The news of having obtained the skull fragment from the Emei Sect had been out for ten days. Still, there was no action from Nicholas Conway and the powers behind the Genesis Biotech Company.

Could this be the calm before the storm?

Even so, Ning Tao didn't care. He had already upgraded his team, which had four magic tools upgraded with spiritual material alloy and a set of Heavenly Gem Magic Garments for each person. With such a cultivation team, n.o.body would be able to escape unscathed from them!

It was another morning.

Ning Tao was still asleep when the Howling Celestial Dog's voice came from the door, saying, “Dad! Dad!”

Ning Tao opened his eyes, saying reluctantly, “What's the matter? It's early in the morning and I'm finally having some rest…”

He had less than ten hours of sleep in the span of ten days; he was exhausted, so he wanted to sleep in and relax.

“Dad, I didn't want to disturb you but that teacher from the opposite house came to look for you, saying that there is a chance for Hu Xiaoji to go to school and wishes to talk to you. She's waiting for you at the door,” Howling Celestial Dog said.

Ning Tao said, “Go tell her that I'll be right over.”

“Okay Dad.” The Howling Celestial Dog ran off.

Ning Tao climbed out of bed and put on some clothes. He left the room after briefly was.h.i.+ng his face.

Fang Min was standing outside, dressed in light clothing; she exuded a delicate beauty unique to oriental women.

Ning Tao smiled and greeted, “Good morning Teacher Fang. Where are your husband and children?”

Fang Min then noticed Ning Tao had arrived. She smiled. “Doctor Ning, good morning. My husband is taking the children to school. I'm here to notify that Hu Xiaoji has been admitted to our school. Bring the girl and come with me to meet the princ.i.p.al; everything will be settled after that.”

Ning Tao was slightly surprised. “I heard from Jiang Hao yesterday that Hu Xiaoji's papers had just been submitted yesterday, and she's already accepted today?”

Fang Min smiled as she said, “Aren't we friends after all? I have some say at school after all. We are neighbors and also friends. It's my obligation to help.”

“I'm so grateful.”

“Hehe, Doctor Ning, no need to be polite. Bring the girl along and come to school with me. I have a cla.s.s in the afternoon, I'm afraid I would be late if we delay any further.”

Ning Tao said, “Okay, give me a moment. I'll go and fetch her right away.”

Just as he entered, Jiang Hao came out from the kitchen with a bowl of chicken soup. She called out to Ning Tao, “Didn't you say you were tired and wanted to sleep in? Why are you up this early?”

Ning Tao said, “Teacher Fang said Hu Xiaoji has been accepted and wants me to take her to school to meet the princ.i.p.al.”

Jiang Hao said, “Come drink this chicken soup. I'll go get Hu Xiaoji and I'll tag along.”

Ning Tao said, “I don't need more nourishment. Why drink the chicken soup?”

Jiang Hao rolled her eyes at Ning Tao. “I woke up at 5 in the morning to make this chicken soup, are you drinking it or not?”

Ning Tao felt a warmth in his heart. He took the chicken soup from Jiang Hao, and before he finished the bowl of soup, Qing Zhui came out from the kitchen with a big bowl of lotus seed millet porridge.

“Lotus seeds are hard to cook; I also woke up at five in the morning to cook this. Brother Ning, please have this.” Qing Zhui brought the big bowl of porridge to Ning Tao.

Ning Tao: “…”

“I'll go wake Hu Xiaoji up,” Jiang Hao said.

Ning Tao nodded then said to Qing Zhui, “You can also come along.”

“Won't there be two mothers if I also went with you? What would the princ.i.p.al and teachers think?” Qing Zhui wanted to go but she had to consider their situation.

Ning Tao smiled as he said, “Who cares what they think. It would be better if they don't accept Hu Xiaoji.”

Jiang Hao grumbled, “You're obviously being stubborn. What kind of father are you?”

Yet Qing Zhui was giggling. “I'll go with you if that's the case.”

An hour later, a cab stopped at the entrance of Haidi Elementary. Ning Tao's family of three got off from the back and Fang Min got off from the co-driver seat. She wanted to pay for the cab but Ning Tao had pushed a hundred dollars to the driver before she could, also refusing change. The driver didn't take Fang Min's small amount of money; he thanked them and drove away.

Parents were bringing their children to school. Many of them arrived in Mercedes and BMWs. Those children were dressed beautifully, appearing to be in a better state than most children.

With eyes filled with envy, Hu Xiaoji watched fixedly at a girl that looked her age as she got off a cla.s.sy Mercedes car.

A suited man and a woman dressed in fur walked over holding the girl's hand.

The two girls exchanged glances.

Hu Xiaoji's pretty looks might have invoked envy, since the girl's lips curled into a sneer. She made an audible snort.

Hu Xiaoji was stunned. She pointed at the girl's back after she they pa.s.sed by. “Papa, she snorted at me!”

The girl turned around and made the same sound again.

The woman dressed in fur said, “Don't bother with such a rude child. Remember who your parents are, you have to be better.”

Her remark was as good as pasting a slip saying “I am an elite” on her forehead.

Ning Tao was also provoked, but before he could say anything; the family of three had already entered the school.

Hu Xiaoji stared with yearning at the girl's beautiful school bag. On the other hand, she was carrying a cloth bag from the supermarket which was meant to contain detergent bottles.

Ning Tao held Hu Xiaoji's small hand and entered the school gate. “Stop looking. That's a rich family's child. You're a poor family's child. Poor family's children become independent at young age, so you should be more obedient than other children.”

Hu Xiaoji blinked and asked Jiang Hao. “Mama Jiang, our family has no money?”

Jiang Hao nodded in seriousness. “We don't. Soon we won't have money to buy rice.”

Hu Xiaoji then looked at Qing Zhui. “Mama Qing, is our family very poor?”

Qing Zhui nodded in seriousness as well. “Our family is very poor. Your papa goes to work on an electric motorbike.”

Hu Xiaoji said, “How come papa gave the driver a hundred dollars and refused the change just now? And why do we live in such a big courtyard?”

Ning Tao held his forehead.

Fang Min smiled and replied, “Your family is very interesting.” As she spoke, she glanced at Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui subconsciously, as if wondering why Hu Xiaoji had two mothers.

Ning Tao refrained from explaining; he only smiled as he led Hu Xiaoji by the hand and walked through the gates.

They entered the school's administrative offices; Jiang Hao's phone suddenly rang before they arrived at the princ.i.p.al's office so she said, “Go ahead and take her to the princ.i.p.al, I have to pick up a call.”

Ning Tao and Qing Zhui each held one of Hu Xiaoji's hands and entered the office along with Fang Min. The surprising thing was, the “high society” couple and their child from earlier on were also in the office.

Fang Min said, “Princ.i.p.al Chen, Mr. Ning and his child, Hu Xiaoji are here.”

Behind the desk was a plump, middle-aged man in his 40s who responded, “Teacher Fang, you may return to your office to prepare for cla.s.s.”

“But…” Fang Min looked somewhat fl.u.s.tered. She said she was going to help but she was asked to leave even before she could even say anything, thus she felt embarra.s.sed in front of Ning Tao.

Princ.i.p.al Chen frowned. “Teacher Fang, had I not made myself clear enough?”

Ning Tao said, “Teacher Fang, you may go; work is more important. We can talk to Princ.i.p.al Chen.”

“Then… I'll head back to my office.” Fang Min blushed and left the princ.i.p.al's office with her head cowering.

Ning Tao pulled Hu Xiaoji to the desk, and said politely, “Princ.i.p.al Chen, I'm Hu Xiaoji's parent, Teacher Fang said…”

Before Ning Tao could finish speaking, Princ.i.p.al Chen interrupted him, “Aiya, how coincidental. There was initially a student from Teacher Fang's cla.s.s who had transferred out and there was a vacancy. I told Teacher Fang to bring you for a meeting since you sent over your child's information yesterday. But as you can see, this Mr. Ren here has also brought his child here for an interview. There's only one vacancy and we can only give it to the most outstanding child.”

Hu Xiaoji said, “I'm the most outstanding!”

The woman dressed in fur glared at Hu Xiaoji. “Adults are speaking yet a kid like you is interrupting for no reason, I can tell straight away that you haven't been raised properly.”

Ning Tao frowned immediately. “What are you saying? My child is proactive enough to prove that she's outstanding. We adults should praise and encourage her. You're an adult yet you accused a child of not being raised properly. I think your discipline is even more lacking than my child's.”

“Hey!” The suited Mr. Ren fumed. “What are you saying?”

A blue s.h.i.+mmer flashed past in Qing Zhui's eyes, and she walked towards Mr. Ren. She would never argue with anybody, but she could kill.

Ning Tao looked at Qing Zhui and shook his head.

Only then did Qing Zhui stop.

Mr. Ren took that action as if Ning Tao were afraid of him and he mocked, “Please get your facts right. Haidi Elementary is an elite school. The annual school fees cost a few hundred thousand. Can you afford it?”

The woman in fur sneered and said, “Look, his child is even carrying a bag from the supermarket. They can't even afford a proper school bag, yet they dare to compete with us for a vacancy? You should really take a look at yourselves.”

Princ.i.p.al Chen sighed in hypocrisy, “Mr. Ning, don't be like this. I'll make a call and recommend your child to another elementary school. It will be more suitable for her there.”

Tears brimmed in Hu Xiaoji's eyes; she felt so indignant that she was about to cry.

Ning Tao's heart ached a little; he patted her head to rea.s.sure her. “Don't cry. Papa can arrange it if you want to study here, all right?”

“Papa.” Hu Xiaoji hugged Ning Tao's legs.

Mr. Ren stared at Ning Tao. His tone was unfriendly as he said, “Do you understand human language or not?”

Ning Tao said calmly, “You were never speaking human language to begin with.”

Mr. Ren stated angrily. “Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like this?”

Ning Tao smiled. “Who are you? Does wearing a suit and driving Mercedes make you an elite? Alright then, I'll a.s.sume you're an elite. You're very rich, right?”

The woman in fur derided, “Definitely richer than you.”

Ning Tao said, “Okay then, I think there are things this school still needs improvement in. Let's donate money to this school. Whoever donates the most money would have their child stay in this school and the one who donates less would have to scram.”

Princ.i.p.al Chen stood up in excitement. “Aiyaya, this is a good idea!”

“Haha…” Mr. Ren burst out in laughter.

The woman huffed, “Are you insane? You dare to brag like this?”

“I'll donate 50,000,” Mr. Ren stopped smiling and stated a number.

Ning Tao smiled. “50,000?”