No Pampering the Vicious Cannon Fodder! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

One week later.

As the night deepened, Jing Yue finished his matches for the evening. He took off his helmet, tucked it casually under his arm, and walked toward the low building hidden in the shadows of the trees.

This was the living quarters for the fighters and staff, equipped with a training ground, lounges, and a temporary medical station.

The exclusive training areas for the fighters were crudely partitioned off with a few wooden strips. As he passed his own area, his footsteps paused.

In the corner, a new sandbag had inexplicably appeared.

It was hung much lower, looking like it was prepared for someone who was… not very tall.

Jing Yue’s brow furrowed. He turned and stopped a floorhand who was organizing equipment.

The man had only recently arrived; seeing Jing Yue approach, he clearly cringed and stammered an explanation: “Oh, this is for the new apprentice.”

“Then you put it in the wrong place.” Jing Yue’s voice was cold. “I don’t have a new apprentice.”

The floorhand scratched his head: “Huh? No way, Mr. Kahn told me to put it here, saying it goes in Jing Yue’s training area. You… you are Mr. Jing Yue, right?”

In the arena, it was extremely common for fighters to take on apprentices. An apprentice not only had to act as a sparring partner but also had to take care of various chores—managing the master’s meals and daily life, serving tea and water, and even massaging the master’s shoulders and legs.

To put it bluntly, they were there to do the grunt work, so the arena was more than happy to allow it.

But Jing Yue had always been a loner. He hated it most when others encroached on his private territory. Kahn knew his temper well and had never dared to shove an apprentice onto him before.

…What was going on today?

Jing Yue’s brow twitched, a faint sense of impatience rising in his heart. He glanced at the floorhand, and seeing that the man knew nothing, he simply didn’t bother wasting any more breath. He decided to return to the lounge first to take off his combat suit and then find Kahn to get an explanation.

His lounge was at the end of the corridor. Usually, it was so quiet you could barely hear a human voice, but today, as soon as he approached, he saw a few rays of light leaking from the crack of the door. Alarm bells instantly rang in his mind.

The moment he pushed the door open, a crisp voice lunged at him.

“You’re back!”

He saw Xin Rong twist his body around from the table in the middle of the lounge, tilting his head and smiling at him.

His whole body was curled up in the chair, his hands resting naturally on the back of the chair as he leaned forward slightly, like a little animal eagerly waiting for its owner to come home.

As soon as he saw Jing Yue enter, he immediately hopped down, picked up a cup of steaming white mush from the table, and jogged toward him cheerfully.

“I made a supplement for you! I simmered it for a long time according to the formula.”

Jing Yue’s face instantly froze: “Who let you in?”

Faced with such a cold reception, the youth didn’t get angry. He only muttered softly, “This chair of yours is too hard…”

As he spoke, he rubbed his lower back: “Don’t you know how to put a cushion on it? It hurt my butt.”

“Don’t just stand there.” Xin Rong pushed the cup forward. “If it cools down and clumps, it won’t taste good.”

Jing Yue snatched the cup from him and slammed it onto the table with a “thud,” a hidden rage surfacing in his voice.

“I’m asking one more time, who let you in?”

Xin Rong blinked, his smile innocent yet crafty: “I’m your new apprentice, so of course I have to share a lounge with you.”

Jing Yue’s pupils constricted: “What?”

“I’m your—” Xin Rong deliberately dragged out the tone. His pitch-black eyes darted around once, and he suddenly leaned in, pronouncing each word slowly, “Xin! Apprentice!”

“…”

“Xin Apprentice!”

He emphasized it once more. Seeing that Jing Yue still had a stiff face and no reaction, he furrowed his brows in annoyance: “Hey, it’s a homophone pun!”

Then he extended his index finger and poked Jing Yue’s chest: “Give me some face and smile a bit!”

Jing Yue’s face turned even darker. He moved back immediately, looking as disgusted as if he had been touched by something filthy.

Now Xin Rong was truly disappointed. He pursed his lips and complained in a low voice, “You have no sense of humor. I just told this joke to Andy, and even he—”

Before he could finish, Jing Yue’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. He lunged forward and forcefully grabbed Xin Rong’s wrist.

“Ugh…”

Xin Rong instinctively tried to struggle, but the other man twisted his hand and pinned his shoulder, making him unable to move. He was held firmly in place.

“What did I say last time?” Jing Yue’s eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his temples were throbbing. “If I see you here again, I’ll throw you out directly.”

Although Jing Yue usually had an attitude like the whole world owed him money, at this moment, Xin Rong could clearly feel that he was truly enraged now.

If it were anyone else, they would have been scared shitless and fled in panic.

But Xin Rong wasn’t afraid; instead, he was incredibly excited. He could barely stop the corners of his mouth from curling up as he counted down in his heart with great anticipation.

Three, two, one…

The long-awaited notification sound finally rang in his ear—

“Ding! Minor emotional fluctuation detected in the task target. Gold coins credited: +5! Please keep up the good work!”

“Little Coal Ball, I’ve made my first sale!” Xin Rong cheered joyfully in his mind. “I told you this side quest was perfect for me!”

050 immediately played along: “Congratulations, Host! You are truly gifted!”

As for how Xin Rong became the ‘Xin Apprentice’ of the arena, it had to be traced back to a week ago.

Ever since he had a moment of madness at the auction and spent five hundred thousand on the invitation—originally intending to resell it to the protagonist but failing, and finally being a sucker and giving it away for free—Xin Rong was officially one step away from bankruptcy.

050 kindly pointed out two ways for him to make money.

First, he could work honestly in the mission world to earn money. Second, he could take on side quests issued by the system.

The abacus in Xin Rong’s head clicked and clacked, and he finally decided: I want it all!

On one hand, he could do odd jobs in the arena to earn some hard-earned money. On the other hand, he could use the convenience of being close to the protagonist to complete the side quests.

It was literally killing two birds with one stone.

So he went directly to the arena owner, Kahn.

Hearing that he was willing to do any dirty or exhausting work and that his salary requirements were ridiculously low, Kahn agreed without a second thought.

As for the side quest, Xin Rong decisively chose the ‘Infinite Mode’.

The mission period was three months. During this time, the system would activate an Emotional Fluctuation Monitor focused on the protagonist.

What he had to do was simple. Annoy the protagonist—make him flustered, angry, irritable, distracted… as long as he could cause the protagonist to have emotional fluctuations, he could earn gold coins.

Although the Infinite Mode only earned small amounts of pocket change, through his interactions during this period, Xin Rong discovered that he was indeed gifted in the area of pissing off the protagonist.

It turned out his judgment was incredibly wise.

They had been met for less than three minutes, and he had already successfully earned enough gold coins for a small cup of vegetable salad.

Right now, looking at the furious, black-faced Jing Yue in front of him, Xin Rong saw him as his meal ticket.

A plump, round… little black sheep waiting for his wool to be plucked.

At this moment, a cheerful “Woo-hoo” came from the door.

Kahn had a date today and had to leave early. Before leaving, he specifically came to see how Jing Yue and his new apprentice were getting along.

Before the man even entered, his head poked through the crack of the door: “How is it, little beauty? He didn’t bully you, did he?”

Xin Rong immediately switched to a sweet smile: “Thank you, Brother Kahn! We are getting along very harmoniously!”

That delicate “Brother” made Jing Yue’s brow jump violently.

Seeing Kahn turn to leave, he lunged forward and dragged the man into the shadows of the corridor.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Kahn looked innocent: “What did I do?”

Jing Yue grit his teeth and took a deep breath: “Look at his thin arms and legs, he can’t even hit a sandbag. What kind of boxing is he learning? Don’t tell me you can’t see through this.”

Kahn shrugged indifferently: “The arena never refuses anyone with a dream.”

Jing Yue stepped closer, his eyes becoming more dangerous.

“You clearly know how dangerous it is for him here, how many people will be staring at him and targeting him.” his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Or are you saying you just want him to earn money for you by sleeping around?”

“Keep your mouth clean, kid.” Kahn lifted his chin.

“Make him leave. Don’t let him stay here.” Jing Yue’s voice suddenly softened. “…Please.”

Kahn was stunned for a moment.

This was the first time he had heard Jing Yue speak in such a humble, pleading tone.

Back when this kid had nowhere to go and begged him for shelter, his attitude hadn’t been this lowly.

“Rather than begging me,” Kahn patted his shoulder and said earnestly, “you should think about how to keep a good eye on him.”

Inside the room, Xin Rong propped up his chin, watching the two men whispering in the corridor with great interest.

Although he couldn’t hear the content, the tension-filled atmosphere was almost tangible.

When Kahn left, Jing Yue stood in place with his hands clenched into fists at his sides, head lowered, thinking about something unknown.

“Little Coal Ball,” Xin Rong mused, “it seems the protagonist really hates me.”

Previously, Jing Yue had been somewhat polite to Kahn, but today he openly had a falling out with him just because Kahn shoved Xin Rong onto him.

It seemed Jing Yue really hated him to the bone.

050 flapped its wings and replied: “Host, isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”

“…”

That was true.

Being hated certainly didn’t feel great, but now, this hatred made him even more effective.

At this time, Jing Yue pushed the door and came in.

Xin Rong immediately gathered his spirits and went to meet him with a smile: “Let me help you take off your combat suit.”

“No need,” Jing Yue swept a cold glance at him. “I can take it off myself.”

“But I have to check if you’re injured,” Xin Rong shook the medical kit in his hand, his smile remaining. “This is also my duty as an apprentice.”

“…No injuries.” Jing Yue turned his face away, clearly impatient. “You can go now.”

Xin Rong rolled his eyes in his heart.

This guy is really stubborn!

The combat suit was made of metal; wearing such a heavy outfit clearly slowed down Jing Yue’s movements. Seizing the moment he turned around, Xin Rong moved quickly to attack from behind, his fingers precisely pressing the hidden buckle on his back.

With a “clatter,” the metal shell fell to the ground.

Xin Rong stood in front of Jing Yue triumphantly, intending to gloat, but his smile froze in the next second.

Jing Yue’s undershirt was already soaked with blood. The dark red bloodstains had spread out, making it almost impossible to judge where the original source of the bleeding was.

A surge of anger suddenly rushed into his heart.

It was the kind of anger one feels when someone is being incredibly stupid.

The kind of anger from watching someone treat their life so cheaply and disregard their health.

This was what he called “no injuries”?

Or was it that such injuries were already not worth mentioning to him?

“Seen enough?” Jing Yue pushed him away with a grim face. “I’m going to shower.”

Xin Rong grabbed his wrist, his anger flaring up: “Do you have any brains? You’re injured like this and you’re going to shower directly?!”

Jing Yue tilted his head slightly, his expression dark and unreadable: “My business is none of your concern.”

“Fine,” Xin Rong stood boldly in front of him, lifting his chin provocatively. “Go shower then! Once you’re naked, it’ll be more convenient for me to apply the medicine anyway!”

Jing Yue’s expression became increasingly ugly. His fists clenched and loosened, but he finally stayed rooted to the spot. He was probably afraid this shameless guy would really dare to barge into the bathroom while he was showering, making the situation impossible to handle.

A successful smile appeared at the corner of Xin Rong’s mouth: “That’s a good boy.”

He pressed Jing Yue down onto the chair, opened the medical kit, and while examining his injuries, asked with a solemn expression, “Is it like this every time?”

Jing Yue’s tone was unfriendly: “Like what?”

“Bleeding so much.”

Jing Yue snorted: “Bleeding during boxing, isn’t that normal?”

“It’s not normal at all.” Xin Rong raised his brows in disagreement and exposed him without hesitation. “This only proves your boxing skills aren’t good enough yet.”

Hearing this, Jing Yue’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, glaring over fiercely.

The crisp sound of gold coins being credited rang in Xin Rong’s head.

Xin Rong chuckled inwardly.

Pissing off Jing Yue was literally easier than breathing!

“It doesn’t even hurt.” Jing Yue muttered.

“If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not an injury?” Xin Rong countered.

Jing Yue went silent.

Xin Rong’s hand slowly approached, lifting the corner of his shirt.

The moment his delicate, warm fingertips touched his abdomen, Jing Yue acted as if he were facing a great enemy. His whole body tensed up, his muscle lines bulging distinctly.

“What are you nervous about? It’s not like I haven’t touched you before.” Xin Rong didn’t stop his movements, carefully wiping the clotted blood around the wound. “Say something if it hurts.”

“…I already told you it doesn’t hurt.” Jing Yue’s voice was dry.

Xin Rong gave him a dirty look. His mind turned mischievous, and he deliberately increased the strength of his hand.

Sure enough, Jing Yue’s brow furrowed instantly, and he hissed as he took a sharp breath of cold air.

“That’s what you get for being stubborn.” Xin Rong smiled triumphantly, but his movements immediately softened. He muttered to himself, “…We’re all human, how could it not hurt.”

Jing Yue stopped talking. His thin lips were pressed tight, and his gaze was fixed steadily on Xin Rong.

The youth had his head lowered, his nose slightly wrinkled, his thick eyelashes drooping. From time to time, he leaned in and blew gently on the wound, focusing entirely on cleaning it.

As if this were the most important thing in the world.

Inexplicably, Jing Yue found he couldn’t look away, not even wanting to blink.

the whole world went quiet.

Only the sound of his violent heartbeat remained.

Thump—thump—

It was deafening.

As if it would burst through his chest in the next second.

Just then, a thunderous notification sound of gold coins being credited rang in Xin Rong’s head—

“Ding! Major emotional fluctuation detected in the task target. Gold coins credited: +500! Please keep up the good work!”