"The Wusu Fragrance has been distributed. Everyone, dismiss." Wu Shan waved his hand, his gaze falling on a figure bent over picking up a spearhead. "Xie Kuang, you stay behind. Clean up this mess, and then we'll talk about paying to replace that spear shaft."
"..."
The moment he finished speaking, the top students scattered like startled birds. Those who had received Wusu Fragrance couldn't hide their smiles, while those who hadn't—especially the ones who had previously been rude to Jiang Qiu—flushed red and slunk away in embarrassment.
After returning his spear to its locker, Jiang Qiu looked down at the two vials of Wusu Fragrance in his left palm. Suddenly, a figure cast a shadow over him, blocking the light. "Don't use both doses your first time with Wusu Fragrance. Better to use plenty of water."
Looking up, Jiang Qiu saw Wang Guanjia had already shut the adjacent weapons locker with a CLICK and was turning to leave.
'Don't use both doses the first time, huh...'
Jiang Qiu murmured as he watched the boy's retreating back, a corner of his mouth twitching slightly. He then turned to look at another bank of lockers, where Liu Zili was just closing hers. Brushing a stray strand of hair from her face with her right hand, she ran over. "Congratulations! You got Wusu Fragrance in your very first month, and two doses, no less!"
"Yeah..."
Just as Jiang Qiu was about to speak, his train of thought was broken by a gentle tug on his left side. "Xie Kuang's spearhead grazed you here," Liu Zili said, her voice laced with concern. "It must be a deep wound, right? Those diamond-shaped spearheads have incredible Penetration Power..."
A cut on Liu Zili's own fair left arm was still startlingly red. Her fingertips pinched the hem of his black shirt at his side, and her right hand dug a roll of gauze out of her pocket. Then she froze. "Huh?"
Pulling open the tear in his black shirt revealed what looked like a gaping maw. But the wound hidden two inches below his armpit was just a thin line, like a paper cut, from which two or three crimson beads of blood had welled.
It was nothing like the deep, bone-exposing wound she had imagined.
"You've already developed Copper Skin?"
Liu Zili blinked. The hem of his shirt, which had slipped from her grasp, swung back into place. She slowly pushed the roll of gauze back into her pocket.
"Yeah. Xie Kuang's spearhead is sharp, but it had lost most of its Strength by the time it flew off. The damage wasn't serious." Jiang Qiu nodded and started strolling toward the exit. "However, if his spear shaft hadn't shattered and he'd managed to steady that thrust, I'd probably be on my way to the school infirmary right now..."
"Fair enough. In that case, he'd probably be the one heading to the emergency room..." Liu Zili said, falling into step beside him. A smile bloomed on her face, revealing pearly teeth and her Bright Eyes. "With your incredible Talent for both Spear Technique and Body Forging, you're bound to see a massive improvement after your first time using Wusu Fragrance. Who knows, you might even have a shot at catching up to Li Juefeng before the university entrance exams."
"I will."
As always, the tall and the short figure walked off into the sunset, their path taking them across the stone-paved campus grounds.
...
CREAK—
He pushed open the door to his small brick house, hurried into the entryway clutching the two vials, and immediately shoved the bathroom door open with a THUD.
His eyes scanned the room, taking in a towel frayed in the middle like a fishing net, a few bent hangers, a chipped bar of soap, a faded blue washbasin...
No bathtub.
The excitement that had rushed to his head instantly evaporated. Jiang Qiu dragged out the large basin used for washing clothes. He traced its rim with a finger, silent for a long moment. 'Can I even fit in this?'
'I'd better go out and buy a wooden tub. I have two thousand in cash and another four thousand in my account. That should be enough.'
CREAK—
The door to the small brick house creaked shut again. Jiang Qiu emerged, chest puffed out, clutching a crumpled roll of red bills, his eyes full of hope.
...
"Ah, you want one of those big tubs a person can fit in? Nah, we don't have those. They're not very useful, so who'd sell 'em? If you really want one, go check out the earlier zones. You might find one there."
"What about a bathtub?"
"Whoa, a bathtub? The big mall in Zone Eight has 'em, but they cost thousands, and that's not even counting the installation fee. Hardly anyone in our Eighth Shantytown District has one. I don't even bother with stuff like that. Look at you, a young kid like this, you shouldn't be thinking only about pleasure. Have some consideration for your parents."
"Thanks for your time."
He stepped out of the small supermarket. The cold evening wind caught the torn hem of his black shirt, revealing a flash of bronze-colored skin with a long, dried scab clinging to it.
Clutching the two vials of Wusu Fragrance in his palm, his clear, dark eyes reflected a world starkly divided into high and low.
The main road of the ring district served as the dividing line. On the right, residential towers competed in height and splendor. On the left, a few stray rays of twilight splashed across the low-slung brick houses.
'The Outer City has nine districts, and each one is miles long. There's no way I can check all the shops and supermarkets along the way tonight.'
Jiang Qiu shook his head and turned into the Eighth Shantytown District, disappearing once more into the embrace of the buildings' shadows. He buried his face in the glow of his phone screen.
[Smart Bathtub]
[23,999 Yuan]
[Porcelain Bathtub]
[6,599 Yuan]
[...]
[Wooden Soaking Tub]
[1,888 Yuan]
[...]
[Portable Plastic Tub]
[999 Yuan]
His thumb, which had been hovering for some time, finally tapped the last item. An order page popped up, and a line of small print seemed to etch itself into his very pupils: [We apologize. Due to transportation difficulties, this product cannot be delivered to the Outer City Shantytown districts.]
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
A series of heavy, powerful footsteps shattered Jiang Qiu's train of thought, and he abruptly looked up.
In the distance, a girl with shoulder-length hair emerged from a narrow alley. The sleeves of her black shirt had slipped down, revealing slender arms as pale as lotus roots. She was struggling to carry a large tub constructed of wood planks and hoops.
"Hey, little lady! That's a huge tub. Need a hand carrying it for a bit?"
The owner of the baozi shop happened to glance over and see the startlingly incongruous scene. Wiping his flour-dusted hands on his dirty apron, he made a move to step outside and help.
'The little girl was all skinny arms and legs, but that wooden tub looked like one of those ancient earthenware jars for collecting rainwater. Who knows what her family was up to, making her carry something so heavy all by herself.'
"It's not heavy! It's not heavy at all. I won't trouble you, sir. But do you know where Jiang Qiu lives?"
The corners of Liu Zili's mouth dimpled as she smiled, her pearly teeth a brilliant white.
The baozi shop owner pursed his lips. "Jiang Qiu? He's right behind you..."
"Huh?" Liu Zili turned, her round, almond-shaped eyes catching the sunset's glow. "Jiang Qiu, do you need a tub?"
The moment their eyes met, Jiang Qiu's steps slowed. His index finger gave a slight twitch.
'Didn't she go home?'
'That tub...'
'Does her family sell tubs or something?'
Jiang Qiu quickened his pace. The girl struggling with the large wooden tub was framed perfectly in a gap between the buildings where the sunset streamed through, bathing one side of her smiling face in warm light.
'This is perfect!'
'I don't have to take a day off tomorrow to search the first few districts of the Outer City!'
The heavy wooden tub came down on the concrete with a THUD. He gladly pulled the roll of cash from his pocket. "Thank you. How much do you want for it?"
"Ah, no money... er, I mean, the tub's not for sale..." Liu Zili waved her hands frantically, like a fan. The words she'd been rehearsing in her head finally tumbled out. "My family only has this one, my dad brought it home from his workplace a long time ago. We... we use it sometimes, so it's not for sale.
I just figured that not many people in our neighborhood have a big tub like this, and you just got two doses of Wusu Fragrance, so I thought you might need it. I just brought it over..."
"Then let me rent it. Here's two hundred..." Jiang Qiu was focused on peeling two bills from his roll of red cash. A pitter-patter of footsteps made him look up, but Liu Zili had already bolted like a scared rabbit, calling back over her shoulder as she waved, "No need! The tub's not worth anything! Just give it back to me when you're done!"
Jiang Qiu was left standing guard over the large wooden tub, which came up to his chest. He silently stuffed the red bills back into his pocket.
Not far away, the baozi shop owner watched them part ways. He put his hands on his hips, muttered to himself as he retreated into his shop, and couldn't help but sigh. "I'm getting old... Watching these young kids get so worked up over a tub is enough to give me a headache."