"The results from the spirit stone test, how could they be fake?" Qi Yu ignored Miss An's doubts, nodded to Mu Luo, and was about to take the little beggar back to the Spirit Academy.

Miss An stopped them, her mind racing. Nowadays, the cultivation world is dwindling in talent, which is why her father wanted her to try to cultivate. If they could recruit a single-spiritual-root genius with exceptional aptitude, it would greatly benefit their family's future development.

"I spoke carelessly just now." She looked at the little beggar. "Are you interested in coming to our family? The largest security escort agency in Wucheng is owned by my family. We have plenty of resources. Seeing that you are just a beggar, I think even if you have talent, you won't be able to make a living. Our family will be your backer, and we can give you better development after you graduate from the Spirit Academy."

Although she spoke politely, her words betrayed her contempt for the little beggar. The little beggar was merely frightened, not truly stupid. Having experienced all sorts of harsh words in his daily life, he naturally sensed the disdain of this well-dressed young lady.

He glanced at Qi Yu, the woman who had just saved him. Although he had stolen her things and said hurtful things, she had still saved him when he was about to be eaten by the monster.

He silently held Qi Yu's hand, not answering Miss An's question.

Qi Yu didn't know if the "biggest escort agency in Wucheng" that Miss An mentioned was really that prestigious, but seeing how the little beggar was sticking to her like that, she sighed and said, "It seems he's unwilling. Miss An, please go back."

Miss An frowned, barely managing to hold back her anger, "Think it over again, or you'll miss this opportunity."

The little beggar murmured, "I want to go with my sister."

"What future is there in following a good-for-nothing with only five spiritual roots like her!" Miss An was furious. She couldn't understand why this little thing insisted on following a good-for-nothing who looked like she had nothing at all. In what way was her An family inferior to this good-for-nothing?

The little beggar blushed and argued, "My sister isn't useless! She just saved me!" She had saved him from a terrifying monster.

He tugged at Qi Yu's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, let's go."

Ignoring Miss An's barrage of glares, Qi Yu led the little beggar back to the Spirit Courtyard.

On the way back to the house, they ran into Xu Lanyue, who looked at the emaciated little beggar in surprise, "What happened to him?"

Remembering what the little beggar said about not having eaten for three days, Qi Yu explained, "This is a new disciple, senior sister. Is there any food left in the canteen? He hasn't eaten in a long time."

Xu Lanyue said with difficulty, "It's past mealtime. Why don't you come to my courtyard and I'll cook another meal?"

The lunch was to Qi Yu's liking. Because of Xu Shen's interference, she hadn't been able to eat her fill. It would be a good opportunity to try Xu Lanyue's cooking again.

The courtyard where Xu Lanna lived had the same layout as Qi Yu's courtyard, with six rooms in total. There were wooden plaques with names on the doors. Qi Yu also noticed that Mu Luo and Xu Shen Shen's rooms were on either side of Xu Lanyue.

When Xu Lanyue brought up two bowls of rice and dishes, Qi Yu began to eat without hesitation.

The little beggar had been eating and sleeping outdoors for a long time, and even though Xu Lanyue only cooked ordinary home-style dishes, he was deeply moved and fully engaged in the meal.

Xu Lanyue smiled and looked at them, resting her chin on her hand, and asked, "We still don't know what our junior brothers and sisters are called."

Qi Yu then realized that she hadn't told her her name yet. "Senior sister, my name is Qi Yu."

She then turned to the little beggar and asked, "What's your name?"

The little beggar's face flushed red, and he almost buried his head in his rice bowl, his voice so soft it was barely audible: "..."

Qi Yu picked at his ear: "What?"

She genuinely didn't hear clearly.

The little beggar stammered, "...Dog Egg."

Qi Yuwei, stunned by the sight, opened her mouth slightly, thinking to herself that she really had an inexplicable connection with eggs; yesterday she picked up a bird's egg, and today she picked up a dog's egg.

"Why did you choose such a casual name?"

"Because my mother said that my father was a swindler who cheated me out of money and sex, so she called me Gou Dan (Dog Egg)." When Gou Dan said "swindler who cheated me out of money and sex," he spoke in a high-pitched voice, probably because he had heard his mother say this a lot.

Xu Lanyue asked curiously, "And what about your mother?"

Dog Egg's eyes dimmed as he said, "She died of illness."

Qi Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but think of her mother who had died young.

It seems that around this age, my mother passed away, and my father became a completely different person. He stopped going to work and transformed from a refined university professor into a scoundrel who smoked, drank, gambled, and beat his children.

He was drunk, grabbed her while she was doing her homework, and beat her while questioning her, "Why didn't you watch over your mother?" and "Why did you let your mother commit suicide?"

As a child, she didn't understand why her usually gentle mother would become depressed and attempt suicide by overdosing on medication, or why her kind father would suddenly turn into a monster. She was immersed in the grief of losing her mother, and when faced with her father's beatings, she could only curl up and cry uncontrollably.

Later, her father stopped beating her, but instead spent his days gambling, throwing all the family's money at the gambling table until he owed hundreds of thousands in gambling debts and then disappeared as if he had vanished into thin air.

Qi Yu didn't know if he was dead or alive. The little girl was so frightened by the debt collector that she hid under the covers, didn't dare to go to school, and locked the door, afraid to go out, lest she see the bloody debt collection words on the wall outside the door.

In the end, it was her aunt who, despite her husband's objections, took her to another province, and only then could she live a stable life.

Qi Yu was very grateful to her aunt. Without her aunt, she might have ended up like Gou Dan, wandering from place to place, worrying about making a living, let alone getting into university.

Awakening from her reverie, Qi Yu looked at Gou Dan and felt a strange sadness welling up inside her.

Xu Lanyue patted Gou Dan's head reassuringly and said, "Life and death are unpredictable. Now that we've come to the Spirit Academy, we're family."

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