**: Taking You Out to Play**

**2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren**

Three-year-old Ning Zhuo brought out a small furnace and right then and there, refined a new material for Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong sneered, "I don't even need a pill furnace. Watch closely." He extended his hand, and a flame ignited in his palm. He sequentially tossed the medicinal ingredients into the fire and soon obtained a brand new material.

"How about that?"

After inspecting it, Ning Zhuo clapped his hands repeatedly. "Brother Sun, you're amazing! You can do it bare-handed without a furnace. And you did it faster and better than me!"

Sun Lingtong shook his head. "This is nothing. You must be humble."

Ning Zhuo grunted in agreement and nodded firmly.

Four-year-old Ning Zhuo held a talisman brush, drawing runes on talisman paper. It came naturally, succeeding on the first try.

Sun Lingtong was slightly surprised. He knew he had to be faster than Ning Zhuo and produce a better talisman. On the surface, he appeared casual, deliberately yawning with droopy eyelids, casually holding the brush tube. But in reality, he was fully focused, completing it in one go!

After comparing, Ning Zhuo gave a thumbs-up, praising sincerely, "Brother Sun, you're awesome!"

"Compared to you, I'm really not good enough. You're truly incredible."

Sun Lingtong sighed. "There are countless geniuses. Compared to them, I'm as ordinary as an ant. Xiao Zhuo, you must be humble."

Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly. "I know, I'll remember!"

Five-year-old Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and began setting up an array on a blank array disk.

Three hours later, wiping the sweat from his head, he said somewhat ashamed, "Brother Sun, I failed."

Sun Lingtong witnessed the entire process, his heart greatly shaken. Ning Zhuo had given his all. Although he failed, the array-setting ability he displayed completely surpassed the standard for his age!

Sun Lingtong appeared calm on the surface. "Not bad. Now watch me." He quickly set up the array, completing the disk in just one hour.

Ning Zhuo inspected the array disk, convinced wholeheartedly.

Sun Lingtong wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking, "Arrays aren't my strong suit. Thankfully, I tampered with the disk last night." He said to Ning Zhuo, "This is nothing. I still have much to improve."

Ning Zhuo strongly agreed and quickly pointed out many deficiencies on the array disk.

Finally, he proactively told Sun Lingtong, "Brother Sun, I will keep working hard. Don't worry, I have no complacency or pride at all!"

"Good, that's good." Sun Lingtong nodded, filled with relief. Privately, he felt guilty. "He's only five. What will I do next year?" After this, he decided to set aside time privately to intensively study the Hundred Arts of Cultivation to deal with the increasingly capable Ning Zhuo.

The contest at age six was beast taming.

Ning Zhuo was full of fighting spirit and confidence. "Brother Sun, my Blazing Valor General is very strong. I hatched it myself at the start of the school year and have been raising it since it was young. For the recent academy test, I sealed most of its strength beforehand, and it still easily made it to fifth place."

Sun Lingtong nodded expressionlessly. "It seems your fighting cock is indeed powerful. Mine isn't as good; I've only had it for just over a month." He secretly chuckled. In reality, over a year ago, realizing he might struggle to keep Ning Zhuo down, he had specifically investigated past exam topics. He also found out in advance what this year's test would be. So, he had been secretly raising his fighting cock for much longer than Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo released his Blazing Valor General. Sun Lingtong released his Little Blackie.

The General launched the first attack, its wings spreading like blades as it pounced on its opponent with a whooshing sound.

Little Blackie nimbly dodged and swiftly counterattacked, using its sharp beak and claws to strike directly at the opponent's chest.

The two cocks fought fiercely, feathers flying, blood splattering.

Ning Zhuo went all out, occasionally casting spells to protect his Blazing Valor General.

But in the end, the General's full-force strike was dodged by Little Blackie. The latter leaped into the air, tearing the General's comb, securing victory.

The General fell to the ground, unable to rise, barely breathing.

Little Blackie also swayed, having pushed itself to the limit.

Ning Zhuo panted, his little face flushed red, filled with disappointment, his eyes listless. He shuddered, quickly ran onto the field, placed his hands on the General, and activated a healing spell, treating it with all his might.

The General's injuries soon stabilized; its breathing eased as it fell into a deep sleep.

After a long moment, Ning Zhuo looked up, his tone low. "Brother Sun, I lost again." He couldn't hide his dejection.

Sun Lingtong's tense mood gradually calmed. He had thought his advantage was huge, but the cockfight had been intensely close, only decided at the very end. He knew his victory wasn't entirely fair; he had invested much more in Little Blackie behind the scenes than Ning Zhuo had.

Feeling guilty, Sun Lingtong praised sincerely, "You performed very well already. If you went all out, your General would definitely be number one in the academy."

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "What's the point of being first in the academy? Compared to the entire Fire Persimmon City, I'm nothing. In the whole Southern Bean Kingdom, I don't even rank. Not to mention other cultivation nations. All along, I haven't been able to match you, Brother Sun. I always lose..."

Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth, trying to补救. "I almost failed just now. Really. That last move of yours... seemed to use some mechanism arts, right?"

Ning Zhuo nodded. "Yes, I usually use puppet strings to train the General. Later, I referred to some cultivation techniques and口诀, designed some commands. Just by saying them, I can make the General dive from the sky to attack strong enemies. At the same time, it activates talismans hidden deep within the General's feathers, drastically increasing its offensive power."

Sun Lingtong was stunned,由衷赞叹道. "Remarkable! You've already started using various methods to train your fighting cock. You haven't limited yourself to what the academy elders teach. You're already innovating, and most importantly, the practical effect is excellent!"

Ning Zhuo remained downcast. "Brother Sun, thank you for the praise, but you don't need to comfort me. I understand! I need to work even harder. This实战 exposed many of my shortcomings. I'm really nothing; compared to you all, I'm far behind. Only by working harder can I make up for the gap in talent!"

Sun Lingtong fell silent,不禁暗想. Had he gone too far these past years?

But the contest at age seven made Sun Lingtong fly into a rage!

"Xiao Zhuo, what's going on with you? This past year, you've made some progress in the Hundred Arts, but not much. What have you been doing? Have you been studying seriously?"

Ning Zhuo lowered his head, admitting his mistake主动. He told Sun Lingtong that he had been hanging out with classmates, obsessed with a pellet game.

Sun Lingtong carefully asked what the pellet game was. Finding the content dull and boring, he was痛心疾首. "You're actually沉迷这个? This is简直玩物丧志!" He严厉教训ed Ning Zhuo for a full stick of incense's time.

Ning Zhuo's eyes welled up with tears. "Brother Sun, I won't do this again. I will study hard! I know I'm lacking, I have too many shortcomings."

Hearing this, Sun Lingtong was taken aback. He couldn't help but think: Had he overly suppressed Ning Zhuo's achievements, distorted his perception, made him lack a sense of accomplishment and confidence, thus losing his motivation for self-improvement?

"Actually..." Sun Lingtong斟酌ed his words. "Xiao Zhuo, you actually performed exceptionally well before. Don't贬低 yourself too much."

Ning Zhuo said, "I know, Brother Sun. You don't need to comfort me! I understand everything."

Sun Lingtong: "..."

In the orphanage, Li Leifeng was performing a puppet show.

Sun Lingtong infiltrated it, stealing belongings from the attending cultivators to use as resources for his daily cultivation.

After Li Leifeng's performance ended, he went to a private box to thank Elder Zhou for his substantial donation towards the show.

Elder Zhou also wanted to befriend Li Leifeng. During their conversation, he asked Li Leifeng for advice on raising children.

"Under your guidance, Director Li, the orphans in the慈幼园 are all well-behaved, sensible, and actively striving."

"Ah, but my son, Zhou Zeshen, is mischievous and捣蛋, hates school, and has no interest in learning at all. It's such a headache!"

Li Leifeng asked a few questions, learned the details, and smiled. "My suggestion is: let him play."

Elder Zhou was puzzled.

Li Leifeng then said, "From what you've described, I understand that your son is actually under very strict supervision. Besides school, when he returns home, he has multiple tutoring sessions, with very little time of his own to play."

"Precisely because he plays too little, even a blade of grass, a pen, or a cloud in the sky can amuse him greatly, letting his imagination run wild, causing him to lose focus."

"Remember: no matter how clever a child is, they have a child's heart. Playing is their nature, their inevitable path, an indispensable part of growing up."

"Only by playing constantly will they find joy and happiness. Once they've played enough, a blade of grass or a pen will hold no more temptation for them."

"This is the growth they need."

Sun Lingtong, hiding nearby, listened intently.

From then on, he never stole money from the orphanage again.

Sun Lingtong eagerly found Ning Zhuo.

"You kid, meeting me is like stepping in dog poop luck!" His abrupt statement left Ning Zhuo utterly bewildered.

"Come on, I'm taking you out to play!"

Seven-year-old Ning Zhuo couldn't believe it, his eyes shining with惊喜. "R-really?"

"Of course!" Sun Lingtong held his head high, grabbed Ning Zhuo's arm, and they flew through the air.

In a dark alley.

Sun Lingtong "encouraged" Ning Zhuo: "See someone you don't like? Use the technique I just taught you and steal from them for fun!"

Ning Zhuo hesitated. "Stealing from people... isn't that bad?"

"Afraid of what? Listen to your Brother Sun, would I harm you?" Sun Lingtong patted his chest, urging him on. "It's thrilling, especially the first time you steal; it'll make you feel so excited!"

Under his guidance, Ning Zhuo chose a local ruffian and stole his money pouch.

The ruffian searched frantically, almost stripping himself naked.

Ning Zhuo, hiding in the shadows, laughed heartily. Before leaving, he seemingly tossed the pouch back near the ruffian's feet.

Sun Lingtong patted Ning Zhuo's shoulder. "So? Feel thrilling?"

"Yeah! It was quite fun," Ning Zhuo said.

Sun Lingtong sighed. "Sometimes, when I'm in a bad mood, I stroll around the streets. If I see someone I don't like, I steal their stuff."

"Hahaha, every time after stealing, my mood gets much better!"

Ning Zhuo hesitated. "Brother Sun, it's better not to do that. The academy teaches us to follow the right path and do good deeds. Stealing isn't a good行为."

Sun Lingtong rolled his eyes, then狡黠一笑. "What the academy elders say makes sense. But what I want to teach you is actually the same thing."

Ning Zhuo stared, confused.

Sun Lingtong said, "Don't you understand the principle of punishing evil and promoting good? Giving these villains their due is accumulating merit, it's a righteous act!"

"That ruffian you just taught a lesson to usually bullies honest, poor folks. In the end, you just gave him a scare, no real loss. You really let him off easy!"

Ning Zhuo narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll go back and steal from him again."

Sun Lingtong nodded. "Sure, I'll go with you."

"This time, I'll teach you a new stealing method. Try it out; the feeling is different from before."

(End of )