A Tiger Cub in The Open

Wu Feng was rolling around on his bed. There was a wooden table adjacent to it, perfectly at the same height as the bed. Atop of these furniture were a few layers of blankets.

If Ren Guang saw how he treat this Silk Dew Jade bed, it is a wonder how he would react. When he found a Silk Dew Jade layer in his own bedroom he caressed and stared at it for the whole night with a silly grin on his face, could not bear to sleep on the jade bed.

Wu Feng tossed away a big pillow that he hugged as he turned his body for the umpteenth time. He let out a big yawn but could not fell asleep.

He shouted with frustration, "I wanted to go hooome! Ah, I wanted to go home. I wanted to play with fluffy white and fluffy black."

He has two dogs he named fluffy white and fluffy black back at his house.

"What? Already can't stand it? Missed home already, young master?" A calm and cold voice replied to him. Although the flat tone was without mockery, it was clear that the owner of the voice used the word young master that was rarely used by the children of Wu Clan as sarcasm.

"This place is too boring! Cultivation, cultivation, cultivation, but there were no instructors that teach us. We have to read everything by ourselves then ask the elders if we have some questions. The bed is too cold, too hard, too narrow!"

Then he added,

"we have to clean our own toilet, no one to massage me, can't even play to the town."

Wu Leng Jing looked up from behind the book he was reading. "So you are sulking."

Wu Feng threw a pillow to his face, which Wu Leng Jing calmly evaded.

"Why are you here? Go back to your own cave!"

"The spiritual energy here is slightly better. I am helping you refining it rather than being wasted by you, who are only lazing around."

Wi Leng Jing continued to read his book, slowly flipped open the next page.

"Don't you want to become stronger, Ah Feng? By the way try this. Aunt Yue's cooking is really delicious."

Wu Yong was talking with mouth full of food. In front of him were plates of food taken from a special qiankun pouch used to store food for long term. The food stored in it will retain the temperature and taste from before they were stored into it. Only wealthy people will be able to afford it.

"Hey, that was foods that mother gave me!" Wu Feng threw another pillow to Wu Yong this time.

Wu Yong bent his body back, letting the pillow flew above his chest.

"Come on, brothers should share with each other. Now that we have to live in a foreign land, we can only depend on each other."

"Bullshit!" Wu Feng scoffed.

Wu Leng Jing exhaled a long breath as he finished reading, closed his book with a crisp sound, then stored it carefully into his pouch.

"If you are bored, why don't we go to the library today? You haven't picked any magic arts, have you?"

Wu Feng turned his back to him. "I am tired. Tomorrow."

"Come on, stop procrastinating. At this rate you will be left behind by the others."

Wu Leng Jing advised with goodwill. He then signaled to Wu Yong, "help me."

"Coming!" Wu Yong rose up, then pulled the thick blankets that Wu Feng haphazardly used as bed sheets, dragging Wu Feng along.

"Stop it. Fine, I'll go."

Wu Feng and his brothers rode a Flying Leaf commissioned to them. They arrived in front of a huge square building located on a valley. There was a garden surrounding the building. The disciples walking around were quiet and only occasionally whispered to each other.

After storing the flying treasure, they walked to the gate. At this time there was a group of disciples coming out from the path beyond it. Wu Feng could spot Li Duan among them.

They whispered with a serious expression, seemingly discussing something important. When they got near the Wu brothers, a handsome and tall male disciple that walked in front gave them a glance. He seemed to ponder about something while looking at Wu Feng.

He stopped then saluted casually before saying with a smile, "junior brothers, are you new disciples from Wu Clan?"

Wu Feng had no choice but to return the salute and replied, "greetings, senior brothers and sister. We are indeed new disciples from Wu Clan that were just admitted to the sect. Did senior brothers and sisters have any instruction?"

The male disciple that stopped them smiled amicably. "It seems I have guessed right. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gu Wen Xin. Junior brother must be Wu Feng then. I heard Elder Gu Mo praised you as having heaven shaking talent and expressed his desire to accept you as his disciple. It is my pleasure to meet you, junior brother."

Murmurs issued from the group.

"Heaven shaking talent?"

"Who is this you have the fortune of attracting elder Gu Mo's attention?" Someone said with envy.

"Wu Feng? Is that the rumored new disciple with troublesome spiritual roots?"

Wu Feng replied modestly, "I am unworthy of such praise. Elder Gu is too kind."

Gu Wen Xin could sense that Wu Feng did not want to continue the topic. Inwardly he thought,

"hmm, this brat from Wu Clan is really too cautious. I heard that he rejected Gu Mo's offer without hesitation. As expected of a young master from the main branch of a huge clan."

But outwardly he maintained his amicable smile. He said again, "I think that you deserve the praise you received, junior brother Wu. Your spiritual roots are the rarest in the world and rumored to have unmatched potential. I heard that Elder Gu have a cultivation technique that was very suitable for your spiritual roots. You should ask him if you have any questions about your cultivation. I am sure you will benefit a lot."

Wu Feng saluted him again, "thank you for senior brother's advice. I will surely ask Elder Mo's guidance if I have a question in my cultivation."

He answered with an awkward sentence. He did not say that he will ask for Elder Mo's guidance for his cultivation, but saying it in a roundabout way that he will ask when, if and only if he has a question.

For if Wu Feng replied like this, "I will ask Elder Mo's guidance in my cultivation" then it will be understood by others as the same as informally accepting Elder Gu as his master. It would be a disaster for him later as no one else in the sect will accept him as a disciple.

Failing in subtly trapping Wu Feng with his ambiguous words, Gu Wen Xin did not feel disappointed. It was just a casual probing after all.

"I will tell Elder Gu junior brother's answer. I am sure Elder will be very pleased. Alright then, I shall not hold you here any longer. Good day, junior brother Wu."

Smiled once more, Gu Wen Xin walked away with light steps, as elegant as a leopard.

The other disciples behind him also saluted to the Wu brothers before following him.

"Good day, senior brothers and sister." The Wu brothers saluted them, sending them away with their gaze.

After they have already vanished from view, Wu Leng Jing transmitted a message with a grim tone.

"Be careful, brother Feng. That man from the Gu Clan is not a good sort. I think he and that Elder Gu did not have good intentions. I heard from father all of them were cunning and sly."

Wu Feng transmitted back, "I am aware. Grandfather and mother always teach me how to deal with people from other clans. They also warned me to be careful towards Gu Clan."

Wu Leng Jing nodded. He transmitted again, "I heard people say without entering a tiger den how can one catch a tiger cub? But now when the tiger cub is at the open, far away from its den and protection of the tiger, people with evil intention did not have to enter a tiger den anymore. Brother Feng, you are a tiger cub."

Wu Feng shivered when he heard that. He nodded, "I know. I will be careful. Also we still have our faction here, right? I will not be completely without protection."

Wu Leng Jing nodded in agreement. This was indeed a reassuring fact. No sane clan will send their most important disciples to a sect they did not have a foothold in.

Wu Yong left puzzled for he could not hear what they talked about. But he knew that they definitely discussed something important, so he only sulked a little. "Fine, no need to tell me. If you need my fist then just tell me at that time."

Wu Yong and Wu Leng Jing exchanged look with each other. Then they broke into laughter.

"Come brother. Let's take a look at what is so special about this library." Wu Feng hugged his shoulder then walked to the library with Wu Yong and Wu Leng Jing in tow.

When he felt that they had already far enough from the library, Gu Wen Xin said to Li Duan. "Junior brother Li, what do you think of junior brother Wu Feng?"

Li Duan replied, "I do not see anything special about him. Only a kid with weak aura and still at the third level of Qi Condensation. Moreover with his True Five Elements spiritual roots, no matter what cultivation method he practiced he will never reach Nascent Soul stage."

"Right, he is just an unlucky brat. I wonder why Elder Gu wanted to take him in as a disciple." Someone chimed in.

Gu Wen Xin cleared his throat. "Ahem, we must not question the esteemed Elder's decision upon this matter."

The disciple that was chiming in before said with a frightened tone, "I am sorry, brother Gu. It was a slip of my mouth. I was just jealous of junior brother Wu Feng's kind treatment from Elder Gu."

Gu Wen Xin flashed a dazzling smile, "It is alright. This is just small talk between us brothers and sisters, no need to be so serious."

The disciple from before beamed with a smile, secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

The female disciples in the group, however, stared in a daze at Gu Wen Xin's handsome face.

They secretly thought,

"Brother Gu is very handsome..."

"Senior brother Gu, please smile at me every day, every time..."

"Brother Gu, I wanted to be yours..."

They walked further away, while Wu Feng and his brothers entered the library, each with their own thoughts.