Chapter 10: Tang San's Disappointment

"Why does it feel a bit painful in my heart?"

"Am I getting sick?"

Outside Room 7, Tang San stood in a daze, watching the harmonious scene of Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu working together to tidy up the bed. He couldn't quite understand why, but it felt as if something extremely important was about to slip away from him.

"Xiao San, didn't I say I would come find you? Why did you come over by yourself?" Hu Jiu's words interrupted the complex emotions that had suddenly surfaced in Tang San's heart.

"I noticed you hadn't come to find me for a while, so I thought I'd come over and see what was going on," Tang San said, shaking off his daze and smiling at Hu Jiu.

He was actually a bit worried that Hu Jiu was getting into some trouble, but instead, he saw him happily playing with the little sister, which was frustrating.

"Oh, it's nothing. Let's go; it's already noon, so let's have lunch!" After tidying up the bed, Hu Jiu clapped his hands and turned to Wang Sheng, asking, "You know where we can eat, right? Tell me about it."

"Great, let's go eat! I still want to eat your carrot," Xiao Wu said excitedly, jumping up. The two carrots she had earlier had really whetted her appetite; she felt like she could eat three bowls of rice today.

"Yeah, we need to go eat too, so let's all go together!" Wang Sheng nodded and called the other students to join.

"Xiao Jiu, I won't be going. You can go by yourself!" Tang San shook his head. He had already used all his money for tuition and didn't have any extra for meals.

Besides, he had brought some dry food, so he wasn't worried about going hungry.

"Let's go together; I'll treat you." Seeing this, Hu Jiu understood what was happening and didn't give Tang San a chance to refuse. He hooked his arm around Tang San's neck and walked with him.

Considering I had taken your Xiao Wu, Tang San, you're my brother from now on.

"By the way, do we need to spend money for the meal? Like spirit coins or something?" Xiao Wu, who had been excitedly bouncing alongside Hu Jiu, suddenly stopped in her tracks, sensing trouble was brewing.

"It's okay; just follow me. I have money," Hu Jiu waved his hand to reassure Xiao Wu. As the grandson of the Village Chief, he might not have a lot of money, but as long as he didn't waste it, he had enough for food and living expenses.

"Thank you!" Hu Jiu's generosity instantly increased Xiao Wu's fondness for him.

Compared to Tang San, Hu Jiu was slightly more handsome. Although he dressed simply, he still had a certain charm.

This led to Xiao Wu having no special feelings for Tang San, their hometown connection not prompting anything more than a nod when they met, and during the rest of the time, she didn't even look at him.

Hu Jiu was quite happy about this and had no intention of introducing Tang San to Xiao Wu.

At the same time, chatting separately with Tang San and Xiao Wu was very easy for him; they each had their own conversations without interfering with each other.

"Aren't those just Wang Sheng's group of poor folks?" As soon as they entered the cafeteria, an annoying voice rang out.

Looking up, they saw a group of upperclassmen standing on the stairs between the first and second floors, looking down at them from above.

The speaker was a boy around twelve or thirteen years old. He pointed at Wang Sheng in front of Hu Jiu and said, "Poor folks are just poor folks; they'll probably never make it to the second floor to eat."

On the way to the cafeteria, Wang Sheng had already told Xiao Wu about the matter of Room 7's Boss wanting to stand up for others. Seeing the provocation now, Xiao Wu immediately stepped forward, "Who do you think you are? What's so great about the second floor?"

As soon as Xiao Wu appeared, the boy upstairs lit up, almost drooling as he said, "What a beautiful little loli! Hehe, I'm going to eat now, so I'll let you off this time."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Hu Jiu said, gripping his hammer and moving to confront him.

This was a great opportunity to show off, and Hu Jiu certainly wouldn't let it pass. Even if he couldn't win, he had Xiao Wu and Tang San with him; he believed they wouldn't just stand by and watch.

Sure enough, as Hu Jiu made his move, Xiao Wu also reacted. From Hu Jiu's words, she had already picked up on the fact that "loli" wasn't a good thing.

However, at this critical moment, Tang San faltered. He quickly stepped forward, turned around, and stood between Hu Jiu and Xiao Wu, shaking his head at them. "Let it go; we're here to eat."

"Hey, why are you so afraid of trouble? Look at your brother; he's not scared at all," Xiao Wu said, looking at Tang San with a face full of disdain.

Tang San remained silent.

"Forget it, forget it. There will be plenty of chances to teach them a lesson in the future," Hu Jiu waved his hand. Whether or not to fight was not important; what mattered was the attitude. His earlier performance would definitely earn him points in front of Xiao Wu.

"Fine, we must teach them a lesson next time." With that group of people already out of sight, Xiao Wu lost interest.

"Oh, Xiao San, your master is here." Hu Jiu, with his keen senses, suddenly picked up on a familiar aura.

Tang San turned around and indeed saw Grandmaster.

"Master!" Tang San hurried over and bowed respectfully.

"Have you tidied up your dorm?" Grandmaster asked.

"Yes, it's all done!"

"Then come with me to the second floor for lunch! After that, I'll take you to see my place," Grandmaster said.

Tang San hesitated at those words. He was a bit worried about Hu Jiu, feeling that ever since Hu Jiu arrived at the Academy, his temper had become much worse. He was afraid Hu Jiu would get into trouble.

"Master, I'd rather eat with my friends!" After thinking it over, Tang San shook his head in refusal.

"Hey, are you silly? The food upstairs is obviously better; go eat there!" Hu Jiu pushed Tang San slightly and smiled at Grandmaster, saying, "Grandmaster, take Xiao San to eat; he doesn't know any better."

Although Tang San had lost much goodwill in front of Xiao Wu, Hu Jiu still decided to keep Tang San as far away from Xiao Wu as possible, just in case.

In the end, with Hu Jiu's persuasion, Tang San followed behind Grandmaster and went upstairs to eat.

"It seems you're quite nice to that Tang San!" Xiao Wu curiously stared at Hu Jiu, wondering about their relationship.

"Ha ha, of course! Xiao San is my brother; we grew up together," Hu Jiu said sweetly, but inside, he felt a bit guilty, as he had stolen Tang San's future wife!

No, how could something that hasn't happened yet be considered stealing?

Maybe in this world, Tang San's wife isn't Xiao Wu after all!

Hu Jiu worked hard to hypnotize himself, refusing to let his thoughts be limited by the original story.

"Has that Tang San become Grandmaster's disciple?" At this moment, Wang Sheng walked over to ask.

"Yeah, what's up?" Hu Jiu replied.

"Really? That Grandmaster's strength isn't that impressive. I heard he's over fifty and still only at level twenty-nine, unable to break through to the Spirit Grand Master realm. Your brother isn't being fooled, is he?" Wang Sheng said, looking regretfully at Tang San and Grandmaster as they left together.

"Enough! Why are you worried about other people's business? Just remember, don't say this in front of Xiao San in the future; otherwise, don't blame me for what happens to you!" Hu Jiu waved his hand, not wanting to explain to this group of ignorant guys.

Although Hu Jiu didn't have much need for Grandmaster's knowledge, he had to admit that Grandmaster's theoretical knowledge was indeed very rich. While he might not compare to Hu Jiu in terms of innovative thinking, when it came to Douluo World and the understanding of Spirit Beasts, no one could surpass him.

At the very least, when the time came for his first Spirit Ring selection, he might need to consult Grandmaster through Tang San.