C17 You Brazenly Borrowed It

Tung Peirong had taken care of Faang Wei's concerns, but now Faang Wei was facing a fresh dilemma.

"Didn't you say we could get in? What's the problem now?"

Faang Wei grumbled, prompting Jumpy to roll his eyes without a word.

"You never mentioned wanting to enter the collection room. Isn't the library's main entrance open to everyone?"

"…"

Faang Wei could only think that perhaps he hadn't been quite clear enough.

"What was it you wanted to do in there again?" Jumpy inquired, crunching on a walnut.

"Hehe!"

Faang Wei's eyebrows lifted at the question, his face showing a hint of discomfort.

"Well, I was hoping to find something that might let us swap bodies, but it's unfortunate we can't get in..."

"That's a real shame."

"Let's head back. We'll figure out another way later."

With that, he started to leave, but Jumpy suddenly grabbed Faang Wei's ear and yelled —

"Wait! I have a solution!"

"…"

Swallowing hard, Faang Wei fought back the impulse to smack him and spoke calmly.

"Before you say anything, could you let go of my ear, please?"

"Uh…"

With an awkward chuckle, Jumpy released Faang Wei's ear and fidgeted with his paws.

"Look, brother, I should've been clearer earlier. We're brothers, after all! Of course, I'll help you out!"

"Just so you know, getting in is easy. All you need is a membership card. My dad has one. We can just go back and get it from him!"

"Wait a second."

Faang Wei reeled Jumpy back in as he tried to dash off.

"We can't involve your dad. It's better he doesn't know about this. We're already drawing enough attention as it is. If he learns we're looking into this, we won't be able to keep it under wraps."

Currently, Faang Wei truly had no way to revert to his own body, and he needed to maintain a low profile while staying in the Cloud Realm. The fewer people who knew about his and Jumpy's body swap, the better.

The stakes were high, and he didn't want to invite trouble. Meddling too much with the Cloud Realm's rules could lead to dire consequences with the Heavenly Dao, and he wasn't keen on repeating the experience of being tricked into a ten-thousand-year slumber.

Although he was the Lord of the Nine Realms, he still had to abide by the Heavenly Dao rules without complaint. Who could blame him for being so exceptional?

"Does anyone else here have a membership card?"

"Well..."

Jumpy pondered for a moment, recalling that his dad had one. He had borrowed it before. The membership cards were indeed registered to individuals, but they could be loaned out; they weren't taken too seriously.

After all, if someone lent out their card and there was trouble, the lender would be held accountable. So, people were generally cautious about lending them out.

Faang Zhengyi, however, wasn't as cautious.

Ahem!

Clearing his throat, Jumpy continued.

"The nine great academies have quite a few members. The principals, directors, and some high-ranking teachers all have cards. Basically, you need to be someone of status to get one."

"But aside from my dad, who in the nine great academies would lend us their card?"

"..."

Faang Wei's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Jumpy.

"Who says we have to borrow it openly?"

"...??"

Jumpy looked bewildered, his brain taking a moment to catch up.

"Bro, that 'not openly borrowing' is called stealing, you know?"

"Heh!"

Faang Wei scoffed dismissively.

"Stealing is beneath me."

No sooner had he spoken than Faang Wei had set his sights on a target—

An elderly man who had just exited the treasury. He was about sixty, with neatly combed white hair and a portly figure dressed in a tailored suit.

He walked with a relaxed gait that hinted at some martial prowess, though it was likely not very advanced, probably just a notch above Cai Qitian, whom Faang Wei had encountered earlier.

Lately, without Cai Qitian's interference, Faang Wei found himself almost missing the man. Weren't the nine great academies supposed to be fiercely competitive? Why the fear now?

He inwardly scoffed at the thought, feeling that the academies were overrated. He was curious to see what made cultivators feel so superior during the upcoming Academy Grand Tournament.

After all, it was the cyborgs like him who had helped the Cloud Realm recover after the great war. Now, in times of peace, it seemed they were quick to turn their backs on those who had aided them.

If I weren't aware of the hidden truths, I might have held my tongue. Yet, the Cyborgs should not endure such treatment, neither those from the past nor those of the present. Today, it's your turn to be dissected.

Faang Wei's gaze hardened. Liu Boxin, leading the way, suddenly felt a draft on his back. Instinctively, he tightened his clothing and frowned at the nearby air conditioner. He promptly signaled to the security guard at the entrance.

"Why is the air conditioning set so low here? It's not like you're paying for it out of your own pocket. This is a library funded by the nine great academies. You should know better than to keep it this chilly."

"Yes... Yes, of course," the security guard responded, nodding repeatedly.

"I'm new here. I appreciate the heads-up, sir. Thank you very much."

"New, are you?" Liu Boxin gave him a quick once-over but decided not to press further, simply waving him off. "Alright then, go adjust the air conditioning."

"Right away, sir," the guard replied, and as he turned to leave, Liu Boxin caught a glimpse of a mechanical ankle. He sneered to himself, "No wonder he doesn't know the rules. Turns out he's a Cyborg. There really is a difference between people."

The security guard, having only gone a short distance, paused, his body tensing noticeably. He had worked hard to land this job and couldn't afford to lose it over a rash reaction. Clenching his fists, he ultimately restrained himself and continued on to the control room as if he hadn't heard the insult.

Witnessing this, Liu Boxin let out a contemptuous snort and walked away. These Cyborgs, lacking any backbone, foolishly opposed the will of the heavens, aspiring to the heights of Cultivators. They could keep dreaming! We Cultivators are the true chosen ones.

Striding away with pride, Liu Boxin was met with reverent gazes from the surrounding Cultivators, their eyes shining with admiration as they watched him depart.

Clearly, everyone agreed that the Cyborgs deserved to be put in their place. Did they actually believe they could surpass Cultivators? Such a notion was utterly preposterous!

Cyborgs were destined to remain beneath the feet of Cultivators. Rumor had it that after the Academy Grand Tournament, the Cyborgs would vanish for good, a thought that brought great satisfaction to many.

They had eagerly anticipated this moment for so long!

From now on, every cyborg would be driven out. Anyone who dared to oppose the cultivators would face their doom!

Not a single cyborg could evade their fate!

Not one!

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