Scumbag

Thud! A muffled impact rang out.

Instructor Han staggered back several steps, his arms crossed before his chest trembling nonstop...

A faint mark had been left where he had just been kicked. If Instructor Han had not possessed the strength of a Dou Master, even Gu Xun'er could easily have suffered a fracture from that blow.

Su Qian found that the little fellow before him had brought him far too many surprises. Even he had been played by the boy.

Instructor Han's Water Dragon Bullet had indeed struck Xiao Fan, but it had only hit a clone—a Dou Qi clone created through a secret technique.

The real Xiao Fan had remained in his original position all along, waiting for Instructor Han to reveal an opening. Instructor Han had likely been drawn in by Xiao Fan's broad, sweeping clone attacks, allowing Xiao Fan to successfully ambush him.

"It seems calling him a freak alone isn't enough..."

Instructor Han tried hard to rouse his numb arms. "Hiss... Are all kids this terrifying nowadays?!"

Instructor Han also gave it his full attention. As his Dou Qi circulated, he continuously gathered the surrounding energy of heaven and earth, shouting, "Great Waterfall..."

Then Instructor Han saw a figure appear before him. His pupils suddenly contracted. "When?!"

Looking at Instructor Han, who had fallen to the ground after suffering backlash, Xiao Fan was somewhat speechless. "Half a Great Elder's level..."

Lying on the ground, Instructor Han continued to mutter, "Boohoohoo, no martial virtue at all. Who interrupts their opponent while they're charging up?!"

Xiao Fan helped Instructor Han to his feet. "Instructor, you rely too heavily on Dou techniques. And your transitions between techniques, as well as your control of the battlefield, are far too poor..."

"Uh... Instructor, you still need more practice." Realizing something was wrong, Xiao Fan hurriedly stopped himself from lecturing him.

But Instructor Han only felt a mouthful of blood about to burst forth. He had utterly humiliated himself today.

Not only had Xiao Fan failed to last twenty moves under him—he himself had not even lasted three moves against Xiao Fan.

Su Qian applauded, his tone full of praise. "Xiao Fan, you are simply the most monstrous genius I have ever seen!"

"So, the leave?" Xiao Fan asked with an awkward laugh.

"Of course. If the Inner Academy selection had not already passed, your current strength would be more than enough to enter the Inner Academy."

"Old man, I want to go too!" With her mouth stuffed full, Zi Yan pouted and mumbled as crumbs fell from her lips while she chewed.

"No!" Su Qian could not rest easy letting Zi Yan go out alone. Even though her strength was not weak, he still could not feel reassured.

"I don't care, I don't care! I want to go with Xiao Fan."

Zi Yan looked ready to cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang herself. This gave Su Qian a terrible headache; he could not stand seeing Zi Yan like this...

"Sigh..."

Su Qian took out a jade token and handed it to Zi Yan. "Keep this jade token safe. It contains my full-force strike. Anyone below Dou Zong can be taken down in one move."

"Hehe, old man, you're such a good person." Zi Yan happily put away the jade token, as though everything just now had been an act.

Su Qian's mouth twitched. Watching Zi Yan skip away while pulling Xiao Fan along, he somehow felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

It was the kind of sadness one felt when a daughter got married...

"Still, this boy is no simple fellow... Even this old man is very curious about the Dou techniques he uses."

"Xiao Fan."

"Hm? What's wrong, Xiao Yan'er?"

"Hungry, hungry..."

Zi Yan pointed at her stomach as it rumbled.

"?"

"Didn't I just give you a whole batch of Sugar Pills?"

"I finished them..."

Xiao Fan rubbed his forehead. "Looks like I'll have to raise this greedy Little Dragon Maiden again."

"Come on. Let's go to my residence, and I'll refine some for you."

"Hehe, Xiao Fan, you're so nice." Zi Yan practically pressed her entire body against Xiao Fan.

Then Zi Yan seemingly pulled all kinds of medicinal ingredients out of thin air. Seeing them, the corners of Xiao Fan's eyes twitched. Naturally, he could tell that these medicinal ingredients were of no low grade.

"Xiao Yan'er, where did you get all these medicinal ingredients?"

"Shh, I stole all of them from Jia Nan Academy's Medicine Collection Pavilion." Zi Yan covered Xiao Fan's mouth and raised a finger in a shushing gesture.

"Oh, right. Don't tell Old Man Su." Zi Yan hurriedly reminded him.

"We split it seventy-thirty!"

"Deal!"

Su Qian:...

"Do you think a Dou Zong like me is deaf?"

"Wait, could this kid know how to refine medicine too?"

Thinking of the Sugar Pills Zi Yan had just taken out from those jade bottles, Su Qian finally noticed that the pills were perfectly smooth and gave off a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Hiss... Is he really just a kid? Could he be like Zi Yan?" Su Qian sucked in a breath.

Turning his head, he looked at Instructor Han, who had been beaten into self-doubt and was still questioning life alone in a dark corner. "Instructor Han, your defeat was not undeserved..."

"Xiao Yu? Why are you here?"

Xiao Fan led Zi Yan over to Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was very happy to see Xiao Fan. She had come today to congratulate him on joining Jia Nan Academy, but when she saw the little fellow Xiao Fan was holding hands with, Xiao Yu's smile abruptly froze.

"Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is from Jia Nan Academy... uh, Senior Zi Yan?"

"Hmph, hmph." Zi Yan put her hands on her hips. Being called Senior made her very happy, and her little nose kept making smug snorting sounds.

"Senior...?"

Xiao Yu walked over to Zi Yan, compared their heights, then reached out and touched Zi Yan's cheek.

She burst out laughing.

"Oh no!" Xiao Fan hurriedly stepped between Xiao Yu and Zi Yan. "Xiao Yan'er, don't be angry. Xiao Yu didn't mean it!"

Xiao Fan grasped Zi Yan's tightly clenched fist and slowly lowered it, soothing her emotions.

Xiao Yu probably did not know that she had just taken a walk through the gates of hell.

"Xiao... Yan'er?"

Hearing that intimate form of address, Xiao Yu felt hollow inside.

"Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan'er... uh, Senior Zi Yan doesn't like being laughed at."

Then Xiao Fan leaned close to Xiao Yu's ear and whispered, "Senior Zi Yan is a Dou Wang."

"What?!" Xiao Yu was startled. She pointed at the little fellow before her, who was not even as tall as she was, and compared them again and again. "Dou... Dou... Wang?"

Xiao Fan felt like his ears were about to go deaf, while Zi Yan completely erupted. This woman had mocked her again and again. She could not take it anymore—absolutely could not take it anymore!

Xiao Fan acted quickly, pulling out a pill and stuffing it into Zi Yan's mouth.

"You... (munch munch)... Don't think I... (munch munch)... Xiao Fan, do you have any more?"

Clearly, the irritable Little Dragon Maiden had turned back into the greedy Little Dragon Maiden.

Xiao Yu had also been frightened by Zi Yan's earlier aura. She trembled as she watched Xiao Fan affectionately feed Zi Yan.

"Waaah..." Xiao Yu was only a young girl herself, and she immediately began crying loudly.

Xiao Fan felt like his head was splitting in two.

"Xiao Yan'er, go inside first. I'll come in shortly."

Xiao Fan hurriedly stuffed several pills into Zi Yan's hands. Zi Yan obediently went into the room, but her ears stood high as she listened to their conversation.

"Xiao Yu, stop crying..."

"Waaah..."

"Xiao Fan, you scumbag!"

Xiao Fan froze. "When did I become a scumbag?"

"Xiao Yu, do you even know what scumbag means?"

"I don't!" Xiao Yu replied to Xiao Fan with complete confidence.

Xiao Fan felt black lines forming across his forehead.