Daily Practice

As the days passed, Xiao Wu slowly took over more and more of Jiang Jiu's life.

Relying on her own cuteness and Jiang Jiu's slight connections, she even managed to get into the Blacksmith Shop.

She wasn't an apprentice or anything, though. She simply sat on a little stool not far from Jiang Jiu, and whenever he took a break, she would use a newly bought handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face.

Outside, Xiao Wu could put on a well-behaved act. She called everyone "Uncle," and was always happy to help pour tea, so nobody at the Blacksmith Shop talked behind her back.

Well, almost nobody.

"Kids these days. I didn't come into my own until I was in my teens!"

"When I was young, I had a girl like that, too..."

"Yeah, right!"

They didn't mean any harm.

Besides, Xiao Wu had her own impressive strength, but she really wasn't interested in blacksmithing.

When she wasn't working at the forge, Xiao Wu would help Jiang Jiu clean the garden.

She was much livelier then, like a pink butterfly fluttering about.

As for how efficiently they worked... well, the two of them took longer to clean the garden than Jiang Jiu did on his own.

Luckily, it still didn't take all that long, and Jiang Jiu could live with that.

Then there were Xiao Wu's private lessons.

During Soft Technique lessons, Teacher Xiao Wu was full of authority. Since she insisted Jiang Jiu learn by experiencing it firsthand, she tossed him around plenty.

There was no getting around it: Xiao Wu was the expert, so Jiang Jiu could only accept his fate.

And the lessons really did work.

After only a few classes, he felt he could easily beat the version of himself from the day he enrolled.

When the difference in physique wasn't too great, knowing how to fight made all the difference.

As for sparring with the Xiao Wu from that day, that was just wishful thinking.

That evening, Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu returned to Dorm Seven after dinner.

Something felt off about the mood in the dorm.

Xiao Wu frowned. "Did someone bully you?"

Wang Sheng hung his head. A few others were lying on their beds, not meditating and cultivating as they usually did.

"It was Xiao Chenyu and his lot, wasn't it?" Jiang Jiu knew this sort of thing had happened.

Jiang Jiu's usual haunts and schedule at Nuoding Academy rarely overlapped with Xiao Chenyu and the others.

Xiao Wu should have been paraded around the academy by Wang Sheng and the others, making a big fuss wherever she went. But now she stuck to Jiang Jiu all day, so she wasn't particularly well-known at Nuoding Academy.

The trouble between Wang Sheng and Xiao Chenyu's group was simply a case of those students bullying the work-study students.

That sort of thing happened often enough, but this was the first time Jiang Jiu and Xiao Wu had seen it turn physical.

"That young master?"

Jiang Jiu's eyes widened. Was this really Xiao Wu?

"Hmph, so you're allowed to read your books?" Xiao Wu huffed with a smug air, then turned her attention back to the bullying.

"Tomorrow, I'll go beat that guy up," Xiao Wu declared firmly.

"Boss, maybe we should just let it go." Wang Sheng looked up, then shook his head.

The other work-study students chimed in as well. Xiao Chenyu was already a Soul Master, after all.

"Let it go? No way!"

Xiao Wu immediately used Martial Soul Possession, and her Yellow Soul Ring shone brilliantly.

She glowed in the dusky light.

"A... a Hundred-Year Soul Ring?!"

Wang Sheng and the other work-study students were so shocked they seemed frozen in place.

Wait, Boss, you're this strong? Why didn't you say so sooner?!

"It's just a Hundred-Year Soul Ring. What's there to be surprised about? You're embarrassing yourselves. Xiao Jiu is nothing like you."

Xiao Wu put away her Martial Soul with feigned disdain, then hopped back to the bed she shared with Jiang Jiu.

"But Brother Jiu—Brother Jiu isn't like us, is he?"

If the work-study students wholeheartedly accepted Xiao Wu as their boss, their feelings toward Jiang Jiu were much more complicated.

They understood Xiao Wu's outspoken thoughts and could follow her train of thought, but Jiang Jiu was completely different.

The way he spoke was one thing; the way he acted was another. He had clear goals, strong follow-through, and knew what to give up and when. He was nothing like someone who simply went along with the crowd.

They didn't understand him, but they could see how hard Jiang Jiu worked.

People like him put pressure on the other work-study students. For children, that naturally made them want to keep their distance.

But that didn't stop them from admiring him.

Though he was younger than they were, they found themselves calling him "Brother Jiu" without thinking, looking up to him.

"Xiao Jiu really is different." Xiao Wu smiled and stretched, then climbed into bed and watched Jiang Jiu meditate, preparing to cultivate.

"That's enough. Tomorrow, we'll go find Xiao Chenyu together."

Xiao Chenyu really was a spoiled young master, but he was also clearheaded about it.

He liked bullying boys and girls, but only those he could get away with bullying.

If he ran into someone he couldn't handle, he was the sort who could swallow his pride, admit his mistake, and apologize. After that, he'd never cross the line again.

He wasn't a good person, but with his background—he was the city lord's son—he'd live comfortably his whole life as long as he stayed in Nuoding City.

"Okay, okay. You go ahead and cultivate, Xiao Jiu. I won't bother you."

At Xiao Wu's word, the other work-study students fell silent and got back to cultivating.

But the image of that Yellow Soul Ring still shone brightly in their minds.

Hey, one of the work-study students had a Beast Martial Soul, a Battle Soul Master, and a Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Nobody would dare bully them anymore.

They kept thinking that until they finished cultivating and drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning.

It was Jiang Jiu's planned rest day, but not running didn't mean he had nothing else planned.

Before dawn, he and Xiao Wu were already practicing "Dance-Style Yoga" on the training grounds.

Xiao Wu might be lazy, but she had no trouble getting up early now.

Whether she was watching Jiang Jiu run laps on the training grounds or leading him through flexibility exercises, she was always there.

Naturally, she preferred doing "yoga" with Jiang Jiu to watching him run.

It was just too much fun.

"Here, here! Tighten up properly. Hold it! You can do it!"

Xiao Wu giggled as she coached and cheered him on, her hands roaming freely over Jiang Jiu's joints.

She was being serious and responsible. What was wrong with giving him a little touch?

And she wasn't about to let Jiang Jiu get away with anything.

When she demonstrated the movements, she let him feel the condition of her bones and muscles, and how they engaged.

She especially loved the way Jiang Jiu would pretend to be all serious then.

"Isn't that enough?" Jiang Jiu asked after holding the position for a while.

"Is it?" Xiao Wu casually pulled her hand back from the side of Jiang Jiu's hip.

After all, the largest joint in the human body was right around there. Flexing, extending, rotating, and opening the lower body all depended on it.

It definitely wasn't because it felt so nice!

After a few more position changes, they finished the day's flexibility training.

According to Xiao Wu, the earlier you started flexibility training, the better. Once you built a solid foundation, it became much easier to advance, and you wouldn't need to go back and focus on it again later.

That was a pretty big advantage over ordinary people.