Chapter 30

"What... why did my sister come at this time..."

Hearing the voice from outside the door, Hu Tian's eyes were even more flustered.

He had originally planned to mention this to his sister only after leaving the Qingshi Martial Arts Academy and joining the Jiquan Martial Arts Hall.

Because he had mentioned Zhang Xu to his sister before, but his sister was quite repulsed by Zhang Xu and had repeatedly warned him not to get too close to such rich young masters who showed inexplicable kindness.

Therefore, if his sister Hu Li knew that he was following Zhang Xu's advice to leave the Qingshi Martial Arts Academy, she would most likely not agree.

"Just in time, your sister is here. Let her discuss this matter together."

Liu Qingshi's calm voice sounded.

He had also met Hu Li a few times and knew that she played the role of a mother to Hu Tian.

Liu Qingshi opened the study door and had a disciple bring Hu Li over.

Hu Li arrived quickly.

She was clearly jogging all the way, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, her breathing not yet recovered, and the joy and anticipation of seeing her brother still lingering in those eyes that were five parts similar to Hu Tian's.

She tightly clutched a bundle wrapped carefully in several layers of coarse cloth; it was the osmanthus cake she had specially bought from a time-honored brand in the Chengnan this morning, which her brother loved to eat when he was little and could only taste once during festivals.

But when she stepped into the study and met Liu Qingshi's eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, and saw Hu Tian's head-hanging, cowering appearance, as if waiting for a verdict, that joy was extinguished instantly, like a candle flame blown out by a cold wind.

"Master..." She didn't immediately question her brother, but first bowed respectfully to Liu Qingshi, slightly pushing the bundle in her hand forward, her voice gentle and carrying the simplicity unique to country women: "These cakes are what I just bought in the Chengnan. If you don't mind, please taste them..."

After Liu Qingshi waved his hand to decline, he told Hu Li about Hu Tian's desire to leave the academy.

"What?"

The bundle in Hu Li's hand fell to the ground abruptly.

"You want to leave the academy?"

She almost shouted these words, looking at Hu Tian with eyes full of disbelief, as if she were meeting the brother she had raised with her own hands for the first time.

"Sister... I have my reasons..."

Hu Tian didn't dare to look into Hu Li's eyes and lowered his voice.

"Is it that 'good brother' Zhang Xu you mentioned before? Did he say something to you again!"

Hu Li looked at Hu Tian with heartbreak, her voice stern:

"I told you long ago that those people showing you kindness must have ulterior motives! You are too naive; you're being used as a knife and don't even know it!"

She knew the evil of the world's hearts better than Hu Tian.

Before, when Hu Tian told her that the Zhang family's second young master, Zhang Xu, treated him as kindly as his own brother, she didn't believe it at all.

Now he was actually bewitching her brother to leave the academy and betray his sect; could this be a good person!

"Master, I'm truly very sorry. Just pretend my brother was talking nonsense..."

Hu Li turned to apologize to Liu Qingshi.

"I wasn't talking nonsense!"

Hu Tian suddenly raised his head and blurted out.

He didn't know why he was suddenly so excited, but the words that had been suppressed in the bottom of his heart finally broke through the young man's already fragile self-control at this moment.

"You always treat me like a child, thinking I don't understand anything and have to listen to you! But how much do you know about my affairs at the academy? How much of Zhang Zhang Shixiong Hu Hu Shidi Zhang Xu's kindness to me have you seen? He is the dignified second young master of the Zhang family; he lowers himself to take me to see the world and make connections. What does he want from me? My poverty? My country background?"

He spoke faster and faster, feeling more and more that he was in the right.

"I broke through to the Bright Force Realm in half a month! Looking at the entire younger generation of Anxi County, how many can do that? But what has this academy given me? Two bottles of Blood-Replenishing Pills? That Shi Lei with mid-to-low-tier talent also got a bottle! Is this preferential treatment? This is putting me on the same level as that kind of person!"

"The Jiquan Martial Arts Hall has two Transformation of Force martial artists sitting in charge. Their Master appreciates me and is willing to take me in, providing monthly pills, and my future will be limitless! Do I have to give up such a good future just because of your 'don't be used as a knife'?"

"Zhang Zhang Shixiong Hu Hu Shidi Zhang Xu is my good brother; he won't harm me!"

Hu Tian took a deep breath, looked at Liu Qingshi, and said in a deep voice: "I've already thought it through; I want to leave the Qingshi Martial Arts Academy!"

"You dare!"

Hu Li almost roared these two words.

Her usually gentle face was slightly distorted by extreme anger and heartbreak, her eye sockets red, but she stubbornly didn't shed a tear.

She stared fixedly at Hu Tian, word by word: "If you dare to walk out of this door today, from now on... don't recognize me as your sister!"

These words were extremely heavy.

So heavy that her own voice trembled uncontrollably at the end.

Because she knew better than Hu Tian how high the price was for leaving the academy and changing sects.

Seeing the angry expression on his sister's face, Hu Tian's heart tightened slightly, but then he thought of his bright future after joining the Jiquan Martial Arts Hall and Zhang Xu's promise to him, and the struggle in his eyes turned into determination.

He knew that what his sister was saying now must be angry words.

It wouldn't be long before she calmed down.

When he broke through to the Hidden Force Realm in the future, or even stepped into the Transformation of Force Realm, and became a person of status in Anxi County, his sister wouldn't know how happy she would be.

By then, she would know how wrong her idea of trying to stop him today was.

And he would use his success to prove that he was right.

"Sister, just wait and see!"

Hu Tian seemed to have already seen the scene of his future infinite glory, smiled triumphantly at Hu Li, and turned to leave the study.

"Little Tian, you..."

Seeing that Hu Tian really dared to leave, Hu Li's body trembled violently, and a trace of sorrow appeared on her angry face.

At this moment, she even doubted whether her decision to desperately save money to send her brother to learn martial arts was right...

"Sigh, forget it, everyone has their own destiny."

Liu Qingshi sighed slightly and comforted Hu Li with a few soft words.

At the same time, he looked at Hu Tian's back, a faint light flickering in his eyes: "So it was the Jiquan Martial Arts Hall..."

The news of Hu Tian leaving the academy was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, instantly exploding.

"Is it true? Has Hu Tian gone crazy? He actually dares to leave the academy?"

"I heard this kid has already found a new place to go, the Jiquan Martial Arts Hall..."

"Tsk, one can only say that people climb to higher places, and water flows to lower places."

"With that kid's talent, he'll probably get pretty good treatment at the Jiquan Martial Arts Hall."

"That may be so, but betraying one's sect is a taboo everywhere. In the future, whenever others mention Hu Tian, the first thing they'll say is 'that one who betrayed the Qingshi Martial Arts Academy'."

"Master Liu is truly kind; he didn't even cripple one of his legs!"

"Regardless, this kid's reputation is completely ruined..."

Some were disdainful, some were emotional, some watched coldly, and some secretly felt regret.

That genius young man who had once made countless people envious by mastering fist techniques in seven days and breaking through to the Bright Force Realm in half a month had gradually changed from "Hu Hu Shidi Hu Tian" to "that Hu Tian" in the discussions of the crowd.

A difference of one word, and it was already a world of difference.

Shi Lei stood at the edge of the inner academy's martial arts arena, listening to the whispered retelling from the junior brother beside him, and remained silent for a long time.

He didn't turn back to look at Hu Tian's now-empty practice spot, but slowly withdrew his gaze and straightened his fist stance again.

Sweat slid down his brow bone and hit the ground, seeping into a small dark patch.

He didn't say anything.

By the academy gate, Jiang Ye sat withered on that shiny little stool, taking in every word of the clamor within the academy.

His eyelids drooped, and a hidden cold light flashed in his aged eyes: "I was wondering why he ran so fast; so he was in a hurry to run away."

However, this clamorous discussion did not last long.

An outer academy disciple ran in from outside the academy, panting, his face deathly pale, as if he had seen something horrifying.

He rushed into the crowd, his voice slightly distorted by urgency:

"It's bad! Outside the city gate... outside the city gate, there are many refugees."

"Refugees from Lushan County..."

"They... they've fled here!"