Master of Nine Stars

Fu Tiance took a sip of his soda and continued, "I heard about what happened the other day. The squad has made a decision. I also heard that your Songjiang Soul Martial University doesn’t start until March?"

"Yes, that’s right," Gao Lingwei immediately nodded.

Fu Tiance said, "It’s only early February. You’ve got a whole month. How do you plan to spend it? Go back to school?"

Gao Lingwei replied, "The original plan was to return to school after we finished assisting the Songbai Town Soul Police."

"What’s so great about school? Classes haven’t started yet. All you’d be doing is meditating, right?" Fu Tiance snorted. "Come hang out with our squad over at the Wall. In a month, when Songjiang Soul Martial starts up, I’ll send you back."

Gao Lingwei had been expecting this. Rong Taotao also paused his meal, musing, "That’s a great idea! We’d be so safe with the Snow Burning unit. We might even get to embed a few good Soul Pearls and hunt for some rare Soul Beasts.

Oh, by the way, Captain Fu, my Da Wei is missing an elite-grade Soul Pearl for her forehead. You think you could help us out with that?"

"Hmph, you little rascal. You’ve got a much thicker skin than your brother," Fu Tiance said. But despite his words, there was no trace of blame on his face. In fact, he was smiling. "Alright. I’ll see what I can do when I get back. It’s only right to help our Scouts grow stronger."

Beside them, Lu Mang spoke up quietly, "I’m sorry, Captain Fu. At my current level, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to go on missions with you. I’d only hold you back. I think I’ll just go back to the school’s Martial Arts Hall to train."

Rong Taotao immediately understood what Lu Mang meant.

Especially when Lu Mang mentioned the Martial Arts Hall—that was what he truly felt. He had returned home a week earlier than his classmates, missing out on the training speed bonus from the Martial Arts Arena. He had fallen pretty far behind.

"Alright, I won’t force you. It’s good you know your own limits, kid. Not bad." Fu Tiance nodded, then looked at Rong Taotao. "Since you two have agreed, I’ll give you one day."

"The Songbai Town Soul Police will be in touch with you two this afternoon. Finish up your business with them, and we’ll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Understood," Gao Lingwei said. She and Lu Mang stood up, only to find Rong Taotao still stuffing his face. She patted his shoulder lightly, took him by the arm, and hauled him to his feet.

"Eat, eat! Don’t be polite, eat up," Fu Tiance urged.

But Gao Lingwei politely declined and led Rong Taotao out of the private room.

Rong Taotao smacked his lips, still savoring the taste of the beef.

...

Leaving the commercial district, the three of them rode their two mounts all the way to the south side of town, stopping beside a small elementary school.

Lu Mang reined in Snow Night Shock, gradually slowing down. After passing an intersection, he gestured toward a small shop up ahead. "My dad owns that. There are a lot of elementary school students nearby, and plenty of them buy snacks, so business is pretty good."

"Oh?" Perched on the horse, Rong Taotao leaned out from behind Gao Lingwei and peered curiously at the small shop across the street.

Unlike a spacious supermarket, this little shop had a string of lollipops hanging by the door. Peeking inside, the shelves and displays of snacks were a bit cluttered, and the space looked cramped, but the variety of goods was extensive.

The three of them came to a stop across the street from the small shop. Lu Mang suddenly spoke. "Rong Taotao." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Rong Taotao: "Yeah?"

Lu Mang said, "Do you remember when we first met? You tried to subtly ask me about my conviction for coming to the Snow Realm."

"Yeah, I remember," Rong Taotao said with a laugh. "You were a real downer back then, and pretty blunt about it. You said something like, ’what kind of conviction can a fifteen or sixteen-year-old have? We’re all just here for the resources at Songjiang Soul Martial.’"

Lu Mang nodded, his gaze drifting to the shop across the street. He looked at the man sitting behind the cash register on the other side of the glass window. "I lied to you," he said. "And I didn’t."

"Huh?" Rong Taotao was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Rong Taotao followed Lu Mang’s gaze to the shop window across the street.

At that moment, the man sitting behind the window reading a newspaper reached for his thermos. As he did, he also spotted the two tall, magnificent horses across the street.

The man broke into a grin. He put down his newspaper, stood up, pulled his thick cotton jacket tighter around himself, and stepped out of the store. He waved to Lu Mang. "You’re back!"

Looking at his father across the street, Lu Mang waved back.

He unsummoned his mount and murmured softly, "Taotao, while I was growing up, I asked myself time and time again...

...if I grow up, and my father still has to toil from dawn till dusk, just to scrape by... then what’s the point of me growing up at all?"

Rong Taotao: !!!

’So, this is your story?’

Gao Lingwei pursed her lips, her expression complicated. Lu Mang’s softly spoken words carried a heavy weight.

Lu Mang began walking across the street. "I’m answering your question from six months ago now. You tell me, does this count as my conviction? To fight for a better life?"

It was a rare moment for the usually taciturn Lu Mang, opening up to someone like this.

A tiny shop like this might not seem like much to others, but to the struggling Lu Family, and to Lu Mang...

...this was the best he had been able to do for them.

Gao Lingwei also unsummoned Snow Night Shock. She and Rong Taotao followed behind Lu Mang, walking across the street.

"All that’s left is to get stronger, to be worthy of everything Songjiang Soul Martial has given me, to live up to the school’s expectations..." Lu Mang murmured to himself as he walked.

Rong Taotao suddenly spoke up. "Lu Mang."

Lu Mang: "Yeah?"

Rong Taotao said, "You don’t actually have to go back to school. You don’t need to return to the Martial Arts Hall. Come with us to report to the Snow Burning unit. Your training will be just as fast."

"What do you mean?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Alright!"

...