Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 4
Page 17
Qiao Chu and the others possessed strong powers, but they were forced to hide them in fear of drawing unwanted attention. Every single mission’s objective was very clear, and it was only to pursue the other maps from any clues they had gathered.
Other than that, the five of them in the East Wing of the Phoenix Academy had no other survival skills. At least in terms of earning money, their talent in this aspect was zilch.
It had not been that bad just a few years ago. Yan Bu Gui had pawned some of the treasures he had brought from the Middle Realm, but it did not last and soon they had spent every single cent. Yan Bu Gui did not have anything else he could exchange for money and for the recent few years, the five of them had barely scraped by, living in poverty.
An obvious instance would be that the few of them had not worn any new clothes for at least the past two years.
In contrast, Jun Wu Xie did not understand their quandary as she had never been pressed for money in both her past and present life. In her past life, she might have been young when she left the demon’s lair, but with her unsurpassed skills in medicine, she led a bountiful life. And after her rebirth, although the Lin Palace had been plagued by endless dangers, they had nevertheless not faced any shortage when it came to money.
To the extent that when Jun Wu Xie was looking at her brand new Master and fellow disciples squatting in a circle in the courtyard, discussing how they were going to try to raise money to hand over to the headmaster, her mind had, on this rarest of occasion, and for the first time in her two lives, drawn a complete blank.
“Why don’t Fei Yan and I make a quick trip out? We can try out robbery?” Qiao Chu suggested innocently.
Without a word, Yan Bu Gui smacked him mightily on the head!
Qiao Chu rubbed the back of his throbbing head and shrugged his shoulders, trying to indicate he was just kidding.
The double headed bone snake is still in recovery, or I might be able to gather some herbs from the hills.” Hua Yao was frowning, deep in thought. When they had been extremely hard pressed previously, Hua Yao had sent the double headed bone snake into the hills silently in the night to dig up some herbs to sell for some money several times.
But the double headed bone snake had not recovered from its injuries and Hua Yao could not bear to make his ring spirit suffer the toil at that moment.
“We’re really all cleaned out….. Sigh…..” Fei Yan wanted to cry at that point.
Rong Ruo was the calmest among them, but his brow furrowed deeply as well.
“Sigh….. Forget it! I’ll go see the headmaster and ask him for a few more days’ grace again.” Yan Bu Gui’s heart winced as he saw the forlorn looks on his disciples’ faces and he tried to wave it off. As the Master of these poor kids, he felt that these problems should be handled by him alone.
Alas, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Before Yan Bu Gui could go see the headmaster with his plea, the person in charge of the South Wing, He Qiu Sheng, came storming towards the East Wing, his face dark as thunder.
He Qiu Sheng was the Master of the South Wing, and the youth that Jun Wu Xie had beaten to a pulp was his disciple. When his disciple had gone to the East Wing to press for payment of their debt as usual, who would have expected this time that the barbaric disciples of the East wing would blatantly attack his disciple, to the extent that his disciple was still bedridden till now!
Volume 4
Chapter 366:”Rise of the East Wing (1)”
He Qiu Sheng’s rage visibly showed on his face and his eyes were aflame as he stared at Yan Bu Gui and his disciples.
“Yan Bu Gui! You still owe the academy their fees and you indulge in your disciples’ violence!? And you can still sit here drinking wine leisurely!?”
The viciously berated Yan Bu Gui gripped at the wine jar in his hand and smiled weakly. Wine? Where would he find money to buy wine? The wine jar was filled with water and the faint wine’s fragrance was just the smell that had seeped deep into the wine jar.
But Yan Bu Gui was not about to give himself any excuses.
“It’s Qiu Sheng I see, what brought you to our East Wing here today? Do you want to come in and take a seat?” Yan Bu Gui asked smiling.
The look Yan Bu Gui gave was almost grovelling but Qiao Chu and the others who knew the real reason why he discarded his pride only felt all the more bitter.
If it was not for the four disciples that dragged him down and kept his hands tied, with Yan Bu Gui’s strong spiritual powers, he would be able to live a life of luxury anywhere he chose in the Lower Realm.
“You seem to be taking it real easy. Let me tell you Yan Bu Gui! If you do not give me a satisfactory answer about this, even if the headmaster spares you, you and me will remain irreconcilable! You think I would even bother to step anywhere near this dump of yours? If it was not for the headmaster’s summons for you to go to him, I wouldn’t want to dirty my shoes by coming here!” He Qiu Sheng’s attitude was an exact replica of his head disciple’s. In their eyes, the East Wing only housed a gaggle of beggars that refused to leave, sponged on the Phoenix Academy as freeloaders, were all weak and useless, and played dumb and extorted the headmaster.
Yan Bu Gui was at a loss. He might have been able to smooth over some other situations, but now that he faced the accusation of his disciples injuring He Qiu Sheng’s disciples, the situation was getting rather tricky. If he remembered it right, most of He Qiu Sheng’s disciples might be completely lacking in talents, but they made up the group that held the highest “gold value” among the all the disciples of the Phoenix Academy. It was estimated that almost half of the Phoenix Academy’s funds, came from the families of the South Wing disciples.
“If you don’t like it here, then scram.” Suddenly, a cold voice broke He Qiu Sheng litany.
He Qiu Sheng’s eyes narrowed and he turned to the source of that voice.
He only saw a small petite youth, who was staring coldly right at him.
“Who do you think you are!? How dare you speak to me in that manner!?” He Qiu Sheng was now quivering with rage. He never would have imagined that a mere disciple in the East Wing would dare to humiliate him like that.
Jun Wu Xie lifted her chin and continued staring coldly at He Qiu Sheng.
“Disciple of the East Wing, Jun Xie.”
“I see! You are the little beggar they just picked up! You have sponged on the Phoenix Academy long enough and we have yet to settle the bill with you! And furthermore, you actually had the audacity to beat up my disciple!” Once He Qiu Sheng heard that name, he knew that that was the culprit in the East Wing who had beat up his disciple so badly that he could not even get out of bed. He exploded at that moment and strode menacingly towards Jun Xie, raising his hand, intending to teach the little brat a lesson.
However, before that hand could lower down, it found its wrist tightly bound by the iron grip of Yan Bu Gui.
“He Qiu Sheng, my disciples are not people you can touch just because you want to.” Yan Bu Gui’s eyes had suddenly turned steely. Jun Wu Xie’s words had struck a chord within him and he had not stopped thinking about it. Those words had brought a change in that strong heart.
When it was just targeted at him, he could tolerate it, he would concede to it, even when it humiliated him. But he would never allow anyone to lay a finger on his disciples!
That was the first time He Qiu Sheng saw those eyes on Yan Bu Gui. It was just a single look, and He Qiu Sheng paled immediately.
All this time, the drunkard had never retaliated to any of his endless provocations and humiliations. But today, those steely eyes had unnerved He Qiu Sheng and that had quickly stopped his intimidation of the puny and weak boy.
“You! That’s great! Yan Bu Gui, that’s just great! You would shield the little brat to such an extent. Let us bring him to see the headmaster together. Let the headmaster see for himself what kind of trash your beggars’ den is harbouring nowadays!” As if he had suffered unbelievable injustice, he raged as he
drew his hand back and continued with his shouting tirade.
Volume 4
Chapter 367:”Rise of the East Wing (2)”
Yan Bu Gui’s brow was furrowed. He did not want to involve Jun Wu Xie with such matters.
But Jun Wu Xie readily agreed: “Let’s go.”
Even the Qing Yun Clan fell before her. How can the headmaster of a decrepit academy compare to that?
“Good! I’ll wait for both of you in the headmaster’s study!” He Qiu Sheng left hurriedly after saying that.
After He Qiu Sheng left, Yan Bu Gui’s eyes softened immediately as his gaze fell upon Jun Wu Xie in helplessness.
“Jun Xie, you don’t need to…..”
“I’ll go.” Jun Wu Xie said curtly. The concept of the servitude as a disciple to a Master was foreign to Jun Wu Xie and she was only just learning from her observation of Qiao Chu and the others and that little bit was all she knew at that moment.
Yan Bu Gui sighed heavily. He knew that Jun Wu Xie did not speak much but it was clear to him that his new little disciple was a little man of his words. Whatever passed those lips became unwavering truth, and could not be changed easily.
Jun Wu Xie handed the little black cat into Rong Ruo’s care once again and left to go to the headmaster’s with Yan Bu Gui.
Along the way, they passed several Phoenix Academy disciples. When those youths saw Jun Wu Xie with Yan Bu Gui, they started pointing and whispering among themselves blatantly, paying no heed nor showing any respect for Yan Bu Gui’s position as a Master in the academy.
Yan Bu Gui was used to their disrespect and had not ever been affected by all that. But this time, his eyes glanced at Jun Wu Xie, feeling sorry that Jun Wu Xie had to suffer under those pointing fingers and hushed whispers.
But Jun Wu Xie did not seem affected by it in the least. Yan Bu Gui could see that his little disciple’s back would stand just as straight and not bend in the slightest even if the sky fell on them then.
He had been worried as he thought Jun Wu Xie might not have had to suffer from so many gazes thrown at them, full of disdain.
But the fact was, Yan Bu Gui could not have been more wrong!
Before Jun Wu Xie had embarked on her quest to force a change of the regime in Qi, her reputation had been in tatters. They looks the people of the Qi Kingdom had given her in those days had been many times worse. But…..
She had never been bothered by them. Her eyes had not even bothered to rest on those people even for a second then.
The original Phoenix Academy had had a huge campus but its lands had shrunk drastically after it had been rebuilt. Due to its lack of funds, the academy’s buildings had not been refurbished or properly maintained for years and its decrepit facade were painfully visible, showing starkly the academy’s embarrassing financial situation.
The headmaster’s study was a small little place and the paint on the door was peeling. Weeds grew in the crevices of the steps leading up to the door and the whole place looked dismal.
As they pushed the door open, a slouchy old man with a full white beard was in the room, sitting behind his table. Upon the old and wrinkled face, a pair of eyes narrowed as He Qiu Sheng stood at one side, criticizing Yan Bu Gui and his new disciple, Jun Wu Xie endlessly in a high pitched voice.
When he saw Yan Bu Gui and Jun Wu Xie enter, He Qiu Sheng’s complaints intensified and the pitch of his voice started to rise even higher.
The expression on Yan Bu Gui’s face was clearly flustered but Jun Wu Xie was a placid calm, looking as though those complaints had nothing to do with her.
“Headmaster, look over here. These two people are flagrantly flouting your rules! I had just tallied the numbers earlier today and over the past few days, the East Wing’s losses had increased by another ten over taels! If we are to continue to indulge them, they might drag the whole Phoenix Academy down with them.” He Qiu Sheng continued persistently.
The moment money was mentioned, the headmaster’s bored expression perked up. He raised his head and stared at Yan Bu Gui and Jun Wu Xie.
“Bu Gui, when are you going to pay up on the money still owing? We cannot allow you to drag your feet on the payment indefinitely. You allowed this disciple of yours to injure another disciple of the South Wing, and when the news of this incident reaches the ears of his family, the family is going to come after you! And if they decide to withdraw their child from the academy, we would lose another source of income here!” The old headmaster nagged at Yan Bu Gui, his face deeply aggrieved.
Volume 4
Chapter 368:”Rise of the East Wing (3)”
Yan Bu Gui’s expression grew more helpless as the headmaster’s nagging continued, and He Qiu Sheng stood on one side in glee.
“If I might add headmaster, I think the East Wing should be led by a different person. Look at what Yan Bu Gui had done now? He had only attracted just those few disciples all these years. Besides those little beggars, who would accept his as their Master? And now, the situation in the East Wing is only getting worse. They had suddenly decided to pick up another little beggar from somewhere out there who isn’t going to pay as well, further sponging on the academy. That little beggar had even had the audacity to injure my disciple from the South Wing! If you are to allow this to continue, the academy is sure to be doomed!” He Qiu Sheng incited viciously, his words dripping with venom.
“This…..” The headmaster frowned deeply, exasperated.
Jun Wu Xie observed coldly at all that was going on in the study, and the chill in her eyes intensified.
“Headmaster, you must not hesitate any longer. Do you want to wait till the leeches in the East Wing finally drive out all the South Wing disciples from the academy before you’ll act? Those disciples are all…..” He Qiu Sheng had not finished talking when…..
Jun Wu Xie slapped her hand on the headmaster’s table. Her voice was clear and it made all the other pairs of eyes in the room turn to her. They looked down at the small hand on the table and saw one bank note pressed under it.
“Is this enough?” Jun Wu Xie asked coldly.
In that moment, the study was filled with silence.
The old headmaster’s eyes were dead fixed on that note and he did not move, but his eyes sparkled brightly when he saw it.
A bank note…..
When was the last time he had laid his eyes on a bank note?
He Qiu Sheng who had been pushing vehemently for the headmaster to dismiss Yan Bu Gui and to kick out his freeloading disciples before he was suddenly interrupted turned white as a sheet when he saw the bank note!
His face twitched and he tried to calm himself before he continued: “The East Wing had had their fees outstanding for years. Don’t think you can appease the situation with just a few hundred taels. That disciple of mine comes from a rich family and his family would not think much of the measly few hundred taels. It is not something a little beg…..”
He Qiu Sheng’s voice trailed off as his throat caught.
The old headmaster reached his hand over towards the bank note as He Qiu Sheng was speaking and examined it closely. When he saw the amount stated on the note, he suddenly drew in a deep breath!
He Qiu Sheng snuck a quick peek as he forced a nonchalant look on his face. When his eyes picked up on the figure on the note, his eyes bulged and he stared in disbelief and his knees almost buckled.
On that snowy white bank note, an astounding figure was written clearly in bold…..
One hundred thousand taels!
The old headmaster’s hands trembled as he held the bank note, and his beard bristled.
The Phoenix Academy’s annual income minus expenses totaled only thirty to forty thousand taels, and Jun Wu Xie had just thrown out a hundred thousand taels without even flinching!
That was the Phoenix Academy’s three years’ profit right there in the headmaster’s hands!
No wonder the headmaster was shaking like a willow in the wind.
He Qiu Sheng looked like h
e just swallowed faeces and he was absolutely speechless.
His disciples might be capable of coming out with a few hundred taels and that brat had easily thrown out a hundred thousand taels!
He Qiu Sheng suspected his eyes must be playing tricks on him.
“That…. that bank note must be fake!” He Qiu Sheng shouted in disbelief. It was impossible that such a decrepit looking brat would have so much money!
Jun Wu Xie raised an eyebrow and stared at the fuming He Qiu Sheng but could not be bothered to even speak to him.
The old headmaster heard He Qiu Sheng and he squinted his eyes as he carefully examined the bank.
After a few moments, he broke into a wide smile: “The bank note is real! This is the seal of the Soul Moon Bank! It’s definitely authentic!”
He Qiu Sheng was completely stumped this time. The Soul Moon Bank was the biggest bank around and their branches were all over the lands and their seals were imprinted with spiritual powers and could not be fully duplicated by others.
Volume 4
Chapter 369: “Do you want more? (1)”
He Qiu Sheng’s face was green and his lips had turned purple. He felt as if he had been slapped across the face and felt humiliated beyond words.
The old headmaster turned his eyes back onto Jun Wu Xie, and his expression had turned incredibly warm and passionate towards her, and those eyes only saw a walking and speaking gold ignot in Jun Wu Xie.
“Jun Xie is your name right? You can stay in the East Wing as long as you like and if you happen to find anything unsatisfactory, feel free to let me know.” The old headmaster had suddenly turned servile towards the unbelievably generous and extravagant youth and wished at that moment for Jun Wu Xie to stay in the Phoenix Academy for life.
Jun Wu Xie did not grace him with a reply.