Teacher Xiao Wu Returns

Early morning. Today's task was a long-distance run, with a target of twelve kilometers.

According to Jiang Jiu's own training log, he ran four days a week and rested for three.

Yesterday had been a rest day, and tomorrow would be one too. Today was a day to turn up the pressure.

He could take it easy at the Blacksmith Shop today and think about how to improve his smithing movements.

On the field, Jiang Jiu incorporated the moves Xiao Wu had taught him into his warm-up. The whole routine worked most of his joints, and it was far better than the incomplete warm-up he remembered from his college physical education classes.

When he finished his long run, panting and drenched in sweat, and was about to leave the field, he saw Xiao Wu standing prettily beside the bag where he kept his change of clothes, holding it in her arms.

"That was fast?"

"Does it take a long time? Ahaha, let me help you stretch." Xiao Wu regretted her words and hurriedly changed the subject.

"No need. I'll do it myself at the bathhouse." Jiang Jiu reached for his clothes.

"Honestly, it's not like I mind."

Xiao Wu grabbed Jiang Jiu's hand and gave it a clever twist. He promptly crumpled to the ground.

"Hehe, I'm a professional. You should thank Teacher Xiao Wu properly." Xiao Wu crouched right down.

"Hiss—"

"Ah! Did I press too hard? I don't think so."

"It's fine, just a little sore." All he could say was, it felt so good it hurt—especially when Xiao Wu's strength worked its way in.

"Oh, oh, soreness is normal." Xiao Wu felt like she was getting a little slow herself.

After a while of assisted stretching...

"Next time, I'll do it myself." Jiang Jiu headed toward the bathhouse, and Xiao Wu followed close beside him, carrying his bag.

The various poses Xiao Wu had put him in while stretching him were so embarrassing. Though her stretching and massage really were amazing, and Jiang Jiu felt much better afterward.

"My way works better than yours." Xiao Wu wasn't bragging. "Oh, and those moves just now were totally normal. There's really nothing for you to be embarrassed about, Xiao Jiu."

As she spoke, she started laughing herself. The stretching had actually been pretty fun.

Jiang Jiu couldn't be bothered to respond.

Xiao Wu chattered on like a songbird with no shortage of things to say. "Still, Xiao Jiu, you really haven't been slacking while I was away. Your flexibility has improved again."

"Is it that obvious?" He really had been doing the exercises Xiao Wu assigned every day.

Before any kind of workout, loosening up your joints felt great.

But it had only been a few days. Improvements in athletic performance took a long time, so Jiang Jiu suspected Xiao Wu was just pulling his leg.

"Are you questioning me, Teacher Xiao Wu?" Xiao Wu hopped in front of Jiang Jiu and faced him.

"Don't underestimate the influence of a Martial Soul. Our Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul is, um, no worse than other powerful Beast Martial Souls." Xiao Wu paused. She couldn't boast too much.

It felt a little absurd for a Soul Beast to talk to a human about the power of Martial Souls.

Well, Xiao Wu was an official Soul Master, while Jiang Jiu could only count as a barely-qualified Soul Scholar.

"The Martial Soul's subtle influence?" Jiang Jiu mused.

"Your physical gifts are at work too. They complement each other."

"Not bad. Your cultural knowledge is improving."

"I'll kick you." Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose.

"We're here. Here are your clothes. Bleh!" She tossed the bag to Jiang Jiu and made a face.

When Jiang Jiu finished washing and came out of the bathhouse, Xiao Wu was still waiting outside. Surprisingly, she had a quiet air about her.

But the moment she saw Jiang Jiu, her energetic, bouncy side returned.

The two of them went to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"What? You're going to the Blacksmith Shop to forge metal this morning?" Xiao Wu felt like the sky had fallen. She'd been looking forward to going to class with Jiang Jiu.

Then why should she even go to class? She'd skip!

"I have to earn money."

"Oh." Xiao Wu drooped a little.

"By the way, you're a Soul Master now, right?" Soul Masters got one Gold Soul Coin a month. No point in turning that down.

At the mention of her cultivation, Xiao Wu perked up again. She looked around the cafeteria. Jiang Jiu had run for a long time today, and after stretching and washing up, a few students had already begun to trickle into the cafeteria.

Xiao Wu leaned close to Jiang Jiu's ear, speaking as if she were sharing a secret. "I'm level twelve now, Xiao Jiu. You've got to catch up soon."

Her breath was very noticeable against Jiang Jiu's ear, making him tilt his head away. Xiao Wu saw this and giggled.

"I will. But what I wanted to tell you is something else."

Jiang Jiu told Xiao Wu about the Soul Master stipend.

"One Gold Soul Coin? That much?"

"Xiao Jiu, you should stop smithing. I'll support you!" Xiao Wu said excitedly.

"Better save it to buy yourself clothes."

Oh no. His excuse for earning money had just fallen apart.

"Clothes have their own budget. There'll still be enough left for the two of us!" Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment, then quickly realized there was nothing to hesitate over. She wasn't the sort of person who spent her entire allowance on clothes.

"Smithing is a hobby too. A man's hobby, got it?"

Something must have struck a nerve, because Jiang Jiu's words made Xiao Wu laugh out loud.

After settling down, Xiao Wu stopped trying to talk him out of it.

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"Really."

"All right, then. But if you're going to the Blacksmith Shop in the morning, working as a work-study student in the afternoon, and cultivating at night, when are we supposed to go to class?"

"In the afternoon. Cleaning the garden won't take long."

Strictly speaking, the morning counted as cultivation time too. But he couldn't just spend Soul Power on smithing without replenishing it through seated meditation. Lunchtime was perfect for that.

"Oh, right. Hehe, we're supposed to clean the garden together." Xiao Wu blushed a little. She'd been shirking her duties for the past few days, and she felt like she'd let Xiao Jiu down.

But then she remembered something else.

"That Tang San went Soul Hunting and left you to clean by yourself. When he gets back, I'll punish him by making him clean the garden alone. As the Dorm Seven leader, I have every right!" Xiao Wu exercised her authority as leader with righteous indignation.

Jiang Jiu was speechless. Did Xiao Wu really not realize she was taking a dig at herself?

Still, it was kind of cute.

After breakfast, Jiang Jiu went back to the dorm to grab a few things, then set off for the Blacksmith Shop.

Nuoding Academy really was quite relaxed.

As a work-study student, as long as Jiang Jiu did his garden-cleaning duty, the staff generally left him alone.

"Why did you come along too?"

"I'm going to register as a Soul Master at Spirit Hall. It's on the way, isn't it?" Leaving the academy's gate was on the way, so it counted.

Xiao Wu continued walking with Jiang Jiu. She wanted to see where Xiao Jiu did his smithing.

"It's still early. I'll go to Spirit Hall with you."

"Xiao Jiu, you're so nice. Hehe."

"..."

"Hey, why are you embarrassed again?"

"Ah, slow down. All right, all right, I won't say anything else."

Jiang Jiu felt like Xiao Wu had him wrapped around her little finger. Being the sort of person who wasn't good at complimenting others really put him at a disadvantage.