Having Fun at Gangzi's Expense

"Why does this kid look so familiar? Have I seen him in the village?"

He was the mighty Clear Sky Douluo, who had roamed the continent unhindered for decades and dared to confront even the Pope of Spirit Hall head-on. Yet today, a child had nearly sent him flying.

And there had been no one else nearby.

He had let his guard down.

Had he not relied on his deep reserves as a Titled Douluo, any Soul Elder or even Soul Ancestor who had taken that collision would probably have been crippled if not killed.

"What Martial Soul was that? To unleash such terrifying speed..."

Tang Hao's expression was as dark as water.

Judging by Cai Kun's retreating figure, he was clearly headed for Nuoding City as well.

Tang Hao brushed the debris from his clothes. His figure flickered slightly, and he silently followed behind.

"Clang-clang-clang-"

As the morning bell of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy rang its final note, Cai Kun finally slipped into the classroom building just in time.

The entire morning's academic lessons were dull and tedious.

At the lectern, a gray-haired old schoolteacher droned on and on about the history of Douluo Continent. It was even less interesting than Gangzi's Ten Core Competencies. Cai Kun grew drowsy listening below and simply lay down on his desk to catch up on sleep.

The moment the bronze bell rang for the midday break, the classroom erupted in noise.

Cai Kun rubbed his aching shoulder, reached into the side mesh pocket of his backpack, and took out the pie Old Jack had made.

He unwrapped it. Though the bumpy trip had left it looking rather unappetizing, it was fortunately still a little warm.

"I almost forgot what I came to do."

Carrying the pie, he strolled across the academy's exercise grounds to the gate.

A crude wooden fence had been put up in its place for the time being.

A bald, middle-aged man stood at the entrance, clutching a huge bowl and noisily shoveling down noodles with offal.

"Hello?"

The middle-aged man swallowed his mouthful of noodles and eyed the child with the pie, asking irritably:

"What class are you in? Students aren't allowed to leave school without permission during the lunch break. Go back to your dorm and stay there!"

Cai Kun grinned and held out the pie:

"Mister, I'm looking for the young man who was guarding the gate yesterday. My family made this radish pie especially for him. I brought it as a snack and an apology."

The bald man froze, put down his bowl, and suddenly looked a little strange.

He stared at Cai Kun for a moment, then sneered:

"Him? Where are you going to find him? He packed his bags and left early today to enjoy the good life!"

Cai Kun blinked. "Was he hurt that badly? Did he go straight back to the countryside to recover?"

"Recover my ass!"

"He got hit by something yesterday, and he should've needed time to heal, but Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang stepped in, and the school approved a huge compensation payment of a hundred Gold Soul Coins on the spot! And just like that, all his injuries healed."

"As soon as he got the money yesterday, the woman who'd refused to marry him no matter what suddenly agreed to discuss getting married, and then they bought a house right away."

The more he spoke, the more worked up he became, until his eyes turned red. "A whole hundred Gold Soul Coins! Why wasn't I lucky enough to get hit?!"

"If they gave me a hundred Gold Soul Coins, never mind two broken ribs—I'd take it even if they smashed every bone in my body!"

Listening to the heart-rending wails beside him, Cai Kun's mouth twitched violently several times.

So that one collision yesterday had changed a man's class and fate and brought about a marriage?

"All right, I'm too late after all. Wish the bride and groom happiness for me." Cai Kun left with the pie, somewhat disappointed.

After that, Cai Kun went looking for Gangzi to hitch a ride, so he wouldn't miss the famous scene that was sure to get a laugh.

"Knock, knock."

Cai Kun politely knocked on the office door, but no answer came from inside.

He pushed, and the wooden door swung open. It had not been locked at all.

The office was empty, and there was a cup only half full of steaming hot tea.

"That fast?"

Cai Kun turned and left.

Just outside Nuoding City's gates, cart tracks crisscrossed the yellow dirt road.

Cai Kun took a deep breath and launched himself forward.

"Bang!"

The dirt exploded into a cloud, and his figure became a black streak that vanished from the spot.

The wind howled in his ears as the bare trees on either side rushed past.

Before long, a slow-moving two-horse carriage appeared in the distance ahead. It was the very one he remembered.

He stepped in front of it without hesitation, and the coachman immediately pulled it to a halt.

"Whoa-!"

"Who are you? Don't you watch where you're going..."

Cai Kun couldn't be bothered to listen to the coachman's cursing. He walked to the window and yanked the curtain open.

Yu Xiaogang poked half his head out, greatly surprised by Cai Kun's sudden appearance.

"Cai Kun? How did you catch up to us here?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned deeply, his voice thick with puzzlement:

"Didn't that senior you mentioned get you a Soul Ring? Why are you still following us to the Soul Hunting Forest?"

Cai Kun patted the dust off his shoes and looked up with an expression of humble eagerness to learn:

"Grandmaster, you can't put it like that."

"Although I have a Soul Ring, that senior did everything for me. I don't have the slightest bit of practical experience fighting Soul Beasts."

"I listened to that old teacher drone on in class for ages this morning. All he taught were stale old tricks with their teeth fallen out. They put me right to sleep."

"I thought it over and over, and you're the only one in Nuoding City who truly understands real combat and has genuine talent and learning. That's why I chased after you. I want to follow you, broaden my horizons, and learn some real skills!"

"I hope you'll let me listen and watch from the sidelines too, Grandmaster."

That was what Cai Kun said, but he really just wanted to see Gangzi crash and burn.

After that string of flattering words, even someone as shrewd as Yu Xiaogang could not keep the corners of his mouth from lifting. As it happened, he was susceptible to that sort of thing too.

Who in Nuoding Academy, from top to bottom, didn't laugh behind his back at the level-twenty-nine good-for-nothing who did nothing but eat for free and collect a salary?

And now, a peerless genius with Innate Full Soul Power had chased him for more than ten li, crying and begging to observe his practical combat instruction!

A long-forgotten sense of accomplishment as a grandmaster surged through him, sweeping away all his wariness.

"Ahem. You're a perceptive child, at least. You understand that talking about warfare on paper will only get you so far."

Yu Xiaogang nodded with feigned reserve and reached out to open the carriage door:

"Very well. Since you're so eager to learn, come along. I can give you a few pointers on the way."

"Great! Thank you, Grandmaster!"

"Driver, we can go!"

"Jie jie jie!" Cai Kun chuckled wickedly, nimbly clambered into the carriage, and plopped down to Gangzi's right.

Tang San, sitting opposite them, glanced at Cai Kun and gave a faint smile, but said nothing.

He thought Cai Kun had regretted not taking the Grandmaster as his master, and had now come running eagerly to learn after realizing how formidable he was.

At the same time, Tang San marveled inwardly at his own good judgment in latching onto such a hidden powerhouse.

Noticing that the atmosphere in the carriage was a little quiet, Cai Kun took out the undelivered pie, still wrapped in oiled paper.

A rich, rustic aroma of radish and lard immediately filled the carriage.

"Oh, right, Grandmaster. I nearly forgot what I came to do."