhao Rong and the three women stepped inside, they were surprised to find the room was quite comfortable. It was a large suite, furnished with several beds with thick mattresses, and it came fully equipped with its own bathroom, kitchen, living room, and balcony.
Feeling hungry, Lili went into the kitchen and started making fried rice. "Big Brother Zhao Rong," she called out, "what kind of fried rice do you like? Cumin-flavored or curry-flavored?"
Meanwhile, Yu Lan went into the bathroom, took Zhao Rong’s dirty clothes, and started washing them. "Big Brother Zhao Rong, these clothes are filthy! Let me wash them clean for you," she said.
When Xuelian saw Lili cooking for Zhao Rong and Yu Lan washing his clothes, she quickly hurried over, not wanting to be left out. "Big Brother Zhao Rong, please, sit down. I know it’s been a while since you’ve had a proper shoulder massage... Let me give you one now."
But just as the three women were busy cooking, washing clothes, and massaging Zhao Rong’s shoulders, a dark figure slowly crept up to the balcony and climbed inside...
