Chapter 76: 76 Chapter 75: Holidays

Tang Qi Hong passed me five pieces. That might sound generous, but she had several hundred for herself. And that was only half of what we hauled back – Zi Xiao Ji had taken the other half, with Zhao Shi and Da Ge helping her carry them to her own forge.

I smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to use them to forge equipment or weapons."

"Do you even know how to?" Tang Qi Hong asked skeptically. She had a good point. I didn't have any experience in forging actual weapons whatsoever. My only experience came from freezing stuff into ice weapons, but metal was another story altogether.

"Nope. But that's why I'm your assistant. I'm supposed to learn from you."

"Sure. But you've done enough for today. Take a break and I'll assign you tasks tomorrow."

Now that might not sound like "learning blacksmithing" from being Tang Qi Hong's assistant, but let's get real. Preparing spirit materials and the like was the most basic of the basics. If I couldn't even do these properly, how could I start talking about forging my own weapons? No weapon could be forged without even the basic understanding of how to prepare the spirit materials for the blacksmithing to take place in the first place.

With that done, I decided to go practice my Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship. Since training was going to sound boring and tedious, and I couldn't be bothered with levels or stages, we're going to skip those details.

Needless to say, the next day came, and as promised, Tang Qi Hong showed up with a new assignment.

"Here are the Solar Lava Stones. I think there's about three hundred of them. What I need you to do is extract the flame qi from them and distill them into fiery ore. If you get this done within fifteen days, I'll reward you with ten gold coins."

"Roger that!"

I saluted. Tang Qi Hong smiled. "Thanks, as usual. You've been a great help. But try not to rush, okay? Sometimes I've to redo the stuff that you prepared and processed."

"Sorry about that."

I wasn't Qin Lie. Obviously without practice and experience, I couldn't prepare spirit materials perfectly. On the other hand, like Tang Qi Hong said, I got a bit sloppy in my haste to get the work done before the deadline.

"Nah, you're good. You're a fast worker, which helps a lot. I'll be counting on you then!"

"No problem!"

Twelve days later, I brought the fiery ore that I had extracted and purified from the Solar Lava Stones and brought them to Tang Qi Hong's doorstep. She had a shock when she saw me bundling them over.

"I told you not to rush!"

"Oh, well…purifying qi is my forte."

Tang Qi Hong was surprised by the quality of my work this time. Nodding in satisfaction, she dismissed me.

"Take a rest. I'll give you something new tomorrow."

"How are the Ice Soul Python armor going?"

"It's going," Tang Qi Hong replied vaguely. "I'm almost done."

Craning my neck, I saw the pile of Ice Soul Python armor neatly stacked up in the corner of her workshop. Catching my gaze, Tang Qi Hong smiled.

"Of course, you're welcome to stay and learn if you want to."

"I'll take you up on your offer then."

The next day…

"Here are eight Draconic Rhinoceros horns. Help me shape them into spears. They'll be the core for Spirit Striking Spears, so try not to distort them too much. Hmm, five gold coins for this, and the deadline will be about twelve days. Can you do it?"

"Even if I have to stake my life on it."

Tang Qi Hong laughed at that. "You don't have to go that far. All right then, I'm counting on you. And I'll teach you how to forge spears when you're done."

"Looking forward to it!"

With that, I began to work right away.

One benefit of doing these tedious chores was that I could deepen my comprehension of these spirit materials and their attributes. If I understood what sort of attributes, elemental affinity or other special characteristics they had, I could better forge corresponding equipment and armaments that suited whatever occasion that beckoned.

And just like that, another twelve days passed. This time, because the task was a lot harder, I barely managed to make the deadline. Panting, I hauled the eight spear-shaped Draconic Rhinoceros horns toward Tang Qi Hong's workshop.

"Oh! Just in time!"

Tang Qi Hong wiped the perspiration from her face when she spotted me. Apparently she had been using the fiery ore I distilled for her earlier to forge Solar Daggers or some flame-type spirit weapon. She placed the last piece down in a crate and turned to me.

"Oh, this looks good!"

She nodded in approval as she picked up one of the Draconic Rhinoceros horns and observed it closely. Placing it back, she beckoned me to step inside.

"Let's begin right away!"

After watching her forge a spear or two, Tang Qi Hong dismissed me. From the exhausted look on her pretty face, she seemed like she needed a break. I respectfully bowed and departed from her workshop, getting ready for my usual physical training.

"Whoa…"

Tang Qi Hong stifled a yawn as she downed a cup of water and splayed over her bed. As she did so, Lian Rou walked in.

"Qi Hong, how as it been recently?" she asked. Tang Qi Hong raised her head wearily and stared at Lian Rou blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"How is your blacksmithing going?" Lian Rou specified. Oh come on. You didn't really think she was going to ask Tang Qi Hong if she had tamed me, right? This wasn't Spirit Realm, and I was far from being Qin Lie.

"Going well."

"You seem like you've picked a capable assistant." Lian Rou nodded, slightly impressed, as she ran a hand through the Draconic Rhinoceros horn.

"Oh, well…Fei Wu is all right, I guess?" Tang Qi Hong smiled. "He's not perfect and he lacks experience, but he's pretty diligent and listens to everything I say. I can't complain. I think he'll gradually get better with more practice."

"That's the same for everyone." Lian Rou frowned and she noted the smoothness and curve of the Draconic Rhinoceros horn. "Hmm, could it be…this was done by him?"

"Yeah, he did. Pretty good, right?" Tang Qi Hong puffed her chest out proudly. Oi, I was the one who shaped them, you know. Not you.

"Wow, this is pretty good, considering that he's a newbie. There are a few rough edges, but this is on par with at least a few of the inner sect disciples' work."

"That's right. He did all eight of them for me within twelve days. I just need to polish them up a bit, but he saved me a lot of time in terms of refining the material to make it ready for use. I probably just need a few minutes to correct the minor flaws before I can use it as the core material for my Spirit Striking Spears. Fei Wu's work saves me a lot of time and energy."

"Wow, that's impressive." Lian Rou smiled bitterly. "I wish Tong Xue was just as dedicated. He doesn't really put in as much effort in his work, and I usually end up redoing a lot of his preparation from scratch."

"Tong Xue is the same as Pang Feng," Tang Qi Hong reminded her. "He has no interest in forging. He's probably here to join Blood Blades."

"Isn't Fei Wu the same?" Lian Rou wondered out loud. "I mean, he has never expressed any interest in blacksmithing before. He's more of the combat type, like Tong Xue. Actually, Tong Xue isn't even the combat type, he's more of the espionage and intelligence type. But Blood Blades also need intelligence agents and spies, so Tong Xue's skills in those areas will be a good fit for them."

"It's a pity that Fei Wu can't assimilate artificial qi like the rest of us, or he would be able to be among the top." Tang Qi Hong sighed. "That one star constitution…I feel like either someone measured his constitution wrongly, or we've been judging the whole idea of talent and strength wrong from the start. I guess he's proof that you can't judge someone by his constitution."

"But…if he is this focused and diligent with his work…what is he going to do?" Lian Rou looked puzzled. "Join the Blood Blades or become a Spirit Engraver like you?"

Tang Qi Hong giggled. "I think it's precisely because Fei Wu is such a diligent person that it doesn't matter what he does. If you tell him to do something, he'll do his best to do it."

Lian Rou shook her head and smiled dryly.

"You're pretty lucky, aren't you? Make sure you grab him before some other girl does."

"D…don't talk nonsense!" Tang Qi Hong turned red. "We…we're not in that kind of relationship! I mean, I…ugh!"

Good thing I wasn't there to witness that tsundere nonsense or I would probably bury myself at how cringe worthy that was.

*

Before I knew it, a month had passed since I had first entered the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. the New Year holidays arrived and we were allowed to go home to celebrate with our family.

The New Year holidays in this timeline were identical to Lunar New Year as celebrated by all Chinese Diasporas as well as those in China back in my original timeline. For mainland China, there would be fifteen days of holidays and celebrations, set aside so that we could go around visiting relatives. In Singapore, it would be shortened to only two days, but we had the weekends to continue the visiting of relatives.

It was a pretty fun holiday, especially since I got to eat a lot of nice food I otherwise wouldn't eat normally.

The only thing that bothered me was the spring cleaning. I mean, seriously, who enjoyed spring cleaning? I would much rather spend the time doing other stuff…like eating. Or training. Or gaming. Or doing something that I enjoyed.

On the other hand, the reunion dinner on the night before the actual Lunar New Year Day was worth all the trouble.

"Looking forward to the meal, Wu?"

Dad was grinning when he saw me almost salivating at the prospect. I blinked and hurriedly reclaimed my composure, and nodded.

"Yeah. It seems delicious."

"Well, we'll be leaving soon, once your mom is ready."

As always, ladies take longer to get dressed and stuff. Not that I had any complaints. Along with my brother, Fei Ji, I leaned back in the couch and waited patiently for Mom to emerge. Dad was humming to himself as he checked his new shoes, spreading kiwi over them.

~~~~

I jerked up when I heard the doorbell ring, the melodic tune floating throughout the house as a result of the bell.
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"Who could it be?" I wondered out loud. Ji shrugged.

"Who knows?"

Well, he couldn't be bothered to answer the door, too busily playing Fate/Grand Order on his cellphone or something. So I took the initiative to rise to my feet and beat my Dad to it, especially since my Dad had his hands full with kiwi and his shoes.

"Who is it?" Dad asked when I opened the door. Calm down, Dad. I haven't even opened the door fully to have a good look yet.

"Whoa!"

I almost fell over when I saw the person waiting outside the door. Tang Qi Hong was dressed prettily in a red dress, waving excitedly when she saw me.

"Tang Qi Hong? What are you doing here?"

"Hey." Tang Qi Hong smiled nervously as she glanced inside my house. My brother glanced up curiously for a few seconds before looking back at his cellphone. In contrast, my dad placed his shoes down and got up to see what was going on, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Hmm? Is that…?"

"A friend of mine," I informed him. "Tang Qi Hong."

"Hello, uncle." Tang Qi Hong politely bowed her head. She glanced at me hesitantly. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Sure, sure! We're about to leave, but you're welcome to sit in for a few minutes." Dad was as polite as ever, gesturing for her to come in. he turned to me. "Wu, get your friend a drink."

"Okay." I nodded and headed toward the refrigerator.

"No, it's fine. Did I come in at a bad time?"

"Well…" Dad scratched his head a little. "We were about to leave."

"Ah…"

"What did you come for?" I asked as I brought a can of soda from the fridge and placed it in front of her. Tang Qi Hong nodded her thanks, but she didn't touch the can.

"Well, actually…do you mind if I join you for reunion dinner?"

"Eh? What happened?" I blinked in confusion, trying to comprehend what I had just heard. "What about your family?"

"You didn't know?" Tang Qi Hong stared at me. "Oh, I didn't tell you or anyone. Um, I'm an orphan, so I don't have a family to celebrate Lunar New Year with."

Dad and I stared at her sympathetically for a few moments. Then Dad clapped his hands and smiled.

"Sure. You're very welcome to join us."

"Is that fine? I mean, I don't want to impose…"

I raised an eyebrow at that, having a sneaking feeling that wasn't the case. Tang Qi Hong was pretty sly and slightly manipulative. After all, if she really had no intention to impose, she wouldn't show up at my doorstep abruptly, completely unannounced, and then dropped quite the bombshell into our laps. I was pretty sure she had planned this out.

"Why? What's happening?"

Mom emerged from the room, finally done with her makeup and whatever she needed to get ready for our Reunion Dinner. As this was a big occasion, she insisted on dressing up fancily for the occasion and ensured that Ji and I at least wore more formal clothing than usual. When she saw Tang Qi Hong, she did a double take.

"Eh? You're…?"

"She's Tang Qi Hong, a friend of mine."

"Do you mind if she joins us for reunion dinner, dear?" Dad quipped.

Mom took a while to digest what she was hearing, and then she beamed happily and nodded excitedly.

"Sure, sure! You're more than welcome!"

I could already tell what she was thinking. Those delightful eyes of hers…she was overjoyed that I found a girlfriend, or so she thought. The next thing I knew, she would be asking Dad to prepare red rice, except that red rice was a Japanese tradition and not a Chinese one.

And so Tang Qi Hong rode in the car with us. Mom wouldn't stop gushing over how beautiful she was, her cheeks glowing brightly.

"You must be very close to Wu, right?"

"Yeah, sort of…he has helped me a lot in school."

Tang Qi Hong didn't look uncomfortable at all, and chatted happily with Mom. Beside me, Ji raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Like Mom, he had concluded that Tang Qi Hong was my girlfriend.

"Ha ha ha, sorry…as you know, my son is a little…eccentric. He likes reading more than socializing, and rarely goes out. Please continue to take care of him."

"No, not at all." Tang Qi Hong shook her head. "I'm the one who has always been in his care, and I'm grateful to him for it."

"Heh…"

Mom was grinning, obviously taken with this new addition to our family, or so she thought. She nodded at me.

"Wu, make sure you take good care of Qi Hong, okay? Girls like her are rare. Ah…you so aren't worthy of her…"

"That's not true at all!" Tang Qi Hong hurriedly interjected.

As for me, I was shaking my head and maintaining my sullen silence. Trust my mom to jump into conclusions like that. Then again, it was pretty hard to blame her. After all, how was I supposed to explain a girl who showed up, basically introduced herself to my family, and asked to join the reunion dinner and participate in the relative visits over the next few days?

"Don't you usually spend your New Year holidays with Sect Leader and Sect Mistress, especially over the last few years?" I asked.

Tang Qi Hong nodded. "Yeah, usually I will have dinner at their place and follow them to visit their relatives. But this year, both Sect Leader and Sect Mistress are out on a mission. They won't be back for another three months or so. I'm left alone this year."

"That's all right!" Mom assured her. "You're welcome to join us from now on, every year!"

"Thank you."

"I'm surprised that Elder Zhao or Lian Rou didn't ask you to join them," I remarked off handedly. A shadow crossed over Tang Qi Hong's beautiful face.

"I actually asked Rou if I could join her, but she refused." She frowned. "In fact, Rou was the one who suggested that I turn to you."

That Lian Rou…I should have known that she was such a schemer…

"Well, everything's fine, right?" Dad shot me a look in the rear view mirror, even though his attention was half on the road. "I think it'll be great to have Qi Hong join us every year."

"…right."

I nodded, and didn't argue. Evidently my parents were going to take Tang Qi Hong's side over mine, and not without good reason. It would be cruel to leave her alone by herself. The problem was how everyone was going to perceive our relationship after this…

*

What I feared would happened had come to pass. Tang Qi Hong was introduced to my extended family, and participated in visiting all our relatives. Even though I did not outright say anything, everyone seemed to assume that Tang Qi Hong was my girlfriend, and treated her as such. She even received a few red packets from my impressed relatives.

This is going to unfold into one gigantic misunderstanding, isn't it?

Rubbing my head, I exhaled and shook my head in despair. Tang Qi Hong herself didn't seem upset by everyone treating her as my girlfriend. In fact, she seemed to exalt in it happily chatting with my female cousins and socializing with them as if she was already part of the family.

"You found a great girl, Wu," Mom told me approvingly. "I was worried what kind of girlfriend you would find, but Qi Hong is really top tier. You really aren't worthy of her. I'm impressed. How did you get her to fall for you?"

"I didn't."

Mom raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. On Tang Qi Hong's part, she did nothing to dismiss the perception that she was my girlfriend, and she in fact actually encouraged that image even though she made no mention of the status of our actual relationship to me. I had no idea what that girl was thinking, and I had a feeling that trying to push her would result in disaster.

Qi Hong is probably making use of me…hiding behind me to prevent other suitors from approaching her. Or something like that…

Admittedly, I wasn't dense like most Japanese light novel protagonists, and I could tell that she had positive feelings toward me. But as mentioned before, my past experience informed me that being overly self-conscious would be highly awkward and embarrassing. What if, like my former classmate, Tang Qi Hong would laugh at me for deluding myself that she was in love with me? That she was merely using me as a cover, and I was flattering myself for thinking otherwise?

Just like what happened with my former female classmate…things would become awkward, and the rest of my class would tease me…

On the other hand, the people in high school are a lot more mature, so I doubt they'll resort to such things…

Then again, I was a thirty-year-old in a sixteen-year-old body. I might be forgetting just how immature high school students were.

"Why did she choose you then?"

"Huh?

I broke out of my thoughts when Mom asked me that. Shaking my head, I blinked in confusion, and then realized that she had been asking me a question.

"I helped her once, and she's been grateful to me ever since."

"You mean she fell for you because you helped her once?" Mom began laughing. "What is this, a shounen manga or something? Since when does something so convenient happen? If that's the case, why hasn't she fallen for any other guys? I hardly think you're the only guy in her life to have helped her."

Mom had a point. I merely shrugged and shook my head.

"I don't know. I honestly don't."

Mom looked at me sympathetically and placed a hand on my shoulder, glancing at Tang Qi Hong, who was laughing with the rest of my female cousins.

"Well, make sure you keep hold of her. You have no idea how much of a treasure you have in your hands."

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