Night had fallen, and stars filled the sky.
Inside the Jedi Academy, most people had already put out their lamps. Some sat on their beds cultivating, while others had gone to sleep.
Only the dormitory where Jade Little Sister lived was still brightly lit.
Jade Little Sister, her hair tied in pigtails, was perched on the lectern giving an impassioned speech. Every so often, she waved the ruler in her hand and wrote a few large characters on the board.
Below her,
six girls and one boy listened.
The six girls on the left looked only five or six years old. They had ordinary features, were chubby-cheeked, and bore a striking resemblance to Jade Little Sister. They looked as though they had been carved from the same mold.
The boy on the right looked ordinary too, and appeared to be only seven or eight. But his brows held a maturity no child that age should have. His dark eyes, in particular, seemed to carry the weight of someone who had endured hardship for years. He did not look like a child at all.
They were Jade Little Sister's two daughters, Big Jade and Little Jade, and her disciple, Han San.
Five years had passed since Tang Qinghe left Jedi City.
Big Jade and Little Jade had grown up too.
The infants who had once been eight months old were now little girls over five.
Han San, however, showed no sign of growing up. He still looked exactly as he had when Tang Qinghe fed him the Face-Preserving Pill.
As Jade Little Sister lectured, her two daughters had long since grown drowsy.
Han San listened attentively, but ever since he learned he would never grow any bigger, he spent his days with his head hanging low. He could not muster any enthusiasm even for his godmother's lessons on how to organize a squad.
At last, Jade Little Sister finished her lecture. Big Jade and Little Jade sprang to life, flung down their rulers, and burrowed under their blankets, determined not to study another moment.
Jade Little Sister smiled helplessly, then turned to Han San. Seeing his troubled expression, she asked with concern, "Little San, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, godmother." Han San stood and forced a smile as he shook his head.
Jade Little Sister nodded. "Good. In another half month, Shrek Academy will open for enrollment. It's about a ten-day journey from Jedi City to Soto City. Don't cultivate tonight. Go back and get some rest, then set out with Xiao Wu first thing tomorrow morning. Once I've settled things here, I'll come find you at Shrek."
"All right, godmother. You should get some rest too." Han San said goodbye and left the room.
Jade Little Sister saw him to the door and watched him go.
Looking at Han San's retreating figure, Jade Little Sister knew her disciple was still struggling with the fact that he could not grow taller. She felt helpless.
At first, he had not seemed to care much. He had thought the hard work of forging weapons had affected his growth.
But after he stopped forging and absorbed his second soul ring, he still did not grow. The answer was obvious.
When Han San asked her about it, she could hardly say she did not know. That would shatter the perfect image she held in his heart.
So she told him that using weapons to hunt soul beasts and absorb Spirit Essence made a soul master stronger but slowed his physical growth.
She even found a few eight- or nine-year-olds who had not awakened their soul power and had them stand beside Han San. Only then did she manage to dispel his doubts.
But as the days passed and Han San still showed no sign of growing, it became clear this was not merely a matter of slow growth.
It was as if his height had been fixed forever at seven years old.
With no other choice, Jade Little Sister swallowed her fear of being blamed for ruining Han San and contacted his father, Yin Chen.
Yin Chen only asked whether Han San's cultivation had been affected.
When she told him it had not, he gave Big Jade and Little Jade a brief look, said he would investigate, and left.
Jade Little Sister rubbed her forehead and sighed inwardly.
Year after year, she watched Han San grow older while remaining the same height. With no way to ease his worries, Jade Little Sister could only place her last hope in Tang Qinghe, who had vanished without a trace.
At least Han San's cultivation truly had not been affected.
That gave Jade Little Sister some comfort.
Elsewhere, an exhausted Han San had returned to Dorm Seven.
Since Tang Qinghe's departure, Dorm Seven had become a garden shared by Xiao Wu and Han San.
Han San had barely pushed the door open when a delicate figure leaped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
A soft fragrance reached him, along with the gentle warmth of a young girl. Han San's face reddened. Unfortunately, because his body had remained that of a seven-year-old, that particular impulse had not grown up either.
"That's enough, Xiao Wu. Stop messing around. Get some rest."
Despite his words, Han San did not pull her hands away.
"It's still early. Besides, this is our last night at the Jedi Academy. I don't want to sleep so soon."
Xiao Wu had grown bolder lately. She ran her hands over Han San as though she were taking advantage of him, like a girl teasing her little boyfriend.
Han San smiled faintly. "So that's your excuse for putting your hands all over me?"
"I could tell you were in a bad mood. I was just trying to distract you."
As she spoke, she struck a gentle pose and winked at him.
Han San knew Xiao Wu was using her favorite beauty trick, but he was still happy and touched. "You're getting better and better at that beauty trick."
Since he had confirmed that he would never grow taller, the academy's teachers and students had not dared say anything to his face, given his strength and talent. Behind his back, though, they rolled their eyes and whispered about him. Even the students in his dorm secretly called him an "old child."
Only Xiao Wu had never rejected him. Whenever he felt down, she tried to catch his attention, calling "Little San" again and again to cheer him up.
Though he would have preferred it if she called him Third Brother.
"Beauty trick? Are you calling me beautiful? Hee-hee..."
Xiao Wu had no idea what Han San was thinking. At the word "beautiful," she let go of him, held her cheeks, and giggled.
Han San laughed. "That wasn't a compliment. Beauty tricks are usually the specialty of fox spirits trying to seduce men."
"What? You dare call me a fox spirit? I'll kill you!"
The moment Xiao Wu heard "fox spirit," she sprang up and lunged at Han San.
The other working students were used to this. Xiao Wu and Han San had fought like this for ages. Still, seeing Xiao Wu, who stood over five feet tall, throw herself onto Han San, who was barely over four feet, always looked a little strange.
Early the next morning, Han San and Xiao Wu packed their things and prepared to leave for Soto City.
Before setting out, they naturally needed to buy some supplies.
Jedi City was a full ten days from Soto City, so they had to bring enough food and water for the journey.
Faced with a shopping trip, Xiao Wu was delighted.
Han San happily went along with her. Half a day would make little difference.
Just as they were enjoying the market, a young man and woman approached from the opposite direction.
The man looked about Xiao Wu's age. He had handsome features, dark brows, dark eyes, and thin lips, giving him an elegant bearing. Tall and long-legged, he was quite a handsome young man. He wore a fitted dark-green combat outfit with a pale-purple, dragon-patterned belt at his waist. Four pale-purple gems, each the size of a fingernail, were set into it. Their faint glow made it clear they were no ordinary stones.
The woman looked considerably older, nearly twenty. She wore a fitted combat outfit in the same color as the man's. With her purple hair falling over her shoulders and her cool, noble bearing, she looked like an immortal from the moon. Her expression was somewhat distant, yet she also had an air of tenderness.
Only when she looked at the young man did she smile.
They were Tang Qinghe, whose martial soul had evolved into a white tiger, and Zhu Zhuqing, whose martial soul had evolved into a venomous scorpion.
After arriving in Jedi City, they had not hurried on to Star Dou Forest. They had come to the market first to buy supplies.
That was only part of the reason.
Tang Qinghe also wanted to check something.
Had Han San and Xiao Wu left Jedi City yet?
To his surprise, he ran into them right there.
Xiao Wu aside, Han San had not changed in the slightest since Tang Qinghe had fed him the Face-Preserving Pill. He still looked like an ordinary seven-year-old child.
Han San and Xiao Wu noticed Tang Qinghe and Zhu Zhuqing too.
A handsome young man and a beautiful woman walking together were bound to draw attention.
Although Tang Qinghe's martial soul evolution had changed his appearance considerably, it had not altered him as completely as Han San's second awakening had.
His old features were still there, only more mature and more defined.
Anyone who knew him could recognize him with a closer look.
All the more so for Han San, who had long hated Tang Qinghe with a passion.
"Tang Qinghe!"
The instant Han San saw Tang Qinghe, his pupils contracted. His eyes turned red with fury, and he charged straight at him.
As he rushed forward, he did not forget to fire several hidden weapons, including a Silent Sleeve Arrow.
[Resentment +888888] [Resentment +1288888] [Han San's favorability -40] [Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received four lottery draws. Han San's favorability has reached its lower limit of -100. Please stay safe.]
Bring it on, Little Bai San.
Tang Qinghe chuckled inwardly. He had noticed Han San long ago and had fired a Bodhi Needle almost at the same moment Han San launched his hidden weapons.
Clang, clang...
Metal struck metal in a rapid series of impacts. Sparks scattered through the air as Han San's hidden weapons and the Bodhi Needle fell to the ground together.
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