Just one short year (1 / 2)

A year had passed-neither a long time nor a short one.

At the cottage behind Nuoding Academy, white vapor billowed from the chimney, heat rising in steaming waves.

On closer inspection, beads of water clung to the wooden window, rolling down one drop at a time.

Inside stood two wooden tubs as tall as a person, each occupying a corner. Steam churned above them, carrying the strong, fishy smell of gelatin.

Tang San and Xiao Wu occupied one tub each, having taken off their outer clothes. Wearing only close-fitting bellybands, they soaked in water mixed with whale rubber.

The sensuous medicinal potency of the whale rubber seeped into their pores with the hot water, flushing their little faces redder than ripe peaches.

Tang San sat in his tub with only his head showing. The wisps of hair over his forehead were soaked, plastered against his cheeks.

Despite the discomfort wracking his body, he gripped the rim and clenched his teeth, trembling uncontrollably.

Beside him, Xiao Wu kept sucking in sharp breaths and muttering, "So hot, so hot, so hot..."

Li Hanqiu stood outside the door with his back to them, one hand behind him and a teacup in the other, quietly listening to his two disciples inside.

Though after listening for quite a while, all he heard was Xiao Wu's soft cries of "Ah, it's hot! So hot! I'm burning up!"

Tang San, meanwhile, remained silent, quietly absorbing the medicinal potency.

Without turning his head, Li Hanqiu simply watched the leaves of the old locust tree rustling in the courtyard wind.

"Xiao Wu, a young lady should show a little composure. Look at how well Little San is enduring it. You ought to learn from him."

The instant Li Hanqiu finished speaking, a splash came from inside. From the sound alone, he knew Xiao Wu had taken offense and was squirming in her tub, sending the hot water surging.

"Teacher, all you do is talk! If you've got the nerve, come in and soak too. Let's see which of us can stay in longer!"

Xiao Wu's startling declaration made Li Hanqiu choke mid-sip, nearly spraying out his tea.

Tang San also stirred inside, his voice as faint as a mosquito as he tried to stop her. "Xiao Wu, stop fooling around."

Li Hanqiu covered his throat and coughed twice. Only after hearing Tang San intervene did he catch his breath, patting his chest to steady it.

Who would have thought Tang San's next words would nearly make his breathing falter again?

In a soft, slightly bashful voice, Tang San said, "Even if Teacher came in, there isn't a third tub for him."

Xiao Wu gave a sly smile and deliberately teased him. "That's easy! Teacher can squeeze into your tub!"

Tang San flustered in the water, his cheeks crimson, whether from the steam or embarrassment was impossible to tell. "Ah, n-no!"

"No? Then he'll just have to squeeze in with me." Leaning over the rim, Xiao Wu raised her eyebrows and kept teasing him.

Tang San grew even more flustered, shaking his head repeatedly and scattering droplets from his hair as his words tangled together. "No, no, that's not it. It's not that I don't want..."

Outside, dark lines seemed to slide down Li Hanqiu's forehead at their exchange. His mouth twitched. He was so speechless he no longer knew what to say.

My teaching credentials are melting away like cream! Li Hanqiu howled inwardly.

Outwardly, however, he raised a fist to his mouth, coughed heavily several times, and changed the subject.

"Your teacher is getting old. These bones can't handle soaking in water. You two go ahead."

"Heehee." Xiao Wu giggled meaningfully.

Holding his teacup, Li Hanqiu straightened and said slowly, "Xiao Wu, after your medicinal bath, run fifty laps around the training field. If you don't finish, Little San gets your carrot cake tonight."

"Ah, Teacher, I was wrong! I shouldn't have joked about you! Xiao Wu knows she was wrong-"

Li Hanqiu slowly sipped his hot tea and ignored her pleas, saying calmly, "The whale rubber baths I prepared for you are meant to temper your bodies, with the emphasis on strengthening your muscles and bones."

His voice was clear and gentle, carrying into both rooms through Xiao Wu's wailing pleas.

"Your bodies are still very young. Your bones haven't finished growing, and your meridians haven't opened fully. If you rush into cultivating soul power, you'll pay dearly for it later."

He paused, then continued, "First lay a solid foundation for your bodies. Only then should we discuss advancing your soul power."

Inside, Tang San answered softly, "Yes, Teacher."

Xiao Wu, however, grimaced and draped herself over the rim, wailing, "Teacher... this is way too hot! I'm almost cooked! Your fair, spotless Xiao Wu is turning into boiled rabbit!"

Li Hanqiu's eyes curved with amusement as he teased her. "Don't play pitiful and act sweet in front of me. That won't coax me into anything."

Pouting, Xiao Wu splashed twice before sinking back into the water. With only half her face showing, she blew at the steam in aggrieved little breaths.

Over the past year, both youngsters' soul power had remained firmly at rank eighteen.

That was because Li Hanqiu had deliberately restrained their advancement. He would rather let their soul power remain within their bodies and grow denser than allow them to rush upward.

What they gained in return was Tang San's control over Blue Silver Grass, as effortless as moving his own fingers, and the solid, powerful explosiveness in Xiao Wu's waist and legs.

Daylight dimmed little by little.

The water in the whale rubber tubs gradually cooled from boiling hot to warm.

Just as the evening clouds spread across the sky, their body tempering came to an end.

After tidying up, Tang San dressed and came outside.

His little face was still flushed, and his half-dry hair fell softly over his shoulders. His collar was perfectly straight, his cuffs pulled into place with meticulous care.

Xiao Wu followed right behind him, still rubbing her arms and grumbling under her breath. "Stupid whale rubber, all fishy and hot... I feel like I've been marinated clear through."

Li Hanqiu handed them two dry towels he had prepared beforehand. "Dry yourselves off. Don't catch a chill."

Both reached out to take them and dried the ends of their hair.

Tang San raised his head to look at Li Hanqiu, then looked down at his toes. After hesitating for a long while, he finally spoke quietly.

"Teacher... summer vacation starts tomorrow. Could I go back to Holy Soul Village?"

Li Hanqiu looked at him. "What for?"

"To see my father," Tang San said very quietly. "I've been away for a year. I don't know if he... has been eating on time."

He paused, then added, "I'll only stay a few days. I won't fall behind in my cultivation."

Li Hanqiu said nothing. He took the dry towel from Tang San's hands and gently dried his hair, stroke after stroke.

If he remembered correctly, Tang Hao's conduct as a father in the original story left much to be desired.

The youngster before him knew he would probably be scolded if he went back, yet still wanted to return and cook for him.

Who knew where he had gotten that disposition?

"All right." Li Hanqiu nodded. "Looking back is a way of facing things head-on, too."

Xiao Wu immediately bounded over and hooked an arm around Tang San's. "I'm going too, I'm going too! I wouldn't feel safe letting Little San go back alone!"

"You're going with him?" Li Hanqiu glanced at her.

"Of course! If his dad bullies him, I'll use Waist Bow to throw that old man out!" Xiao Wu raised a fist, utterly serious.

Tang San hastily caught hold of her. "Xiao Wu, don't talk nonsense... Father wouldn't."

"Hmph. He'd better not." Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks.

Li Hanqiu shook his head. "Fine, go with him. Don't get distracted playing along the way. Go and come back promptly."

"Got it, Teacher!" Xiao Wu agreed with a grin, then leaned closer. "Teacher, are you coming with us? Little San says Holy Soul Village is lots of fun. There are mountains and rivers, and..."

"I'm not going," Li Hanqiu interrupted.

Both looked up at him at once.

"Go without worrying. I'll stay here and keep looking through the soul beast compendium." He clasped his hands behind his back and looked north. "I need to keep learning too."

"Oh, Xiao Wu." As though something had suddenly occurred to him, Li Hanqiu took a pale blue-green pill with an unusual fragrance from inside his clothes. "Eat this."

"What is it?" Xiao Wu took it and swallowed it without a second thought, then tilted her head at Li Hanqiu.

Li Hanqiu smiled and reached out to stroke her fluffy head. "You'll find out someday."

What he had given Xiao Wu was none other than the system-produced Shadow Concealment Pill, which had only one effect:

It could conceal Xiao Wu's aura as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.

Li Hanqiu had originally planned to give it to her later, but if Tang Hao happened to be lying around at home, wouldn't seeing Xiao Wu set him off?

For Xiao Wu's safety, he might as well give it to her ahead of time.

Night crept in.

Li Hanqiu escorted his two disciples to the dormitory building. Only after watching Xiao Wu skip through the door with her arm linked through Tang San's did he turn to leave.

He walked back to the cottage behind the academy alone.

When he pushed open the door, Luo Sanpao was lying in a corner. Hearing the noise, he raised his head with a little grunt.

Li Hanqiu sat at the table and lit the oil lamp.

He opened the soul beast compendium, read a few pages, then closed it again.

The soul power within Li Hanqiu's body had settled firmly at rank forty.

In fact, he could have hunted a soul beast and obtained his fourth soul ring a month or two earlier. Instead, he had deliberately suppressed his soul power and refrained from hunting while considering what to choose for his fourth soul ring.

Now that Luo Sanpao had obtained true dragon's blood and broken through his genetic limits, his grade had leaped upward again and again. Naturally, his soul ring needed to be better too!

Not only did its attributes need to match the "light" element, its age had to be high enough as well. Ideally, it would even carry a little draconic bloodline.

Li Hanqiu's sights had risen considerably. When choosing soul rings, he would rather go without than settle for something inferior.

After reading for a long time, Li Hanqiu closed the compendium and tapped its cover lightly twice.

"It's time to prepare for my fourth soul ring."

Outside the window, the cicadas' cries gradually faded.

Luo Sanpao swished his tail and rested his chin on his front paws, his clear golden eyes quietly watching his master.