Long, streaked black hair, thin eyebrows, long eyelashes, and deep blue eyes. She sat there, wearing a green hanfu dress adorned with silver lining. A flower emblem was embedded on her chest as she gazed at her cousin, who was kneeling on the ground before her.
"What? Did you offend someone you shouldn't have?" the woman asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"No," Mahika shook his head. "Senior Sister Lily, it's the opposite."
"Oh? Tell me," Lily said, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, so we were in the library, minding our own business, when this kid came in and offended me! He's rude and even framed me to make it look like I like men!" Mahika explained, omitting the details and changing the story to make it seem like the kid was at fault. Recalling what happened, his eyes turned cold. "I want to kill him as soon as possible!"
Senior Sister Lily stared at her cousin for a moment before taking another sip of tea. She knew her cousin very well, and knowing him, he had probably bullied someone again. Still, she wasn't the type to care about his actions. What intrigued her was that Mahika had met someone who managed to humiliate him.
Mahika only sought her help when he was truly desperate.
"So what do you want?" Lily asked, her eyes drifting to a note beside her cup.
"Help me reduce my punishment," Mahika said through gritted teeth. "I know they'll punish me for what I'm about to do, but I really want to kill that kid!"
Lily went silent, her fingers tapping on the table.
Killing another student was strictly forbidden, punishable by imprisonment, death, or the destruction of one's cultivation core—every cultivator's nightmare. But with her master's help, she could minimize her cousin's punishment. They could even stage the incident to make the killing appear justified and reasonable.
The Elders wouldn't care, and even if they suspected something, they wouldn't take action unless the very existence of the school was threatened. That's why nobles and those with influence could bully and treat those of lower status like dirt.
Lily's eyes lingered on the note before turning to Mahika. "You said the person you want to kill is just a kid? How did he get in here?"
"I don't know," Mahika shook his head. "But it doesn't matter! I'll make sure he suffers more than death before I kill him!"
The goons behind him kept their heads bowed, listening intently to the conversation.
A kid, huh? Lily thought. It must be true. She stared into her cousin's eyes and nodded. "Alright, I'll help you."
Hearing this, Mahika's face lit up. "Thank you, Senior Sister! You're the best!"
"Thank you, Senior Sister!" the goons echoed from behind.
This was the first time Mahika had made such a request, and he had expected rejection, but reality proved otherwise.
"Go away," Senior Sister Lily waved her hand. "Don't interrupt my tea time anymore."
"Okay!" With clenched fists and renewed determination, Mahika and his men left the courtyard.
As their figures disappeared into the distance, the wind blew, causing the flowers to sway and their fragrance to fill the air.
"Heru is strong, but he's not that smart," Lily muttered, taking a sip of her tea before standing up. "I should rally them and let Aaron test the kid's strength."
A kid? Lily didn't believe that someone capable of defeating Heru was just a child. The note on the table stated that Heru had suffered a crushing defeat that morning, something that had never happened to him before.
She stood and walked inside her residence. Soon, five birds flew from her place, each holding a small scroll in their claws.
Apollo saw Gail in the distance, standing at the counter, holding a book and talking to the person behind the desk.
He approached and overheard their conversation.
"Sorry, you don't have enough mission points to learn this technique," the martial student administering the techniques said without much emotion.
"Is that so," Gail sighed, disappointed. She had spent some of her mission points on the Advancement Examination, and it seemed she needed to go on another mission to learn the technique in her hands.
"You can check out the other techniques. You can learn those," the receptionist suggested.
"No need," Gail said, shaking her head. She turned around, surprised to see Yoma standing in front of her. "Mr. Beggar!"
"Hello," Apollo greeted her with a chuckle. He glanced at the book in her hands. "Having some trouble?"
"No," Gail replied, though she seemed hesitant.
"It seems like it," Apollo smiled. It wouldn't be a problem for him to use his Personal Disciple card so she could learn the technique, right?
"I c-can just do another mission to earn more mission points," Gail hurriedly added.
"Hahaha, don't worry, I've got this!" Apollo smiled confidently. He walked past her and stood in front of the receptionist. But because of his small frame, he had to tiptoe to see the martial student behind the desk. "Hey, do me a favor, will you? Let her have the book."
Gail's eyes widened. Is he really going to help me? Such generosity! And does he have enough influence to bypass the mission points requirements? The image of the beggar wanderer in her heart rose to another height.
The martial student looked at the kid in confusion, frowning at his words. "Who are you? We can't do that. She must follow the rules if she wants to learn the techniques."
"I am…" Apollo started to introduce himself but then stopped. Well, this is awkward. They didn't know him, and he had no way to prove he was the Personal Disciple aside from his words.
I shouldn't have talked so big.
"Don't worry about it," Gail said from the side, still smiling. Just the thought of him wanting to help her was good enough. "I'm strong, and I can easily complete the missions. Earning the points will be easy."
Apollo sighed in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help."
"Haha, I'm grateful you wanted to help, Mr. Beggar," Gail said, bowing her head.
The receptionist watched this interaction in confusion. They knew who Gail was—she was one of the popular martial students at the Great Serpent Martial School. But the person she was speaking to with such respect was just a kid.