5. Break the Will—Stonks?!
The following week passes peacefully. Aside from a short drizzle, heaven blessed Qing Mao Mountain with calm and soothing weather. The sweet bamboo scent of the young shoots spreads and calms plenty of villagers in Gu Yue Village as everyone performs their tasks amicably. Shopkeepers conduct businesses in peace, teachers teach peacefully, students learn with intrigue and curiosity, and the administration continues to think about the clan’s welfare.
Perhaps the happiest individual this week is the academy’s combat tutor. The students, aside from the quietly meditating Lo Jik and Fang Yuan, would train in martial arts without the instructor needing to urge them! It’s a miracle brought by the only two resting students. Who knew extorting the classroom would rile the kids so much?
The class’ ire towards the duo makes them push each other even more! The combat instructor has never seen a batch of students improve as much as this one in a week. The other reason for the instructor’s happiness lies within an additional bonus at the end of the year due to a predictably good combat evaluation his students stand to achieve.
Regrettably, however, the peace departs as the week nears it end.
To be honest, aside from their sudden partnership the previous week, Lo Jik and Fang Yuan never conversed even once. It alerted and confused the rest of the classroom for the first few days before things returned to normal.
Yet, the two who did not share a single word the past week block their exit again.
One of them is a pale and skinny youth with slightly longer black bangs and a perpetual gloom in his dark pupils—Fang Yuan. The boy stands with his hands behind his back. In stark contrast, however, Lo Jik remains seated, inhaling his rations till his cheeks inflate. His hair’s grown more than a centimeter, something Lo Jik credits to his improved diet. Sure, it increased the cost of living from three and a half primeval stones to six per week. Including the consumption of primeval stones for cultivation, Lo Jik’s left with 25 stones.
The group of students pales visibly when Lo Jik dusts his hands and stands straight.
The silent confrontation lasts a while before a girl steps forward. She is one of the girls from the group who saw Lo Jik’s and Fang Yuan’s fight. Gritting her teeth, and at the brink of tears, she pulls one stone from her pouch and tosses it to Fang Yuan. The duo quietly steps aside. While Fang Yuan reveals no expression, Lo Jik politely smiles at the girl.
Just this act alone lands a fatal blow to other students’ nerves who heard from the girls how ferociously the two fought!
They can barely handle one Fang Yuan. How can they expect to match a partner who seems equally silent, isolated, and devious?
What are these two?
A match made in hell?
“Gu Yue Lo Jik!” Fang Zheng steps through the crowd, glaring at Lo Jik. “You still have the nerve to stand and extort?!”
Lo Jik maintains his polite smile, nodding, “Yes.”
Speechless, Fang Zheng fails to find further words as a stout figure snorts and steps past Zheng, quietly staring at Lo Jik and Fang Yuan.
“It’s Gu Yue Mo Bei! He trained tirelessly for the entire week. He will surely defeat Fang Yuan and Lo Jik!”
“I saw Mo Bei shattering a puppet. He is very fierce now.”
Me Bei’s ‘group’ hypes the boy. It’s not unexpected. Fang Zheng, Mo Bei, and Chi Cheng are the three shining stars of the current generation, attracting other students around them and forming natural social factions.
“Who dares challenge me?” Mo Bei snarls as he rolls his sleeves up. His dark pupils stare at the duo until Lo Jik inclines his head. “I’ll take him on. Your brother’s on you.”
Fang Yuan doesn’t reply. He doesn’t need to. After all, even if dissatisfied at being unable to take Lo Jik on, Fang Zheng’s previous resentments plants him opposite to his Elder Brother. He clenches his fists and resolves his heart to fight as long as he can. Fang Zheng doesn’t expect to win. Somehow, his elder twin is a combat genius. So what?
Fang Zheng steels his heart and decides to use his brother as a way to accumulate experience and—
Fang Yuan’s eyes widen briefly while Mo Bei shouts.
“Scoundrel! How cowardly!”
‘Whatever’s going on, it has nothing to do with me—’ Fang Zheng ignores his surroundings as a chop to his neck sends the boy tumbling down, revealing a grinning Lo Jik behind him.
Scoundrel?
Cowardly?
Lo Jik chuckles internally.
These are the streets, boys! He’ll be damned if he let any rules block him!
Others stare in a daze as Lo Jik avoids Mo Bei’s jab.
*Pah*
Lo Jik’s hand lashes out and strikes Mo Bei’s face. A loud noise echoes near the school’s entrance as Mo Bei slowly touches his reddening cheek. He slowly turns to the brown-haired youth in a daze.
‘He slapped me?’ Mo Bei processes incredulously.
Lo Jik has a clear mindset about bullying children. He will only attack the students if he gets enough openings, like Fang Zheng’s case. Else? He will humiliate the kids in ways they can never imagine. These kids don’t have thick enough skin and will eventually lose their will to fight or even challenge him. When Lo Jik firmly crushes their spirit, he’ll enjoy a satisfactory sum of primeval stones every week without others issuing any combat challenges.
“I’ll kill you!” Mo Bei roars. A grave, savage intent replaces the usual air of determination around the boy as he lunges at Lo Jik. Shrugging, Lo Jik steps back. The opponent chases relentlessly until the latter swiftly turns and delivers a knee to the boy’s scrotum!
Mo Bei’s expression turns pale and blue as the pain kicks in. Most of the boys from their classroom press their thighs together. Admirably, Mo Bei doesn’t fall. Instead, he slowly covers his crotch, breathing heavily.
*Pat*
Mo Bei’s eyes widen when Lo Jik gently pats his cheek.
“What—”
*Pah*
The fool!
It’s a simple slapping technique to feel the opponent’s cheek. The resounding slap tosses the boy to the ground as he rolls, moaning painfully.
‘This should be enough. Breaking their spirit is a gradual process, after all.’
Lo Jik sighs in relief and returns to the entrance.
“A- Attack them!” Mo Bei wheezes at the group as Fang Yuan steps out, causing his earlier victims to instinctively step back.
It’s Chi Cheng who steps forward to face Yuan. As the future heir of the Chi Faction, Chi Cheng cannot back down from the fight even if he knows he’s no match.
The result?
Disastrous.
<<<>>>
The Academy Elder frowns secretly. If he was happy yesterday, his mood is in the pits today.
“Competition breeds advancement. The children trained more in the last seven days than a year! However, their hard work failed in such a disastrous manner. Lo Jik publicly humiliated Mo Bei. Fang Yuan defeated Chi Cheng in two strikes instead of one. Fang Yuan didn’t even have the spatial awareness to notice Lo Jik sneaking up on him.”
“This is the drawback of factions. With their leaders down, other children grew dispirited and lost any resistance they might have displayed had they gone first. I can only hope they continue training by some miracle.”
“Their influence on the students will become a threat if things continue. I’d hoped the kids formed tactics on their own and exhausted the duo. Defeating Lo Jik and Fang Yuan right away may be much, but if they can notice their progress by wearing the duo out…”
An insidious scheme churns within the elder. Despite not wanting to interfere in the matter, it is up to him to prevent any long-term psychological effects from these confrontations.
“Fang Zheng, Mo Bie, and Chi Cheng will surpass those two in cultivating their aperture. However, these mental shadows can hinder their cultivation itself. The clan leader has high hopes for Fang Zheng. What will I say when he asks about Fang Zheng’s progress?”
The elder shakes his head and devises simple tactics to relay openly in the class as historical lessons on war tactics.
<<<>>>
Mo Courtyard balances architecture with nature as soft grunts echo in the property’s beautiful garden.
*Thck*
*Thck*
*Thck*
*Thck*
Mo Bei, unwilling to change his disheveled robes, continues pounding his fists into the wooden martial dummy as the eerie and soft noise of splotches of blood echo alongside his grunt. Each strike tears more of the skin around his knuckles as the youth feels the ghost of the sting on his cheek.
Humiliated, beaten, tossed on the ground!
Gu Yue Mo Bei has never endured such humiliation since his birth! Being Gu Yue Mo Chen’s grandson let him live a life of luxury. However, Mo Bei always wanted more. He trained and trained. He cultivated without respite!
How does Heaven reward his hard work?
His nostrils prickle as Mo Bei pushes his fists into the dummy. Recalling the moments where he rolled on the ground, got slapped, and played with—Mo Bei doesn’t want to show his face in the academy anymore! What will his followers think? Chi Cheng and Fang Zheng retained some dignity in their defeat.
However, Mo Bei?
Lo Jik may as well strip the boy and whip his ass!
“Hehe~ Little Brother. As dedicated as ever to that wooden dummy of yours. What’s gotten into you this time?”
A soft giggle attracts Mo Bei’s attention as he gasps, turning around. “Elder Sister! You’re back!”
He watches as the woman’s expression freezes. Mo Bei blinks before touching the swollen right side. “This… I fell, Sister. It’s nothing much. How was your mission?”
The woman regains her smile, “Oh, it was alright. I missed you. Hihi, and my bath! It’s been 10 days since I returned! I’m going to relax first, Bei’er.” She stops in her tracks, adding with a smirk. “Mo Bei?”
“Hmm? Yes?” Mo Bei looks at his sister as she points out. “You don’t have a defensive gu worm yet. Wrap a thick towel around your knuckles before you train.”
“R-Right!”
She smiles, leaving the garden and returning to the building.
“Greetings, Young Miss!”
“Young Miss is back!”
“Welcome back, Young Miss. I’ll have the bath ready!”
Several servants lower their heads and bend their waists to greet her as she ignores them and pushes open a heavy wooden door. Inside, there’s an Elderly with his back to her, practicing calligraphy.
“You’re back, dear granddaughter.”
Gu Yue Mo Yan stares at her grandfather, one of the Rank 3 Clan Elders—Gu Yue Mo Chen. She pouts. “How did you know it was me?”
The elder with greying hair worn in a topknot chuckles as he turns around to scold the girl with a warm gaze. “Who else dares barge in my study without knocking? Sigh. It’s good you’re uninjured. Take a seat. You must be exhausted.”
Mo Yan nods and sits on the chair. She regains her composure and loses her coy smirk. Before she can question anything, her grandfather inquires, “How was your scouting mission? What’s the wolf cave’s condition?”
Mo Yan purses her lips. “They have almost filled the cave, and their breeding cycle is acceptable, too. The wolf tides should begin from next year.”
Mo Chen strokes his beard, questioning, “Did you determine the number of Lightning Crown Wolf Kings?”
She slowly nods, whispering, “There are three Wolf Kings.”
“Hmm,” Mo Chen closes his eyes.
Qiang Mao Mountain suffers from wolf tides almost every three years due to the nearby wolf cave in a valley and their eventual excess of numbers due to suitable living conditions leading to wolves breeding aggressively. These wolf tides are disastrous for the clan, and they lose plenty of good gu masters to the foul beasts.
“Three beast kings is acceptable. The three clans—Gu Yue, Bai, and Xiong—can tackle a wolf king each. It will relieve our burdens. Good. You must need time to recuperate.”
“What happened to Mo Bei, Grandfather?” Mo Yan shakes her head, beginning her line of inquiry. She goes away from the village for ten days, and this happens? Who dares lay a hand on her brother?!
Surprising Mo Yan, Mo Chen snickers. His aged face contorts and presses his wrinkles together as he answers, “Bei’er got beaten in the Academy.”
“How can you laugh, Grandfather?!” Mo Yan gasps in shock.
“And it’s not the first time!” Mo Chen continues chuckling. “He and other classmates of his got beaten twice!”
Mo Yan’s lips part open before she scowls. Her features contort with rage as she snarls, demanding, “Who did this, Grandfather?”
“Mo Yan!” Mo Chen’s snaps at his granddaughter sternly. “You will stay out of this! It’s Mo Bei’s opponent, and he must overcome them alone.”
“How can I sit back and watch my brother suffer?” Mo Yan demands. “You say you dote on me, allowing me to enter your study without knocking. But don’t you love Bei’er more? You might not show it, but—”
“Enough.” Mo Chen quietly stares at his granddaughter. Her shoulders shudder as the elder continues. “Academy days nurture a young mind at a pace we wish we could achieve again. My grandson will inherit our family someday and must deal with his tribulations alone. Why else did he obtain his aperture? Was it not to house hope and cultivate? Why do we cultivate?!”
Mo Yan lowers her head, answering, “To break our mortal shackles.”
“Hmph. It’s the end of this topic.” Mo Chen snorts. “You’re tired. Take a day off and calm your mind.”
“Yes, Grandfather.” Mo Yan leaves the study. However, her gaze hides an ominous glint.
<<<>>>
The key to a balanced diet, aside from nutritional meat, is scrumptious fruits!
Lo Jik loiters in the village’s vegetable bazaar to purchase different fruits.
It’s exciting in its own way since Lo Jik never ate any of these fruits due to his low income. Now? He tastes a new way of living through a bite of juicy peach-apple!
“How much for the bushel of those leafy reds?” Lo Jik inquires as he catches sight of something intriguing. He’s familiarized himself with the stall owners as they greet him politely, giving a favorable price.
‘Hmm.’ Lo Jik nods but doesn’t buy it. He doesn’t really have utensils to cook at home. A wrong move may burn his cabin to ashes! And—
His expression sours as he accidentally bites into the seed. He wasn’t even near the stem!
—his luck is stupidly shitty! The chances of him burning his cabin down due to an errand wind current are adequate enough to keep Lo Jik from cooking at home.
That’s not the only reason why he’s here.
Lo Jik is ‘scouting.’
He glances at several women as he passes them, keeping to himself. Now that he has enough experience with his trait, Lo Jik doesn’t want to spread rumors in the village about several Bronze Achievements present in the village.
His Trait—as far as he knows—provides bronze, silver, golden, and platinum achievements.
Lo Jik calls his Trait the ‘Smut-chievements.’
Basically, he gets something any time he manages to perform something sexual as well as pleasing the opposite party based on the difference between their status.
For instance, if he kisses a girl from his class, he will only get a Bronze Achievement. It’s the question of the difference between the status.
The higher the overall status his target possesses compared to him, the better. It also signals that Lo Jik is used to aiming higher than who he is.
In his previous world, one’s status is deduced from career, social presence, digital footprint, and other things! What Lo Jik knows is the broad strokes of it since his Trait doesn’t have any information function to reveal what it’s capable of. Whatever Lo Jik knows, he discovered it on its own.
Because of his experience, Lo Jik can summarize what he should look for here.
Firstly, mortals are out. They represent a class lower than his own. Of course, exceptions exist. He feels that a mortal wife of a gu master will get him a bronze achievement if not silver. Affairs like this have extra points. So do threesomes and stuff like that.
One of his most memorable golden achievements was with a mother-daughter pair related to his visiting state’s state senator.
Yep! He never returned to that state since the husband’s bedroom was saturated with cameras!
Furthermore, he should look for high-ranked gu masters. It’s not hard to understand that each jump in cultivation rank boosts one’s status significantly.
It’s even better if said target is part of the stronger faction.
The crux of the matter is his target’s status must be higher than his. If he’s a rank 2 gu master, other rank 2 gu masters will only grant him bronze achievements instead of silver achievements.
He glances at the passing brown-haired girl. She hums a soft tune while carrying a straw basket between her waist and arm.
‘She’s Shen Cui, right?’
Lo Jik muses.
Taking Shen Cui as an example, the prime moment to try his charm for his trait will be if Fang Zheng is already an elder or the clan leader, while the girl is his concubine or wife. It means he loses out on a few ‘firsts,’ but he still stands to earn a lot since her status would be higher due to her communion with Fang Zheng.
‘Heh, I wish.’ Lo Jik shrugs. ‘Fang Zheng will take a while to become an elder, won’t he? Cultivation isn’t precisely leisurely. He would have to hate someone with a passion to climb through the ranks as early as possible!’
The youth smirks as he thinks of something. It’s risky. However, profits will be worthwhile.
Unlike Fang Zheng, Lo Jik possesses enough awareness to avoid the oncoming hunk of a man. He frowns and steps forward, evading the man’s hand before turning and looking at him.
“You’re Gu Yue Lo Jik, right?!”
***
Alternate Title: Cash Cows; Rigorous Training; Fucked Over; Happy Instructor; The Menacing Duo; Slapping and Slapping; Taking Fang Zheng Out; Broken Will; Decimated; Worried Class; Nervous Academy Elder; The Elder’s Open Scheme; Spreading Influence; Deterring the Enemy; In The Nuts; The Sister?; The Grandpa; A Beast Tide?; Three Clans; Bloodied Fists; Humiliated; Almost Crying; Lo Jik Really Makes a Child Cry?; It’s For Dem Stones!; Getting Rich Steadily; Angry Sister; A Gaze That Promises Vengeance; Trait; Smut-chievements!; Scouting the ‘Market’; Fang Zheng *Chuckles*: My Cui-Cui is in Danger!; An Urge To Grow; Wanting To Use The Trait; Are You Gu Yue Lo Jik? *Lo Jik: My Name is Jeff*; A Doted Granddaughter; Balanced Diet; Lo Jik Takes The First Bite And Eats a Seed; Hmm, Unlucky?; Heavens Will About To Make Lo Jik Shit His Pants Due To Unluck!