After hanging up Master Yuanyin's call, Shang Lin remembered to send a message to Meng Zhe, asking if he had returned yet. They went together, but separated after arriving, so they weren't together on the way back.

Meng Zhe called immediately and asked, "Are you back?"

"Yes, I'll be home by noon."

Meng Zhe's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement, "I'm almost there too, I'm on my way back to school, I can still catch a few classes."

Shang Lin immediately smiled, "Aren't you tired?"

"I'm so tired," Meng Zhe said honestly. "But high school courses are so demanding. If I fall behind, it's hard to catch up. I also want to be the top scorer in the college entrance exam."

Shang Lin quickly offered a word of encouragement, "Then good luck."

"Hehe, I know that no matter how hard some people try, they can't compare to geniuses. But geniuses are a minority, and ordinary people are the majority. I'm not a genius, so I have to work even harder, because only by standing tall can I do more things that benefit the country and its people."

At this moment, Shang Lin suddenly felt like his son had grown up. He hurriedly said, "Young man, you must be the most powerful, but good health is the foundation of everything. You must act according to your abilities."

"Hey, Xiao Shang, why are you talking like a doting father right away? Even my dad doesn't give me that kind of advice."

Being criticized again, Shang Lin smiled helplessly: "Little Meng, you can't take my good intentions for granted. Uncle didn't remind you because he was too happy and forgot."

"Yes, my father is indeed happy." Meng Zhe suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "By the way, what did you all go to do?"

Shang Lin thought for a moment and said, "I'm going to catch bugs."

"Insects?!" Meng Zhe immediately bristled. "Shang Lin, are you kidding me? Who would go to such lengths for insects... Wait, could it really be insects?!"

Why would I lie to you?

After calming himself down, Meng Zhe asked, "What kind of insect is it that's causing such a commotion?"

“Mutated insects.” Shang Lin felt that this was not accurate enough, so he added, “From a fantasy perspective, they are insects that have gained sentience. I was just speaking from a scientific perspective.”

"Wow, Xiao Shang, you're amazing! You're even using science and metaphysics?!" Meng Zhe felt his brain wasn't quite up to the task. "So what kind of bug is it?"

Shang Lin replied seriously, "We signed a confidentiality agreement, so we can't say."

“…Okay, I understand.” Meng Zhe didn’t press the matter and quickly changed the subject. “My father said you can pick whatever you want from our family.”

Shang Lin was taken aback, then understood what Meng Zhe meant. It was Meng Fanyu's way of thanking him for the reward. However, apart from the Medicine King Cauldron, which was usable, the other items in the Meng family's basement were all rather dangerous.

For example, the shoe that had run out earlier. But Shang Lin didn't refuse, saying, "Thank you for me, Uncle. Maybe when I have a chance. After all, I live here now, and it's not easy for me to go back to the county."

"Oh, okay, then let's wait until winter break."

"good."

During dinner, Shang Lin received another call from Chu Jiusheng, who immediately asked, "Boss, why haven't you come to class for two days? What's wrong? Are you sick?"

It's common knowledge among everyone who knows Shang Lin that he's in poor health, so when he takes leave, it's usually only because he's sick.

Shang Lin was surprised that Chu Jiusheng would call to check on him, and hurriedly replied, "You're not even my classmate, how did you know I didn't go to class?"

"That's what that bastard Fan Mingyu said."

Chu Jiusheng eventually found out who was responsible for Shang Lin's backpack being thrown away. However, Shang Lin told him that Fan Mingyu was also his little brother, so he couldn't bully him. Chu Jiusheng tolerated it, but while he could tolerate it in action, he couldn't tolerate it verbally.

Shang Lin was both amused and exasperated. "You're a minor, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? Besides, Fan Mingyu's father just passed away, and his family is going through a tough time. Don't kick them when they're down."

"Huh?!" Chu Jiusheng was a little dumbfounded. "Then... Fan Mingyu didn't say anything either."

Shang Lin sighed helplessly, "What can he say about this? You should focus on your studies and mind your own business."

Chu Jiusheng immediately retorted, "Big brother, I'm concerned about your health, how can that be meddling? Besides, how could I not be focused on my studies? I'm just trying to catch up with you."

"Hehe..." Shang Lin almost burst out laughing. Chu Jiusheng really was a bit reckless, and his mind worked quickly, switching from Fan Mingyu to himself in a matter of minutes. "Stop it, I'm not sick, I just have some things to take care of at home, and I'll be going to class tomorrow. Okay, okay, I'm going to eat now, you should go eat too, or the food will all be gone if you wait any longer."

"Okay, boss, goodbye." Without waiting for Shang Lin's reply, he quickly hung up the phone.

Shang Lin looked at his phone, both amused and exasperated, and inwardly sighed with envy, "The vitality of young people!"

The next second, she looked up and met Red Scorpion's red eyes. Shang Lin had a headache. "Can't you just make your eyes look like a normal human eye color? What if someone sees them when we go out?"

Besides, who likes being stared at by a pair of fierce red eyes? It's terrifying.

Red Scorpion blinked immediately, his eyes instantly turning black. He looked at Shang Lin with a probing expression, "You actually study?!"

Shang Lin was somewhat surprised to see that Red Scorpion's eyes had instantly turned black. Why was it being so obedient? Shouldn't it be doing the opposite of what he was told?

However, Shang Lin looked at Chi Xie and replied, "I'm only sixteen years old. How can I live among people if I don't study?"

Red Scorpion suddenly became interested, "Then can I study?"

Now it was Shang Lin's turn to look at Chi Xie with a questioning expression. "What do you want to study for?"

"To live among people," Red Scorpion replied matter-of-factly. "But how old should I be? And where should I begin my studies?"

"Stop." Shang Lin subconsciously rubbed his forehead. "Are you sure you want to study, or cause a ruckus on campus? Besides, you look way too young to be studying. You should go make money with the little snake. Otherwise, where will you find some magic pills to help you advance?"

Instead of answering, Red Scorpion asked, "There are so many medicinal herbs in the Dragon Spirit Tower, do we still need to buy more?"

Shang Lin nodded blankly. "You really should go to school, starting from elementary school. There are many medicinal herbs in the Dragon Spirit Tower, but are there many different kinds? Besides, even if there are many kinds, can they encompass all the medicinal herbs in the world?"

Red Scorpion and the Divine Lord talked for an entire afternoon, and Red Scorpion had already learned about all the people and affairs within the sect. He had also asked about many things outside the sect. If Huang Ying hadn't invited everyone to dinner, Red Scorpion probably would have asked even more questions.

But because of this, Red Scorpion also knew what a primary school student was, and immediately felt that he was being looked down upon by the sect leader! He was angry.