"Want a slap or two across the face? Huh? How's your skin so thick?"
Zhu Wu was speechless, but still nodded.
"Alright."
Just think of it as a farewell meal... and maybe your last supper too. Ever had spicy rabbit head? Worth a try.
"Then hurry and go wash up," Xiao Wu said with a cheeky grin, flipping over and continuing to lounge on the bed.
Zhu Wu didn't say another word and strode toward the bathroom.
---
Not long after, he left the dorm, had lunch at the academy cafeteria, and rushed to the Spirit Hall in Notting City as fast as he could.
Seeing it was a child in a Notting Academy uniform, the gatekeeper guessed the kid might just be delivering a message and didn't pay much attention—until Zhu Wu stepped forward and politely asked,
"Hello, big brother, I'm here to get my spirit power tested and register as a Spirit Master."
Spirit Master? At this age, already broken through to level 10 and got a spirit ring? Not here to run errands?
The gatekeeper was a bit shocked. He looked Zhu Wu over—fair-skinned, cute, and well-mannered.
"Could he be from some influential family?" he thought, and his tone became noticeably warmer.
"Little girl, go on in. Master Matthew Nuo, who's in charge of assessments, is in the reception hall on the first floor."
Little girl?!
Zhu Wu nearly lost it, but decided not to explain.
"Thank you, big brother," he said with a slight bow before running inside.
A quick glance around the hall, and he spotted a young couple standing in a corner, their voices carrying over.
---
"Yun Tao, you don't want us to have kids in the future without even a place to live, do you? We're Spirit Masters—our children living in some remote village would be humiliating. They'd be laughed at by their classmates once they join an academy."
"Here's the deal: once you buy a house in Notting City's rich district, I'll agree to marry you."
"Oh, and the house has to be in my name. It's not that I'm after your property—I'm just a girl, and I deserve some security when I marry into your family. Also, prepare a bride price of 500 gold spirit coins. My parents raised me—it hasn't been easy—and as their daughter, I should ensure their retirement. My little brother doesn't have any spirit power either, so as his older sister, I need to consider his future too."
…Zhu Wu felt his mind go blank.
Why did this sound so familiar?
He couldn't help but think of the reason he ended up in this world.
In his past life, his family ran a pig farm. But luck was not on their side. A sudden viral flu outbreak in the country, along with lockdowns, caused their product to be unsellable.
To cut their losses, they sold off the pigs at cost to the authorities—and even donated a few to support surrounding areas for "good karma."
Well, his dad believed in that stuff.
Then pork prices skyrocketed. Buying it became insanely expensive.
Maybe because they were stuck at home too long, his parents got bored and—he wasn't sure through which aunt or uncle—arranged for him to meet a girl the moment lockdowns lifted. They urged him to try dating seriously and even marry that year, believing that a happy event would change their bad luck.
He didn't really believe in superstition, but for his parents' sake, he went along.
And to be fair, the girl was gorgeous.
More importantly, she was a master of manipulation. With just a few sweet words, she had him wrapped around her finger.
As someone who'd always focused on his career, whose only nighttime indulgence was occasionally opening his "private folder" and doing a slow-motion left-right click, he was admittedly lacking in real experience.
Very quickly, they got engaged. Then came the "standard routine": buying a house, buying a car, a bride price of 300,000 yuan. Then, one day, she said she had to return to her hometown for something...
And after that—vanished. No way to contact her. She ghosted him and blocked him everywhere.
"Son, did you two have a fight?" His parents initially thought he had upset her.
Then… the truth came out. They ended up in court.
> "Funds transferred during the relationship are considered gifts. The house is in both names and counts as joint property. Assets must be divided."
He still remembered the look she gave him in court—mocking, as if saying:
"What? Not happy? Come hit me then."
His mother was in tears. His father sighed non-stop. Decades of family savings gone in the blink of an eye.
As for him, being the only son of the Zhu family—of course, he couldn't let it go.
Hitting someone? Nah. Arguing? Too annoying. He hated drama.
So he found out her exact address, strapped on some homemade equipment from the farm, and waited until New Year's…
BOOM. Sent her whole family flying to heaven.
Including himself.
Simping really does kill.
---
So now, looking at Su Yuntao's bitter expression, Zhu Wu silently mourned for him.
Tao, please—don't be a simp.
Just from hearing her talk, Zhu Wu could tell this Sisi girl had high-level manipulation skills.
Tao was obviously being played.
He walked over, waving as he called out, "Big brother, it's you!"
Su Yuntao instinctively turned around, momentarily dazed.
This kid… kind of looks like a young Bai Jin'er.
"Little one, who are you?" he asked.
"Big brother, it's me! The one from Holy Soul Village who awakened the silkworm spirit!" Zhu Wu replied cheerfully.
"I just came back from getting my first spirit ring in the beginner spirit forest. My teacher told me to come here and register officially as a Spirit Master."
"What? You already got your first ring?" Su Yuntao was stunned.
"That fast?"
"Yun Tao, aren't you going to introduce us?" Sisi, standing nearby, felt ignored and asked with a trace of displeasure.
Su Yuntao quickly turned and, trying to please her, said,
"Sisi, this is the kid I mentioned before—the one who awakened a level-6 innate soul power silkworm spirit. He awakened under my guidance. Please wait here while I take him to meet Master Matthew Nuo in the reception hall."
Silkworm spirit? A flicker of disdain crossed Sisi's eyes, but she nodded lightly.
"Alright, go ahead. I'll wait here."
"Thank you, big brother," Zhu Wu said with a glance at her, then turned to Su Yuntao.
"It's nothing," Su Yuntao smiled and turned to lead the way.
"Follow me."
"Okay." Zhu Wu nodded and followed behind.
As they walked and put some distance between them and Sisi, Zhu Wu lowered his voice.
"Brother Yun Tao, I think that auntie is stringing you along."
"Huh? Stringing me along? What do you mean?" Su Yuntao clearly didn't get it.
Zhu Wu explained plainly,
"She sweet-talks you, makes you think she really likes you, so you willingly spend money to buy her stuff. When there's hard work to do, she turns to you for help. But when you want to take things further, she makes excuses—this isn't right, that isn't the time, or whatever. Then, once someone better comes along, she dumps you."
"One of my academy teachers called that 'using someone as a free wallet.'"
"..." Su Yuntao's face turned bright red in an instant. He shook his head rapidly.
"No, no! Sisi isn't that kind of person!"
Then he trailed off—unable to find any examples to prove his point, his flushed face full of frustration.
---
(End of Chapter)
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