He'd actually just said it out loud??
The thought flashed through everyone's minds at once. They exchanged bewildered looks, at a loss for what to do.
Even Tang San, who had previously stood quietly beside Grandmaster like a well-behaved child, had his pupils contract. He stiffly turned his head and glared sideways at Jiang Naruto.
The more gazes gathered around him, the more innocent and bewildered Jiang Naruto looked. Like a child who'd said the wrong thing, he glanced from side to side at everyone, hoping to find an answer on their faces.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
Crack!
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists until they popped, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
A faint snicker seemed to rise inside the office. Seeing that things were going badly, Principal Fuqi looked awkwardly at Jiang Naruto.
"Well... Naruto... Grandmaster doesn't have Innate Full Soul Power..."
"Innate Soul Power of eight or nine ranks is impressive too! It's only natural he looks down on me!" Jiang Naruto replied as if it were obvious, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
Principal Fuqi had no idea what to say. A few teachers were now struggling to hold back their laughter. Even Yu Xiaogang, who was furious at that moment, couldn't say a word. Was he supposed to open his mouth and scold this six-year-old child?
Scold him for what?
That he wasn't a genius with Innate Soul Power of eight or nine ranks, but a useless nobody with Innate Soul Power of only half a rank?
Yu Xiaogang couldn't take it anymore. He stood up,
"Could it be six ranks?"
Perhaps sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere, the child tentatively guessed another answer, then even tried to smooth things over for Grandmaster on his own.
"Then it's only natural for Grandmaster to have high standards for his disciples..."
"...Naruto..."
Principal Fuqi covered his forehead with his heavy palm and managed to utter two words. By now, Jiang Naruto seemed like a child who'd been teased until he lost his temper. He glared indignantly at the teachers, who were merely holding back their laughter without saying a word.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Could Grandmaster have only five ranks of Innate Soul Power?"
"What kind of joke is this? Even I, a six-year-old child, know that if Grandmaster only had five ranks of Innate Soul Power, why would he look down on me?"
"And even if Grandmaster only had five ranks of Innate Soul Power! That's still stronger than most teachers!"
"Pfft..."
Someone finally couldn't hold it in. One snicker escaped, and the teachers burst into uproarious laughter.
Grandmaster's face went from black to red, then from red to white. He took Tang San by the hand and tried to leave, but someone tugged at his hem and wouldn't let him go.
"Grandmaster, how many ranks of Innate Soul Power do you actually have? Why is everyone laughing?"
"Grandmaster doesn't have five ranks. He only has half a rank of Innate Soul Power!"
Some teacher shouted through his laughter.
Smack!
Yu Xiaogang slapped Naruto's hand away, glared furiously at everyone in the room, and led Tang San out of the office. He raised a hand and slammed the door shut.
Jiang Naruto wanted to laugh. But just before the door closed, when only a narrow black slit remained, Tang San's cold gaze passed through it and swept over everyone present. It lingered on him in particular.
What?
Could Tang San hold a grudge against me just because I admired Grandmaster?
Jiang Naruto sneered inwardly, while keeping up his baffled expression. Principal Fuqi was at a loss too. Was he supposed to blame Naruto, who was only six and didn't know any better?
The school's joy at gaining a genius had been completely ruined. Principal Jin shook his head with a sigh and buried himself in finishing Naruto's enrollment file.
In the corridor,
Yu Xiaogang strode along, his leather shoes clacking against the floor. The parents and students passing by saw his dark expression and instinctively made way. Tang San, led along by Grandmaster, had to quicken his pace so he wouldn't be dragged along.
Once they reached a deserted spot, Tang San stopped and pulled back on Grandmaster's hands, who seemed lost in thought.
"Teacher!"
At the call, Yu Xiaogang finally came to his senses and slowly turned around.
"Little San..." Yu Xiaogang still wanted to leave a good impression on his newly accepted disciple. He wanted to explain, but half a rank of Innate Soul Power made any defense he could offer seem utterly feeble. In the end, he could only murmur a few bitter words. "Just now..."
Before he could finish, Yu Xiaogang was startled to see Tang San drop to his knees with a thump. He hurried forward.
"Little San! What are you doing?"
Thinking Tang San was about to leave his tutelage, Yu Xiaogang tried to help him up.
But Yu Xiaogang was Yu Xiaogang, a famously useless weakling. He was barely stronger than Tang San, who cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill. With Tang San kneeling firmly on the ground, Yu Xiaogang could do nothing about it.
"Teacher!" Tang San looked Grandmaster straight in the eyes, his expression solemn. First he clasped his hands, then raised one toward the sky. "Once a teacher, a father for life! If you're humiliated, then I, your disciple, am humiliated too! I swear I'll see justice done for you for today's disgrace!"
"..."
Yu Xiaogang's mouth fell open. His eyes turned red. He was a sensitive, emotional man to begin with, and now he could no longer hold back his tears. They spilled from his eyes.
"Good! Good! Good..."
He repeated the word several times,
Yu Xiaogang reached out and embraced Tang San before him, sobbing softly.
Unaware of the touching story between Tang San and his master,
Jiang Naruto took his enrollment certificate and the academy's entry-and-exit badge, then hurried home. Since his family lived in Nuoding City, he didn't need to stay at the academy and share a bed with an underage girl.
Jiang Naruto was in a pretty good mood, but he still had to complain a little.
The protagonist was such a pain in the ass!
He'd been in this world for half a year.
Usually, Jiang Naruto never had the slightest trouble. He ate and drank every day, living in blissful comfort. But today, he'd run into Tang San, who hadn't even said a word to him, and Tang San's aura of being a pain in the ass alone had put him through the wringer.
As expected of the protagonist. Terrifying indeed!
His small figure darted through the streets of Nuoding City, making several familiar neighbors turn their heads in curiosity.
"Little Ming! I've still got some fish left today! Want some at twenty percent off?"
"No, thanks!"
Jiang Naruto didn't break stride. He just waved in reply. He had important things to do now. How could he be tempted by a measly twenty percent discount?
Poor Little Naruto squeezed through the crowd between people's legs. He'd just pushed his way between two uncles when someone's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"...Um... I was wrong just now..."
The voice was so quiet it was almost drowned out by the racket around him. Jiang Naruto frowned and tilted his ear toward it, only just managing to make it out.
Was that... an apology?
Naruto's eyes brightened. Without thinking, he blurted out a sarcastic remark on instinct. "Oh? You can actually apologize? I thought you'd spend the next few days hiding somewhere and secretly shedding little pearls."
"..."
Inside the Sealing Space, Bibi Dong's face darkened, and her temples throbbed. This brat was truly infuriating!
"Oh? I wasn't talking about you just now. I meant someone else, so don't get the wrong idea."
Shameless!
She'd never seen anyone say something out loud and then swallow it back down afterward.
No matter how indignant Bibi Dong felt, she could only grit her teeth and bear it.
Bibi Dong decided not to dwell on it. She slowly lowered her eyes, let out a breath, and apologized again in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"I was wrong earlier... I didn't think it through... I was reckless..."
Jiang Naruto, still pushing through the crowded street, slowed down a little and frowned as he considered it. That didn't really fit Haji-Dong's character.
"What about Yu Xiaogang?"
Before you continue