"Yeah, it is a bit of a coincidence."
"But, Junior Qin, what are you doing this kind of work for? You're a Spirit Master!"
Xiao Laoda watched Qin Qi butcher the pig and furrowed his brow. He knew Qin Qi was a Work-Study Student.
But even so, there was no need to sink to the point of butchering pigs. He was a Spirit Master, after all!
"It's just a job. It has nothing to do with whether I'm a Spirit Master."
Qin Qi smiled and replied nonchalantly.
"Junior, you..."
Xiao Laoda took two steps forward, intending to approach Qin Qi, but when he saw the scene in the yard, he stopped.
A trace of disgust crossed his face. As the City Lord's son, he had grown up surrounded by luxury.
He had never had anything to do with butchering pigs.
"Junior, come over here for a moment. I have something to talk to you about."
Xiao Laoda beckoned to Qin Qi and spoke.
"Senior, surely you can handle this. You've hunted Soul Beasts before, so you can't be unable to stomach a little blood, can you?"
Qin Qi smiled as he walked over.
"It's not that I can't stomach it. It's just... Forget it, never mind."
"Junior, I wanted to say that if you're short on money, I can give you some."
Xiao Laoda glanced at the bloody scene, his face paling as nausea rose in his stomach.
Killing a Soul Beast and dissecting one felt completely different.
"Thanks for the offer, Senior, but I wouldn't be able to pay you back."
Qin Qi wore the same honest, good-natured smile as always. Anyone would have thought he was a good kid.
"I'm not lending you money. I'm investing in you. Once you've made something of yourself, you can pay me back then."
Xiao Laoda glanced around and lowered his voice.
"Hmm..."
Qin Qi looked at Xiao Laoda and thought for a moment before understanding what he meant.
The City Lord's position wasn't easy to hold, and the current City Lord might have other sons besides Xiao Laoda.
For now, all was peaceful, but things would get ugly once the City Lord grew old and had to step down.
If Xiao Laoda wanted to take his father's place, he would need enough strength.
And a genius Spirit Master with a promising future would make a valuable ally.
"Senior, I appreciate the offer, but I'm from a village. We country folk don't like owing people money."
Qin Qi smiled as he declined. The City Lord was a noble, and noble factions were all connected. Tug one thread, and the whole web moved.
Getting involved with one faction meant getting entangled with the entire nobility. It would bring plenty of trouble in the future.
It wasn't worth making trouble for himself over a little money.
"Junior, listen to me..."
"Hm-hm-hm!"
Xiao Laoda was about to say more when the pig, which had been tied up tight nearby, suddenly broke free.
Its eyes bloodshot, it charged toward the exit of the yard. Qin Qi and Xiao Laoda happened to be standing right in its path.
"Ah!"
Seeing the pig charge toward him, Xiao Laoda instinctively raised both hands to protect himself.
He even forgot to use Martial Soul Possession, defending himself just like an ordinary person.
"Ah."
Qin Qi shook his head at the sight. He was still just a kid. If he squared up for a formal spar, he might do well.
But if he faced a sudden attack, he wouldn't react in time at all.
"Thwack!"
Qin Qi watched the pig charge toward him without moving. The instant it reached him, he struck.
He unleashed his half-formed Instant Strike, gripping the Pig-Slaughtering Knife and lunging like a bullet leaving the barrel.
The blade plunged precisely into the pig's body, severing its heart.
"Thump!"
"Splatter!"
The pig's massive body crashed to the ground with a thump, and blood sprayed from the wound.
By sheer bad luck, it splashed all over Xiao Laoda.
Feeling the pig's blood—warm and wet, with its rusty smell—on his body, Xiao Laoda couldn't take it anymore.
"Ah! So disgusting, so disgusting!"
Xiao Laoda was covered in blood from head to toe. His stomach churned, and after only a moment, he couldn't hold back and ran to the side to vomit.
"Senior, it's not that bad. It's just a little blood."
"All right, all right, stop throwing up. Go take a bath and change your clothes. Otherwise, you won't be able to welcome the guests later."
Qin Qi had no blood on him. His knife hadn't been stained either, because he had swung it so quickly.
"Junior, I... urgh! I'll go change first."
Xiao Laoda couldn't stand the smell on himself any longer. He didn't bring up investing in Qin Qi again; he simply turned and left.
After Xiao Laoda left, the other kids stared at the pig still spurting blood on the ground, then at Qin Qi's smiling face.
Fear and apprehension were plain in their eyes. After backing away a few steps, they all ran off.
"Boss, everyone, don't just stand there. Heat the water and pluck the hair. Get back to work."
Qin Qi looked at the butcher and his helpers and spoke.
"Oh, oh!"
"Get moving, all of you!"
"You heat the water. We'll move the pig over."
Only then did everyone come back to their senses after the shock Qin Qi had given them, and they hurried back to work.
To be safe, the butcher went to check the remaining pigs. They were tied up tight.
He also looked at the rope that had broken free from the pig just now. The cut was smooth, as if it had been sliced through.
That night, Qin Qi and the others left the City Lord's Mansion. The boss paid him three Silver Spirit Coins.
It didn't seem like much, but it was already a considerable sum for an ordinary person. For a blacksmith, it was three months' wages.
Qin Qi didn't refuse and accepted the money. He had been the main one butchering pigs that day, so it was only right for him to get the bonus.
"Tomorrow we have to go butcher pigs at another place. Are you coming?"
The butcher asked.
"Sure. Whose place are we going to tomorrow?"
Qin Qi asked.
"A wealthy merchant's home. He's celebrating his son becoming a Spirit Master, too."
The butcher replied.
"Sounds good. I'll head to the shop as soon as classes are over."
Qin Qi nodded. It looked like he would have work for several days, since quite a few seniors were graduating this year.
After chatting with the butcher for a bit, Qin Qi returned to Notting Academy and went back to Dorm Seven.
He looked around and saw that Tang San wasn't there.
"Xiao Wu, where's Xiao San?"
Qin Qi returned to his bed and asked.
"He went to look after that teacher of his. He probably won't be back tonight."
"Hmph, Xiao San's just too timid. If it were me, I'd have left that useless Grandmaster to fend for himself ages ago."
"I'm looking after him? I'd be lucky if I didn't kick him to death."
Xiao Wu spoke with clear displeasure.
She still remembered how Grandmaster had threatened to expel them back then. Rabbits had long memories!
"Such a fiery temper for a girl."
Qin Qi felt that Xiao Wu didn't seem like a rabbit in human form. She seemed more like a tigress in human form. What a temper!
After chatting for a little while, Qin Qi entered the Study Space and continued practicing Instant Strike.