"Yeah." Zhu Wu smiled and nodded. "I just enrolled today."
As he spoke, he took off the bamboo basket from his back and set it down.
"Boss, please count the goods. Thanks for all your help before—after this, I probably won't be coming by much anymore."
Although their initial partnership was based on mutual benefit, it was thanks to the shopkeeper's early gift of an herbal guide that Zhu Wu was able to learn about many of this world's herbs. In his previous life, he hadn't memorized many at all.
Besides, after learning that Zhu Wu had shared the seeds with the villagers, this shopkeeper had even taken the initiative to establish a purchase deal with Holy Spirit Village. A solid business backer—Zhu Wu had no reason to sour the relationship.
"I understand, I understand!" The shopkeeper now spoke with noticeably more courtesy as he walked out from behind the counter.
"Lao San, hurry up and check the goods."
"On it!" the clerk chirped as he rushed over.
Before long, the herbs were all counted, and payment handed over. With the two men seeing him off, Zhu Wu took his leave.
"From a sparrow to a phoenix," the shopkeeper sighed as he watched the boy's figure disappear. He then turned to the clerk.
"Lao San, raise the purchase price of herbs from Holy Spirit Village by one more copper."
"Got it, boss," the clerk agreed readily—he understood what was going on.
Zhu Wu had already stepped onto the main street but paused briefly, then turned right.
Soon, he stopped at an alley across from a fabric shop.
From a distance, he could see a signboard hanging quietly on the wall beside the shop entrance. On it were four characters: "Bai Family Fabric Store."
He had heard this name many times even before he was born, when his consciousness had first awakened. Later, while visiting Notting City to sell herbs, he'd quietly investigated it.
Inside the shop: an older woman, about fifty, stood behind the counter; outside was a man of similar age. Off to the side, a well-built young man was hauling bolts of fabric. Near him stood a woman introducing items to a customer.
Grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt...
Zhu Wu stood silently, watching for a while. Then, he turned and walked away.
Since he had already been presumed dead, he believed it best not to disturb a family that had finally come to terms with their loss and now seemed to be living a relatively happy life.
It would also help avoid accidentally exposing himself—and attracting the attention of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which could bring harm to innocent people.
"As for her revenge… I'll take care of that myself," he whispered to himself, quickening his pace until he disappeared into the street.
After grabbing a quick lunch at a street stall and buying some bedding at another fabric shop, Zhu Wu headed straight back to the academy.
As he passed the academic office building, he'd only taken a few steps when a group of students approached him.
"Little sister, need a hand?"
The boy in the lead had a slight blush on his face, chest out, speaking with righteous confidence.
"…"
Zhu Wu looked up at him, and the boy's face instantly turned redder.
Goosebumps broke out all over Zhu Wu's body.
"I'm a guy!" he snapped, clutching his bedding tightly and storming off around the group.
"…"
The boy stood frozen in place, face burning.
Feeling the odd stares from other students nearby, his face reddened even more. He glared once, then turned and walked away—fast.
Damn it, how humiliating!
"Hahaha, that Xiao Chenyu…"
Behind them, a female teacher couldn't hold in her laughter, covering her mouth as she giggled.
With his younger followers surrounding him, Xiao Chenyu sped up even more.
Meanwhile, Zhu Wu returned quickly to Dorm 7. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw that everyone except Tang San was there.
"Hey, Xiao Zhu, you're back!" Wang Sheng greeted him with a smile.
"Yeah," Zhu Wu replied with a smile of his own—and immediately saw Wang Sheng's face turn bright red.
Damn it, I'm a guy! Zhu Wu sighed inwardly, speechless.
"Xiao Zhu, you went out and didn't bring anything tasty back for Sister Xiao Wu? That's pretty sloppy of you for a little bro," Xiao Wu's voice called out from the side, dripping with disappointment like she was scolding an unteachable child.
Zhu Wu turned to look—Xiao Wu was lying in the middle of her bed, her chest flat as the mattress. The covers didn't dip in the slightest.
Girl, who even are you? You're just average, but why's your ego so inflated?
He kept smiling.
"Sister Xiao Wu, I'll be sure to remember next time."
Ladies, remember this: a man who values you doesn't need to be told—he just knows what you want.
The phrase popped into his mind—a bit of sappy "girl boss" wisdom from his past life. He suspected Xiao Wu had been steeped in it.
And not just a little—overflowing.
"That's more like it." Xiao Wu nodded with a satisfied expression.
Zhu Wu gave a slight smile, turned, and walked back to his bed. He began laying out his bedding, then sat down and looked at Wang Sheng.
"Brother Wang, how do soul masters usually cultivate?"
"Meditation!" Wang Sheng answered without thinking. Then he smacked his forehead and added sheepishly, "Right, you just started school."
"Well, the first lesson tomorrow is about that anyway, so I'll explain it to you now."
With that, he began introducing Zhu Wu to the basic knowledge for new students.
"Thanks, Brother Wang. I'll give it a try now," Zhu Wu said gratefully and closed his eyes, entering meditation.
Two quarters of an hour passed, and he still hadn't opened his eyes.
He's already cultivating?
The other roommates were surprised but didn't disturb him. They simply lowered their voices and continued chatting quietly.
Some time later—creak—the door opened, and Tang San walked in with a smile.
"Tang San, why are you back so late? Where have you been?!" Xiao Wu's voice rang out, clearly annoyed and not quiet at all.
Zhu Wu was jolted awake, eyes scanning the room.
"I went to see the teacher," Tang San replied with a smile. "He taught me a lot about being a soul master, so I stayed a bit longer. Also, I won't be attending the opening ceremony tomorrow—he's taking me to the Junior Spirit Hunting Forest to get my first spirit ring."
Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng and the others looked on with envy.
So, he really did take him as a disciple.
Zhu Wu kept a calm face and closed his eyes again to continue meditating.
In the three months since his spirit awakening, by practicing the Diamond Body Technique and Longevity Art morning and night, he had raised his spirit power by one level—despite limited training time due to physical constraints. He could've improved faster if he hadn't taken Xiaobai herb-gathering in the mountains for a while.
Unfortunately, primary soul master academies only have a one-year term with winter break being the only major holiday. He didn't have enough money to spend freely, and if he tried looking for herbs again, it would take several days. Taking leave was nearly impossible—so he had to make use of this short time before classes began.
He was still 3 levels away from reaching Rank 10. He needed to hurry.
"Once I get my first spirit ring, maybe I'll be able to achieve internal visualization like Tang San in the original story," he thought.
"If that works, I'll be able to clearly observe the soul power flow during the Diamond and Longevity techniques, allowing me to actively guide it. That'll make my cultivation much faster than just doing physical movements."
With a focused heart, he immersed himself in meditation again.
Is this a competition?
Seeing how deeply Zhu Wu had thrown himself into cultivation, even Tang San felt a competitive spark.
"Hmph! Tang San, are you even listening to me?" Xiao Wu snapped, arms crossed.
"I'm listening…" Tang San turned back helplessly.
Time passed quickly, and the sun gradually began to set. Wang Sheng finally couldn't help reminding Zhu Wu it was time for dinner.
"I still have some dry rations in my bundle. I'll pass," Tang San said.
"I won't go either—I still have a radish left from this morning. Tang San, share some of that dry food with me!" Xiao Wu chimed in quickly.
"Sure," Tang San replied with a smile, not refusing.
Zhu Wu, well aware of the original plot, knew what was coming next.
Even though things had changed slightly, unless something unexpected happened, after dinner Xiao Wu would definitely drag Tang San outside to stargaze, challenge him to a duel, and then end up riding on him—only to be misunderstood by a female teacher.
"Brother Wang, let's go," Zhu Wu said as he jumped down from the bed and walked to the door.
And so, the group filed out of the dorm and headed for the cafeteria.
(End of Chapter)
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