C45 â Wouldnât Your Conscience Hurt?
Fiend beasts roamed the wilderness, battling their own kind for sustenance and fighting against nature for their very existence, their will to survive incredibly potent.
Rice Bucket was merely a preemie, yet astonishingly, it managed to assimilate the nutrients from a fifth-rank spirit animalâs milk, growing at a rate that left Zhou Mu in awe.
In under two minutes, Rice Bucketâs tightly shut eyes sprang open!
âWow, I was actually right!â
Gazing into Rice Bucketâs eyes, brimming with intelligence, Zhou Mu couldnât help but gasp.
He wondered what kind of poignant saga had unfolded between the Husky and the Blazing Wind to leave behind such a wise offspring.
âYip! Yip! Yip!â
Rice Bucket let out a few cries before clumsily crawling over.
To Rice Bucket, Zhou Mu was the first being it laid eyes on, and so, naturally, it mistook him for its mother.
Why its mother wasnât nursing it, why she wasnât cradling it, and why her gaze seemed so resistantâ¦
Even if Rice Bucket were to grow up, with its level of intelligence, such nuances would remain beyond its grasp.
âAh!â
With a resigned sigh, Zhou Mu settled Rice Bucket onto his lap, gently caressing its soft fur. Soothed by the strokes of his âmother,â Rice Bucket cooed contentedly and quickly drifted off to sleep.
ââWell, if itâs dumb, itâs dumb. Maybe itâll get smarter as it grows,â Zhou Mu murmured as he pulled out the loot from the recent newcomer ranking tournament.
âSoul Crystal â Small: A rare artifact that may form upon the death of a fiend beast of the seventh rank or higher. Using it can increase oneâs soul intensity by a single point, with a maximum of 30 points.
Wrinkled Papaya: A treasured medicinal herb from the Giant Wood Realm, capable of enhancing oneâs Constitution by 10-20 points. This herb is toxic, and repeated use can lead to toxin buildup and a significant decrease in its effectiveness. When consumed by a pregnant female, it can stimulate the mammary glands for a second development, accelerating lactation. Note: It does not enhance breast size! It does not enhance breast size!
âWhat a shame, otherwise I would have saved it for Qi Xiang.â
Zhou Mu let out a sigh as images of Qi Xiangâs curvaceous silhouette and Zhao Qianqianâs figure flashed in his mind.
The disparity was staggering; it was almost too much to bear!
He had utilized the Soul Crystal and the Flawless Pumpkin Fruit, subsequently exchanging the toxins with the system.
He earned 222 points!
The toxicity of the Flawless Pumpkin Fruit was potent. Without a robust Constitution, one could easily be poisoned to death.
With the systemâs assistance, Zhou Mu could consume as much as he wanted, provided he didnât succumb to instant death.
Still, it was merely wishful thinking.
A glance at the marked origin in the description revealed the rarity of the item.
Typically, a newcomer would have to accumulate at least a yearâs worth of credits to obtain one, not to mention the considerable time needed to detoxify.
Zhou Mu didnât have to fret over the toxins building up in his body, but he also lacked an efficient means to acquire such valuable resources.
âIâll take a break for now,â he decided. âIâll focus on advancing Gator and Gold to the fourth rank.â
He carefully placed the Rice Bucket into the thermal box and was about to catch some sleep when his phone abruptly rang.
For some inexplicable reason, seeing the word âGrandpaâ on the caller ID made Zhou Muâs heart lurch with a jolt of intuition.
âSure enough, as soon as he answered the call, a tirade of curses erupted.
âYou little rascal, canât you keep out of trouble? Itâs only been a few days, and youâve already stripped the girlâs clothes? That old coot from the Bai family is knocking on our door. How am I supposed to face this?â
Zhou Mu remained silent under the barrage of his grandfatherâs wrath.
If his grandfather knew he was the one who had been beaten and stripped, the consequences would be far worse than a mere scolding.
After ten minutes, the tirade ceased, and silence filled the line.
Just as Zhou Mu began to suspect a signal issue, his grandfatherâs sly voice crept back in.
âBoy, give it to me straight. Did you really strip her clothes?â
âUh-huh!â
Zhou Mu responded, puzzled by the sudden shift in his grandfatherâs tone to that of a conspirator.
But before he could make sense of it, his grandfather burst into uproarious laughter.
âHahahaha! Fifty years in the making, and Iâve finally gotten my revenge. You old coot, remember when you snitched on me to the teacher? Bet you never expected your cabbage to get rooted by my pig!â
âWang, this means war!â
A cacophony erupted from the phone, leaving Zhou Mu utterly bewildered.
What in the world?
A couple of old troublemakers?
They sure seem to be having a blast!
âHold on! Somethingâs not adding up here.â
A sudden realization thundered in Zhou Muâs mind, and he contemplated a rather unpleasant possibility.
If his grandfather and the Bai family patriarch were old acquaintancesâ¦
This wasnât about seeking retribution; it was about joining families!
The principal had mentioned Zhao Qianqianâs upbringing was incredibly strict. She had stripped him down, groped him, and nearly went further.
Now, he faced two potential outcomes.
Either Zhao Qianqian would beat him senseless, or heâd end up marrying her.
Typically, the former would be more likely.
But given that the Bai family elder and his grandfather had been close for decadesâ¦
âMy life is doomed, isnât it? Am I really destined to be entangled with that madwoman forever?â
Zhou Mu cradled his head in his hands, the image of Bai Ningxinâs enticing form flashing in his mind.
No! It was Zhao Qianqianâs fierce and ruthless visage!
âNo way! Absolutely not! A woman will only sap my fighting spirit and dull my sword. My aim is to be the strongest, not to be seduced into complacency by tender affections!â
Zhou Mu steeled his resolve, yet his mouth betrayed him, drooling uncontrollably.
Sizzle!
She was too tempting!
Ugh, no, too infuriating!
âEnough of this. Iâm hanging up if thereâs nothing else.â
Zhou Mu let out a resigned sigh.
âKid, make me proud. Aim to give me a great-grandchild next year.â
âHug your own damn self!â
Zhou Mu silently cursed, about to end the call when a sly thought struck.
âGrandpa, rest easy. Iâll make sure your retirement money is well spent! I wonât come home until itâs all gone!â
â???â
âScoundrel, doesnât your conscience ever bother you?â
Zhou Mu tossed the phone aside, his mood incredibly buoyant.
The old man thought he could compete with me? Heâs out of his league!
With the school year just beginning, Zhou Mu had already stirred up a storm of controversy and made quite a name for himself.
Every teacher and student on campus was aware that Zhou Mu possessed two Lord-tier spirit animals, a dragon species and a phoenix species, and that his approach to combat was unforgiving and brutal, dispatching his foes with the ease of slicing through vegetables.
Whenever he stepped out, the new students would avert their eyes and quicken their pace to avoid him, while the upperclassmen sent curious glances his way.
Clearly, they were intrigued by this junior brother who had wreaked havoc in the freshman ranking tournament, even extending offers of alliance.
Zhou Mu found it all a nuisance. To dodge the constant pestering, he decided to purchase a house in the teachersâ residential area.
Why let all that money sit idle when it could be put to good use, instead of saving it for his grandfatherâs retirement?
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