The Skull Fractures Again

Jade Little Sister's heart skipped a beat. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.

She was practically so embarrassed that her ears were burning.

Seeing Jade Little Sister's strange expression, Han San suddenly felt that his teacher was incredibly unfamiliar. How could she be so shameless? But then again, she'd done something so outrageous with Tang Qinghe. It was only natural that she didn't want anyone else to find out.

The news had already spread. Tang Qinghe had been parading around for three months, and now the entire academy knew. Even people walking along the streets around the city had heard about it.

Jade Little Sister's performance was flawless:

"It's a pity that my former fiancé was so clueless. He was short to begin with, and when he met a tall girl in the brothel, he threw me aside."

As she spoke, Jade Little Sister even wore a look of melancholy.

Seeing Jade Little Sister act so convincingly, Han San couldn't bear it any longer. He interrupted her performance. "Teacher, just three months ago, I was beaten black and blue by Tang Qinghe."

Jade Little Sister stopped pretending to be sad. Her expression turned sincere again. She hoisted Han San up by his collar, strode to the door, and flung him out. Then she sat back down, looking as though the melancholy expression had never crossed her face.

"I'll tell you the whole story."

Han San said, "The story is Tang Qinghe..."

In a few words, Han San recounted how Tang Qinghe had beaten him up.

Tang Qinghe had thoroughly thrashed him, using a leg technique so extraordinary that it was beyond anything he'd ever seen. Finally, she'd used her first Spirit Skill to break his skull, beating him unconscious.

After listening, Jade Little Sister wore an expression of regret and concealed delight. "So Tang Qinghe was the one, huh? Battle Tiger, a natural Spirit Power of thirty, seven spirit rings, and a thirteen-rank attack-type Spirit Essence... No wonder that kid ended up on the right path."

Han San said hesitantly, "Teacher, you mean..."

The light in Jade Little Sister's eyes flickered. "Kid, now's the time to show off my 'ordinary person's wisdom.'"

"First, let me analyze this for you. You're a control-type Spirit Essence user. In terms of height and strength, you're no match for an attack-type Spirit Essence user. That was the main reason you lost that fight. But I'm going to criticize you harshly: you completely failed to make use of your control-type Spirit Body. If you'd used your Blue Silver Grass to tie up her hands and feet the moment you two met, then followed up with an attack, the outcome would have been completely different."

If Tang Qinghe had been there, she would've agreed with every word. Even this speech about general principles had made Han San start to nod along. She hadn't been wrong about anything.

But Han San felt that she was right only because she was making a point. If he'd used his Blue Silver Grass to tie his opponent up right from the start, the fight would've ended immediately. He'd have wrapped her up and thrown her aside. She wouldn't have even had a chance to use her Spirit Skills.

"That makes sense, Teacher. But what does this have to do with Tang Qinghe ending up on the right path?"

"He had help from an herb," Jade Little Sister said confidently.

"An herb?"

The word brought to mind the herbs given to Han San by the elders of the Tang Clan. Everyone's expression shifted, as though they had figured something out.

Jade Little Sister nodded. "That's right. You probably know Tang Qinghe's natural Spirit Power is only thirteen, and his Spirit Essence is just the common Battle Tiger, a martial spirit found all over the continent."

"Without a famous teacher to guide him, a poor boy like him who died ten times over wouldn't necessarily become a Spirit Essence user even after three or five years. That Wang Long, the one who's just graduated, is a good example. His Spirit Essence is also a Battle Tiger, and his natural Spirit Power is even one rank lower than Tang Qinghe's."

"But he still graduated from the academy and became a Spirit Body user. So, based on my reasoning, he must have eaten some kind of herb to boost his Spirit Power so quickly. On the Douluo Continent, though, herbs that rapidly increase Spirit Power usually have side effects. In other words, he was trading tomorrow for today."

As the saying goes, the highest level of deceiving others is to deceive yourself along with them.

After saying all that, Jade Little Sister had practically convinced herself that Tang Qinghe had relied on a large amount of forbidden herbs to improve his cultivation.

With a grim expression, he chuckled at Han San. "Little San, remember this. No matter when, never try to take shortcuts to improve your strength. Tang Qinghe is a warning from the past."

"Yes, Teacher. I understand."

At that moment, Han San was no longer the former Tang San. Since Jade Little Sister trusted him completely, he readily agreed, but he couldn't help feeling worried.

So Tang Qinghe had relied on herbs to improve his cultivation.

Even though he was suspicious, he couldn't simply admit it.

From that day on, he couldn't help wondering about it.

At the same time, he finally understood why Tang Qinghe, despite being such a talented cultivator, had spent so long at the academy.

There was an eighty or ninety percent chance it was a side effect of the herbs. He just didn't know which corner he'd gone off to wander in, or whether he'd died somewhere along the way.

He couldn't rule out the possibility that he was already dead.

Just as Jade Little Sister was brooding, about to say something else, a wave of Han San's nausea suddenly hit her. Jade Little Sister quickly stood up. "Little San, that's enough for today. Go back and get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll get you back to your usual lessons."

"Yes, Teacher."

After leaving Jade Little Sister's room, Han San felt a strange pang in his heart. Although he'd been mocked in the dormitory, it had still warmed him when he saw the people there speaking of his teacher, Jade Little Sister.

After a brief pause, Han San headed back to Jade Little Sister's dorm.

Hearing the commotion, Jade Little Sister rushed out of the room. She was holding a piece of paper with something wrapped inside. She was about to ask Han San why he'd come back when she noticed he was staring at her stomach, bewildered. "What's the matter, Little San?"

Han San took a deep breath. "Teacher, you probably don't have to shout so loudly..."

Jade Little Sister froze, then immediately understood. Her expression turned awkward as she looked at her student. "Little San, what do you mean?"

Han San said nothing. He'd only noticed that although Jade Little Sister looked quite plump, most of that was clearly due to her belly.

Jade Little Sister's gaze followed Han San's eyes to her stomach. Her expression stiffened. "You... you know?"

Han San nodded.

"Besides you, who else knows?"

Jade Little Sister shut her eyes in pain. Her mind drifted back to her return to the academy, from the headmaster down to the janitor, all of them pointing at her and gossiping. After a long while, she finally managed to say one sentence.

Han San looked at Jade Little Sister sympathetically. With a helpless sigh, he said, "It's not just me. Everyone in the academy knows. Right now, people throughout the academy are gossiping about you in private. Even the peddlers outside the academy have heard about it..."

Thud...

Hearing that, Jade Little Sister went rigid, as if struck by lightning. Her vision went black, and her brain felt completely blank. Her body followed, and she collapsed.

The paper in her hand flew away uncontrollably.

Han San's reaction was swift. In a single step, he reached her side and caught her, sparing her the pain of hitting the floor.

But Jade Little Sister had just recovered from a concussion. This fall had done a number on her. Before she'd fully recovered, the skull fractured again.