Turning the Page

Back outside Shelter P-314, the stench was just as overwhelming as expected. Large numbers of hunters, adventurers, and even traveling merchants who had finished their hunts had returned to rest and recuperate.

As in previous years, the shelter had set up several enormous tents outside. Thick steam billowed from them; inside were makeshift bathhouses.

However, Su Ren and Su Shijie were both shelter residents, so there was no need for them to squeeze in with the outsiders. They went straight inside the shelter.

Thanks to its excellent ventilation system, the smell inside was much lighter.

Still, at a glance, most people looked equally disheveled, while a small number had already washed up and looked fresh and clean.

Some who had returned even spotted acquaintances who had finished bathing and ran over to give them an "enthusiastic hug."

Among all these people, though, there were not many who were as bad off as Su Ren and Su Shijie...

"Big Sis!"

Su Shijie's eyes lit up when he spotted Li Meier, who had finished bathing and was humming a little tune. He immediately pounced toward her.

But Li Meier saw through him at once and swiftly dodged aside, her expression changing dramatically.

"You brat, watch it, or I'll make your ass bloom."

They had not seen each other for nearly half a month, but Li Meier had not been worried. He had gone out with their father, and with the Deer Herd Migration happening, it was perfectly normal for him not to return home.

"Hehe~"

"Did you fall into a shit pit? How did you get this bad?"

After looking Su Shijie up and down, Li Meier's face filled with disgust.

After all, Su Shijie had continued training his close-combat skills without stopping for the past ten days. Whenever he found a suitable target, he would use it for practice.

Now, even factoring in bloodline rank bonuses, he could easily kill a Spirit Deer with the same stats barehanded.

The price was that he had turned into an oversized dead rat.

"Forget it, I should go wash up first."

After being scorned by his big sister, Su Shijie really could not stand it anymore. He turned and rushed toward the shelter's bathhouse. Li Meier, holding her toiletries, watched his departing back thoughtfully.

Then she said to Su Ren, who had fallen a step behind, "Dad, Third Brother seems to have improved quite a lot."

"Mm, he has improved a great deal. It may surprise you."

Su Ren had seen it too. Su Shijie could actually have grabbed Li Meier earlier, but since it was just a joke, he had not truly acted mischievous.

Li Meier had not been able to discern Su Shijie's real strength, but she could still faintly sense a trace of pressure from him.

"Eugh~, you should hurry up and go too. I'm heading home first. That migration nearly worked me to death."

"Okay. We'll have a family meeting tonight. Tell the others as well."

"Alright."

"Su Shijie!"

Just as Su Shijie reached the bathhouse entrance, a familiar voice suddenly called out to him.

He turned and found that it was that unlucky kid, Anna Brin.

Her little face was rosy, and it seemed she had just finished bathing too. Also, had this girl reached the Awakened Rank? Had she used medicine and then gone out to try participating in the hunt as well?

"Hmph, I've reached the Awakened Rank too! Don't get so smug!"

Anna planted her hands on her hips and showed off proudly.

"Oh, that's amazing. Come here, give me a hug."

Su Shijie walked over, hugged her, patted her on the back, and then entered the bathhouse.

Anna froze after suddenly being hugged by Su Shijie. By the time she came back to her senses and noticed the nauseating smell that had rubbed off onto her, she completely broke down.

Even after entering the bathhouse, Su Shijie could hear her frantic scream outside.

"Su Shijie! I'm going to kill you!"

The intense emotion instantly perked Su Shijie up.

Whoa, what a rechargeable battery...

Unlike the makeshift tents outside, the shelter's internal bathhouse had an exceptionally powerful water filtration and purification system. Bathing there was extremely comfortable, and with body wash, he could gradually scrub away the foul stench that had seeped into his skin.

The clothes he changed out of could also be sent directly to the laundry next door. Once washed, he could put them right back on when he left.

"Brother Su?"

After washing himself completely clean and getting into the pool to soak, just as he began missing his little brother's massage skills, Su Shijie heard a voice from beside him. It was He Lei.

"Whoa, what a coincidence?"

"Everyone came to clean up after the migration ended. It's normal to run into each other."

Another voice cut in. It belonged to the commander's third son, Anna's younger brother, Ivan Brin.

"Oh, the Third Young Master is here to experience the life of us commoners too?"

Su Shijie mocked him. Ivan Brin was likewise imitating his father's refined manner, but compared to his two older brothers, he fell far short.

He often lost his composure—a guy just as annoying as his sister in class.

He Lei's family circumstances were average. When the Advanced Class was suspended during the migration period, he would definitely have to help out at home. After all, he was a Mortal Rank 6, much stronger than ordinary people.

But Ivan really was just experiencing life. He planned to use potions anyway, not rely on this for cultivation, and he did not need the little money he could earn from hunting.

"Maybe we'll become family someday. Could you stop being so petty? If I offended you before, please be more forgiving."

Ivan felt his blood pressure rising, but remembering what his father had said recently, he could only sigh helplessly.

"I'm not small."

Su Shijie gave a cold laugh.

He Lei and Ivan lowered their heads for a glance, then silently covered themselves with towels.

Su Shijie could feel his mind becoming increasingly refreshed, as though the exhaustion of the past ten days had been swept away. It felt amazing.

Because Su Shijie had killed the mood, the scene fell quiet for a moment.

He Lei was more familiar with Su Shijie, so he tried to ease the atmosphere.

"Brother Su, we can still rest tomorrow, but the day after that is our final exam. The internet's been fixed too—can we come over to your place to study together?"

"Sure. Haven't we always done that? Why be so formal?"

He Lei often took the initiative to act like his little lackey, so Su Shijie could not exactly be cold-hearted. Whenever he studied before, He Lei would join in as well. After all, his younger brother and little sister's grades spoke for themselves—they were very good at identifying key points.

Of course, He Lei definitely could not keep up with his pace, but that was a matter of learning ability and had nothing to do with him.

He Lei's attempt to warm things up also let Ivan recover.

"My eldest sister and your second brother have started dating. Could you stop being so... narrow-minded?"

What kind of wild nonsense was that? I can't even respond to it.

Su Shijie shot Ivan a speechless sidelong glance. However, he remembered that his father had also mentioned his second brother. His second brother, who was rarely anything but expressionless, wanted a woman.

Though he did not approve of such a waste of time and energy, Su Shijie still decided to respect his second brother's choice.

"Fine. As long as you and your sister don't provoke me, we'll let this go.

"Look, I get along fine with your eldest sister, your two older brothers, and even your father. It's only you two classmates who don't get along with me, so it must be your problem."

"Yes, yes, it's our problem."

Ivan felt rather speechless, but his father had told him to ease the conflict, and he did not dare disobey him. For now, he could only agree with whatever Su Shijie said.

Ivan knew that his current status and everything he had came from his father, so he had never dared to defy him...