Chapter 12: The Little Tycoon of the Cultivation World

“Huh?” Damn it, I’m no rookie anymore, all right? If you’re sick, get it treated. Why not just be colleagues—why force this big brother, little brother nonsense?

Lin Zhan was a man with pride. Facing such provocation, not stepping forward would make him a coward.

He didn’t know much about the cultivation methods in this world, nor about any inherited secret arts, but the grappling and combat training he’d received at the police academy, combined with the spiritual energy stored in his body, was nothing to scoff at either.

Fine, let’s do this.

Lin Zhan took a short run-up, sprinted a few steps forward, and closed the distance in a flash. He swung a right hook, but worried he might smash Miscellaneous Ten’s handsome face into a pulp, he pulled back half his strength at the final moment.

Even at half power, the right hook whistled through the air in a sharp arc, aiming straight for Miscellaneous Ten’s coldly smiling face.

Wait—why the cold smile? If his cultivation was sealed, did he still have some secret technique or treasure for attack, or was his physique just that strong?

As Lin Zhan’s mind raced with these thoughts, Miscellaneous Ten sidestepped in a flash, letting the punch swing past, and with a deft touch to Lin Zhan’s fist, redirected his momentum.

Thud!

Lin Zhan instantly lost his balance, spun a hundred and eighty degrees, and crashed to the ground in a heap.

Thank goodness this isn’t concrete! And thank goodness no one else is around—otherwise, this accident would’ve been mortifying.

He quickly scrambled up, said nothing, and charged again.

Boom!

Before his fist landed, Miscellaneous Ten launched a bizarre kick that landed squarely in Lin Zhan’s abdomen.

“Ow—dammit, that hurts!”

With that kick, Lin Zhan finally realized his earlier fall hadn’t been an accident. The opponent’s elusive footwork had effortlessly dodged his attack, sending him to the ground, and now another kick had left him in agony.

Now Lin Zhan was truly fired up. He unleashed every combat move and tactic he knew, every hidden trick from his training.

Low blows, throat locks, the art of redirecting force, feints to lure the enemy in, skirmishing and harassment—he tried them all.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

On this deserted stretch of road, a tragic comedy unfolded. Lin Zhan charged again and again, only to be knocked down each time, and then rise to try yet again.

“Either kill me or—” He staggered to his feet one last time, but before he could finish, the world spun, and he collapsed, unconscious, his face swollen red—a perfect pig’s head. Miscellaneous Ten was now Pighead Eleven.

“Ha! Didn’t expect the first one to be so tough.” Miscellaneous Ten grinned; the initial cold smile and disdain had given way to a hint of a wry one.

He bent down, checked Lin Zhan’s breath, and produced a green leaf, which he placed under Lin Zhan’s nose.

“Achoo!” Lin Zhan sneezed violently and woke up.

“Heh, you sure are stubborn. What’s so hard about calling me big brother? Never mind, take this. When I challenge the others, please don’t get in my way.”

Clang—a simple, ancient ring clattered to the ground in front of Lin Zhan.

Lin Zhan muttered inwardly, “What a sly fox—if he can’t win me over by force, he tries with gifts. Clearly, he’s prepared for both outcomes. Hmph, I don’t want it.” He lifted his swollen, pig-like head high in defiance.

“A storage ring. You look like you’ve never seen the world. Drip some blood to bind it—it’ll be yours,” Miscellaneous Ten said, shaking his head.

Lin Zhan, who’d been indifferent, snatched up the ring the moment he heard “storage ring.” “Holy crap—there’s something like this? Haha, I want it!”

Of course, the blood he used came from the corner of his mouth. The binding was completed smoothly, and as he slipped on the ring, he could instantly sense the space inside—it was as large as his school dorm room. Incredible! Though it was empty.

Despite the beating, Lin Zhan didn’t feel bought off by the ring. After all, the other had given it willingly, so there was no psychological burden.

“I never agreed to be your little brother.”

“No problem—big brother will watch out for you anyway!”

Miscellaneous Ten didn’t press the matter. Lin Zhan, delighted, kept examining the storage ring, completely absorbed.

After picking up two sets of blue uniforms for servant disciples from the administration, Miscellaneous Ten returned, now changed into his new clothes. Lin Zhan, rubbing his swollen face, felt a twinge of disappointment. “Damn, even in servant’s garb, he’s still so handsome. It’s just not fair. I guess I’ll have to give up being the best-looking guy in Team C.”

As his palm pressed against his cheek, a cool sensation seeped into his skin, and the burning pain and swelling faded considerably.

“The badge’s pattern on my hand—besides boosting my edge, can it heal wounds, too?”

This discovery filled Lin Zhan with joy.

Miscellaneous Ten shot him a look. “What? Never seen such a suave, handsome man before? You’re really excited.”

“Yeah, you’re handsome, but you don’t have to be so narcissistic! My values are perfectly normal, thank you very much,” Lin Zhan replied, exasperated.

Inside the large house where Team C of the Daisy Hall servant disciples resided—

“Your bed is number ten—this one,” Lin Zhan said, pointing to the bunk right next to his, which was number eleven.

Miscellaneous Ten looked at the beds, then sat on number eleven.

“Let me have your spot,” he said.

Lin Zhan, about to refuse as he rubbed his face, suddenly saw a bottle of pills appear before him.

“Ten lower-grade Longevity Pills—each one can extend a mortal’s life by a year, and they can be taken together.”

The words he was about to say stuck in his throat; inwardly, he was overjoyed. “That’s basically an immortality elixir! Even if it only adds ten years, that’s a treasure!”

Fine, he could switch. Clearly, Miscellaneous Ten was a little tycoon in the cultivation world—just whipping out a storage ring and Longevity Pills like it was nothing. Lin Zhan was so envious he could gnash his teeth. For a bed spot, it was hardly a sacrifice.

“Hey, how come your face looks normal now?” Miscellaneous Ten remarked, eyeing Lin Zhan.

“What do you mean?” Lin Zhan carefully stored the Longevity Pills in his storage ring, touched his own face, and turned away.

The swelling and pain were completely gone—his face looked perfectly normal.

The badge pattern on his right palm really was extraordinary, but that was a secret best kept hidden.

“So you’ve got some healing treasures hidden away after all. If you became my little brother, I’d give you even better things.”

It was an obvious attempt to lure him in further.

Lin Zhan just smiled and said nothing.

He wanted treasures and good things, but not at the cost of degrading himself as someone’s lackey. He’d pass on being anyone’s little brother.

Just then, the silence was broken as Miscellaneous One and Miscellaneous Nine returned in succession.