A Teacher's Duty

In the afternoon, Xiao Wu dragged Jiang Jiu out to wander around.

Truthfully, Jiang Jiu had wanted to cultivate for a while.

After all, unlike Xiao Wu, he couldn't slack off and still watch his Soul Power soar, catching up to those who had eaten Immortal Herbs without eating any himself.

But familiarizing himself with the surrounding area didn't count as wasting time. He also wanted to take a look at the Blacksmith Shop in Nuoding City.

There was nothing else worth seeing at Nuoding Academy, so they started exploring outside the academy.

Two six-year-old children walking around the city without an adult watching over them seemed dangerous, but with Xiao Wu there, they were actually quite safe.

Xiao Wu's fighting ability was far beyond what you'd expect from an ordinary ten-level Soul Scholar. Even a Soul Grandmaster could easily get into trouble if they let their guard down around her.

Besides, there was no way Uncle Tang Hao would let anything happen to Xiao Wu.

Watching Xiao Wu bounce along beside him, Jiang Jiu could only think that it was time to start working on getting involved with Tang San.

"What a cute outfit."

Unlike most kids, who were tempted by snacks, Xiao Wu preferred pretty clothes.

If no one stopped her, most of the Gold Soul Coins she earned in the future would probably go toward buying clothes.

The only thing holding her back now was her empty purse. Still, she was happy just looking, even if she couldn't buy anything.

Jiang Jiu checked the price of the pink outfit and thought about his little stash of money. Then he decided to buy it.

He could consider it a teacher's fee.

"Want to go try it on now?"

"Huh? Is it a gift for me?"

"Who else would I wear it for?"

"Xiao Jiu would look really cute in it, too."

"That's enough."

"Xiao Jiu's embarrassed again. Hehe."

"Go change into your clothes."

Jiang Jiu waited while Xiao Wu went to try it on. He wasn't interested in the children's clothes here.

He preferred dark styles to cute ones.

A little while later, Xiao Wu changed out of her plain top and into the new pink outfit. Her cuteness level went up a few notches.

"Good eye. Let's pick out a pair of pants, too."

The pants Xiao Wu had on didn't quite match, so Jiang Jiu decided to go all the way and buy her a complete outfit.

"Xiao Jiu, love you!"

Xiao Wu paired it with a white pair of pants. She liked things in white and pink.

She needed matching shoes and socks, too, but the shop didn't have any that caught her eye.

"Why'd you change back into your old clothes?"

After waiting a while, Jiang Jiu looked up at Xiao Wu, whose face was bright with a smile.

"Should we return the clothes? I feel like I'll grow taller before long, and then I won't be able to wear them."

Jiang Jiu was a little surprised. Xiao Wu hadn't acted like this when she'd been living off Wang Sheng.

"That may be true, but when you've grown taller, we can come back and buy new clothes, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

In general, Jiang Jiu was both an experience-first and a results-first kind of person. In other words, he wanted the process to be enjoyable and the outcome to be satisfying.

Living frugally for the first six years didn't mean he had to keep pinching pennies after becoming a Soul Master.

On Douluo Continent, it wasn't enough to cut expenses without finding ways to bring in money.

"Then, Xiao Jiu, it's a promise."

Jiang Jiu found it amusing. Once Xiao Wu condensed her First Soul Ring, she'd receive one Gold Soul Coin every month. She'd be the one rolling in money then.

He'd need several more months to reach level ten himself, and finding someone to help him with Soul Hunting was a problem, too.

Even though the son of the Nuoding City Lord had used a Ten-Year Soul Ring, Jiang Jiu really didn't want to do the same.

Xiao Wu changed back into her new outfit, and Jiang Jiu paid for it. Then the two of them continued wandering.

They strolled and stopped along the way. Xiao Wu's energy seemed endless, while Jiang Jiu was starting to feel worn out. The thought that she might drag him shopping like this on a regular basis in the future made him feel that getting tossed around would be less exhausting.

Fortunately, they were already on their way back to the academy. They still planned to make it in time for dinner in the cafeteria.

The same food was much cheaper at Nuoding Academy.

"Boss, you're back."

After dinner, they returned to Dorm Seven. All the work-study students, including Tang San, were in the dorm.

"You're all here." Xiao Wu led Jiang Jiu over and sat down beside him on the bed without a care.

She ate his food, wore his clothes, and slept beside him. What was there to be embarrassed about?

"Wang Sheng, what do we work-study students usually do in the evenings?" Their earlier explanation had been interrupted halfway by that green-haired teacher, so Xiao Wu asked now.

"Boss, evenings are usually for cultivation."

"Right. Then everyone should cultivate." Xiao Wu gave the order.

She'd had enough of walking around that afternoon, more or less. Xiao Jiu's legs needed a rest.

The work-study students resumed meditating and cultivating. Xiao Wu looked around. Everyone else was cultivating, but she hadn't condensed her First Soul Ring yet and was stuck at level ten. She couldn't be bothered to cultivate, so she just kept staring at Jiang Jiu.

"Mmm, he smells so good." She felt her heart itch as she watched him.

"Ahem, um..."

At some point, Tang San had stopped meditating and come over to where Xiao Wu and the others were.

"Shh, keep your voice down." Xiao Wu held a finger to her lips.

"Oh, right." Tang San lowered his already quiet voice even further.

"Is something wrong?" Xiao Wu asked.

"My teacher plans to take me to find a suitable First Soul Ring. You're the dorm leader, so I should let you know."

"Teachers are taking their students on Soul Hunting trips?" Xiao Wu frowned. Her mind was on a completely different problem.

As for Tang San going to hunt for his First Soul Ring, she hadn't given it much thought.

"I don't know about other teachers, but my teacher is taking me tomorrow morning."

"Fine, fine. I understand." Xiao Wu quickly sent Tang San on his way.

She was so conflicted that she hadn't even paid attention to Tang San's work-study duties.

"Soul Hunting..."

Could they avoid killing Soul Beasts?

Of course not.

If she didn't see Jiang Jiu obtain his Soul Ring, she could pretend that nothing had happened.

But now, as Xiao Jiu's teacher, she naturally had to do her best to get him the best, most suitable Soul Ring. Otherwise, how could she call herself his teacher?

"Mmm, let's just say our Soft Bone Rabbits ate it."

Soft Bone Rabbits only ate grass, but if they were pushed too far, maybe they'd bite another beast to death?

"Plant-type Soul Beasts don't seem all that suitable..."

Xiao Wu felt a faint sadness. It seemed the most suitable Soul Ring for Xiao Jiu would have to come from her rabbit clan.

Whether from a Soft Bone Rabbit or a Lightning Rabbit.

"Let's wait until Xiao Jiu reaches level ten."

She wanted so badly to share her ability to condense a Soul Ring with Jiang Jiu, but she couldn't.

For now, all she could do was stall and tough it out until the day Xiao Jiu reached level ten.

She had a friend and student with a Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul for the first time. For the first time, she had a good friend who gave her gifts like clothes. Why had things turned out like this?

Xiao Wu sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Before she knew it, quite a while had passed. Jiang Jiu woke from his meditative cultivation and decided it was time to sleep.

Meditation couldn't replenish the mental energy he'd used up. Only sleep could do that.

To build a stronger body, it was essential to go to bed early, get up early, and maintain a healthy routine.