Walking out of the shelter together, Luo Yu scratched at her crotch and hummed a little tune, utterly content.

Behind her, Qiu Xiaoshuang tried not to crack, watching the girl swagger with zero restraint. She was so speechless she couldn’t even find words.

Because Luo Yu was a little… off and hard to communicate with, she had no friends anywhere in the academy.

The one who knew Luo Yu best was Qiu Xiaoshuang, thanks to six months of living together.

In those six months, Qiu more or less figured out what kind of person Luo Yu was.

She knew Luo Yu cheated her way past the entrance exams a year ago. The girl had basically no talent for magic.

So every monthly magic quiz, Luo Yu flunked. No surprises.

At this rate, even if the Demon King’s lackeys didn’t drag her away, she’d get expelled at the end of the year. Then she’d just drift in the city, who knows where.

It tied back to Luo Yu’s background. Qiu Xiaoshuang bore Witch blood and had farsight and prophecy. She’d foreseen that Luo Yu’s parents were small-time demonic hoodlums from the Demon Realm backcountry, a total mess of bloodlines.

The two of them were the result of a one-night stand in a tavern. The man pulled up his pants and bolted that same day. The woman kept partying there every night, belly out for ten months, then gave birth to Luo Yu on a toilet and dumped her.

Luo Yu’s opening hand was pure hell. An old prostitute picked her up in the end.

She grew up in a club. That old woman was no saint either. When Luo Yu was barely a teen, she tried to drag her out to service clients. The club owner had a pang of conscience and stopped it, so Luo Yu only ended up as a dancer.

All in all, her first half of life was miserable. Even after squeezing into the magic academy, her future was pitch black.

She was a mutt with no ancient blood. No magic. No ceiling in sight.

And yet, the wild thing was, this girl who suffered since childhood had never shed a tear in public. Never once felt inferior.

She was, in fact, very cocky.

Qiu read that straight from Luo Yu’s emotions. The girl couldn’t fake a thing. It was clear as day: Luo Yu had never once paused to consider how tragic her life had been, nor what she’d do after the academy kicked her out.

Luo Yu carried a confidence from nowhere.

She always thought she was amazing. She always shouted down people she didn’t like.

More importantly, this damn brat had zero self-control.

Half a year living together, and every night, Qiu would hear weird sounds from the top bunk.

She’d climb up to check. Sure enough, the girl was doing that.

Later, Qiu sternly warned her to keep it down and let people sleep. The girl shamelessly tried to pull Qiu in to play together.

???

From then on, Qiu understood that Luo Yu’s mind wasn’t wired normally.

By now, Luo Yu had come up from the basement into the stairwell. She stared at the notices pasted everywhere, lost in thought.

Qiu walked up behind her and saw they were about what happened yesterday.

It clearly stated that the terrifying human Champion had agreed to marriage-for-truce. In other words, the Princess would soon head to the human lands to be his concubine.

After that, the Demon Realm would bow to the humans. It was humiliating, but there’d be a spell of peace.

Luo Yu ripped a poster down and held it in both hands. Her face went rigid. Her hands trembled nonstop.

Obviously, she couldn’t accept it at all.

Qiu flicked the back of Luo Yu’s head, watching her grave face and shaking hands. “What’s wrong?”

“An unbearable humiliation.”

A tear slid from the corner of Luo Yu’s eye. She spoke with a slight shiver.

“Xiaoshuang, tell me. When the Princess goes to bed with that human Champion at night, will she still be thinking about my face?”

Qiu Xiaoshuang: “…”

She grabbed Luo Yu’s head and shook it hard. “Get a grip.”

“In any case, it’s a disgrace. I got cucked.”

Luo Yu leaned back with a long sigh. She crumpled the poster into a ball and tossed it into the trash. “The Princess used to admire my talent and looks. She promised we’d be together. And then… aaahhh…”

“Question,” Qiu said, deadpan. “Does the Princess know you? Does she know she admires your talent and looks?”

“That’s not the point. My wife and I haven’t even held hands, and that dumb Champion gets to hit it?”

“…So what are you planning to do?”

“I’m gonna assassinate the Champion. Whoever tries to marry the Princess, I’ll kill him. I’ll off the Demon King and the Champion, then swing by to conquer the world and collect all the girls I like into my harem.”

Qiu Xiaoshuang: “…”

She rubbed her eyes, then swept Luo Yu up and down again. Yep, the girl’s combat power was the same as ever: skimming absolute zero. Qiu rapped her on the head.

“Xiaoshuang, why do you keep knocking me on the head?”

“Ugh.” Qiu shrugged helplessly at Luo Yu’s cute, confused face. “Do you even know how terrifying the Champion is?”

“Tier Three in the Nature system. Nothing to worry about.”

“And do you know your own strength?”

“My strength? You know it,” Luo Yu said, hands on hips, eyes shining with pride. “I’m not quite Tier Three, but I’m only a smidge off.”

“Not even close!” Qiu hoisted Luo Yu and slammed her to the floor, trying to knock sense into her. She spoke very seriously. “Face it, Luo Yu. You’re a cultivation flop. Stop babbling about ‘a fallen prodigy.’”

“Hm?” Luo Yu frowned at her roommate’s doubt and threw a limp little punch forward. “You don’t feel it?”

“Exactly. Your punch has no power. You’re just an ordinary girl with zero ability to challenge a Champion. So be good, stay in school, eat, sleep, and repeat.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” Luo Yu raised a hand to stop her. “I mean, the instant I punched, I didn’t feel any weakness or strain. Look—qi.”

“What?”

“See? My qi’s flaring outside my body.”

“You mana-dazed or what?”

“Fool. Not worth plotting with.” Luo Yu sighed in regret and clasped her hands behind her back. “On the martial path, do you know what it costs to reach my realm?”

“Girl, this is the Demon Realm. You’ve read too many trashy novels. Your worldview is scrambled.”

“The laws of everything share a root. Qi always turns around two steps: ‘receive’ and ‘release.’ When you reach my level someday, you’ll get it.”

Qiu Xiaoshuang: “…”

Ignoring the speechless girl beside her, Luo Yu shoved her hands into her pockets and strolled through the sunlight. Her brow slowly eased.

The Champion’s radiance had hovered over the hearts of Demon Realm girls for who knows how many years.

It was time for her to end that nightmare.

Ever since she reincarnated as a girl, she hadn’t found a chance to show the world her true strength.

So more and more people took her for a clown.

It was time to make a move.