Some are happy, some are sad

“Heh… Hoo…”

Lu Jinhan bent over, one hand braced against the wall. His chest heaved violently as he exhaled in ragged gasps.

Before him lay the dozen or so disciples who had ambushed him.

Lu Jinhan struggled to lift his head, glancing towards the hall entrance. ‘What exactly is the meaning of this, Uncle-Master Zhu?’ he grumbled inwardly. ‘These people all wield jianghu techniques, yet they’re entirely different from what I know, with offensive moves making up the majority.

‘If I hadn’t learned their tricks mid-fight, I’d surely be residing in the Alchemy Pavilion by now…’

The disciples within Qi Refining Hall Two were astonished by Lu Jinhan. While such scenes unfolded periodically, most had never imagined a newcomer could emerge victorious against so many opponents.

Though exhausted and disheveled, the young man had fiercely protected his face during the brawl, making him appear far more presentable than the others.

‘What a vain fellow…’

Many in the hall shared this sentiment.

“Hmph, this newcomer certainly has some skill. His potential is quite impressive~”

“Indeed. This lad is Lu Jinhan. Don’t let his effeminate demeanor fool you; he only joined last month. He possesses a congenital full Water spiritual root and is said to be highly valued by Elder Zhu.”

Hearing himself discussed, Lu Jinhan turned his gaze towards the two speakers. One had a gaunt face but exceptionally aggressive eyes.

The other was plain-looking, with decent features, yet the two arms he rested across his chest appeared strangely disproportionate.

Intrigued, Lu Jinhan observed them closely. The two arms were, astonishingly, of different thicknesses.

‘A freak!’ he thought, sighing inwardly.

“You brat, what are you staring at?”

The disciple with the uneven arms seemed highly sensitive. Noticing Lu Jinhan’s gaze, his previously calm expression immediately twisted, like a startled beast.

“You look at others, but others can’t look at you? What kind of logic is that?”

“Oh, your verbal skills are quite sharp, aren’t they? No wonder those with peculiar tastes have set their sights on you~” the gaunt-faced disciple quipped, his words laced with suggestive ambiguity.

He and the other man were close friends, and since his companion wasn’t adept at witty banter, it fell to him to speak.

Lu Jinhan offered a faint smile. “What? Are you mocking me like this because you also wish to offer some pointers?”

Though Lu Jinhan’s retort was unyielding, he was frantically gathering True Qi within. His prolonged struggle against the dozen or so opponents had left him utterly spent, his True Qi thin, and his meridians contracting and trembling—a clear sign of overexertion.

He remained unsure of the two men’s intentions. To be safe, caution was paramount.

Yet, Lu Jinhan felt genuinely aggrieved today. Uncle-Master Zhu’s techniques consumed too much True Qi and were of little practical use, causing him to suffer several significant disadvantages when the fight began.

The gaunt-faced disciple scrutinized Lu Jinhan, gauging his state. With a sneer, he clasped his hands in a salute. “Since you’ve made such a request, then this senior brother shall shamelessly ask for some pointers~”

With that, the man turned to face the hundreds of disciples behind him, bowing deeply. “All fellow disciples, bear witness!” he declared loudly. “I, Yang Feng, have always been a law-abiding individual; you’ve all seen it.

“Today, I’m sparring with Junior Brother Lu at his own request, not because I’m looking for trouble~”

Many in the hall snickered. Yang Feng always wanted both face and substance, and it seemed he had intended to “discipline” the newcomer from the very start.

However, they were in no mood to intervene. From Qi Refining Hall Two up to Hall Eight, opportunities for further advancement were consistently scarce.

Most of the disciples here, unable to break through their bottlenecks for extended periods, had gradually grown pessimistic and restless.

It was unclear when it began, but unspoken rules had emerged, starting from Qi Refining Hall Two.

Newly promoted disciples were often “taught a lesson” by older disciples who had abandoned hopes of breakthrough. While euphemistically called “guiding the younger generation,” it was merely an outlet for their suppressed frustration and anxiety.

Each time these exceptionally talented new disciples walked in with brimming confidence, the seeds of jealousy in the older disciples’ hearts would slowly sprout, until the day they inevitably erupted.

Lu Jinhan, unfortunately, was particularly unlucky. His innate full Water spiritual root aptitude had long been rumored throughout the Skill Transmission Pavilion, and Zhu Manzhi frequently spoke of it.

This had caused those “seeds” of jealousy to instantly grow into “towering trees.”

Normally, ordinary disciples entering Qi Refining Hall Two would only receive a perfunctory greeting from two or three older disciples, who would then cease after venting their frustrations.

However, Lu Jinhan, bearing the halo of a “genius,” received treatment truly befitting his illustrious reputation.

“Damn it…” Lu Jinhan bit his lip. The two men before him clearly weren’t benevolent. Every surge of True Qi brought him excruciating pain, making him a lamb ripe for slaughter in their eyes.

“Heh heh, Junior Brother Lu, prepare to receive my move!”

With that, Yang Feng’s hands formed claws, clearly another set of offensive techniques.

Lu Jinhan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he watched. ‘Uncle-Master Zhu, you’ve really doomed me!’ he lamented inwardly.

But with an opponent attacking, surrender was not an option.

Lu Jinhan lightly bit his tongue, forcing a sliver of his spirit to rally. His Qi Refining cultivation method began to circulate; at this point, he no longer cared whether the True Qi he refined was pure or not.

“I’ll fight to the death!”

“Ouch!”

“Ying!”

Wugou clutched his head with both hands, rubbing it incessantly.

A-wu, perched on his waist, also had tears glimmering in her eyes.

Wugou picked up A-wu, examining her closely. She wasn’t injured, merely startled.

“Sigh…”

Wugou looked up at the large bed beside him, spacious enough for two adults. He genuinely couldn’t fathom how he had fallen off.

“A-wu, you should return to the Spirit Beast Hall today, shouldn’t you? While beast cultivation is rather free-spirited, you can’t neglect it too much.”

Wugou stroked A-wu’s head. The little creature’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly enjoying the attention.

“I say, A-wu, are you listening to me?”

“Mmm~”

A-wu let out a soft hum, nudging her head forward a fraction more. All four tiny pink paws stretched out, a clear sign she was about to act spoiled.

Wugou continued to stroke A-wu’s head for a while. Looking down, he saw the little creature actually showing signs of wanting to go back to sleep.

He turned, glancing out the door.

“It’s already noon again. Time flies so quickly~”

Wugou slowly stood up. Unexpectedly, A-wu, still in his hands, extended her claws and firmly clung to his clothes.

He couldn’t help but sigh. ‘As the saying goes, ‘one lies down with dogs, one rises with fleas.’ A-wu is certainly taking after me…’

Despite his lament, he had no intention of changing.

Still, having stood up Old Man Zhu today, it was best not to push his luck too far.

Even if it was just a “one-sleep-a-day” arrangement, he still had to go.

‘Socializing, I suppose~’

‘Always so tedious and…’

‘Dull.’

He lifted A-wu by the scruff of her neck. Sure enough, the little creature’s four limbs quickly splayed out uncontrollably.

Glancing at A-wu, who was blinking her innocent large eyes in mid-air, Wugou pondered for a moment before resolutely tossing her onto the bed.

“A-wu, be a good girl and go back to the Spirit Beast Hall. I’ll make you something delicious another day, heh heh.”

Wugou’s lips curved upwards slightly. He knew A-wu’s true weakness.

“Ying ying ying, you promise now~”

Upon hearing this, A-wu’s spirits lifted. She immediately got up, then leaped away, quickly vanishing from Wugou’s sight, seemingly afraid he would go back on his word.

Wugou watched A-wu depart, shaking his head. “Glutton!”

He then broke into a wide smile; the little commotion had significantly brightened his mood.

Going straight to the Qi Refining Hall was out of the question.

The disciples of Saint Water Palace only had one meal at noon. Although his Qiankun pouch contained plenty of snacks, it lacked any staple foods.

Those things wouldn’t fill him up.

It was a miscalculation on Wugou’s part.

Wugou often asked his stepmother, Miaomiao, for snacks, but only to prepare them for the two greedy creatures, A-wu and A-miao.

After all, at that time, he had entertained thoughts of taking A-wu as his mount.

As this happened frequently, Miaomiao began to assume Wugou enjoyed these treats himself.

Thus, the peculiar rumor arose in the West Market of a long-haired little girl sweeping through a malt candy store once a month.

Old Man Xing seemed to be in a good mood today, as he had added quite a few extra dishes for Wugou.

He was likely quite interested in the “recipes” Wugou had mentioned.

During the meal, an occasional tiger’s roar and cat’s meow could be heard.

It was A-miao and the cat spirit named Caihua.

The two creatures walked side-by-side, “running rampant” through the dining hall, seemingly in great spirits.

“Their newlywed affection seems quite strong~”

Wugou chuckled. This scruffy, short-legged tiger hardly looked like a high-grade species, yet it was full of spiritual energy and remarkably “clever.”

Though it constantly caused trouble, it always managed to evade punishment, even moving freely under the very nose of the fierce Luo Bingyan.

Its high emotional intelligence made Wugou feel quite ashamed by comparison.

After all, Wugou himself had taken quite a few beatings.

Wugou watched the “dog-and-b*tch pair” running back and forth beside him. He resolved to definitely check the Saint Water Palace’s “Scripture Repository” someday.

To find out exactly what species A-miao, this short-legged tiger, truly was.

“Heh heh, I heard, that Lu Jinhan…”

A disciple in the distance was actually discussing Lu Jinhan.

Wugou looked over curiously. It wasn’t a disciple from Qi Refining Hall One; disciples from the other halls were always more unrestrained and more concerned with their appearance.

This contrasted sharply with the temperament of the reclusive “nerds” in Halls One and Nine.

Wugou subtly shifted his body, his ear twitching slightly, eager to eavesdrop on gossip about that “sissy.”

‘As boring as cultivation is, gossip is equally entertaining~’

Unfortunately, that disciple shielded his mouth with his hand, speaking only to his companion.

“How utterly detestable~ Not sharing such good stuff, hoarding it away…”

Wugou complained inwardly for a moment. Realizing he was also heading to Hall Two today, he quickly sped up, casually clearing the food before him in a couple of swift motions.

The taste was quite good today.

Wugou silently gave Old Man Xing a thumbs-up in his mind.

Just as he entered the Skill Transmission Pavilion’s district gate.

All the hairs on Wugou’s body stood on end in an instant.

‘Someone is probing me with divine sense?’

Wugou glanced around. All who passed by were disciples wearing the standard robes of Saint Water Palace.

The divine sense merely brushed over him, not lingering, clearly indicating no intent to harm.

Luo Bingyan often used divine sense on him in this manner.

Wugou stood still for a moment, and when no one came for him, he shrugged, dismissing it.

“Master, are you truly not letting me give Wugou some pointers? Lu Jinhan suffered quite a loss today,” Zhu Youji said, bowing.

Although he also wished to see that brat Wugou taught a lesson, it was clear that these “full spiritual root” prodigies were receiving excessive attention from the disciples of Qi Refining Hall Two.

He knew his Master genuinely liked the boy. He felt compelled to remind him, as Wugou was only eight years old, and if he were truly harmed, his Master would surely regret it.

“Hmph! Let him go.”

Zhu Manzhi waved a hand, then lay back in his grand armchair and closed his eyes.

Yet, not long after.

“Keep an eye on him at all times,” Zhu Manzhi mumbled softly, then rolled over.

“Yes.” Zhu Youji smiled faintly, understanding perfectly.