4. Bullies
A strange mood shrouds the classroom as the Elder clears his throat. “The classroom will receive a weekly stipend of 3 primeval stones from now on.” He notes how the prospect of free money fails to uplift his student’s mood.
Ordinarily, many students can’t afford the basic necessities of cultivation, so the clan provides a stipend for everyone to promote swift growth. Groaning secretly, the Elder continues, “I will go into further detail about how to nurture your aperture walls from tomorrow. We will discuss several practical techniques that will assist you over the year. Listen carefully.”
Academy Elder deepens his voice, adopting a serious tone.
“In the next three months, the first to reach the middle stage of cultivation will become the class president, followed by the two vice-presidents! Remember, the president will earn ten primeval stones, and the vice-presidents will receive a weekly stipend of five primeval stones!” His words cut through the gloomy surroundings, touching the students’ souls as their gazes brighten.
“If I can become the president…”
“Becoming a vice-president is enough for me!”
‘Hmph! I will become the president. I don’t care about the stipend. However, if I can make the A-grade talent Fang Zheng lower his head to me, I will have earned a great honor for my family!’ Mo Bei clenches his fist, glancing at Fang Yuan and Lo Jik. ‘I won’t have C-grade nobodies mocking me!’
‘Just you wait!’ Fang Zheng also glances at the duo, pursing his lips with a determined look. ‘I will surpass the two of them. This is a contest of talent. The real threats are Mo Bei and Chi Cheng because of their family’s support. However, how can Elder Brother and Lo Jik compare to me? My aperture has 80% of its area filled with primeval essence. I can win this!’
‘Tch.’ Chi Cheng feels indignant. ‘How can C-grade students like them achieve all that?’ Jealousy births in the depths of his heart as he glances at the duo venomously.
‘Just ten?’ Lo Jik sighs. ‘That won’t be enough. There’s got to be a way to earn a quick buck! A month’s almost passed, and I don’t even have a single target yet. Cultivation just HAD to be so time-consuming.’
Still, Lo Jik wasn’t eager to use his trait and frolicking around. Where will he run to when things get dangerous? It’s not like this world has airports for a quick escape. However, he can also predict his situation worsening should he fail to find a sustainable source of income. In the worst-case scenario, he sets aside two days for hunting and providing for his gu worms.
“Gu Yue Lo Jik!” The Elder calls Lo Jik forward, setting two pouches on the desk. One bag has his weekly stipend, and the other has the competition reward.
Picking the two, Lo Jik leaves the classroom under several envious gazes.
Where to?
Free rations, of course!
<<<>>>
Lo Jik expected some annoyance if he won the tournament, but he didn’t expect Mo Bei, Chi Cheng, and Fang Zheng trying to ride his dick so hard!
“I challenge you!” declares Fang Zheng as Lo Jik slowly stows the packaged meal into his worn robe.
“Face us, coward!” Mo Bei snarls as Lo Jik turns from them and walks towards the exit.
“Leave him. His victory must be a fluke,” goads Chi Cheng by the time Lo Jik is far from them, unable to hear their words.
‘Should I find a job?’ Lo Jik muses before shaking his head. ‘Jobs may sound stable in this world. However, gu masters either join a faction or enter the logistics department after graduating. There’s no way Gu Yue Village will allow assets like us to fly solo. They are already paying us through stipends. As they say, there are no free meals. So, no gu masters are hiring other gu masters. I also can’t work for mortals.’ It’s not discrimination. Mortals simply cannot pay him enough, that’s all.
‘If only I had those maps.’ Lo Jik narrows his eyes.
As an orphan, he was allowed to train in a trade in a mortal village to earn his keep. So, Lo Jik spent some time with an old hunter, learning their ways. That’s where he learned how to use a longbow and set various traps. He recalls hearing a few hushed whispers about how the generations of hunters develop a map marked with different regions of prey and predators. Acquiring such a map will greatly relieve Lo Jik’s issues by hunting rarer beasts and selling their materials.
He stops in his tracks as he sees five of his classmates lying on the ground, groaning weakly, if not unconscious.
The setting sun shades the boy’s pale face in crimson-orange as he peacefully blocks the only exit from the Academy. A cool breeze picks dust between them, swaying his black locks as he eyes Lo Jik coolly. He extends his hand, demanding, “One primeval stone, and you can leave without injuries. Or…” Fang Yuan glances at his earlier victims, not noticing the sudden glow in Lo Jik’s eyes.
‘Fucking genius!’ Lo Jik gasps internally. ‘That’s right. I can always loot the motherfuckers! They’re kids. What can they do?!’
He stares at Fang Yuan before quietly stepping sideways and sitting on the grassy ground. Feeling Fang Yuan’s stare, Lo Jik pulls out his rations and digs into it, wolfing it all down. Before they can exchange words, another group of students chasing after Lo Jik to chat with him after his earlier display discover their fallen classmates.
Ignoring the boy feasting on dry rations, Fang Yuan glances at the group of six students. “Pay up or end like them.”
“Am I seeing things?”
“Fang Yuan! You asshole! How dare you hurt our friends?!”
“Fuck off! Send your mother to my room, and I’ll consider paying her a primeval stone! Wait, you don’t have a mother!”
“Uh, isn’t she also a Fang Zheng’s mother?”
“Stop interrupting my insults!—”
The group barely gets another word out as Fang Yuan lashes at the nearby student assisting one of the unconscious students. His palm chops at her neck, making her eyes roll into her skull as she collapses. The sudden and swift attack shocks the boys before one of them snarls. “Let’s get this arrogant punk! Does he really think he can take all of us on?”
‘Yes.’ Lo Jik smirks, staring at the unconscious students. ‘He thinks he can.’
The thing about Lo Jik is that he is shameless beyond belief. Others will spit at his face if they find out he plans to bully kids, including another bully. What of it? Shame and honor won’t pay Daddy’s bills! He needs those stones. However, Lo Jik swiftly recalls the academy’s rules and thinks of various consequences of his actions should he go through with this.
Not only that, but seeing Fang Yuan’s sick and savage moves, Lo Jik quietly sneaks something away.
Good Lord, the boy can fight!
<<<>>>
The Elder momentarily ignores the guards who were wearing his ears out with their whining, as he watches the situation unfold atop the academy pavilion. Fang Yuan’s actions aren’t hidden. The guards promptly report the crisis to him since the mortals have no right to hurt the clan’s gu masters.
However, is this truly a crisis?
‘Fang Yuan… such talent.’ The Elder narrows his eyes, stroking his white beard. ‘Early signs of genius such as speech and physical strength usually point to a gu master possessing better aptitude. However, exceptions exist in every pattern, and Fang Yuan is one such anomaly. Even if his talents in poems are useless in battle, he still has a chance to become an ingenious battle gu master! He was just one step short! If only he had a B-grade aptitude!’ He sighs before glancing at Lo Jik, watching everything unfold without interfering.
The recent champion watches Fang Yuan dismantle others. He has already finished his rations and seems to be awaiting his turn.
“That Fang Yuan is such a troublemaker!” the guard’s chief hisses. His words prick the Elder. However, the gu master remains silent. “How can he beat his classmates like that? We should do something about him, Lord Elder!”
“That’s right! He’s so daring that he would spit on academy rules!”
“What rules?” The Elder sneers. “It’s a good thing they are fighting. Look. Who among the fallen is horribly injured or dead? That Fang Yuan barely used punches and kicks. Instead, he stayed true to palm strikes! Every batch has fights among their peers. The only difference in this batch is that the children have yet to realize their combat potential, which usually happens after a few months.”
“Lord Elder,” one of the guards, green with envy, complains. “That boy is extorting the entire class. Where is the justice in that?”
Old Academy Elder instantly sees through their envy.
Still, the academy won’t interfere since Fang Yuan’s demand is reasonable. The boy is taking one primeval stone from each student. Since the weekly stipend is three stones, it’s an acceptable demand. However, should Fang Yuan demand two stones, the Elder will step in and stop this nonsense since Fang Yuan’s greed will infringe the academy’s bottom line. After all, if Fang Yuan extorts two stones, is it not better to directly give Fang Yuan others’ stipend?
Before he can tear them a new one, he stops. “I’ll deal with your lot later. Stand there quietly.” He points at the corner as the guards pale.
Did they say something wrong?
Of course, they did.
How dare the mortals dare think viciously about their masters? Did any of them possess Gu Yue surname? Did they dare raise their hands on the clan’s future?
Still, as Fang Zheng steps in with a group of girls cowering behind him, the Elder grows curious and anticipates how the A-grade genius will overcome the situation.
<<<>>>
“What are you doing, Brother?” Fang Zheng gasps in shock. Colors drain from his face as he sees almost all his classmates lying on the ground.
“He’s a demon!” one of the girls behind Zheng cries. “He hurt others and threatened to hurt us, too. He wants our primeval stones!”
Fang Zheng’s heart shivers as he stares at the quiet Fang Yuan, who happens to be looking at the lazily lying Lo Jik instead.
Wait! Why is Lo Jik lying on the ground as if this doesn’t concern him?
Indignation from losing the competition and the frustration of the current catastrophe fuses and bubbles into a verbal lashing as Fang Zheng chides Lo Jik. “What are you doing? How could you watch our classmates get abused like that?!”
“Well,” Lo Jik yawns, drawing out his words with a lazy drawl. “Your elder brother is outstanding. I’m learning from him.”
It’s the truth.
Lo Jik doesn’t need more training to instill combat habits. Sure. This body needs to train again, but his mind is disciplined and trained enough to pick on some of Fang Yuan’s moves. It’s not as much how Fang Yuan attacks but how he deals with the opponents. For instance, Lo Jik admits that if others fought and surrounded him, he would have to break a few bones using some indecent grapples to quickly neutralize the situation.
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan?
He never lost his cool.
Lo Jik wonders what his mom ate before giving birth to him since the boy almost feels like a master martial artist nurtured from the ‘streets!’
Fang Zheng clenches his fist. Learning? From his dead-drunk brother?!
What’s there to learn?
He is a C-grade lowly gu master who will never live up to Fang Zheng’s full potential!
Yet, Fang Zheng wonders why he still tries to talk his brother out of things.
“You can get expelled, brother!” Fang Zheng reasons. “Please, stop this!”
However, Lo Jik wasn’t having it.
Remember? He’s shameless.
He plans to rob Fang Yuan once he’s done robbing others. To make the process smooth, Lo Jik needs Fang Yuan to exhaust more energy since Lo Jik himself isn’t all that strong. After all, a growing body needs a lot of nutrition. However, Jik cannot feast due to his financial situation, leaving many things desired from his growing body.
“Gu Yue Fang Zheng!” Lo Jik sneers. He doesn’t like talking to the kids. If he does, he’ll make the most of it. “Your elder brother touched the girl you like! He slapped you in public! You’re the A-grade talent, yet he beat you to the first competition. Do you still want to talk? Maybe Fang Yuan will fuck the woman you like and gift you a green hat for further discussions.”
Fang Zheng’s face turns purple while the girls behind him look at Lo Jik oddly.
After all, why does his words make sense to them?
“I know.” Lo Jik smirks. “When Fang Yuan becomes the president, you should offer your Elder Brother your family jewels. After all, your aptitude is wasted on you. Why should your family’s bloodline, too?”
Fang Zheng clutches his fists till his knuckles turn white. He glares at Lo Jik before turning his hateful stare to the quiet and peaceful Fang Yuan.
He’s about to speak again when Fang Zheng hears a soft chuckle from one of the boys lying on the ground. He isn’t conscious but is in pain.
“Heh, ow! T-That was funny…”
Fang Zheng’s shoulders shudder as he quietly steps forward.
‘Oh?’ Fang Yuan raises an eyebrow. “You’re approaching me, Little Brother? After seeing what I can do, you’re not running away but approaching me?”
The little pride remaining within Fang Zheng hurts further as he bites his bottom lip till a thin stream of blood flows down.
He suddenly charges at Fang Yuan like a mad bull, only for his elder brother to sidestep and stick a foot out. Fang Zheng fails to balance himself, striking the ground face-first as he quickly turns around, his robes ruined and short injuries littering his elbows and knees.
“I looked up to you!” Fang Zheng snarls, getting up and swinging a wide left hook at his elder brother.
‘Ooh. Now you’re going to look down.’ Lo Jik sighs as he watches Fang Yuan discombobulate his younger twin with his hands striking Fang Zheng’s ears at once. It doesn’t end here as Fang Yuan delivers a disastrous combo of kicking his twin’s calves and slamming his fist into his twin’s face before the boy collapses on the ground.
The girls fearfully yelp, huddling together as Fang Yuan glances at them before looking at Lo Jik.
One of the girls stutters.
“L-Lo Jik! Please save us from this demon!”
One thing Lo Jik noticed about this world is that a few girls and boys already have partners in their batch. So, it’s not wild to assume that the girls in his class are aware of sexual differences and curiosities, capable of luring boys their age with empty promises.
“Yes!” another begs. “Please do something!”
Their modestly pretty features crumble with fear as they stay rooted in their spots, their flight and fight response still taking its sweet time to decide their next course of action.
Lo Jik stands up, unwilling to lie down since he believes Fang Yuan will rush him while he’s lying down. After all, Lo Jik saw Fang Yuan kick a boy’s crotch.
Fang Yuan holds nothing sacred…
Just like Lo Jik.
The duo momentarily stares at each other before Fang Yuan offers a way out. “One primeval stone.”
“Hiee! Please don’t leave us alone, Lo Jik!” A girl cries.
Speechless, Lo Jik ignores the girls and quietly shakes his head. He’s already seen the point behind Fang Yuan’s fights.
The academy is chill as long as they don’t permanently injure each other and only extort one stone each.
Now understanding the unwritten rule, Lo Jik steps toward Fang Yuan. His glimmering brown eyes turn slightly dim as he wonders how to put the youth out.
Lo Jik is the first to strike. His hand lashes out like a venomous serpent, something Fang Yuan avoids before reaching to clasp Lo Jik’s wrist. Fang Yuan’s pupils shrink when a watery glow suddenly covers Lo Jik’s hand, causing him to pull back.
“Heh,” Lo Jik snickers carelessly. “That was a joke, Classmate Fang. Using gu worms in the academy to attack other students is forbidden.”
Fang Yuan narrows his eyes. Yes, it’s forbidden. However, Fang Yuan believed the crazy bastard ahead of him wouldn’t think a second to do that. However, Fang Yuan effortlessly understands Lo Jik’s ploy of using intimidation as a tactic. Such a tactic will not work again. After all, Fang Yuan never expected someone in the classroom to be reasonably shameless, too.
Indifferent to Fang Yuan’s thoughts, Lo Jik takes to the offensive. They trade multiple blows, sending the small audience into a daze. Lo Jik’s expression turns solemn by the second since he’s outmatched—in technique and physique. Fang Yuan’s thin body manages to produce robust strikes. The boy seems to have an answer for anything Lo Jik throws at him.
However, they are from exhaustion.
Fang Yuan skillfully took out the students. Even if it exhausted Fang Yuan, Lo Jik’s lower stamina balances the situation.
All boils down to skills as Fang Yuan avoids a fatal kick to his balls before delivering a ruthless body blow, causing Lo Jik to grunt and step back. Lo Jik’s face turns pale as the pain only turns worse after the initial contact. He eyes Fang Yuan with more seriousness, gasping for air.
“I give up.” Lo Jik nods, slowly stuffing his hand inside his pouch. “Take the damn stone.”
He makes a tossing motion. Instead of the primeval stone—dirt and grass fly in Fang Yuan’s direction. The youth’s body seems to be in overdrive as he launches himself at Lo Jik, surprising the otherworldly menace.
Lo Jik’s eyes widen as he takes a stance to take down Fang Yuan despite the pain since he watches how the latter prepared a strike by predicting his movements—
*Thud*
A dull thud echoes as Fang Yuan staggers back, glancing down at Lo Jik’s hand and seeing the butt of a dagger in the position where he got struck.
“It may as well have been the blade, Classmate Fang,” Lo Jik slowly straightens his back.
This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
Lo Jik imagined looting Fang Yuan before extorting the girls, too. Yet, he is man enough to admit to a child almost a decade younger—
“You are the better fighter.” Lo Jik sheathes his dagger. “However, I need primeval stones.” If might doesn’t make right, Lo Jik can always use his tongue.
That came out wrong, didn’t it?
“We’re of the same batch, Classmate Fang. It’s only fitting to share our fortunes and misfortunes. Consider what just happened as an introduction to what we can achieve together.”
“What are you saying, Lo Jik?!”
Ignoring the girls, since he’s gripped Fang Yuan’s attention, he continues, “Or, I can always join the fray instead of fighting you one-on-one.”
When Lo Jik thinks he’ll have to persuade Fang Yuan harder since geniuses tend to be stubborn, he finds the latter narrowing his eyes with a ghost of a smile.
<<<>>>
Night descends upon the gu world, inviting cold gusts into the Qing Mao mountain in contrast to sweet spring during daytime. Colorful crickets and fireflies occupy the bamboo groves around the Gu Yue Village, decorating it with their presence and peaceful chirps. Tender shoots grow out of the damp soil, announcing the arrival of the season of growth.
These scenes are not something Gu Yue Fang Yuan witnesses as he stays in his dorm room, watching a cute, fat silkworm dive into a vat of wine. His quiet gaze contemplates the matters of the past.
‘Gu Yue Lo Jik. I remember him now. He was executed by the Secret Hall Elder for sleeping with his wife in my previous life. He was the prolific sort, wasting his time with the girls in the academy and continuing the path of debauchery later, too. However, in this lifetime, he’s an accomplished marksman and a dangerous fighter.’
Lo Jik caught him off guard twice!
Only his centuries of experience allowed him to form a good response instinctively. Fang Yuan should have seen that dagger coming.
He did.
His body simply couldn’t respond in time. But what about Lo Jik? He’s a kid!
‘Is this the first significant butterfly effect of my return? However, that boy was right. I cannot deal with him alongside others. If it means splitting the profits, so be it.’ Fang Yuan smiles coldly. ‘He’ll have to work for his share. Hehe, sharing fortunes and misfortunes. I wonder if that kid even understands the severity of those words. It’s good. I can observe and understand how my arrival changes things further by keeping him close.’
Centuries of experience swirl in his pupils before his heart calms down, and Fang Yuan returns to cultivating peacefully.
‘I never expected such a resistance and earned less than expected. However, this is pure profit! Plundering and looting truly is the best business.’
<<<>>>
Thirteen from the stipend/reward and twenty-seven primeval stones from the day’s loot make Lo Jik as rich as forty-five stones!
It’s amazing.
Lo Jik returns to his cabin with a full stomach after feasting on food worth half a stone.
Lo Jik let Fang Yuan take the favorable share of twenty-eight stones. He honestly expected to sell his ass off to make Fang Yuan see his way or attack him with a group before asking him to join and extort the rest of the classroom.
‘Here I considered myself shameless.’ Lo Jik lies on his mattress. ‘Fang Yuan is a better fighter and more shameless since extorting kids was his idea. Still, how is he that freaky? I heard that some gu masters have had different physical talents since childhood. Fang Yuan was one of them with his poems. However, his fists are more dangerous!’
Lo Jik recalls how Fang Yuan rushed into the mud-grass projectiles, indifferent if it caught him in the eye to retaliate.
Lo Jik couldn’t have done that.
‘Kids in this world are scary.’ He sucks in a breath of cold air.
‘Still.’ he exhales sharply. ‘Let’s cultivate. I only need to save some primeval stones for feeding my gu worm and should use the rest for cultivation. I have two apertures, so I require working twice as hard!’
<<<>>>
Lo Jik’s cruel remarks fill Fang Zheng’s head as the boy clenches his bed sheet with a hateful expression. He sports a giant black eye, staring at the sheets in a daze. Those words accompany strange scenes and thoughts. The girl he likes with the man who beat him, his Elder Brother. His cold, indifferent gaze and her soft voice begging.
‘Never—’
“Young Master? I prepared hot water. Should I help clean you up?”
A soft, delicate voice echoes from the door, snapping Fang Zheng out of his thoughts. Her words make him feel butterflies as he squeaks, “A-Ah, yes!”
The door opens, revealing a young girl with fair skin and a delicate appearance. Her brown eyes brighten when she sees Fang Zheng, and her cheery lips widen into a smile. She wears her brown hair in two flat buns held by yellow lily clips. Her beautiful yellow robes accentuate her youthful curves as she sits beside Fang Zheng.
Her gaze momentarily dims when she observes his injury. Fright grips Fang Zheng’s heart as he almost mistakes her worry for indignation over his weakness.
“Young Master,” she whispers, leaning against him as she blows into the towel and gently presses it against his eye. He can feel her warm breath through the towel. “Please, take care of yourself.”
He feels her breasts against his arm. Gulping, he flushes and nods as she catches him glancing down her robe.
“Shen Cui,” Fang Zheng begins before he notices the adorable pout on her face. He stammers and corrects himself, “C-Cui.” He looks away. “I’m sorry. Those two insulted you, and I couldn’t do a thing.”
“Young Master.” Shen Cui gently holds Fang Zheng’s hand, beaming, “I trust everyone will look up to you in the future. I know you will be the best!” She giggles. “Then you’ll have no use for this Cui.”
“Never!” Fang Zheng snaps, grasping her hands. “Cui, I—”
She leans forward, breathing hotly into his ear. “Shh, Young Master. Rest. Cui is yours, right? I shall await the day you beat your enemies. After all, I love the Young Master who keeps his promises, and that’s you.”
Fang Zheng nods, allowing Shen Cui to clean him up and tuck him into the bed. Once she leaves, the sensual expression fades from her face. The girl descends the stairs before reporting to a slightly healthy middle-aged man. He is Fang Zheng’s and Fang Yuan’s biological uncle and the former’s adoptive father.
“How is he?” Gu Yue Dong Tu questions with an impassive expression.
“Reporting to Master, Young Master is feeling spirited. I did as you asked and nudged Young Master in the right course.” Shen Cui lowers her head.
“Hmm, good.” Tong Du touches his greying beard. “Keep working like this, and you will become his concubine.”
A pleased look flashes across Shen Cui’s face as she nods.
A scheme brews as Fang Zheng remains unaware, lost in his thoughts about Shen Cui until the image of an almost bald youth with his lover makes him scowl.
He is calm now. Fang Zheng realizes how Lo Jik used him to weaken his Elder Brother.
‘Gu Yue Lo Jik will pay!’
Fang Zheng vows.
***
Alternate Title: The Weekly Stipend; Worries For The Future; Considering Future Career *Fang Yuan Drops With Robbing Career: Yo, Get The Mask!*; Breaking Bad?; The New Competition; Presidency; Eager Kids; Glum Surroundings; And The Winner Is?; Fang Yuan’s Extortion Scheme; Pure Profits; Get Dem Stones, Boi!; Lo Jik’s Uninterrupted Lunch; A Happy Academy Leader; A Combat Genius; 20+ Lo Jik Thinking Fang Yuan is a Kid *500+ Fang Yuan Snickers in Cicada*; Fang Yuan *Delivers Physical Damage* Lo Jik *Delivers Emotional Damage*—Partners For Life; The Past Lo Jik?; Lo Jik Out There Netori-ing Husbands For a Rematch!; Sexual Grind?; Generational Talents?; Fang Zheng’s New Number One Enemy; Lo Jik Can Rile Anyone; A Random Mommy Joke On Fang Yuan; Fang Yuan and Lo Jik Stare at Each Other *Insert Intense Makeout Session*; Beaten; The Fight; Genius Vs Scoundrel; Two Unhinged Clusterfucks; Surprising Fang Yuan; Giving Up; I’m Going To Put Some Dirt In Your Eyes; Bully Maguire Phase; Fang Yuan’s Dio Phase; Fang Yuan: Little Brother! I Foresake My Humanity!; Sharing Fortunes and Misfortunes; Partnership Through Threat; Fang Yuan Realizes What’s Best For Everybody; Lo Jik Isn’t Into Kids; Earning A Small Fortune; Focusing On Diet; Things Don’t Go As Planned; Fang Zheng’s ‘Green’ Flag?; Fang Zheng Has Vivid Imagination; The Scheme Around Fang Zheng; Shen Cui’s Motivational Night Visit; Fang Zheng: You Will Pay For It, Lo Jik! *Snrrk! No He Isn’t!*
***
A/N: To remove confusion, Lo Jik’s host was present in the previous timeline, too. However, Lo Jik jumped on the host in the present one. And, this is slightly AU, so expect another major change… for horni!