Little Rich Woman Wang Xin

"Where did you put the Spirit Stones? Hand them over, now."

"I didn't steal your Spirit Stones!"

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

"Exactly. If it wasn't you, who else could it have been?"

"Don't think I don't know—you secretly caught Spirit Fish from the lake."

Their voices dripped with mockery and disdain.

The moment Zhou Ling entered the lounge, he saw Yuan Hu in the corridor.

Two sturdy children had pinned Yuan Hu beneath them, while Zheng Youwei crouched beside him, reaching out to pinch his nose.

Yuan Hu's face was flushed red. When he saw Zhou Ling, he hurriedly cried, "Brother Ling, I really didn't steal his Spirit Stones."

As soon as he said that, Yuan Hu's eyes reddened, and he nearly burst into tears.

Looking at Yuan Hu's helpless, wronged expression, Zhou Ling knew he had to do something.

Over the past four months, he had come to roughly understand Yuan Hu. The boy was honest by nature.

It was highly unlikely that he would steal someone else's Spirit Stones.

So, Zhou Ling walked over and shouted with great authority, "All of you, stop!"

[You are roaring. Roar +1, Sound Wave +1]

[Total Roars: 1072/10,000]

After three months of unrelenting effort, his [Roar] talent had finally been successfully awakened.

Zhou Ling's furious shout was loud, and its force was even greater, making all the children present hurriedly cover their ears with both hands.

For a moment, everyone was stunned into silence.

Only Yuan Hu was quick-witted. He hurriedly broke free from the two boys' restraint and nimbly ran to Zhou Ling's side.

As the sound quickly faded, Zheng Youwei saw the other children looking at Zhou Ling with fear. Humiliated and enraged, he pointed at Zhou Ling and said, "Zhou Ling, this brat stole my Spirit Stones, and you're still shielding him. Did you put him up to it?!"

Zhou Ling stared at him, momentarily taken aback. These Scions of Noble Families really were sly as ghosts.

At such a young age, they already knew how to scheme.

"Brother Ling, he's framing me! I've never even seen his Spirit Stones!" Yuan Hu hurriedly shouted.

Zhou Ling nodded, then looked at Zheng Youwei and barked, "What evidence do you have that Yuan Hu stole them?"

To teach the other boy a lesson, he deliberately raised his voice.

[You are roaring. Roar +1, Sound Wave +1]

And this shout was indeed effective.

Even Zheng Youwei, who had opened seven Spiritual Acupoints, was frightened into falling to the ground.

After getting back up, he glared at Zhou Ling with a livid face and said unwillingly, "Who else could it have been besides him? I advise you not to meddle in other people's business!"

"The lounge is for you to rest in, not for you to fight and make noise!"

"No matter what this is about, disturbing the other disciples' rest like this is wrong."

"Go to the Study Hall now and stand as punishment until the afternoon lesson ends."

"Zhou Ling's Dao Academy reward for this month is canceled!"

At that moment, a stern voice rang out.

Liu Yan entered with a grave expression.

Everyone jumped in fright, and for a time, no one dared make a sound.

Zhou Ling knew that explanations would be useless now. Silent, he was the first to leave the lounge and go stand at the back of the Study Hall.

He had not expected the Instructor to arrive so quickly.

He was not afraid of standing as punishment, but losing this month's reward made his heart ache terribly.

Over the past few months, he had worked tirelessly and always ranked among the best in every assessment.

Liu Yan had also applied for a Dao Academy reward for him, allowing him to receive one Low-grade Spirit Stone each month.

Though it was not much, it could at least help make up for some of the household expenses.

At that thought, Zhou Ling's heart turned sour, and he could not help sighing. He blamed himself for being too impulsive.

Now, he wanted to help earn money, but he was still too young. That day seemed far beyond reach. Even the monthly reward of one Spirit Stone was not enough to cover the cost of the Spirit Food his mother bought for him.

And in order to help support the household, his mother could only work as hired help at a restaurant near their home.

Every day, she still had to gather herbs and dry them, as well as take him to and from the Dao Academy.

She was becoming more and more haggard from all the work.

Father's injuries had yet to recover, yet he had gone back into the mountains again.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ling felt awful inside, wishing he could grow up faster.

Wang Xin had been caught in the crossfire as well, silently following behind Zhou Ling.

"Brother Ling, I'm sorry. This is all my fault!"

Yuan Hu apologized softly.

Zhou Ling shook his head. Being made to stand as punishment was utterly insignificant to him.

"Zhou Ling, this Qi Gathering Pill was... was given to me by my mother. You were punished because of me, so consider this my way of making it up to you!"

Wang Xin took a small Pill Bottle from her person and handed it to Zhou Ling.

When speaking with Zhou Ling, she was no longer quite so halting, though she still kept her words as brief as possible.

"Qi Gathering Pill?"

Zhou Ling immediately understood what Wang Xin meant. He glanced at the Pill Bottle, his face full of surprise.

Wang Xin's usual lunches were all exquisite Spirit Food.

They were certainly not cheap.

Qi Gathering Pills, meanwhile, were medicinal pills that assisted Qi Refining Cultivators in their cultivation.

Even a First-Grade Low-Rank pill cost several Low-grade Spirit Stones per pill.

And Wang Xin was just giving one to him!

"This came from your family?"

"Yes, my mother is an alchemist. A One-Pattern Qi Gathering Pill, with no Pill Toxin."

"I took one yesterday, so I... I don't need this one for now!"

"A One-Pattern Qi Gathering Pill!"

Zhou Ling took a deep breath, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

Because he had read many books, he knew that refining a Qi Gathering Pill containing pill patterns required at least a Second-Grade Alchemist.

Medicinal pills generally contained Pill Toxin, making them unsuitable for long-term consumption.

But pills containing pill patterns not only had medicinal efficacy far surpassing ordinary pills, they also contained very little Pill Toxin and would not greatly affect the body's meridians.

They were rarely seen on the market as well.

Ordinary Rogue Cultivators simply could not buy them.

A First-Grade Low-Rank Qi Gathering Pill containing pill patterns would cost at least twenty or thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Perhaps even more.

He had known Wang Xin's family was surely wealthy, but he had never expected them to be this lavish.

After all, Wang Yu came alone every day to pick Wang Xin up and drop her off.

Whenever she met Mother, the two would chat and laugh together.

She had never once revealed her identity as a Second-Grade Alchemist.

Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators had to treat a Second-Grade Alchemist with courtesy when they encountered one.

"This pill is far too precious. I can't accept it."

"Besides, this has nothing to do with you!"

Though Zhou Ling desperately wanted to accept it, after thinking for a long while, he still did not want to take advantage of a child. He could only grit his teeth and refuse.

"What do you mean, precious? My family has plenty of them!"

Seeing Zhou Ling refuse, Wang Xin's eyes reddened, as though she were about to cry.

"Th-then, all right!"

"I'll accept it!"

Zhou Ling could only say shamelessly.

Only then did a smile appear on Wang Xin's little face.

"I'll have Mother take this Qi Gathering Pill when I get home tonight!"

Holding the Pill Bottle, Zhou Ling thought to himself.

But he quickly shook his head.

Mother was not the sort of person who liked taking advantage of others.

If she learned that Wang Xin had given him this pill, and that it was so precious, she would definitely make him return it.

After turning it over in his mind, he decided to take it himself instead.

He immediately uncorked the Pill Bottle and poured out a black medicinal pill the size of his thumb.

The pill's surface had a tangible texture, marked by a distinct azure pill pattern.

"This is a First-Grade Low-Rank Qi Gathering Pill!"

Zhou Ling immediately swallowed the pill whole.

Then he circulated the Five Elements Breathing Technique to refine its medicinal power.

Before long, a scorching current flowed through his meridians.

[You are absorbing spiritual energy. Spiritual Energy Affinity +10, Spiritual Energy +2000]

With a muffled pop from within his body, another Spiritual Acupoint was forced open.

Zhou Ling was overjoyed. This pill's effect was far too good!