Sean and Nory were not as surprised as Wurth.
Upon seeing Zen, this dainty, pretty girl complained that he did not visit her! Zen must have a lot of charm to bewitch her like this.
'When exactly did Zen meet Nina?' they wondered. 'Did they meet at the trial for slaying demons?'
"Hey, Zen, won't you give us an introduction? Is this your girlfriend?" Sean, who was older than Zen, teased him.
Nory was more flippant and straightforward. He straightened and gave Nina a solemn salute. "How are you, Zen's girlfriend?"
"Don't say nonsense!" Nina rebuked him, but her face broke into a flush. She didn't really seem to mind how Zen's friends addressed her.
Zen's friends were quite perceptive, so how could they not make out what that blush meant? Generally speaking, it was a universal sign indicating that a girl harbored a crush on a guy.
"Okay, fine! I won't talk nonsense anymore. I will reserve calling you that for the future!" Nory responded, casting Yates a short, casual look. Nory was naive but not ignorant. Yates had been particularly attentive to Nina ever since she walked in. As per what Nory observed, Yates obviously held some kind of affection for her. The more he teased Nina about Zen, the more dispirited and indignant Yates got.
"Humph!" Nina gave a snort and wrinkled her nose in chagrin. She turned to her friends, calling them from a distance. "Girls... Come here. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Zen Luo!"
Hearing this, a few girls came up to her, huddling and checking out Zen from head to toe with their wide, pretty eyes. They immediately launched into a stream of comments.
"So, this is Zen! No wonder you always talk about him, Nina. Listening to you describe him is not as good as actually meeting him in person. He is so handsome!"
"Yeah, his eyes are so bright, they seem to glow!"
"Wow, I should have taken part in the last trial of slaying demons too! How exhilarating it must have been to be saved by him from the demon generals!"
Zen had no idea that the stories of him defeating the demon general and saving Nina from the clutches of another five of them had spread throughout Lady Peak!
Apparently, he was more popular there than he was at Drizzle Peak.
Those sentiments were not widely shared by the disciples at Drizzle Peak. His fellow participants there were tight-lipped about his astonishing feats at the trial for slaying demons.
The female disciples talked in whispers among themselves, their faces lit up with excitement. Except for Yetta, who appeared disinterested and aloof, everyone sang praises of Zen and was in awe of his heroics.
Yetta, who was Nina's best friend, was, of course, aware of Zen's valor. Nina had described him more than once as a great hero. In addition, the other female disciples who had taken part in the trial took note of Zen's gallantry.
At any other time and place, Yetta too would have participated and expressed her admiration for Zen.
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