"This room is nice! Ten Gold Soul Coins a semester is a bargain!"
Standing in the middle of Lu Fei's dorm room, Lu Yu looked around and spoke from the heart.
It was a single room, roughly twenty square meters in size, simply furnished but well equipped. It had a 1.5-meter-wide wooden bed, a desk, a double-door wardrobe, a private balcony, and its own bathroom. The accommodations were quite good.
Tuition and lodging together cost just ten Gold Soul Coins a semester. For Lu Yu, who now had the enormous sum of three hundred Gold Soul Coins on him, the expense was hardly worth mentioning.
"Brother, come study with me at Nuoding Academy too!"
Lu Fei looked around the tidy room, his face full of joy, but deep in his eyes was a hint of disappointment he could hardly conceal.
"Ah, Xiao Fei, I've already talked to you about this." Lu Yu smiled and ruffled Lu Fei's hair, his voice gentle but firm as he reassured him.
"What I know about the world and cultivation might be more comprehensive than what the academy's teachers know."
Lu Fei wanted to argue further, but Lu Yu immediately let his smile fade, put on a stern face, and gave a quiet "hm."
Knowing Lu Yu's temper well, Lu Fei promptly swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and did not dare say another word.
"That's better." Lu Yu's expression softened. He sat down beside Lu Fei and said gently, "As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. I'm your brother, so looking after you is my duty. Just stay at the academy and focus on your studies and cultivation."
"I understand, Brother." Lu Fei nodded obediently.
"By the way, do you remember that old man we met at the academy gates?"
Lu Yu suddenly remembered something. His expression turned serious at once, and he looked at Lu Fei beside him. There were some important instructions he had to make clear beforehand.
"I remember! Brother, is there something wrong with that old... man?" Lu Fei looked puzzled, not understanding why Lu Yu had suddenly brought up the man they had met earlier.
"You don't need to ask about anything else." Lu Yu fixed his eyes on Lu Fei, his tone unusually grave as he solemnly instructed him, word by word.
"You just need to remember one thing: from now on, whenever you see that man, stay far away from him. Don't believe a single word that old man says, and don't take any of it to heart."
Lu Yu's attitude was utterly resolute. He looked ready to take Lu Fei straight out of Nuoding Academy if he refused to agree.
Lu Yu had his own considerations. If the naive Lu Fei were beguiled and misled by Yu Xiaogang's theories and arguments, he would take Lu Fei away immediately.
Rather than let Yu Xiaogang's bullshit ideas hold back Lu Fei's cultivation, he would personally guide Lu Fei's cultivation and growth, little by little.
"Mm, Brother, I'll remember. Don't worry!"
Though Lu Fei did not fully understand the reason, he could sense how serious Lu Yu was. He nodded firmly and agreed.
Seeing Lu Fei obediently agree, the stone hanging over Lu Yu's heart finally dropped to the ground. He thought for a moment and, after making sure he had forgotten no instructions, a mysterious smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
"If you run into trouble at the academy that you can't handle, go to Spirit Hall and ask Brother Tao for help. Study and cultivate hard. Once you can read, I'll give you a present."
"Brother, what kind of present?"
Lu Fei's eyes lit up at once, brimming with curiosity. In all his life, this was the first time he had heard the word "present," and the sudden promise filled him with anticipation.
"I told you it's a present, so of course it has to be a secret. I can't tell you now." Lu Yu raised an eyebrow at Lu Fei, his tone teasing.
"If you want to find out sooner, study hard and learn to read!"
"Hmph, fine, don't tell me!"
Lu Fei pouted and turned his head away, pretending to sulk.
"All right, you're settled in now, so just stay at the academy and put your mind at ease."
As Lu Yu spoke, he took a bag of Silver Soul Coins he had prepared from his pocket, took them all out, and held them out to Lu Fei.
"Keep these twenty Silver Soul Coins safe. If there's anything you want to eat, go ahead and buy it. Your brother isn't short of this little bit of money now."
"Brother, that's too much! I don't need so much. Two-no, one Silver Soul Coin is enough for me!"
Lu Fei hurriedly reached out and pushed Lu Yu's hand back, refusing again and again.
In all his life, Lu Fei had never seen money. The first coins he had ever come into contact with were the hundred Copper Soul Coins Su Yuntao had given him during the Martial Soul Awakening. This many Silver Soul Coins was an enormous sum to him.
"Take it!"
Lu Yu held the bag of Silver Soul Coins out to Lu Fei again, his tone firm enough to brook no refusal.
"You're a Soul Master now. A Soul Master's foundation lies entirely in his physique, so your body is the most important thing. If you can't bear to spend money and starve yourself until your cultivation falls behind, just see if I don't beat you!"
As he spoke, Lu Yu raised his other hand and brandished his fist.
Lu Fei shrank back a little at Lu Yu's words. He did not dare refuse again and solemnly accepted the twenty Silver Soul Coins in both hands.
Lu Fei carefully tucked the Silver Soul Coins under his pillow, but then decided they were too conspicuous. He moved them beneath the bedding and set the pillow firmly on top, hiding the money away securely.
Watching how careful Lu Fei was, a tender smile shone in Lu Yu's eyes.
"I've told you everything I needed to. Behave yourself at the academy, listen to your teachers, and apply yourself to your studies and cultivation. I have important matters to attend to, so I'll be going."
Lu Yu raised a hand and gently patted Lu Fei on the shoulder, then turned and walked out of the dorm room.
"Brother, make sure you stay safe on the road!"
Lu Fei's clear voice called out the reminder behind him.
Lu Yu did not look back as he walked on. He merely raised a hand and gave a small wave, telling Lu Fei not to worry.
After leaving Nuoding Academy, Lu Yu stretched and exhaled, trying to recall where the nearest pharmacy was.
"I have 322 Gold Soul Coins now. I wonder if that's enough to buy a piece of Whale Rubber!"
Muttering to himself, he turned and walked in the opposite direction from the one he had come. He remembered there seemed to be a medical clinic over there.
"Shopkeeper! Do you sell Whale Rubber?"
After taking several turns, Lu Yu finally found a medical clinic. A strong smell of herbs hit him as he entered. Lu Yu was not even as tall as the counter, so he clung to it and looked at the clerk behind it as he asked.
The clerk looked at Lu Yu's build, his gaze odd, and asked in a teasing tone, "Kid, do you know what Whale Rubber is?"
How could Lu Yu not know what Whale Rubber was? On the present-day Douluo Continent, Whale Rubber was used by nobles to boost their virility. Its ability to strengthen the physique had yet to be discovered.
But there was not a trace of embarrassment on his face. He opened his eyes wide, looking utterly innocent, and spoke without blushing or missing a heartbeat.
"No! My dad sent me to buy it. He said he was a regular customer and told me to come to your shop."
Hearing Lu Yu's words, the clerk's face immediately took on a lewd expression. He had evidently imagined some blood-pumping scenario.