Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night

"So, you don't plan to forgive Little San?"

Master's expression turned serious as his gaze fell on Du Cheng.

If Du Cheng insisted on this, then he could only resort to some special measures.

Though doing so would damage the image he had carefully maintained all this time, for Tang San... it would be worth it!

"Master, you misunderstand."

Though he did not know what Master was thinking, Du Cheng keenly sensed a trace of malice from him.

Shaking his head quickly, Du Cheng took a step back to prevent this guy from lashing out in desperation.

"What I mean is... you need to pay more!"

"Hoo~"

Upon hearing Du Cheng's words, Master's first reaction was actually to let out a sigh of relief.

"How much do you want?"

"Two Soul Tools."

Holding up two fingers, Du Cheng smiled with utmost sincerity.

"Tang San's slander has dealt tremendous harm to Xiao Wu's and my souls. Ordinary money simply cannot compensate us."

After a brief pause, Du Cheng continued.

"But if Master can provide Xiao Wu and me with a Soul Tool of no less than ten cubic meters each, then we can reluctantly forgive him."

"Storage Soul Guidance Devices, you..."

"Surely not?"

Before Master could finish, Du Cheng spoke again.

"A dignified Master wouldn't lack even the courage to help his own disciple bear the consequences of his mistakes, would he?"

"Teacher~"

As Du Cheng finished speaking, Tang San chimed in at just the right moment.

By now, he had already regarded Master as his only lifeline.

If even Master abandoned him, then he truly might be expelled from the academy...

"I agree to this."

Under the combined pressure of his beloved student and the many watching eyes around them, Master yielded.

Brushing his hand over the ring on his finger, a black belt inlaid with twenty-four milky white jade stones suddenly appeared in Master's hand.

"This belt is called Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night. Each jade stone on it possesses one cubic meter of storage space."

Suppressing his reluctance, Master handed the belt to Du Cheng and continued speaking.

"As long as this belt is split in half, each of you will have a twelve-cubic-meter Storage Soul Guidance Device."

At this point, Master paused slightly.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"I thought you could give Xiao Wu and me a Soul Tool each."

Complaints aside, Du Cheng's hands did not slow in the slightest.

He had been coveting a storage belt for a long time.

Snatching the belt from Master's hand, Du Cheng revealed a barely restrained smile.

"But since Master is asking, I, Du Cheng, am willing to give you some face."

"I am willing to forgive Little San for this misunderstanding."

With that, Du Cheng released Tang San, whom he had been holding down, then warmly patted him on the shoulder.

"Little San, you mustn't act so rashly in the future. After all, not everyone is as easy to talk to as I am."

"You..."

"Since this matter is settled, let it end here."

Seeing that Tang San still wanted to speak, Master directly cut him off.

"Little San, come with me."

"Yes!"

Since the teacher who had just resolved his trouble had spoken, Tang San naturally had to show him some respect.

After glaring at Du Cheng once more, Tang San hurriedly followed Master away.

"This thing is of decent quality. It'll be just right for making each of us a bracelet."

Waving Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night in his hand, Du Cheng turned his gaze to Xiao Wu.

"I didn't ask your opinion and forgave Tang San directly. You're not angry, are you?"

"Cheng Gege must have had your reasons for doing that."

Hearing Du Cheng's words, Xiao Wu broke into a wide smile.

"Besides, I don't want him expelled from the academy yet. If that happened, wouldn't I have no one left to bully?"

Seeing the excited gleam in Xiao Wu's eyes, Du Cheng could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

He had not expected this girl to be not only someone who held grudges, but also so petty.

"As expected of Xiao Wu. You really are clever."

Rubbing Xiao Wu's head, Du Cheng offered high praise for the little girl's temperament.

"Come on, let's find a place to sort this thing out a bit."

"Xiao Wu will listen to Cheng Gege."

The storage jade stones embedded in Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night were actually only the size of soybeans, but even so, they still looked beautiful as they glittered under the sunlight.

Upon hearing Du Cheng's words, Xiao Wu immediately revealed a broad smile.

Du Cheng Gege was so good to her. He was even willing to give Xiao Wu such a fine Soul Tool...

The joys and sorrows of people had never truly been shared.

Just like at this moment, Tang San could not understand at all the joy Du Cheng felt from having the little girl cling affectionately to his arm.

"Teacher, I'm sorry~"

After following Master back to his room, Tang San finally lowered his head and apologized.

"Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I..."

Feeling Master's gaze, Tang San lowered his head even further.

"I shouldn't have made baseless assumptions and slandered a fellow student. I also made Teacher lose face."

"Wrong!"

As soon as Tang San finished speaking, Master quickly shook his head.

"Whether you misheard or did it deliberately, there was already conflict between you and Du Cheng. It was only natural for you to cause him trouble."

"Teacher?"

Tang San looked at Master with confusion in his eyes.

Then what did I do wrong?

"Your true mistake was acting without first understanding the situation."

Seemingly reading Tang San's expression, Master took the initiative to explain.

"Since you have determined that you are enemies, then when you act, you must ensure a killing blow. Otherwise, what happened today is an obvious lesson."

"I understand."

With Master's reminder, Tang San came to his senses.

That was right. He had tried to drive Du Cheng out of the academy over a few words he had not heard clearly. He had indeed been too rash today.

"Teacher, rest assured. I will never make such a mistake again."

"Mm."

Master nodded, very satisfied with Tang San's response.

This disciple was somewhat rash when handling matters, but fortunately, he was obedient enough and had good comprehension.

"This bracelet is called Moonlit Star Tower. It contains eight cubic meters of storage space."

Handing a bracelet to Tang San, Master continued.

"Though it is slightly smaller than Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night, it should be enough for you."

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Looking at the storage bracelet Master had given him, which emitted a pale blue glow, Tang San's eyes could not help lighting up.

When Master had given Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night to Du Cheng, he had already been driven mad with jealousy. He had not expected that he, too, could now receive one.