Cobblestone

Little Yuer pulled Li Miaoxin's hand, looking at the old man fearfully, not daring to make a sound. Lin Xiaolu, on the other hand, admitted arrogantly, "That's right, it was me!"

Facing the boy's arrogance, the old man was not angry. Instead, he smiled kindly, "Your martial sister brought you here too early. Others below ten years old from the inner sect will come later."

After speaking, the old man stroked his beard and laughed, "Never mind, let this old man test you first. Have you two learned any words before coming to Emei?"

"Our mother taught us to write our own names," said Little Yuer.

Hearing this, the old man nodded, "So you two have a weak foundation. No matter, I will give you extra lessons later."

Li Miaoxin was delighted to hear this. She quickly asked the siblings to thank the teacher.

After the siblings thanked him, the old man tapped his head lightly as he rocked in his chair. Then he laughed, "Old man's surname is Yang. Just call me Mr. Yang."

Little Yuer immediately called crisply, "Hello Mr. Yang, I'm called Lin Xiaoyu."

Lin Xiaolu also nodded and said, "I'm called Lin Xiaolu."

The old man laughed again. The two sides were acquainted.

After a while, voices of children talking gradually came from behind. Li Miaoxin knew it was other disciples under ten years old from the different branches coming to learn.

She squatted down and stroked Lin Xiaolu and Little Yuer's heads, "Study hard at the reading hall. Listen to the teacher. Elder martial sister will come get you at the time of Shen."

"No need to pick us up. I remember the way," said Lin Xiaolu arrogantly. "My sister and I will go back ourselves. No need to trouble martial sister."

Li Miaoxin chuckled and lovingly pinched the boy's little face. "Do you really know the way?"

"Of course. You can go now, martial sister."

Li Miaoxin smiled, then turned and left with a fist salute to the old man in the rocking chair.

After Li Miaoxin left, Little Yuer held Lin Xiaolu's hand tightly and glanced timidly at the other children walking over.

Among them were boys and girls no older than ten. The oldest was about ten years old. The others were mostly seven or eight like Lin Xiaolu, and some were four or five like Little Yuer. All of them wore light blue robes and carried small cloth bags for books. Their outfits were completely the same, only the embroidery on the chest was different.

For example, the siblings had the characters for "Picking Stars" embroidered on their chests.

The embroidery of these children was all kinds of things like Crescent Moon, Sun God, Medicine Origin, Talismans and Seals, dazzling at a glance, so one look could tell which branch they were from.

"Huh? There are new classmates in the reading hall again?" A boy of eight or nine looked curiously at the embroidery on the siblings' chests and asked in surprise, "Are you two the new disciples of the Picking Stars Branch?"

"Wow! It's you two!" A group of children gathered around curiously to look at Little Yuer and Lin Xiaolu.

Little Yuer rarely saw so many strangers at once. She was so frightened that she hid behind Lin Xiaolu.

Lin Xiaolu frowned, wanting to make these people go away. But suddenly a familiar voice came from outside the crowd.

"Brother Nianyun, the teacher is ready to teach. Let's go in first."

Lin Xiaolu felt the voice was familiar. Looking through the crowd, he saw that it was the little fatso Dongfang Dan whom he had scared into wetting his pants yesterday.

At this moment, Dongfang Dan, also dressed in light blue robes, saw Lin Xiaolu look at him and shuddered as if recalling his viciousness. He quickly ran back into the reading hall.

The remaining children looked at the fatso running away, full of confusion.

"What's with Dongfang Dan? Is he that eager to learn?"

Among the crowd, the ten-year-old boy called "Brother Nianyun" did not look at Dongfang Dan, but stared at the Lin siblings and asked loudly, "You two newcomers, what are your names?"

Hearing him speak, the other children looked at the siblings again, full of curiosity.

Little Yuer said nothing, only hiding quietly behind her brother. Lin Xiaolu squatted down under the curious gazes of the children.

First he looked around, then looked up at a boy and said, "Lift your foot."

"Oh, okay." The boy reflexively lifted his foot.

As his foot rose, Lin Xiaolu reached down and picked up the goose egg-sized pebble under it.

The ten-year-old "Brother Nianyun" and the other children looked at Lin Xiaolu in puzzlement, wondering what he was doing picking up rocks.

Little Yuer saw her brother's actions and was no longer afraid. On the contrary, she smiled cutely at the children.

With the children watching, Lin Xiaolu tossed the rock in his hand and said very calmly, "Make way. My sister and I are going in."

At these words, the children immediately felt dissatisfied. They thought the newcomers were too arrogant, completely looking down on them.

"Hey, newcomer, you haven't answered Brother Nianyun's question yet!" said a boy with arms akimbo.

"Yeah, it's so rude not to answer when someone asks you a question."

"So you and this girl are siblings. We're your seniors at the reading hall. You have to listen to our orders from now on. Speak, what are your names?"

"Yeah, if you don't say, we won't let you pass."

The children urged the siblings one after another. But Lin Xiaolu glanced at them calmly, then finally looked at the so-called "Brother Nianyun."

"Are you the boss here?" Lin Xiaolu blinked his big eyes and asked.

The ten-year-old boy arrogantly said, "That's right."

Lin Xiaolu nodded obediently. "Oh, not anymore starting today."

The boy was stunned. The others were also stunned, not knowing what the newcomer meant. The next second, Lin Xiaolu suddenly raised his hand and smashed the goose egg rock hard on "Brother Nianyun's" head!

"Ah!" With a miserable cry, the ten-year-old boy fell on his butt. Blood spurted from his forehead.

The other children were scared by this scene. They all backed away. Lin Xiaolu continued tossing the blood-stained pebble, slowly looking at each of them.

"Now, do you still want to ask for my and my sister's names?"

The children shivered with fear, not daring to speak. But one eight or nine-year-old girl was still unwilling. She pointed at Lin Xiaolu and threatened, "You, you hit people with rocks. I'm telling the teacher."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu sneered and jerked his head toward the reading hall. "Go ahead."

The girl seemed not to have expected Lin Xiaolu to be so unscrupulous. She was startled, then seemed to be provoked by his arrogance. She stamped her foot angrily and ran towards the hall door.

But before she had run far, Lin Xiaolu suddenly grabbed the goose egg rock and hurled it forcefully.

"Whoosh!"

"Thud!"

With a crisp sound, the girl who was halfway there let out a miserable cry. Her small body collapsed to the ground as she clutched her bleeding head, wailing loudly.

The clear cries were very loud, finally bringing Mr. Yang, who was preparing to teach, out of the reading hall.

"Teacher, this newcomer hit us with rocks!" As soon as they saw the old man come out, the children crowded around as if finding their backbone.

"Teacher, after he hit Brother Nianyun, he also hit Chuchu."

"Teacher, look, Brother Nianyun and Chuchu's heads are bleeding."

"That's right, teacher. You must punish these newcomers severely. They went too far."