Zhuqing, I'll Show You Something Good Soon

"Zhu Zhuqing! Why are you still standing there? Didn't you understand what I said?"

The Soul Elder class instructor shouted sternly at Zhu Zhuqing, who remained unmoved in the field.

Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together tightly. After a long while, she finally forced out a sentence:

"Teacher, can I switch sparring partners?"

"Do you think the academy belongs to your family? This is just routine training sparring. Why are you making such a fuss?"

There was a trace of displeasure in the instructor's voice. This girl had joined the class midway through the term, and the other girls had long since paired up. As a newcomer, why was she causing so much trouble?

The male student assigned as Zhu Zhuqing's sparring partner had initially been delighted to practice with such a beautiful girl with a voluptuous figure.

Who could have expected that she would stubbornly refuse to train with him? He immediately joined in with a mocking remark:

"Miss Beauty, are you some princess from another country? Or perhaps a certain elder's granddaughter?"

Zhu Zhuqing clenched her pearly teeth and squeezed out the last of her stubbornness:

"I... I can train by myself."

"You!"

The teacher was so angry that he could not speak. He could only wave his folding fan with one hand while repeatedly pointing at Zhu Zhuqing with the other.

"Teacher Wang, please wait."

A warm, jade-like voice came from nearby.

Xu Peinian arrived before the instructor surnamed Wang in time and grabbed his hand.

Then Xu Peinian stepped forward, leaned close to the middle-aged teacher's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Teacher Wang, do me a favor and let me spar with her."

"Who are you? Why should I do you a favor?"

Teacher Wang held his folding fan and turned his head, staring at Xu Peinian with a look of surprise.

Xu Peinian drew even closer and whispered into his ear again:

"Teacher Wang, that Supreme Century-Old Snow Ginseng I gave you back then."

"Oh~" The middle-aged teacher snapped open his fan, revealing the four words "Lead by Example" written upon it. Then he suddenly smiled. "Xu Peinian! Of course this teacher remembers. As expected of the finest student I've taught. Since that's the case, Zhu Zhuqing can train with you."

Nearly every student and teacher in the academy knew his name. Only Teacher Wang, that oddball who liked taking petty bribes and left work the moment the hour arrived, recognized gifts but not people.

Xu Peinian smiled helplessly to himself, though he cupped his hands in salute and led Zhu Zhuqing to one side.

The male student who had been speaking sarcastically earlier now shrank his neck like a quail, not daring to breathe too loudly.

There was no other reason. This man was Xu the Demon King.

"What are you looking at? That is your outstanding senior, Xu Peinian. Keep training properly and follow his example."

Teacher Wang turned toward the probing gazes around him and bellowed. The others immediately fell silent, quickly withdrawing their gazes and resuming their sparring with their partners.

Over on Xu Peinian and Zhu Zhuqing's side.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head awkwardly and thanked him softly:

"Th... thank you. You must have found that funny."

"It's fine. Wang Skinflayer is just like that. He saw that you were new and hadn't given him any gifts, so he was deliberately trying to make things difficult for you."

Xu Peinian comforted her so that Zhu Zhuqing would not feel burdened.

"I've already spoken to him. He won't make things difficult for you again. If you really don't like it here, we can switch classes."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. It seemed that she intended to remain in this class.

Xu Peinian did not insist. Though Old Wang was somewhat greedy, his teaching ability was still outstanding. Otherwise, the academy would have kicked him out long ago.

"Then I'll spar with you from now on. How about it?"

"Mm."

This time, Zhu Zhuqing did not refuse. She merely nodded in calm reply.

"Then let's begin. Just attack with everything you have."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing assumed her starting stance. After receiving Xu Peinian's acknowledgment, her curvaceous body abruptly turned into an afterimage as she darted toward him with agility.

"Huff, huff..."

The ripe fruits on Zhu Zhuqing's slender branches rose and fell violently with her post-battle panting.

"Let's stop here for today. Remember to pay attention to the mistakes Teacher Wang and I pointed out earlier."

Seeing that Xu Peinian was still neither flushed nor out of breath, Zhu Zhuqing nodded with a complicated look in her eyes.

She had never expected that in just six short years, the gap between herself and Xu Peinian would grow wider and wider.

Even if Xu Peinian did not use the strength of a Soul Ancestor and they only competed in combat techniques, she was still no match for him.

She had clearly worked so hard these past few years...

Noticing that Zhu Zhuqing seemed somewhat dejected, Xu Peinian pondered for a moment before his lips moved.

"Don't lose heart, Zhuqing. Your talent is already excellent. I have a way to improve your physical condition. In a while, I'll show you something big and good."

Realizing that his words sounded ambiguous, Xu Peinian hurriedly added:

"It's a proper big good thing."

It would have been better if he had not explained. With that explanation, a blush gradually spread across Zhu Zhuqing's face.

Damn it, that somehow sounded even worse... Xu Peinian shut his foolish mouth, which never seemed capable of saying the right thing.

Zhu Zhuqing realized that she owed him more and more: first, he had saved her life, and now he was doing his utmost to help her grow stronger.

"Uh, Zhuqing, did you hear me?"

Zhu Zhuqing was good in every way except that she did not like talking. Especially after such an awkward moment, Xu Peinian could only take the initiative to break the stalemate.

"Mm, I heard."

Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena were practically two extremes. One had the most exaggerated figure imaginable yet was as cool and detached as an exiled immortal; the other was fiery and passionate, leaving people unable to cope.

After Xu Peinian had finished explaining everything that needed to be said, his thoughts could not help but wander.

Over the next month, Xu Peinian split his time into several portions, busy as a spinning top.

One portion was reserved for his own breathing and cultivation, one was given to Zhu Zhuqing to accompany her in practicing combat techniques and watch her consume Whale Rubber, and another portion went to Hu Liena, accompanying her in doing the things she loved to do, or else she would become jealous again.

This day,

Spirit Hall Academy was, as always, filled with earth-shaking shouts and cries of combat.

Yet Xu Peinian did not find a place to sit quietly and cultivate as usual. Instead, he stood outside the courtyard with Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena, waiting for someone's arrival.

About a quarter of an hour later,

At the distant end of the horizon,

Two black dots skimmed low into their field of vision. They appeared to be far beyond reach, yet before long, they were right before them.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and Light Feather Douluo drifted gracefully to the ground, not a speck of dust staining their robes.

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, Grandpa Light Feather."

"Little Peinian, why did you summon these two old bones? Is there something you need?"

"That's right, boy. It's been a long time since you came up the mountain to play with your Fifth Grandpa."

Light Feather Douluo's white hair was groomed impeccably, yet his lips were red, his teeth white, and his features as handsome as a young man's. Only the occasional flash of vicissitudes in his lively eyes distinguished him from an actual youth.

"Hehe, when we get back and I have time, I'll go up the mountain to keep you company. This time, I'd like the two of you to accompany me to retrieve something. If we're lucky, we might even catch an enemy of Spirit Hall."

Xu Peinian answered with an awkward laugh.

"Oh? Could it be..."

"You'll know once you get there."

"Haha, you brat, you're keeping us in suspense. Fine, these two old men will accompany you on this trip."

"Thank you, Second Grandpa and Fifth Grandpa."

Hu Liena, who had lived another life, had already expected this, so her expression did not change much.

But Zhu Zhuqing was filled with astonishment. The powerful people around Xu Peinian six years ago had not been these two. Just how deep did his background run?

Without lingering any longer, the five of them set off from Spirit Hall Academy, each with different thoughts in mind.