Standing in the clearing, Gojo listened to the faint sound of sobbing beside him, his expression turning complicated.
What kind of situation was this?
He had only flicked Lu Jin on the forehead. Compared to the slap Zhang Zhiwei gave him in the original story, both the damage and the humiliation were far less severe.
He had already held back this much—
So how was Lu Jin still crying?
Was his mentality really this fragile?
Though Lu Jin's sobs were quiet, someone like Zhang Jingqing—one of the strongest in the world—could not possibly miss them.
If Lu Jin hadn't cried, the matter could have passed lightly.
But now that he was quietly sobbing, Zhang Jingqing had to respond.
After all—
This was someone else's birthday banquet, and his disciple had made their grandnephew cry!
"Unfilial disciple!"
Zhang Jingqing took a deep breath and shouted.
"Eh!"
Gojo instinctively responded, looking up—only to see his master glaring furiously.
Though he had no idea why his master was angry, Gojo reacted instantly.
With a smooth motion, he slid forward and dropped into a kneeling position like a tiger pouncing to the ground.
Whatever the reason—
In front of so many people, the safest move was to obey his master.
Otherwise, this joyful banquet might turn into a full-blown sect-level diplomatic incident.
"How have I taught you? Sparring should stop at the point of contact! Clearly, you didn't take my words to heart!"
Zhang Jingqing rolled up his sleeves and prepared to walk over, intending to symbolically discipline Gojo and give both Old Master Lu and Zuo Ruotong a way to save face.
But before he could take two steps, Zuo Ruotong stopped him.
"Celestial Master, your disciple already showed restraint. There's no need for further punishment."
As one of the strongest figures in the world, Zuo Ruotong had seen through the fight instantly.
Lu Jin's Reverse Life Threefold had simply been forcibly interrupted—he hadn't suffered any real injury.
The reason he looked like he had eaten poisonous mushrooms was just a result of disrupted qi flow.
"Hey, hey, Celestial Master, don't do this!"
Old Master Lu also stepped forward with a smile.
"The child won against our Lu Jin, and you're punishing him—are you saying our Lu family can't accept defeat, or that Trinity School can't?"
"With your disciple's strength, beating Lu Jin was only natural!"
After saying that, he turned to Lu Jin, who was still crouching on the ground.
"Jin'er, are you alright?"
"Great-grandfather! I'm fine! Senior Brother Su didn't hurt me!"
Lu Jin quickly looked up and responded.
But his eyes were red, and he kept sniffing, trying to suck his runny nose back in.
Clearly—
He had just cried.
"Hahaha!"
"Jin'er, learned your lesson now? Know that there's always someone stronger out there?"
"Serves you right for always acting so arrogant!"
Old Master Lu burst into laughter again.
"Yes! I understand!"
Lu Jin quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Gojo and the others.
"Jin'er, are you really alright?"
Lu Xuan also stepped forward, concern written all over his face.
"Father, I'm fine. No need to worry!"
Lu Jin replied quickly.
But his red eyes and trembling voice made it obvious—
He was anything but fine.
As a talented disciple of Trinity School, Lu Jin had always been confident in his strength.
Even though he knew he might lose to Gojo—
He never imagined he would lose this badly.
Even after activating Reverse Life Threefold—
He still got defeated by a single flick.
The overwhelming sense of humiliation made his face burn.
If not for the presence of so many people—and the reputations of both the Lu family and Trinity School—
He would have already run away.
Even now, though he kept telling himself to calm down—
Tears still streamed uncontrollably.
"I understand that there's always someone stronger. Senior Brother Su's strength far surpasses mine—I accept defeat!"
Even while crying, Lu Jin spoke with dignity.
"I—I won't take this to heart at all!"
At this moment, despite being covered in tears and snot—
He still maintained his composure in words.
Seeing this, Gojo felt completely numb.
He had already held back as much as possible—
It was just a flick!
So why was Young Master Lu crying too?
Was crying some kind of requirement for attending this birthday banquet?
"Hahaha!"
"Lu Jin is actually kind of adorable!"
The younger generation tried to suppress their laughter, exchanging glances.
"Hahahahaha!"
"My precious boy got beaten to tears and is still trying to act tough!"
Old Master Lu laughed so hard tears came out.
With him leading the charge, the entire crowd burst into laughter.
Guan Shihua, Wang Ai, Feng Ping—
Everyone laughed louder than the last.
"Haha… haha, brother! I can't take it anymore—this 'serious guy' is ridiculous!"
Lü Ci clutched Lü Ren's shoulder, laughing so hard he held his stomach.
"Ci."
Lü Ren removed his arm and looked at him seriously.
"Even though Lu Jin cried, his behavior is still better than yours."
"At least when he lost, he didn't lash out."
"…Brother…"
Lü Ci fell silent, not knowing what to say.
"Next time you spar like this—if you lose, you lose."
"Go home and train harder if you must."
"But never lose your temper and force a rematch like you did today."
Seeing that Lü Ci was listening, Lü Ren patted his head gently.
"Understand?"
"…I understand, brother."
Lü Ci nodded firmly, engraving those words deep into his heart.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/c/GojoSP