A Warm Welcome from the Dragon-Subduing Princess

“You… are you truly the ‘Dragon-Subduing Princess,’ Xiao Ru, Senior Sister Xiao?” I asked, my voice slightly stammering as I looked at her.

She seemed unprepared for my question, especially since I hadn’t answered hers. After observing me for a moment, she finally smiled sweetly. “I’m not some noble scion, so why would I pretend?”

She blinked, a mischievous glint of triumph in her eyes.

Her words struck me like a jolt, making my head spin slightly. In my daze, I almost opened my mouth to correct her. Strictly speaking, Senior Sister Xiao Ru truly was a noble scion, a descendant of royalty.

Xiao Ru hailed from the Xiao clan of the northern Khitan minority. Based on her ethnic background, she should have been enrolled in the Northern Barbarian Academy in the West District.

However, she received special permission from the school to attend the Five Absolutes Academy in the East District, specializing in the Northern Beggar discipline. This was because her ancestor was the renowned hero, Xiao Feng!

As the saying went, ‘Qiao Feng of the North, Murong of the South,’ Qiao Feng was the name Grand Hero Xiao Feng used during his time as the Beggar Gang’s chief.

After his Khitan identity was exposed, he reverted to the surname Xiao and journeyed far to Changbai Mountain. There, with his unparalleled martial arts prowess, he became the second-in-command of the Khitan people in the Liao Dynasty, the King of the Southern Court!

Thus, Senior Sister Xiao Ru’s noble lineage was truly profound and ancient!

Yet, the words caught in my throat. I opened my mouth, but no sound emerged.

My stunned expression, however, only made Senior Sister Xiao smile again. “You still haven’t answered my question, have you?” she prompted. “Is it really you, little sister?”

“I…” Gazing at her captivating charm, her sweet smile, I felt my face flush once more. Unable to articulate a proper response, I could only nod dumbly.

“It really is you… even though I didn’t see anyone else at the entrance… but you, your age… you’re really from Tianwu University… not the affiliated high school…” Hearing remarks similar to those from Secretary Feng Tian’er just moments ago, I grew even more embarrassed.

I could only shake my head, then nod.

My ambiguous gestures, however, seemed to convey enough for her. She raised an eyebrow, scanning me up and down, then suddenly smiled again.

“My apologies, I shouldn’t have said that. If Principal Dugu himself has spoken, then there’s no room to doubt your identity!

Let me reintroduce myself: I’m Xiao Ru, a third-year student in the Northern Beggar specialization at the Five Absolutes Academy in the East District. Hmm, Principal Dugu should have told you this already, but you’ve been assigned the empty bed in our dorm.

In other words, we’ll be roommates from now on. I hope we can look out for each other.”

“I, I… um… I hope Senior Sister Xiao will look out for me too… As for me… I’m a special enrollment student from the Foreign Language Academy, specializing in, uh, the Sun, Sun Moon Divine Cult… a first-year!” I stammered, my words a little jumbled.

Partly due to my awkwardness and partly on purpose, I omitted my name.

Fortunately, Senior Sister Xiao Ru didn’t seem to notice my oversight. Instead, her focus shifted to something that greatly troubled me.

“So, a first-year student. In that case, you really should call me Senior Sister… But, um, please forgive my bluntness, Senior Sister here is curious: are you… truly eighteen?” She asked, a hint of embarrassment mixed with irrepressible curiosity.

Half of me breathed a sigh of relief, while the other half felt a distinct discomfort. It was then I finally understood what it meant to have one’s appearance cause more concern than their actual age.

Left with no recourse and no idea how to answer, I could only nod firmly once more.

“Wow, but looking at you, junior sister, you’re practically a middle school student from Tianwu University’s affiliated high school! Haha, sorry, sorry, I’m a bit too direct sometimes, please don’t take offense…

Still, a petite and adorable type like you will probably be very popular among the perverted otaku at Tianwu University, right? Even I, your Senior Sister, can’t help but feel a surge of pity and affection when I see you! Haha!” She exclaimed in surprise, then quickly apologized upon sensing my spirits dampen from her words.

Yet, her apology soon turned into playful teasing.

I was caught between annoyance and embarrassment, unable to react. I merely stood there, slightly awkward, my head bowed, not daring to let her see my flushed face.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward, took my hand, and chuckled. “Alright, don’t take it to heart. I’m used to joking around.

And of course, part of it is true – a junior sister as exquisitely delicate as a porcelain doll, wouldn’t anyone adore her?”

The girl’s palm was soft and warm. Though small calluses, slightly raised, marked the base of her fingers from martial arts training, they didn’t detract from her delicate warmth.

Instead, they lent a reassuring strength to her slender, pale hands.

These very hands, wielding the ‘Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms,’ had subdued every master in the school. At merely a third-year, she had ascended to the top three among Tianwu University’s undergraduate elite.

The power of the world’s most formidable ‘Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms’ was something I had gleaned a little from practicing martial arts with Guo Hao, my dorm’s eldest brother.

But the exquisite softness and smoothness of a girl’s delicate hands – that, I was only experiencing for the first time today! Her hands gently held my palm and the back of my hand, all my vital points seemingly encased within her grasp.

Yet, the sweetness of this tender embrace made me feel, in a daze, that I would willingly have my martial arts crippled by her.

Of course, that sentiment was flawed, given that my Master had already completely crippled all my martial arts.

That said, the ‘Dragon-Subduing Princess,’ a legendary figure on campus, would naturally not launch a surprise attack on a mere first-year newcomer like me.

She simply held my hand as a gesture of intimacy. Far from resisting, I welcomed the gesture, even tilting my head back with a slight smile, looking up at her with an expression of pure enjoyment.

After observing me for a moment, she suddenly released my wrist. With her free hand, she gently patted the top of my head.

That head pat instantly flustered me. “Senior Sister, you… what are you doing?” I stammered, my voice barely audible.

“Oh, nothing much,” she replied nonchalantly. “You just look so obedient and cute, I couldn’t resist a pat. We’re roommates now, and you’re my junior.

If anyone dares to bully you at school, don’t worry, your Senior Sister has your back!” Her tone grew spirited and bold towards the end, carrying the air of a gang leader. Truly, a testament to her fierce minority heritage!