Gubo

"Meow..."

When they reached the third floor, Black Cat jumped from Bailing's arms and walked straight into a room.

Bailing seemed to have long been familiar with everything here. Without knocking, she followed Black Cat directly inside.

"Father, Uncle!"

The moment Reilo followed Bailing through the door, the smoke in the room nearly made him faint. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he could not help coughing as he fanned away the smoke before him.

The fire crackled in the stove, filling the room with warmth. Two bookshelves stood inside, packed with yellowed ancient books and beast-hide scrolls. At a large desk, two old men sat facing each other.

One of them wore a tall hat and a loose white robe, with a black crow perched on his shoulder. He held a pipe in his hand. Whenever the old man blew out a smoke ring, the black crow on his shoulder would actually suck the smoke ring into its nostrils with an expression of utter enjoyment before blowing it back out.

The other old man had graying hair, black-rimmed glasses, and a black robe. Black Cat, who had just entered the room, crouched on his shoulder. He was holding an ancient beast-hide scroll and reading it excitedly, but when he heard Bailing's voice, the excitement on his face froze. He took off his glasses and set them aside.

"You little girl, why aren't you studying properly at home? Why have you run off to play again? Hmph! If you fail this year's graduation assessment, what will become of my old face?"

Needless to say, this gray-haired old man was Bailing's father, Mentor Gubo, whom Mentor Shatuo had mentioned.

"Hehehe."

The other old man gave a dry laugh and continued smoking his pipe.

Bailing seemed not to have heard a single word of her father's scolding. She led Reilo straight to the desk and tossed the Brocade Badge onto it with a clang.

"Hmph, I wasn't playing. I went to help Senior Brother Shatuo welcome the new students! Senior Brother said this badge was rather unusual and told me to bring it for you to look at."

Frowning, the old man picked up the badge and examined both sides before turning to Black Cat on his shoulder.

Black Cat meowed. "Meow, it just came from over there."

"Mm, it is indeed rather unusual."

The old man muttered.

"Unusual? Let me see."

Hearing this, the old man across the desk looked curious and held out his hand to Gubo for the badge.

Gubo handed it over. As the smoking old man turned it over in his hands, he nodded. "It was actually made with Ink Silver and Thunder Iron as raw materials. At this standard... tsk, tsk, tsk. This badge must be quite old."

Gubo's expression eased slightly, though his face remained stern as he said to Bailing, "Go back first. Have him wait here for a while. I'll make arrangements."

With that, Gubo pulled open a drawer and casually tossed the badge inside.

The sharp-eyed Reilo vaguely saw several more identical badges inside.

Bailing pouted and slowly turned to leave, but just as she opened the door, she stopped.

"What is it?"

Gubo looked up and glared at Bailing. He immediately knew something was wrong. Something was bound to happen.

Bailing shut the door again, puffed out her cheeks, and held out her hand. "I'm out of pocket money."

"After you graduate, get out there and find a mercenary group already! Don't let me see you in the academy again! This old man doesn't ask for you to amount to anything. Just bring someone home and give me a grandson, and I'll thank the heavens!"

As he spoke, the old man pulled out a handful of silver coins and angrily threw them onto the desk.

In the corner of the room, Reilo's eyes went wide!

Back in Lake Onyx Town, a kilogram of Black Bread cost only twenty copper coins. These silver coins were enough to cover several months of his living expenses, yet they were merely Bailing's pocket money.

Reilo had only a little over thirty silver coins in his pocket right now, not even as many as the coins on the desk.

Bailing took the silver coins, but she did not leave. She stood beside the desk with puffed cheeks and a deeply wronged expression. Without saying a word, she stared straight at Gubo.

Seeing this, Gubo shuddered and asked with a miserable expression, "What now?"

"I want a little junior brother to play with."

"Pfft..."

The other old man in the room could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. The crow on his shoulder gave a caw and spread its wings as it flew away.

"Over my dead body!"

Veins bulged on Gubo's forehead.

"With your useless second senior brother already in front of you, and then you, a little brat who causes trouble for me every day, you still want me to find you a little junior brother? This old man wants to live a few more days! I want to enter the Royal Academician Committee and have my portrait hung in its halls after I die!"

Pouting, Bailing twisted her body and argued, "No! I want a little junior brother! Why am I always the youngest at home? I have to listen to all of you, and everyone gets to boss me around!"

Just as Gubo was about to speak, Bailing gave him no chance at all and shouted, "I want a little junior brother! I want a little junior brother! I... I want him to be my little junior brother!"

Reilo, who had been standing there waiting awkwardly, was dumbfounded when he saw Bailing point at him.

Gubo had not noticed Reilo before. But when Bailing pointed at him, Gubo saw Reilo's dull, bewildered expression and sprang to his feet in fury.

"Isn't this another Shatuo from over a decade ago? How did I ever take a liking to that fool and accept him as my disciple? He was stupid beyond belief! Things I taught Wushuang, he still couldn't learn after several times! I, I, I..."

"I don't care! I don't care!"

Without another word, Bailing grabbed Reilo by the door.

"Anyway, he came to the academy with a contribution badge. You're the new grade's Academic Affairs Office director, so you have to arrange an enlightenment mentor for him. From today onward, he's my little junior brother!"

"You, you, you..."

Gubo spat out more than a dozen "you"s in a row, as though he might expire at any moment. The other old man kept chuckling as he watched the two leave.

In the corridor.

Bailing grinned. "Ignore him. From today on, I'm your senior sister. Little junior brother, hurry and call me Senior Sister! Hehehe!"

The moment they left the Academic Affairs Office, Bailing kept urging Reilo to call her Senior Sister, her face full of anticipation.

When Reilo first saw Bailing, he had thought she was a mature, charming girl. Now he realized she was simply a mischievous little imp who did whatever came to mind without considering the consequences.

Unlike Bailing's easy cheerfulness, Reilo followed behind her anxiously. "Mentor Gubo seemed not to like me very much just now. Isn't this a bad idea?"

"What are you afraid of!"

Bailing raised her chin proudly. "Mother has the final say at home, and she dotes on me the most. She'll definitely agree! Hehe! Besides, Senior Brother Wushuang will be back tonight. That old stubborn fool likes Senior Brother Wushuang most of all. Come over then too. Once Senior Brother Wushuang knows I have a little junior brother, he'll definitely be happy. I refuse to believe that old stubborn fool can still reject Senior Brother Wushuang!"

Reilo did not know what to say. Everything here was unfamiliar to him.

Gubo's rejection made him fearful and helpless, while Bailing's excessive concern left him at a loss.

Since childhood, his father had often gone hunting in Demon Eagle Forest for days at a time. That lonely, difficult life had taught Reilo humility and courtesy. There was no need to show off. Yet during his attempt to become a Missionary at The Church, Lars's Uncle Arbitrator had taken the Missionary position from Reilo, teaching him to fight for himself and not let opportunities slip away.

Without a doubt!

If he became Mentor Gubo's disciple, his future life at the academy would benefit enormously.

But even so, Reilo did not want to flatter and fawn over Senior Sister Bailing just to have her continue pulling strings for him, turning his humility into servility and making him lose himself.

For a moment, Reilo was utterly conflicted.

"Oh, relax. I'll definitely arrange everything for you. You've just arrived at the academy, so you're probably not familiar with the place, right? I know this place best. Let me show you around first!"

"Alright..."

Reilo answered anxiously.