Genius? Never Was / Su Xiaoxiao Gets Criticized

They could be friends, but he'd better not get any funny ideas. He didn't have any stomach problems, after all.

Thinking this, Su Bai walked over to the counter that bought Magic Beast corpses.

"Su Bai? You're selling rabbits again?" The service lady exclaimed in surprise. Clearly, Su Bai had already made a deep impression on her over the past few days.

And it was no wonder. Anyone would remember a student-looking Genin who came in every day for three days straight to sell Magic Beast corpses.

That was what set Su Bai apart from the other ninjas. He came alone, sold something every day, and it was always Long-Eared Rabbits...

The service lady had even started to wonder if he had some kind of grudge against Long-Eared Rabbits...

"Yeah, but today I've got a special Magic Beast, too." Su Bai flashed a grin. "Get Brother Wei over here. This is a big deal!"

"Oh, right. Just a moment." The service lady picked up the phone, and Wei Cai hurried over a short while later.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Bai handed him the Storage Scroll containing the Iron-Horned Sheep's corpse. As soon as Wei Cai found out what was inside, he was stunned!

"My god, you're incredible, brother! It's only been a few days, and you can already hunt Iron-Horned Sheep?" Wei Cai swallowed, his face full of shock!

He had watched Su Bai join the guild. In just a few short days, he'd hunted plenty of Long-Eared Rabbits, and now he'd even gotten an Iron-Horned Sheep?

Was he kidding?

Su Bai quickly waved his hands. "Come on, Brother Wei. With my skills, I'd be lucky to provide an Iron-Horned Sheep with a side dish. I hunted it with a few friends; they just didn't come along."

"No wonder. You nearly scared me to death." Wei Cai pushed up his glasses and thought for a moment. "Your Iron-Horned Sheep is a little smaller than the one Li Lei brought in last time, but since we know each other, I'll give you five hundred million for it. That's the most I'm authorized to offer. If I give you any more, the guild will be after me."

"Haha, then thanks, Brother Wei." Su Bai thanked him politely. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Wei Cai, he left.

After Su Bai was gone, Wei Cai stared blankly after him for a while. Then he turned to the service lady and said, "Remember this. From now on, whenever Su Bai comes to sell something, give him the highest price."

"Oh, got it."

"But Manager Wei, wouldn't that mean you'd get a smaller commission?" the service lady asked, surprised by his decision.

She'd worked there for several years. Whenever Wei Cai said that, it was always about some well-established Chunin or Jonin. This was the first time she'd seen a Genin get the same treatment.

"Commission? Heh." Wei Cai gave her a knowing smile.

"You have to think long-term. Just watch. I have a feeling that kid's going to be somebody someday."

A Genin came in every day covered in injuries to sell Magic Beasts... Wei Cai didn't believe he'd just stumbled across them by luck.

Yang City.

In a luxurious villa, an assistant respectfully reported to Qu Yan.

"President, while you were away, the Yang City authorities came looking for you. It was about developing new chakra-conductive equipment."

"Didn't you tell them what I said? They have to cover seventy percent of the research costs. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss." Qu Yan spoke as she took off her bloodstained coat.

"I did, but City Lord Wen said Yang City was short on funds right now, so he wanted to ask you to make a concession," the assistant replied.

Qu Yan set down her coat, revealing her graceful figure beneath it. After a moment's thought, she said, "Sixty percent. That's my bottom line. Otherwise, I'll develop it myself."

"Also, where's my older brother? I need to talk to him."

"At the Training Ground, President," the assistant said respectfully.

Qu Yan nodded, her pretty face as cold as ice.

Damn Qian Hang, using her as bait! He had to die!

She crossed the hall and went to the Training Ground in the villa's backyard. There, she saw a bare-chested, massively muscled man practicing Taijutsu.

The man looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had a square face, short hair, and an astonishing presence. He seemed to be on the verge of becoming a Jonin!

When he saw Qu Yan approaching, a look of affection appeared on his face.

"Little sister, you finally decided to come back from the Wasteland Zone?"

"Mm." Qu Yan sat down on a nearby bench, her expression cold. She said nothing.

Qu Mo scratched his head, unsure what was wrong with his strong-willed little sister.

But he didn't dare ask. Qu Yan was far too assertive at home. She managed most of the Qu Family's affairs, and her imposing presence could even overwhelm him, a powerhouse on the verge of becoming a Jonin.

Chapter 75: Genius? Never Was

When Yang City's upper crust talked about the Qu Family, they didn't first think of its astonishing wealth and influence. They thought of the family's twin stars.

Qu Mo, a ninja prodigy, was only twenty-seven and already close to becoming a Jonin. He was famous in Yang City's ninja circles, and everyone who knew him admired him.

Qu Yan was twenty-five. Her ninja talent was only average, and she was just a Genin.

But her remarkable business acumen had brought the Qu Family a great deal of success. The family's influence in Yang City had grown enormously over the years thanks to her efforts.

She was the Qu Family's designated next heir. Even Qu Mo admired his little sister and did whatever she said.

"Little sister, what's wrong?" Qu Mo rubbed his head and sat beside Qu Yan, who was sulking.

Qu Yan fell silent for a moment. As she remembered what Qian Hang had done to her, her shapely figure trembled. She spoke through gritted teeth.

"Brother, I almost died!"

"What!" Qu Mo was startled, a murderous aura surging around him. He asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"It was Qian Hang. That bastard used me as bait so he could escape!" Qu Yan's pretty face was no longer wearing the charming expression she'd had around Su Bai. It was now full of hatred as she told her brother every detail of what had happened.

Qu Mo's tiger-like eyes turned imposing. After hearing his sister's tearful account, his terrifying aura surged. He clenched his teeth and said, "I understand. I'll make that bastard wish he were dead!"

Then he asked, a little curious, "But, little sister, how did you escape the Iron-Horned Sheep?"

Qu Yan's expression softened. She seemed to remember something, and a bright smile appeared on her pretty face.

"Su Bai. He saved me."

"Brother, you have no idea how interesting he is."

The moment she brought up Su Bai, Qu Yan seemed to perk up. Smiling, she told Qu Mo about all of his good qualities, leaving him utterly confused.

Was this the same little sister who was usually so high and mighty and looked down on men?

Who was this Su Bai? How had he managed to earn such praise from her?

From what his sister said, Su Bai seemed pretty ordinary to Qu Mo.

He had no strength or connections, and he wasn't exceptionally handsome. So why was his little sister so fixated on him?

Well, he did have a Sharingan, which was somewhat unusual. But that was all it was—unusual. Besides, he wouldn't live long.

Qu Mo couldn't make sense of it.

He had no idea how desperate Qu Yan had been at the time... Two of her four teammates were dead, and the one who remained had used her as bait and fled alone. To Qu Yan, Su Bai's sudden appearance had been like a god descending from the heavens. He'd left a deep impression on her.

But even though Qu Mo couldn't understand it, that didn't stop him from remembering Su Bai's kindness.

She was his only little sister. Su Bai saving Qu Yan was the same as saving Qu Mo. And Qu Mo wasn't the kind of man who forgot a debt of gratitude!

"Su Bai, huh? I'll remember you." Qu Mo patted his sister on the back to comfort her, a glint flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, Su Bai had no idea that he'd caught the attention of a peak Chunin. He was busy going over what he'd gained over the past few days.

In his bedroom, Su Bai stared blankly at the things in front of him.

Three days. It had only been three days, and he'd already changed so much?

He had a total of five hundred and twenty million Federal Coins. That was what he'd made from selling ten Long-Eared Rabbits and one Iron-Horned Sheep. It was already enough to buy his family a home in the safe area of the City Center!

The money made him happy, but not excited. What truly thrilled him were the Ninjutsu he'd gotten on this trip!

At that thought, Su Bai looked at the panel in his mind.

Shadow Clone Technique: LV1 (101/200)

Earth Release: Earth Style Wall: LV1 (102/200)

Demonic Illusion: Fox Spirit Technique: LV1 (102/200)

"Two B-Rank Ninjutsu and one C-Rank Genjutsu. What a haul!" Su Bai was ecstatic. The Shadow Clone Technique, especially, had solved a major problem for him!

"I've been too busy completing missions and getting stronger to practice Ninjutsu, and using points to improve them felt like a waste... But now that I have this training hack called the Shadow Clone Technique, I can increase the power of my Ninjutsu!"

Su Bai still couldn't forget the humiliating numbers he'd gotten when he tested his Ninjutsu's power at the Hunter Guild!

Xia Xueqing and Yang Liu were both Genin, but one had a power multiplier of thirteen, making her a prodigy, while the other was a little weaker but still had a multiplier of twelve.

And Su Bai?

With one unit of chakra, he could only bring out three times the power. The gap was enormous—so enormous that Yang Liu had thought he'd read the results wrong!

How could someone as talented as Su Bai have such weak Ninjutsu?

That was right. In Yang Liu's eyes, Su Bai was a genius, even more talented than him!

Even Xia Xueqing thought so.

But only Su Bai knew he wasn't a genius at all.

Not only was he no genius, he was less talented than the average person!

"My talent is only average. I can't rely on the system alone to get stronger. I have to work harder than everyone else!"

"I can't do any more missions for now. I'll spend the time before school starts working hard on my Ninjutsu!" Su Bai's eyes gleamed. He could hardly wait to face the hard days ahead!

Chapter 76: Su Xiaoxiao Gets Criticized

At dinner, Su Bai tactfully mentioned that he wanted to buy a house in the City Center. The chopsticks dropped from everyone's hands!

Su Jianhong shot to his feet. His body trembled slightly, and he stammered, "Xiaobai, y-you said what? You want to buy a house in the City Center?"

"Yeah, Dad!" Su Bai nodded with a smile. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. I wasn't training with Brother Chu. I went to the Wasteland Zone to hunt Magic Beasts."

"I did pretty well, too. I was lucky enough to find the corpse of an Iron-Horned Sheep. You know those are worth a lot, right, Dad? I sold it for five hundred million, so... we can move to a better place."

Five hundred million!

Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e were dumbfounded!

Su Xiaoxiao covered her lips with her dainty hand, too shocked to speak!

Five hundred million! It was a sum the family of three had never dared to imagine!

But Lin Xiu'e and Su Jianhong weren't excited at first. Instead, they looked at the white scars visible on Su Bai's arm. They knew what those were.

"Xiaobai, you... must've been through a lot, right?" Lin Xiu'e said, her eyes brimming with tears as she touched his arm.

Su Jianhong took out a cigarette. As the family's pillar, he couldn't let his emotions show. He spoke in a grave voice. "Like I've always said, you're grown up now and have your own ideas. Your mother and I won't stop you from doing what you want."

"But remember, whatever you do, don't act recklessly. We can improve our lives a little at a time. Don't make your mother and me worry, understand?"

"Yeah, big brother, I'm worried too. You... must've been in a lot of danger to bring home this much money all at once, right?" Su Xiaoxiao leaned against Su Bai's shoulder and spoke softly.

Compared with moving to a better house, the three of them cared more about Su Bai staying safe. They would rather live in poverty their whole lives than have him put himself in danger.

Su Bai's eyes grew misty as he looked at his family, but he didn't want to make the mood so heavy. He quickly changed the subject and started telling them amusing stories from the Wasteland Zone.

To his family, the Wasteland Zone was mysterious and unknown.

Before long, Su Jianhong, Lin Xiu'e, and Su Xiaoxiao were engrossed in his stories, asking questions nonstop. Su Bai answered them all with a smile, finally easing their worries.

The next afternoon, the usually quiet residents of Happiness Residential Complex were abuzz!

"Hey, isn't that the Su family? Are they moving?"

"You haven't heard? The Su family's moving to the City Center, where the upper-class people live!"

"The City Center? How could that be! A house there costs at least a hundred million. Could Old Su, a laborer, afford it?"

"It's not Old Su. It's his son, Su Bai. I heard he's made something of himself and become a ninja!"

"Whoa, a ninja? Someone from the Poor District can become a ninja too?"