After all, Xia Xueqing and he were just ordinary classmates now, not lovers like they had been in his previous life.
Chapter 6: Su Xiaoxiao
When Wang Hai brought Su Bai back to the classroom, everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.
"Tsk, tsk. What got into Su Bai today? He actually dared to flirt with Xia Xueqing?"
"Haha, who knows? Maybe he's been plotting this for a long time."
"But, speaking of which, Su Bai's pretty impressive. He actually stole Xia Xueqing's first kiss. I'm a little jealous!"
"Damn, don't go getting any ideas. I'm telling you, if anyone else flirts with Xia Xueqing now, she'll beat them to death. She became a Genin ages ago."
"Hey, I'm just saying. I'm not stupid."
The classroom buzzed with discussion, mostly among the boys. Aside from gossiping about it, the girls didn't think Su Bai had done anything particularly outrageous.
That was because they cared about looks, and Su Bai happened to be quite "popular" with them.
Su Bai was about 1.8 meters tall, with a lean build and delicate features. His bright, lively eyes added even more to his looks. With makeup, he wouldn't be much less handsome than a celebrity.
Su Bai ignored the chatter and went straight to his seat. He quietly began recovering the chakra he had spent in the infirmary.
Although ninjas in this world had fairly large chakra reserves, he had a pitiful 0.03 cards—less than one-thirtieth of a normal Genin's chakra. Using the Three Body Technique once had already consumed most of it.
As soon as he sat down, his deskmate, Lin Hu, said in surprise, "Su Bai, you seem a little different."
"Oh? How so?"
Su Bai smiled at his classmate and friend. In his previous life, when he'd hit rock bottom, Lin Hu had been one of the few friends who still helped him.
Lin Hu gave his massive head a shake. He was just as his name suggested: extremely burly, and half a head taller than Su Bai. He was already over 1.9 meters tall!
"I can't really put my finger on it. You just seem unusually calm."
As Lin Hu saw it, Su Bai was usually timid about speaking up in class because he was skinny and lacked talent. He was the introverted type.
But today, after doing something so outrageous, he was still this calm. It left Lin Hu puzzled.
Su Bai gave him a mild smile and told his friend not to overthink it. Then he picked up his long-neglected high school textbook and began to review.
The calmer Su Bai acted, the more curious Lin Hu became. He kept asking him questions until Su Bai was at a loss.
The afternoon passed just like that. When the dismissal bell rang, Su Bai packed up his desk and left with Lin Hu, heading home.
Yangcheng No. 1 High School was in the City Center of Yangcheng City. Their homes were outside the city's Third Ring Road, in a cluster of old walk-up apartments called Happiness Residential Complex. It took more than half an hour by bus to get there.
They got on, then got off... After the two parted ways in the residential complex, Su Bai looked at the unfamiliar, run-down neighborhood and sighed.
"What a joke. Happiness Residential Complex? It's just a gathering place for poor people."
His family had never lived here in his previous life. His parents had spent their life savings to buy the place, and the living conditions were terrible. It was also near the edge of the Base City, which made it very unsafe.
If the Magic Beasts ever "besieged the city," places like this would serve as a buffer zone for the "rich" in the city center.
Ever since the Magic Beasts invaded, every province had built Base Cities to protect people's lives. But humanity was still on the defensive and had yet to gain the upper hand against the beasts. Every so often, a Base City would come under attack.
Most Magic Beast sieges couldn't break through a Base City's defenses, but the city's outskirts were another matter.
That was why houses here were so cheap. They cost less than a hundredth of what homes in the City Center went for, making them the "first choice" for people at the bottom of society.
"I have to become a ninja as soon as possible and improve things for my family!" Su Bai said, clenching a fist lightly beneath the apartment building.
In this day and age, the fastest way to make money was to hunt Magic Beasts. Their invasion had brought disaster to humanity...but it had also brought opportunity.
Forget chakra and ninjutsu. The Magic Beasts' bodies alone were a treasure trove!
Their meat tasted better than farm-raised livestock and could improve people's constitutions. Their fur and scales could be made into "chakra-conductive equipment," increasing a ninja's attack or defense.
Either way, the products were extremely valuable. Take the D-Class Magical Beast he'd seen, the Iron-Horned Sheep, for example. A whole carcass could sell for over a hundred million Federal Coins.
Meanwhile, his parents worked themselves to the bone for a combined monthly income of less than seven thousand Federal Coins. After paying for their everyday expenses and supporting him and his younger sister, there was barely anything left.
At the thought of his sister, Su Xiaoxiao, Su Bai's eyes dimmed with a pang of sorrow.
Knock, knock, knock!
Su Bai tapped gently on the door. A melodious voice, clear as a songbird's, called from inside, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Xiaoxiao. Your brother." Su Bai's voice was low.
At once, the person inside opened the door, revealing a slender girl.
She had fair skin and stood about 1.7 meters tall. She wore a simple gray dress, and her delicate features made her look like a little princess out of a fairy tale. A faint smile played on her face.
"Hey, you're home, big brother?"
"Yeah, I'm home..." Su Bai's shoulders trembled slightly. Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Ah! Big brother, what's wrong?" His unexpected behavior left her at a loss.
Su Bai couldn't hold back his excitement... He hadn't seen his little sister in years!
That car accident in his previous life had taken not only his parents but also Su Xiaoxiao, leaving him to drag his disabled body through a miserable existence.
Now, seeing Su Xiaoxiao alive and well again...he couldn't hold it in any longer. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye and fell onto her smooth neck.
"Huh? Big brother, are you crying?"
"No. I got something in my eye."
Su Bai quickly denied it, let her go, and wiped the tear from the corner of his eye.
With her vacant eyes fixed in Su Bai's direction, the girl giggled and led him inside.
"Her eyes are still the same...sigh." Su Bai sighed to himself, his heart aching for Su Xiaoxiao. She had been born blind in both lives.
In his previous life, things had been relatively "peaceful," so although Su Xiaoxiao was blind, it hadn't stopped her from living.
But this life was different!
The Magic Beasts' invasion had put humanity in grave danger. Life was hard enough for ordinary people, let alone for someone who was blind. It was as if Heaven had sentenced Su Xiaoxiao to "death" from the moment she was born!
"Medical science wasn't advanced enough in my previous life, and there was no such thing as chakra. Her eyes couldn't be cured."
"But this life is different. Chakra has changed people's lives in so many ways. Her eyes can definitely be treated!"
Su Bai sat on the sofa and watched his sister "skillfully" pour him a glass of water. He swore to himself that he would cure her eyes!
Chapter 7: Changing This Family
He spent a long time talking with Su Xiaoxiao. As dusk settled, someone knocked at the door.
Su Bai went to answer it, his heart pounding with excitement... He knew his parents had "come home"!
Sure enough, when he opened the door, Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e stood there, looking tired and travel-worn.
"Dad, Mom!" Su Bai took the things from his parents' hands and smiled, beaming with happiness...
His father, Su Jianhong, was about the same height as him, but much more solidly built. His large hands were covered in calluses, worn there by his work at the factory.
His mother, Lin Xiu'e, was short, only about 1.6 meters tall. Though she was only in her forties, deep crow's-feet had already formed at the corners of her eyes... They were "marks" left by life.
As Su Bai remembered it, both his parents worked at the same "chakra-conductive equipment" factory, earning meager wages.
His father, Su Jianhong, did hard labor on the production line and earned 4,500 a month. His mother, Lin Xiu'e, had an easier job, keeping an eye on the machines on the assembly line to make sure nothing went wrong. But her pay was lower, only 2,500 a month.
Though their income was modest, they were always willing to spend money on him and his sister. They hoped he would make something of himself and wouldn't end up living at the very bottom of society like they did...
Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e came inside. Seeing Su Bai pour them each a glass of water, Su Jianhong laughed. "What's got into you today, behaving so well? Did you get into trouble at school?"
"How could I? Your son's a model student." Su Bai set two glasses of boiled water in front of his parents and smiled.
Lin Xiu'e put down the cheap vegetables she'd bought and shot him a look. "What kind of thing is that to say? Are you saying our son isn't allowed to grow up?"
"Haha!"
Su Jianhong laughed heartily. Seeing this change in his son made him happy. His exhaustion from a long day at work seemed to lift all at once.
"Mom, I'll do that. You go rest." Su Bai took the vegetables from Lin Xiu'e and headed for the kitchen.
Lin Xiu'e stared at him for a moment. "Son, since when do you know how to cook?"
"Hehe, I practiced when you weren't home."
Su Bai answered casually, but that only made Su Xiaoxiao suspicious.
"Huh? I'm home every day. How come I've never seen you cook?"
Because of her eyesight, Su Xiaoxiao couldn't go to school and had to stay home all day with nothing to do. She exposed Su Bai's lie with one simple question.
Su Bai laughed awkwardly and hurried into the kitchen to cook.
He hadn't known how to cook before, but after the car accident, once his family was gone, he'd had to cook for himself or starve. That was how he'd developed his skills.
Lin Xiu'e hadn't bought much. After putting the rice on to steam, Su Bai needed only half an hour to cook everything.
There were two dishes: mushrooms stir-fried with greens, and eggs stir-fried with peppers. They weren't much, but they were just enough for the family.
The Magic Beasts' invasion had threatened not only human lives but also people's standard of living!
After all, livestock farms and crops were raised in remote areas, and those places had become playgrounds for the Magic Beasts. As a result, meat and vegetables had become outrageously expensive.
Lin Xiu'e had only bought these vegetables after waiting until evening, when they'd lost their freshness and gone on sale... She'd never have brought herself to buy fresh vegetables in the morning.
The family of four sat together around the table, enjoying each other's company. Su Jianhong asked about Su Bai's studies.
"Son, how have things been lately? Are your grades improving?"
"Of course! They've improved a lot. You'll be amazed when you hear." Su Bai smiled mysteriously, deliberately drawing out his words.
"Oh?" Su Jianhong was surprised by his son's confidence.
He knew how Su Bai usually did in school. His son worked hard, but had inherited his father's average talent. He still hadn't mastered even one of the Three Body Techniques.
Lin Xiu'e and Su Xiaoxiao grew interested as soon as they heard. They urged Su Bai to tell them more.
Su Bai set down his chopsticks and, with no intention of hiding it from his family, stood by the kitchen entrance and smiled.
"Mom, Dad, watch closely. Just don't be too surprised."
"Hehe, what are you planning now? Going to show us the Three Body Technique?" Su Jianhong teased him cheerfully.
Lin Xiu'e watched Su Bai expectantly. Though Su Xiaoxiao couldn't see, she pricked up both ears and listened carefully for what was happening around her.
"You got it, Dad." Su Bai formed Hand Seals with both hands and grinned. "Transformation Technique!"
To Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e's astonishment, a puff of white smoke burst from Su Bai's body. When it cleared, a pretty young girl stood in his place—she looked exactly like Su Xiaoxiao!
"What!" The chopsticks slipped from Su Jianhong's hand and clattered to the ground. "Son, you've mastered the Transformation Technique?"
"I'm not finished yet."
Su Bai changed his Hand Seals and smoothly performed the Substitution Technique and Clone Technique!
"T-this..." Su Jianhong was completely stunned. His son had mastered all three techniques without saying a word?
What did this mean?
It meant he already met the requirements for university!
As long as he got into university, even graduating from an ordinary one would let him become a Genin and escape life at the bottom of society!
Lin Xiu'e was in tears of excitement!
She'd always worried that Su Bai's average talent would mean he'd grow up to be just as "unsuccessful" as they were.
But now, he'd suddenly found his talent and mastered all three techniques at once. Her hands trembled with excitement.
"My son has made it! My son has made it..."
Su Xiaoxiao was even happier. She hugged Su Bai and lifted her little chin proudly. "I always said my big brother would become a ninja. I was right, wasn't I?"
"You were, Xiaoxiao." Su Bai smiled and patted the girl's head. She narrowed her eyes like a cat, "enjoying" his touch.
It took a long time for the family to calm down. But once their excitement had passed, Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e began to worry again...
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