Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
When the door to the Seventh Dormitory for work-study students was pushed open, Tang San was sitting cross-legged on his bed, cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
The moment the door opened, he smelled medicine for bruises and injuries.
He opened his eyes and saw a figure in a gray robe standing in the doorway, hunched over, his face wrapped in several layers of gauze, leaving only a pair of eyes with dark circles beneath them exposed.
Tang San froze for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Teacher?"
Three days earlier, his teacher had been so full of confidence when he said goodbye before leaving for Spirit Hall. How had he ended up in such a miserable state after just three days?
Yu Xiaogang closed the door. A moment's carelessness made his movement a little too broad, pulling a muscle somewhere, and he couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
He sat on the edge of the bed and grunted in acknowledgment.
"Teacher, did... did someone beat you up?" Tang San asked cautiously.
"No, don't talk nonsense. It wasn't her." Yu Xiaogang waved a hand.
He had meant to make up some excuse to brush it off, but then he reconsidered. Tang San was only six and knew nothing anyway. This was the perfect opportunity to establish his authority.
He cleared his throat, his voice a little nasal because of his crooked nose. "Little San, I saw quite a bit of the world on this trip to Spirit Hall. Even Pope Bibi Dong waited eagerly for good news when she heard I was coming and lined the road to welcome me."
Tang San moved a little closer, his gaze sweeping back and forth across that face swollen like a pig's head. "Then your face..."
"From sparring." Yu