Chapter 00099: Good Times (Thanks to the Legendary Orange Cat Leader)
# Good Times (Thanks to the Legendary Orange Cat Leader)
Chapter 99
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 99: Good Times (Thanks to the Legendary Orange Cat Leader)
As he opened his eyes, Jué found himself staring at a familiar ceiling.
Sitting up, he heard the familiar hum of the range hood from the kitchen and the endless clamor in the living room.
The commotion had started early that morning, a noisy yet comforting backdrop to his day.
Behind the pushed-open door, a pair of shiny black eyes peeked curiously.
Noticing that Jué had lifted his head, the youngest sibling furtively squeezed in, holding an empty homework notebook.
In a low voice, he pointed at the blank answers and asked, "Second Brother, how do I write this?"
Outside the narrow bedroom, his sister, Lù Líng, complained loudly, "Elder Brother, why are your underwear hanging on the door frame again?"
"Oh come on, it's just a little hanging!" a nonchalant figure on the sofa replied, rolling over, unconcerned.
"Mom, look at him!"
"Alright, alright, where's the youngest? Keep an eye on him."
In the kitchen, their mother, Lù Mā, shouted back, "Is little Jì awake yet? If he's up, he should eat! I made chicken soup all night long!"
"I'm up, I'm up," Jué replied hurriedly, finishing the youngest's homework in record time.
As he pretended to stretch and yawn while coming out of the bedroom, he saw that the dining table was piled high with food.
"Wow! What day is it today to have such a feast?" he exclaimed.
After Lù Fēng rubbed his hands together like he was about to feast, he reached for a chicken leg.
Jué's other siblings followed suit, diving into the food without hesitation.
The children had long given up hope that their older siblings would share with them; if they grabbed it, it was theirs.
Like the youngest, who was a moment too slow in snatching food, and found the plate empty, bursting into tears, "Mom, my sister took my meat!"
The third sister, with the biggest chicken breast in her mouth, shot a sharp look at the youngest.
"Mom, the youngest picked the vegetables out again!"
Lù Líng wailed in front of the fridge, "Ah! My milk, someone drank it all! Lù Fēng, I’ll kill you!!!"
"Your milk didn't have your name on it!"
Lù Fēng ducked and dodged the milk box thrown at him by Lù Líng, only for their third sister to get hit on the head with it, resulting in another round of cries.
Just then, a loud bang echoed.
The heavy wooden table, along with all the dishes atop it, jumped a foot high at an unexpected hit.
"Are you done making a ruckus or not!" Lù Mā scolded fiercely, scanning the room with narrowed eyes.
"Xiao Gǒu, Er Gǒu, San Gǒu, Si Gǒu, sit down and eat nicely!"
In the sudden stillness, Jué couldn't help but chuckle, which drew Lù Mā's gaze.
Her icy expression instantly softened into a warm smile, and she filled his bowl with a generous helping of soup.
"Ah, Jué, you haven't been home for a while, look how thin you've gotten! Come, eat more. If it’s not enough, I’ll cook more for you later. I’ll go kill the chicken later; I’ll make you some poached chicken for dinner."
"Yay!" Jué cheered, raising his hand in triumph.
Just then, the warmth faded, and Lù Mā turned sharply to Lù Fēng, hitting him on the back of the head.
"What are you laughing at? Have you washed your socks? How many times do I have to tell you to put your underwear on the balcony…"
"Mom!!!" Lù Fēng cried, cradling his head in despair, "You are my mother, I’m the one with the surname Lù here…"
"And yet, the underwear with that surname never hangs on the door frame!"
With a loud smack, the reprimand continued relentlessly.
Jué couldn’t help but watch the ruckus, laughing loud enough for everyone to hear.
Good times never seemed to end, not even daily!
After eating, there was the usual cleaning up, packing backpacks, and doing chores.
Everyone lined up by the door as Lù Mā got ready to open the shop.
Lù Fēng drove the third and youngest siblings to school, then went to help out or fool around while Jué offered to take Lù Líng to Tianmen along the way.
In the back of the truck, filled to the brim with various odd items that looked like antiques, Lù Líng carefully sought a place among them to settle.
Several times, amidst the sounds of the engine, she seemed ready to speak, then stopped herself.
"Second Brother… is our motorcycle okay?" she finally asked.
"What's wrong with it?" Jué asked, focusing on the road, shouting over the wind, "Isn't it running fine?"
Fine, my foot! Lù Líng thought her fists were getting hard.
She could understand if the motorcycle had grown a bit larger before, but now it had gone from two wheels to three! Was she blind or something?""And what's with this truck bed?""No one's using it, I picked it up!"Jué replied casually."And the extra wheel?""Picked it up too!""And this pile of stuff on top?"Lù Líng pointed at the boxes and assorted strange things,"You didn’t just pick those too, did you?""Yep!"Jué answered without a second thought,"Next time, I’ll take you along to pick some up.
Just remember to bring extra bags; the locals are quite friendly!""…I believe you… not!"Lù Líng rolled her eyes, deciding not to ask anymore. She couldn’t grasp his joy of coming home with so much stuff. Jué was in high spirits, humming a tune as they drove towards the shore. The sky was clear, flowers were blooming, and birds were chirping. Even the usually grumpy security guards seemed friendly today. Forbidding Lù Líng’s suggestion of dropping her off at the street corner, Jué pulled out the ID card given to him by Professor Yè and swiped it to enter the school. The three-wheeler rolled right into the little square in front of the teaching building, causing quite a buzz among the onlookers, who were surprised to see Xiao Er making a hasty retreat. He was afraid that Jué would honk and shout, asking for the old TVs and air conditioners, which would surely spell social disaster! Look how good your second brother is to you! Jué turned around happily. Having made his presence felt in school after such a long time, he proudly sped off like a wild dog, finally reaching the workshop by the sea. After parking the three-wheeler, Jué boldly pushed open the living room door."Teacher, I'm back!"Inside, the scene of a serial drama played on the television. Professor Yè sat serenely in his usual spot, sipping tea, clearly having anticipated the child’s return from afar, burdened with all his parcels. He didn’t seem bothered. On the couch, Yè Chún, sprawled out like a sleeping Buddha, jumped in surprise at the noise."Oh, isn't this Brother Jué?"she exclaimed, munching on nuts."Long time no see! Why do you look so worn out? Your pants are even torn; you could at least change into a good pair!""Don’t talk crap; I just changed my pants!"Jué retorted, laughing coldly, utterly unfazed by her teasing. He took off his gloves and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the intricate patterns on his arms."Open your eyes and look closely; what do you think this is!"He wanted nothing more than to shove his hand in front of Yè Chún’s face, proudly showing off his newly acquired skills."Have you seen it? Have you? This is the style I've fought tooth and nail to get!"He had waited for this moment for many days. As the saying goes, riches and honor should return home, just like a peacock strutting its feathers—it was an essential part of life’s pursuits. Unfortunately, in the Rift, he couldn’t find anyone to flaunt it to. He had been seen by the prophet countless times and had no reaction, while Xiao Niu and Ma were bewildered, clueless about what was happening. Little An remained calm, utterly indifferent. Jué hoped that with Luó Dàshǎo around, he wouldn’t lose his balance. Now that he was back at the workshop, it was time to flaunt his achievement and counterattack the only one who had been harassing him—oh? What? How did you know I had found the inheritance of the Celestial Realm after going out? In a moment of shock, Yè Chún stared at Jué’s hands, going through a whirlwind of confusion, doubt, and shock—like a grand spectacle. She grabbed his hands to examine closely. As she studied the solemn insignia marked on his skin, her expression softened in sympathy.“—So, you can’t take public exams anymore!”“…”Silence fell abruptly, and Jué’s face flushed, unable to utter a word. After all his hardships, after finally obtaining the sacred inheritance, she didn’t ask him whether he was impressive; she just cared about whether he could still take the exams! Such fierce aggression! Always stabbing him in unexpected places—truly, that was you, Yè Chún!“Since that’s the case, I won’t pretend to be an upright gentleman anymore…”Jué's expression quickly soured as he unceremoniously shook off her hand. Then, he pulled out a thick stack of papers he had printed out on the way. Serious, he handed it to Professor Yè,“Teacher, this is my thesis I wrote on the road; could you check if there are any places that need revision? Oh, by the way, did the senior sister submit her paper? I hope I didn't hold her up too long!”While speaking, he turned back with a mocking smile. He wanted to praise her performance and offer her a chance as the second author, but sadly, that opportunity was gone! Smack! The nut jar nearly fell to the floor. Yè Chún turned back stiffly, her eyes wide; it was as if she had finally uncovered Jué’s true self. Dog! Auntie, there’s a dog here! Why do you spend every day thinking about how to bring me down? I even stuffed you with so many snacks to help you rest; do you have any conscience at all?“Just put it there; I'll look at it later,”Professor Yè said quietly, taking a sip of tea while enjoying the familiar scene of dog-eat-dog between student and niece. Then she casually added,“A Chún’s paper should be finished soon, right?”Yè Chún collapsed back onto the sofa, wiping her tears, unable to speak further. In this family, I am the only one who is in the way, right? Once Jué settled down, they finally began discussing work.“Alright, let’s hear it.”Professor Yè waved a hand,“It’s rare to go out, what did you bring back?”“Fēngōng, got it!”Jué raised both hands, eager to show off again. However, Professor Yè merely glanced at him, seemingly confirming its authenticity, and said nothing more, leaving him no chance to boast.“And then?”she asked.“Uh, by the way, I also received a Smoldering Blessing.
It sounds quite impressive.”Jué blushed and smiled shyly,“I accidentally advanced.”“Hmm?”This time, Professor Yè paused slightly, setting down her teacup to examine Jué for any signs of abrupt changes. After confirming he seemed fine, she nodded.“Although it’s a bit fast, it’s not unreasonable.
I’ll need to catch you up on the foundations later.
Anything else?”“Just some odds and ends, including displays and materials from the Mercury Workshop, as well as some alchemical creations.”Jué replied obediently,“Some blessings are inside, but unfortunately, they’ve lost their spiritual essence from lack of care and have returned to their original states.
I’ll bring them up for you to take a look.
It’s just that the quantity…”He hesitated, glancing at Professor Yè’s expression,“Might be a bit much.”“Much?”Professor Yè sharply sensed the vague wording that often appeared in academic papers, disliking this vague conclusion.“What do you mean by ‘a bit much’?”“Um, it’s about those boxes inscribed with the mark of the Eternal Gate, expanding the interior space to roughly seven to eight cubic meters.”It seemed like quite a harvest. Professor Yè nodded slightly, ready to take a sip of tea for some praise, only to hear Jué add,“Those boxes? They filled a whole truck.”“…”The motion of drinking tea was once again interrupted. Yè Xian glared at the seemingly humble student in front of her, suddenly wanting to ask if he was joking. But when she glimpsed the projection of the warehouse, seeing the three-wheeler loaded high with a small mountain of items… You went out, and how come you have an extra wheel? Even with her experience, Yè Professor couldn't help but take a deep breath, filled with curiosity,“How did you manage that?”“Uh, just the usual exploration.
The locals in the Rift were quite friendly—they let me take anything I saw, the rest was just picked off the ground.”Jué hesitated, organizing his thoughts, choosing to come clean,“Also, I ran into Lù Dàshǎo in there, but we didn’t hit it off and ended up fighting.
I thought, well, since I had already offended him… I might as well tie him up and make something big out of it.”This time, it was Yè Professor’s turn to fall silent. In the brief lull, she scrutinized Jué's fragile and pitiful appearance, her eyebrows slowly raising, suddenly asking,“Did you leave him whole?”
(End of Chapter)