Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Three: A Narrow Encounter

As dawn broke, Qingmeng carried a small tray into Xiao Chong's room, on which was breakfast prepared for him.

Seeing that his young master had dark circles under his eyes, bloodshot eyes, and was muttering to himself in words he couldn't understand, Qing Meng was stunned.

"Young Master, have you been beaten senseless?"

"You're so stupid! I've come back empty-handed from a mountain of treasures, you're so anxious!" Xiao Chong was even more frustrated and pushed Qing Meng's little hand away.

"It's good that you're not stupid. Hurry up and eat. I specially added an egg today to help you recover."

Qingmeng stared intently at the eggs on the tray, her expression clearly showing concern: "There's only one egg left in the house. Young Master, finish yours and hurry to the Imperial Academy. If you're late and get another beating from the teacher, we won't have money to get you medicine."

Qingmeng was clearly still thinking about how Xiao Chong had been robbed of his silver the night before, and kept reminding his young master that the family was running out of money.

"Oh no, there's no time to eat!" Upon hearing that he was going to be beaten, Xiao Chong cried out and began frantically packing his things.

Every day, there are people making routine patrols in the ancestral school to check whether the disciples are late, absent, or violate the rules.

Today's inspector is Xiao Fangzheng, the legal supervisor. He is known for his strictness and rigidity, and countless disciples in the academy have been punished by him to the point of wishing they were dead for violating the rules.

"If I really get hit with the ruler first, I won't need to participate in the subsequent body tempering test; I definitely won't pass it."

The mere thought of Xiao Fangzheng's thick, ever-present ruler sent chills down Xiao Chong's spine.

"Isn't this a waste of food?" Qingmeng plopped down on the stool, buried her head in the tray, and started rummaging through the food without looking up, muttering indistinctly, "I knew I shouldn't have made so much. You won't eat it anyway, what a waste..."

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you! Besides, didn't you eat anything earlier?" Seeing Qingmeng's unsightly eating habits, Xiao Chong felt even more annoyed.

"We've already eaten, but we can't just throw all this food away!"

As they were talking, Qingmeng had already devoured the tray, let out a long, carefree burp, and then stared at the remaining egg for a long time before saying somewhat reluctantly, "Young Master, I'll save this egg for you to eat tonight, but you must remember to bring back some money, or you'll really go hungry tomorrow."

Xiao Chong stared blankly at the egg in Qing Meng's hand, a warm feeling inexplicably rising in his heart.

The little girl is hardworking and pretty, but she's also clumsy and impulsive, and incredibly stingy—she'd split a penny in two if she could. If I hadn't been hit by a brick yesterday, she probably wouldn't have given me that egg.

Even so, Xiao Chong showed no disdain for the young girl. Leaving aside her loyalty, the fact that they had lived together for so long deeply moved him.

"I never imagined that I would live such an unsatisfactory life in both of my lives. Especially now, even the basic expenses of the family have to be taken care of by a little girl."

"Just you wait, Qingmeng. Young Master is no longer the young master who can be bullied by others. I will take back everything that belongs to us and make you live a good life."

Thinking of this, Xiao Chong took a deep breath, stuffed all the books into an old book box, turned around abruptly and rushed out of the house, running wildly towards the Xiao family ancestral school in the south of the city.

……

The Xiao family, the foremost family in Feiyue City, has a martial arts tradition spanning a thousand years.

Clan schools, or family academies, bear the important responsibility of uniting people, continuing the family line, and enhancing strength; they are the foundation and lifeline of any clan.

The Xiao Family Ancestral School is where all disciples of the Xiao family's main branch study. The entire building is constructed of blue bricks and black tiles, exuding a heavy and ancient atmosphere, with a solemn and austere ambiance. Coupled with the ancient pines and cypresses planted throughout the courtyard, it naturally carries a sense of solemnity and gravity.

Outside the gate of the academy stands a bronze mirror over ten feet tall, with an antique feel; it is used by the disciples to tidy their clothes.

Xiao Fangzheng, the legal supervisor, had extremely strict requirements for the disciples of the Imperial Academy. They had to strictly conform to etiquette in everything they did, from sitting and standing to walking and their clothing and accessories, without the slightest mistake.

When he arrived at the entrance of the ancestral school, he saw that there was still some time left. Xiao Chong did not dare to be careless and stood in front of the bronze mirror, panting, to straighten his clothes.

Xiao Chong was quite satisfied with the boy who appeared in the bronze mirror. Although his clothes were a bit old and faded, they were washed very clean with blue starch, and there wasn't a single crease in them.

The boy was also very clean-cut. Apart from being a little thin, his features were delicate and well-proportioned, with a straight nose, square mouth, and bright, intelligent eyes that exuded a shrewd and decisive air.

However, the only flaw was that although the boy's eyebrows were thick, they were thin at the front and sparse at the back, making them look like two brooms put together, which was a typical broom eyebrow.

It is said that people with this eyebrow shape are suspicious and prone to overthinking in their youth, and suffer constant misfortune as they grow up, bringing disaster to those around them. Xiao Chong was disliked by his elders in the clan not only because he was fatherless at a young age, but his broom-shaped eyebrows also played a role. Many of the younger members of the Xiao family secretly called him a jinx.

Xiao Chong had been troubled by this before, but since his experiences from the two lifetimes merged into one last night, he no longer had this thought.

"Isn't that a joke? If a person's fate can be determined solely by the shape of their eyebrows, then wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone in a certain country with such advanced plastic surgery technology in my past life had gone to get their eyebrows done to change their destiny?"

The boy in the bronze mirror twitched his eyebrows a few times, appearing somewhat distracted.

"You're up early, Chong Shao. I've never seen you so narcissistic before." With a familiar chuckle, a fat hand slapped heavily on the lump on the back of Xiao Chong's head.

"Ah!" Xiao Chong roared in pain, turning around to glare at his opponent, "You fatso, couldn't you have gone a little easier?"

"My goodness, this is amazing!"

A chubby boy, only fourteen or fifteen years old but weighing over three hundred pounds, stood in front of Xiao Chong, looking at his small, fair hands, which were as delicate as a woman's, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"This feels a bit off, doesn't it? Could it be that my skills have improved? Or..." The fat boy had just finished boasting when he saw Xiao Chong's lips twitching violently. He suddenly realized something and said angrily, "Young Master Chong, you didn't get ambushed again, did you? Which bastard did it? Tell your brothers, and your brothers will avenge you!"

The obese boy was named Xiao Fei. He was the only disciple in the sect who was close to Xiao Chong. Xiao Chong always called him Fatty, but today he called him Dead Fatty.

The fat man was greedy, lazy, and timid, but he was also kind and righteous. In the past, Xiao Chong would always receive help from him after being robbed.

"I didn't see anything, I just heard a gust of wind behind my head, and this is what happened when I woke up," Xiao Chong said, unwillingly clutching the lump on his head. Given his relationship with the fat man, he had no choice but to accept the blow, no matter how unwilling he was.

Seeing that Xiao Chong still seemed angry, the fat man shrewdly handed over a small money bag, saying, "Once we catch that beast, I'll help you get revenge."

"Is this what they mean by being poor and losing ambition? But since we're brothers, let's not be so hypocritical. It's just that I owe Fatty another favor." Xiao Chong silently accepted the money bag.

There were two silver ingots inside, which probably weighed fifty taels each.

"I hate that bastard who stole my pills. Humph! I hope he doesn't fall into my hands, or I'll squeeze his balls out!"

Clutching the money pouch, Xiao Chong thought of the lost Body Tempering Pill again, and felt a surge of hatred in his heart. As he spoke, he clenched his right fist and squeezed it hard, as if he had really grabbed those damned testicles in his hand.

Seeing Xiao Chong's fierce expression and the throbbing veins on his forehead, the fat man felt a tightening in his crotch and a chill run down his back.

He sensed that Xiao Chong was different today than usual, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong. To ease his discomfort, he decided to change the subject.

"Young Master Chong, you didn't eat breakfast this morning, did you? I have a chicken here, I'll share half with you." The fat man magically produced a plump chicken from his sleeve and eagerly handed it over.

"What? You're not going to eat? Then I'll eat it myself, okay? Don't say I didn't think of you when there's good stuff." Seeing Xiao Chong shake his head, the fat man mumbled indistinctly while stuffing the fatty chicken into his mouth without any politeness.

They devoured it ravenously, leaving nothing behind. In the blink of an eye, the fat chicken had vanished.

"Let's go, into the academy!" The fat man burped, pulled a cleanly gnawed chicken bone from his mouth, tossed it behind him, and his speech suddenly became fluent.

Just as the two were about to enter the sect's gates and head towards the martial arts training ground where the body tempering test would be conducted, they suddenly heard a discordant voice coming from behind them.

"Which bastard is so blind as to try and assassinate your young master with a chicken bone! Are they tired of living?"

As the voice spoke, a tall, thin boy emerged from one side of the school gate, his face full of arrogance, a clean chicken bone in his hand.