Chapter Twenty-Four: Utterly Unlucky

“Stop! That’s enough!” Teacher Jin’s gentle spiritual power bound Jiang Wangshu, her divine sense condensing into a needle, stabbing toward Jiang Wangshu’s sea of consciousness.

If that strike landed, Jiang Wangshu would suffer a backlash from the spell; at worst, her meridians would shatter, at worst, her sea of consciousness would be damaged, making further cultivation in this life impossible.

The microtransaction system saw it all clearly. “You old witch, so you’re playing dirty? Watch this.”

Teacher Jin felt as if she’d slammed into a copper wall—a wave of intense pain swept through her, nearly causing her to stagger and fall. She hurriedly withdrew her divine sense, her face turning pale as she looked at Jiang Wangshu.

Anyone who could carry a treasure to protect their sea of consciousness couldn’t be the child of an ordinary cultivator.

She put away her earlier contempt, her tone now weak and tinged with respect. “Zhang Lingyin spoke out of line, but your retaliation mustn’t endanger lives.”

The vine, wreathed in flames, only bound Zhang Lingyin. Jiang Wangshu squinted and smiled. “Of course. So, can I have the single room now?”

It turned out that the document had already been burned to ashes by the flames the moment the vine wrapped around it.

Teacher Jin nodded and, moving slowly, took out another housing form, stamped it, and handed it to Jiang Wangshu.

Jiang Wangshu wasn’t feeling well either. Though the system had blocked most of the divine sense attack, her own cultivation was low.

The backlash from the clash of divine senses was enough to leave her reeling.

Truly, bad luck never leaves her.

She massaged her aching temples, withdrew her spiritual power, and accepted the housing form. “Thank you, teacher.”

As the vine vanished, Zhang Lingyin, losing her support, crashed to the ground.

She bit her lip hard, her body covered in angry welts where the vine had constricted her. Trembling with humiliation and rage, she spat out, “I won’t let you get away with this. Just you wait.”

Teacher Jin heard her and spoke softly, “She’s not someone to be trifled with. You’d do well to spend your time improving your cultivation.”

Zhang Lingyin ignored her, scrambling away, seething with resentment.

Around them, the crowd buzzed with gossip. The school forum exploded again.

A new student takes down a sophomore from the Spell Division.

First post: Is this newbie crazy? First she talks back to the teacher, then fights an upperclassman. I say send her for a lightning shock.

Second post: What’s her cultivation? A sophomore in the Spell Division should at least be at Foundation Establishment stage, right?

Third post: She acts like a mad dog, biting anyone she sees.

Fourth post: A model for our generation! If you’re upset, just fight—so satisfying.

Fifth post: No respect for teachers or classmates. How did Vulture Academy let such a troublemaker in?

Sixth post: You got the guts to say that to her face?

Ge Xiangming clenched his jade pendant and gritted his teeth, then posted:

Reply to post six: Why wouldn’t I dare? Once I’m prepared, I’ll make sure this new student regrets it.

Seventh post: Marking this for updates.

Eighth post: Camping here for more.

Ninth post: +1.

…

But let’s leave the chaos of the forum aside.

Jiang Wangshu stared in disbelief at the run-down, thatched-roof single dormitory in front of her. Was this really what she’d fought for?

She yanked at Little Black’s hair. “Why couldn’t you have been a girl!”

If not for the inconvenience of Little Black being a male beast, she wouldn’t have insisted on a single room.

Now look: no soft, fragrant roommate—just a shabby, broken-down dorm.

Not a single formation to be seen.

The only upside was the scenery.

She looked around: babbling brook, encircling trees.

The microtransaction system perked up, thrilled. “Host, the portable housing comes with a protective formation. Not eighty-eight thousand, only eighty thousand! Don’t miss this offer!”

A shopping window popped up before Jiang Wangshu, showing a 360-degree view inside and out.

The exterior looked even shabbier than the thatched hut, but inside, there were three bedrooms and a spacious living room—comfortable and cozy.

“Gentle reminder,” the system added, “the interior decor costs extra. Only twenty thousand more for a beautiful, comfortable setup!”

She was sorely tempted. Comfortable, portable, the perfect travel companion!

As for the price—she’d never bothered about such things. With a grand gesture, she bought it at once.

Even after the purchase, though, there was still work to be done. She directed Little Black to get started.

“Come on, work for your spirit stones.”

Little Black glanced at the few meager spirit stones left in his storage pouch, finally lowering his noble head and moving reluctantly.

Ding dong! Ding dong…

Her message jade chimed repeatedly—Huo Jinyu’s relentless barrage of messages.

Huo Jinyu: Master Xiao Jiang, where are you? I’m coming to find you!

Perfect timing—she needed more hands!

Without hesitation, she sent her location.

Moments later, two figures rushed over.

Huo Jinyu was all smiles, her ponytail swaying with her good mood. “Master Xiao Jiang, long time no see! I missed you so much!”

Zou Xiuzhen nodded shyly. “Hello, Master Xiao Jiang.”

Jiang Wangshu grinned broadly. “This is my single dorm. You two can come hang out anytime!”

Huo Jinyu nodded eagerly. “Absolutely!”

Her gaze landed on the ramshackle hut, confusion flickering in her eyes before sudden realization dawned.

“Master Xiao Jiang is truly returning to the basics—living in such a natural home must be ideal for cultivation. As expected of a true expert.”

Zou Xiuzhen thought that sounded a bit forced, but with his mind full of formation puzzles he was desperate to solve, he nodded without hesitation, echoing, “A real expert, indeed.”

Jiang Wangshu’s lips twitched, but since they’d already put her on a pedestal, she let it be. “If this expert needs help, will you lend a hand?”

Both nodded in unison. “Of course!”

She handed them the two sickles gifted by the system. “Let’s clear the grass, then!”

Without a word, Huo Jinyu grabbed a sickle and dove into the waist-high weeds, hacking away a sizable patch in no time.

Zou Xiuzhen scratched his head sheepishly. “Master Xiao Jiang, after we’re done, could you help me with some formation puzzles?”

“Of course,” Jiang Wangshu promised readily. Formations were beyond her, but the system could handle them.

No problem at all.

Zou Xiuzhen’s face lit up at her answer, and he worked with renewed vigor.

He’d found the teachers at Vulture Academy knowledgeable, but too rigid—whenever he tried to innovate with a formation, they’d just lecture him endlessly.

His new formation remained stuck at a bottleneck, so now he pinned all his hopes on Master Xiao Jiang.

Watching her three helpers working hard, Jiang Wangshu was feeling pleased when a bird flew overhead and dropped an unidentified object from the sky.

She dodged hastily, but twisted her ankle on the flat grass with a crunch.

Bending down to check the injury, her waist gave a painful pop.

The microtransaction system couldn’t bear to watch. “Host, are you all right?”

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Wangshu braced her back, checked the ground to make sure nothing dangerous was there, and slowly sat down.

But as soon as her bottom touched the grass, she yelped and sprang up, clutching her backside.

A mantis, brandishing its sickle-like arms, was so startled it sped away.

Jiang Wangshu clenched her fists, but couldn’t find anyone to take her frustration out on.

Her waist hurt, her backside hurt, her foot hurt…

What rotten luck! Wuwuwu!

Half an hour later, on the freshly cleared grass, a bonfire blazed as the three friends and a fish began their picnic.