"Ugh, even a hundred-year-old ginseng isn't easy to earn!"
After returning home, Yu Xiaochuan recalled what had happened after school that day and sighed, feeling that Yu Tianheng was going to keep pestering him.
After all, he had beaten Yu Tianheng with a sneak attack. Yu Tianheng probably wouldn't accept that defeat and would definitely keep coming back to settle the score.
With his innate half-rank talent, the longer his contest with Yu Tianheng dragged on, the worse things would be for him.
All he could say was that every extra stalk of hundred-year-old ginseng he could get was one more!
At worst, Yu Tianheng would beat him up. Either way, he wouldn't lose out.
After dinner, while it was still early and there was still daylight, Yu Xiaochuan went to the grove for special training.
He had caught Yu Tianheng off guard last time, but next time, Yu Tianheng would definitely be prepared.
He needed to cook up some new tricks!
Yu Xiaochuan released Caterpie and fed him Blue Silver Grass while considering how to give him special training.
Caterpie's move pool was simply too shallow, with only two moves: Tackle and String Shot.
Combining those two moves during the previous sneak attack had already produced Caterpie's strongest skill at present.
"Oh, I've got it!"
Yu Xiaochuan's gaze settled on Caterpie's Y-shaped antenna. Caterpie's red antenna could release a foul stench to drive enemies away.
That stench was a potent weapon too.
Caterpie had no powder on his body, and his skin was very smooth, which meant his Ability wasn't Shield Dust, but Run Away.
With Caterpie's ability to release a stench, his Run Away Ability, and Yu Xiaochuan himself as his trainer, fighting Yu Tianheng wasn't necessarily out of the question.
Yu Xiaochuan smiled brightly, revealing snow-white teeth. He looked sunny and clean, without the slightest hint of anything dirty.
He tried it out with Caterpie, and the boy and caterpillar worked together in perfect harmony.
Any unlucky fool who stupidly chased after him was bound to take a blast of Caterpie's stench attack.
After testing it, Yu Xiaochuan had Caterpie practice spraying his stench while he trained at running away.
He began his running training, working in shuttle runs and runs around trees.
A Martial Soul and its Soul Master were one, so with Caterpie possessing the Run Away Ability, Yu Xiaochuan also had a talent for running away.
He was fast, his footwork was slick, and he was as slippery as could be.
Time slipped by as Yu Xiaochuan and Caterpie trained.
Only a few days passed.
Then Yu Tianheng began itching to make a move.
His injuries hadn't fully healed, and his forehead was still a little red, though it no longer stood out so much.
He was confident that if he stayed cautious this time, he wouldn't lose to Yu Xiaochuan so easily no matter what. He could even say his chances of winning were high.
"Xiaochuan! Let's fight again. I'll definitely beat you this time!"
With a snap, Yu Tianheng produced a stalk of hundred-year-old ginseng, but before he could put it on the desk, Yu Xiaotian took it and fed it to Caterpie.
"Wooo!"
Caterpie's eyes lit up at the sight of hundred-year-old ginseng to eat, and he gave an excited cry.
After tasting hundred-year-old ginseng, he had lost all enthusiasm for eating Blue Silver Grass. His palate had become picky.
After crunching it down, Caterpie went up another level, reaching level four.
Yu Xiaochuan looked at Yu Tianheng with a cheerful smile. "All right, then. Let's meet at the usual place after school."
"The usual place it is!"
Yu Tianheng breathed a sigh of relief when Yu Xiaochuan agreed.
When school let out that evening, Yu Tianheng had learned his lesson. Rather than letting Yu Xiaochuan leave first, he went with him to the grove, ready for a showdown between real men.
"Whoa, this stick is really straight!"
Yu Xiaochuan spotted a wooden stick in the grove and couldn't help picking it up.
Yu Tianheng was on high alert. "Xiaochuan, what trick are you trying to pull now?"
Faced with Yu Tianheng's suspicious gaze, Yu Xiaochuan felt helpless. Had this kid started seeing snakes in every bow's reflection?
He really had only picked up the stick on a whim because he liked the look of it.
"Mind if I use a stick? After all, my Soul Power is only rank four, while yours is rank nine. The gap is too big. Don't worry, I won't launch a sneak attack this time. I'll fight you fair and square."
"All right, you can keep that stick!"
When Yu Tianheng saw the wooden stick in Yu Xiaochuan's hand, he liked it very much.
But seeing that it was only an ordinary wooden stick and thinking of the gap between Yu Xiaochuan and himself, he agreed.
"Come out, Caterpie."
With a thought from Yu Xiaochuan, an emerald-green light landed on his shoulder.
Caterpie made his dazzling entrance!
There really hadn't been a sneak attack. Yu Tianheng's opinion of Yu Xiaochuan changed, and he felt that Yu Xiaochuan had prepared himself to take a beating.
He took a deep breath.
His gaze swept over Yu Xiaochuan's shoulder.
Yu Tianheng's eyes wandered a little. Instead of looking at Caterpie, he fixed his gaze on Yu Xiaochuan's eyes.
His gaze grew firm.
"Good. It looks like you've reformed, Xiaochuan. You know those crooked tricks are useless. Only your own solid strength is the foundation!"
Yu Tianheng relaxed a little inwardly and clenched his fists, tiny blue-violet sparks of lightning flickering over them.
He hadn't acquired a Soul Ring yet and had no Soul Skills, but that didn't mean he couldn't use Soul Power.
Coating his fists with his lightning-attribute Soul Power was enough to increase their power.
"Of course. I, Yu Xiaochuan, stand straight and sit upright. I live my life fair and square!"
Yu Xiaochuan held the wooden stick with a solemn expression, as though he hadn't been the one who had ambushed Yu Tianheng before.
"Enough talk, Xiaochuan. Take this! Have a taste of my fist!"
Yu Tianheng clenched his fist and lunged forward, throwing a heavy punch at Yu Xiaochuan's face.
It could well be called a friendship face-breaking punch.
If that punch landed, Yu Xiaochuan's face would definitely swell up.
Fortunately, Yu Xiaochuan wasn't the sort to foolishly wait around to get hit. He twisted his body, dodged Yu Tianheng's punch like a loach, then turned and ran!
"That was close, so close! If that punch had landed, I'd definitely be sporting an injury. Tian Heng, you're really heartless. Don't tell me you're jealous because I'm better-looking than you! Can't help it, I was born this way. All your envy won't get you anywhere."
Yu Xiaochuan could still talk while running, which counted as a form of verbal interference.
"Why are you running?! Get back here! Aren't we supposed to be fighting?"
Seeing Yu Xiaochuan run, Yu Tianheng immediately grew anxious. Why are you running? Wouldn't it be better for us to trade solid blows, one punch from you and one from me?
But seeing Yu Xiaochuan flee, Yu Tianheng couldn't help chasing him. He couldn't have handed over that stalk of hundred-year-old ginseng for nothing!
"I'm not as stupid as you. If I don't run, am I supposed to wait for you to hit me? If you want to hit me, catch me first!"
Yu Xiaochuan led Yu Tianheng in circles through the grove. He had thoroughly explored this little grove and was very familiar with the terrain.
But running away wasn't a long-term solution.
If he had wanted only to escape, Yu Xiaochuan would have had no trouble. That was the true worth of the Run Away Ability.
Unfortunately, Yu Xiaochuan couldn't very well run straight home.
He had agreed to fight Yu Tianheng, after all, so he confined his running to the grove.
Yu Xiaochuan glanced at Caterpie on his shoulder. With just that single exchange of looks, Caterpie understood his thoughts and got ready.
Seeing Yu Xiaochuan slow down, Yu Tianheng rejoiced inwardly, quickened his steps, and caught up behind him.
He was just about to grab him. Even Caterpie, perched on Yu Xiaochuan's shoulder, seemed to be right before his eyes.
To his surprise, Caterpie's red antenna let out a puff of foul gas that rushed straight into his face.
The stench practically made his vision go black.
Yu Tianheng's breath caught. The stink made him stop immediately, and he turned his head away, wanting to escape the foul-smelling area as quickly as possible.
Pain struck the back of his head, and he passed out again.