Moving House

After registering as Soul Masters at Spirit Hall, Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu received a combined allowance of two Gold Soul Coins each month.

With the money Jiang Jiu earned working at the Blacksmith Shop, they had more than enough to rent a place in Nuoding City.

His requirements for a house weren't high: it needed a bath, a furnace for forging, and an area where he could train his strength.

Well, when you added it all up, they weren't exactly low, either.

Still, finding the right person made it pretty simple.

It was easy. Why not ask someone at the Blacksmith Shop?

Not every blacksmith forged things after going home, but there were bound to be some who practiced at home. Having a space to teach their children the family trade was a good idea, too.

Jiang Jiu asked Shi San to help him look around, and they found a place that perfectly suited his needs.

A lot of the time, finding the right person saved you an astonishing amount of effort.

Just like how, when it came to Soul Hunting, Jiang Jiu chose to approach the Nuoding Dean.

Of course, things went so smoothly for him partly because of his own value, and partly because the Nuoding Dean and Boss Shi San were both easygoing people.

"Xiao Jiu, is this going to be our house from now on? A home that belongs to the two of us?"

"Mm."

Though they were only renting, Jiang Jiu saw Xiao Wu overcome by some inexplicable emotion and wisely didn't bring that up and spoil her mood.

Xiao Wu flung herself into his arms.

If she'd been in her usual state, she probably would have leaped into the air and wrapped her legs around his waist, all while laughing like silver bells.

But now her body was trembling softly.

Jiang Jiu gently stroked her back.

"Xiao Jiu, this is wonderful..." Xiao Wu looked up, smiling through her tears.

"Didn't I say we'd come look at houses? And I told you even earlier than that."

Jiang Jiu felt a little helpless. He gently wiped away her tears. Xiao Wu was easy to handle when she was laughing or pouting, but seeing her cry hit him far too hard.

"But saying it is nothing compared to seeing it happen." Xiao Wu sniffled.

"Xiao Jiu, let's go move all our things out of Dorm Seven!"

"Sure."

Shi San had already taken care of most of the paperwork they needed. Jiang Jiu's Soul Master status was a great help, too. If they hurried, they could move in that very day.

"Then let's go!" Xiao Wu grabbed Jiang Jiu's hand and pulled him outside.

"Wait, let me lock the door."

"Hurry, hurry!"

This high-spirited Xiao Wu was back.

It took a while to get from the house Jiang Jiu had rented back to Nuoding Academy.

There was no helping it. A place where you could forge at home was bound to be a little remote.

Safety wasn't much of a concern. The main problem was Tang Hao.

But Jiang Jiu had a solution for that, too.

He'd just get Tang San to rent a place nearby.

It wasn't the best solution, but as long as Tang Hao could keep him in sight, the risk was manageable. And that so-called "sight" was basically determined by Tang San.

As for how to persuade Tang San to rent a place there, Jiang Jiu wasn't the only one who wanted some privacy.

Tang San had to be careful when making Hidden Weapons at the Blacksmith Shop. He'd be delighted to have a private place to forge and craft weapons.

Why hadn't he done so in all these six years? Jiang Jiu could only guess that Tang San hadn't thought of it.

If he hadn't been making a Flying God Claw, Tang San wouldn't have thought to rent a room for forging at Shrek Academy, either.

In Dorm Seven, Xiao Wu hummed as she tidied her things.

Her bed was just about covered with all sorts of belongings. Even the things she no longer used were too precious to throw away; they held too many cherished memories.

Jiang Jiu helped her sort through them.

But thinking about how they wouldn't be sleeping in the dorm anymore, he realized the only places he'd use at Nuoding Academy were the training field and the cafeteria.

After all, he'd skipped class that morning, he didn't have to clean in the afternoon, and he wouldn't be sleeping in Dorm Seven that night.

"Xiao Jiu, should I pass the position of Dorm Seven's leader on to Tang San?" Xiao Wu had thought of that, too.

She was already the leader of the whole Nuoding Academy, after all. Being leader of Dorm Seven didn't mean much anymore.

"Why not pass it to Wang Sheng?"

That would be returning it to its rightful owner.

"Huh? Why?"

"I think he wants to move out, too."

Tang San didn't think so yet, but if Jiang Jiu said he did, then he did.

"Really? I guess he does."

Tang San spent far less time in the dorm than they did. At least Jiang Jiu spent every evening training there without fail, while Tang San was taking lessons from his teacher.

Compared to that, it sounded perfectly reasonable to outsiders that Tang San would want to move out of Dorm Seven even more than they did.

"Then, Xiao Jiu, should we get all the work-study students together for lunch? We can celebrate moving out while we're at it. Hehe."

"Sounds good."

After a few trips back and forth, they'd moved almost everything. Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu began wandering around the teaching area.

There were twelve work-study students in all. Tang San was in the first-year classroom, while the other nine were spread across the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth years.

A teacher spotted the two of them, but didn't say anything.

When it came to Jiang Jiu, Xiao Wu, and Tang San—three first-years who were already Soul Masters and had some real combat ability—the teachers had given up trying to manage them. Those three could do whatever they wanted.

When classes ended, the work-study students gathered around them of their own accord.

After all, it was rare to see these two during class hours.

"Boss, what's up?" As usual, Wang Sheng spoke for the group.

"Come on, I'm treating you all to lunch!" Xiao Wu waved her little hand.

The work-study students exchanged glances, then turned to Jiang Jiu in perfect unison.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Xiao Wu felt utterly humiliated.

"Ahem. Xiao Wu and I rented a place today and are planning to move out. We're celebrating."

He was the one who handled all the money, after all. Xiao Wu didn't even have a private stash of her own.

"Oh, I see. Wait, Boss, you're moving out?" Wang Sheng nodded, then finally realized what Jiang Jiu had said.

"Yeah. Xiao Jiu's thought it was inconvenient to bathe at the academy for ages, and he'd wanted to move out for a long time. Now that we're both getting Soul Master allowances, we're moving out," Xiao Wu explained.

"Then congratulations, Boss." Wang Sheng sounded envious.

Of course, what he really envied was their Soul Master status and the allowance that came with it.

Tang San listened nearby, looking thoughtful.

Move out?

"Hope you two have a happy life together!"

On the second floor of the cafeteria, one person after another offered their congratulations.

Honestly, even though other people had taken over the work-study students' chores, they'd never once been upstairs. It was too expensive to eat there.

This time, they were getting to enjoy it thanks to their boss.

"Life together, huh? Hehe." Xiao Wu looked at Jiang Jiu, her eyes shining.