Nine Star Burden

“If you’d really like to learn, I’ll teach you, but on one condition.” Glancing at the rearview mirror, Xia Yan blinked her large and bright eyes.

“What is it?” Jiang Xiao asked.

“Warm my feet,” Xia Yan said smilingly.

Is this chick… really that obsessed with warming feet? 

Jiang Xiao had a peculiar expression on his face. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Hah, I shall see if your feet are beautiful. We’ll talk after that happens.”

He had completely shocked Xia Yan and Han Jiangxue with his words.

Xia Yan took her hat’s off to him.

She thought, I really didn’t expect this. I’ve been everywhere and mastered these extraordinary skills and yet, I still can’t beat this silly imp Xiaopi. 

“Jiang! Xiao! Pi!” Han Jiangxue barked while seated in the passenger’s seat. Her tone was so cold that she made Jiang Xiao shiver.

Jiang Xiao was speechless. He thought, I may only be 16 years old physically, but I’m actually already 25 years old. You two are only 18 years old.

We’re all adults, so why bother talking about class and etiquette? 

Jiang Xiao had also discovered his own problem. He reckoned that it should be because of the fusion with Jiang Xiaopi’s character. He found that he really had the intention to let loose.

But that’s fine. Playing and having fun all day is better than bearing a grudge bitterly all day. 

After Han Jiangxue said those words, silence filled the air in the car.

While driving, Xia Yan took the opportunity to look up in the rearview mirror and made eye contact with Jiang Xiao.

Xia Yan, who refused to lose, stuck her tongue out and licked her lips in a seductive way, appearing all sultry and charming when she blinked at Jiang Xiao.

“He’s my younger brother.” Han Jiangxue reminded while looking out of the window. She seemed to know Xia Yan’s every move.

Xia Yan expressed assent reluctantly.

Jiang Xiao pouted and thought, So what if I’m the younger brother?

I may be the younger brother now, but I’ll become the Daddy in the future. 

The Big Daddy who nurses everyone! 

The vehicle slowly pulled over at the gate of Huayuan Estate. Han Jiangxue turned around and took out 500 yuan, which she then handed to Jiang Xiao. “Don’t ask Xia Yan for pocket money.”

Jiang Xiao was speechless.

“Her close combat skills are undoubtedly superb. Don’t be afraid of hardships.” Han Jiangxue then took out some Star Beads from her pocket and handed them to Jiang Xiao.

In the battle just now, the team obtained seven White Ghoul and one White Ghoul Witch Star Beads.

Jiang Xiao received one White Ghoul Witch Star Bead while Xia Yan got four White Ghoul Star Beads, and Han Jiangxue got two White Ghoul Star Beads together with one White Ghoul Witch Star Bead.

“Don’t save on them when you’re training. Training is the best time for your body to absorb Star Power. As the intensity goes up, the total Star Power increases too. Everything will then come into place,” Han Jiangxue said calmly while opening the door on her side.

Jiang Xiao stared blankly at the White Ghoul and White Ghoul Witch Star Beads in his hand, filled with a complicated feeling.

Han Jiangxue was a quiet person and could be considered chatty when with Jiang Xiao and Xia Yan.

Han Jiangxue would also barely reveal her emotions, even to the two of them. Hence, if she were to be in an extremely bad mood swing, it was probably because she was greatly angered by Jiang Xiao.

That was enough to show Han Jiangxue’s personality.

However, she somehow put in all her effort into her incompetent brother.

How much of a jerk was Jiang Xiaopi in the past?

Jiang Xiao had only arrived in this world for four days and merely shown some improvement. Yet, Han Jiangxue was already all full of hope again and even put all her effort into helping him.

Jiang Xiao really had no idea what to say. He indeed needed this Star Bead in order to increase the quality of his Star Technique!

Jiang Xiao was stunned for a while, but he did not bring himself to call her Sister in the end. He opened the door of the car and chased after her. “Han Jiangxue.”

“Huh?” Han Jiangxue turned around with a stern expression. “Follow Xia Yan, don’t back out. School will be reopening in a few days. I’ll go pick you up a day before school begins.”

He thought, You’ve already given me 500 yuan, I can just hail a cab. Why do you have to pick me up? 

I’m able-bodied too. Why do I still need you to pick me up?

“There’s a piece of good news I want to share with you.” Jiang Xiao thought about it and realized that some things could not be hidden at all. Once his Star Technique was upgraded, his Silver Quality Star Technique would definitely be revealed.

He decided to worry about the excuses he would give after the Gold Quality level was achieved in the future.

“What?” Han Jiangxue did not wish to admit it at all. However, Jiang Xiao had honestly given her too many surprises in the past few days and she was looking forward to seeing more improvement from him.

Jiang Xiao inched closer towards Han Jiangxue’s ear and said gently, “I think my Star Technique can be upgraded to the Silver Quality.”

Han Jiangxue glowered at Jiang Xiao coldly, feeling angst.

However, she discovered that Jiang Xiao had a look of sincerity in his eyes and he did not mean to back out at all.

“Are you serious?” Han Jiangxue asked softly.

Jiang Xiao nodded solemnly and explained, “After I absorbed the White Ghoul’s Star Bead, I vaguely felt the power of the Star Technique becoming stronger.”

“Impossible.” Han Jiangxue shook her head and continued, “It’s a good thing to want to become stronger. Countless people in Huaxia absorb low-level Star Beads every day, but there has never been an increase in the quality of a Star Technique. Xia Yan and I both have Green Glow and Endurance, which are Brass Quality Star Techniques, and we’ve absorbed more White Ghoul Star Beads than you have seen. This is impossible.”

Jiang Xiao nodded and said, “I know this sounds rather ridiculous, but I just want to tell you that if one day, you find that my Star Techniques have advanced to the Silver Quality, you must remember that you were the one who pulled me back up from the cliff and groomed me into who I am today.”

Han Jiangxue was slightly stunned because Jiang Xiao didn’t explain or insist on getting his way. Instead, he said such surprising words.

“The day that school reopens,” Jiang Xiao said softly before retreating, “we shall wait and see.”

Watching as Jiang Xiao retreated with gloomy eyes, Han Jiangxue’s cold and sullen face slowly began to turn warmer and she smiled before nodding.

“Tsk, tsk…” Xia Yan pressed her elbows against the railing while resting her chin in her palm. Staring out at the window, she could not help but click her tongue in curiosity.

“Hey, imp, what did you say to your sister to make her smile?” Xia Yan asked curiously as Jiang Xiao returned to the car.

While putting away his money and Star Beads, he answered, “There’s no point in flirting, you have to show your genuine sincerity. Get it? Genuine sincerity!”

Xia Yan shifted the gear, stepped on the accelerator pedal and said, “Imp, you do know that you’ll be in my hands for the next few days, don’t you?”

“What’s the matter?” Jiang Xiao asked, pausing in his actions as he put the Star Beads away.

“Hehe, nothing, just saying,” said Xia Yan, who seemed to have gotten interested in the topic. “Let’s go have some spicy hotpot. I know of a restaurant in Chengbei that serves really good spicy hotpot.”

One hour later, in an ordinary residential home in the city center of Jiangbin City.

A middle-aged couple had just had their dinner and were sitting on the sofa comfortably, watching TV and enjoying themselves while relaxing.

The mobile phone rang at an untimely hour and the middle-aged woman nudged her husband who was seated beside her, still keeping her eyes fixed on the television. It seemed that she was engrossed and extremely concerned about the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the television drama.

The middle-aged man picked up the phone, looked at the number on the caller display and stood up to go to the study.

On the other end of the line, a low and alluring voice said, “Sir.”

The middle-aged man closed the door of the study and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Missy has just returned safely from Jian’nan Village and she’s home now.”

The middle-aged man expressed assent.

“Missy returned with a boy.”

Greatly taken aback, the middle-aged man asked, “A boy?”

“Yeah, it’s that boy from the Han Family.”

With an austere expression, the middle-aged man asked in displeasure, “That incompetent Jiang Xiaopi?”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged man had a change of expression and he soon ended the call.

When the middle-aged man returned to the living room, the beautiful woman was still very concerned and paying attention to the plot of the television drama. “What’s the matter?”

“Your daughter brought a boy home with her.”

The beautiful middle-aged woman slowly straightened her back and glanced at her husband. She then asked softly, “How is the boy? What does he look like? What is his personality like?”

The middle-aged man answered, “Jiang Xiaopi.”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly, and she took a long time to react. No longer appearing as gentle as she was just now, she exclaimed resolutely, “Xia Shanhai! I don’t approve of this relationship!”

Xia Shanhai was speechless.