Over the next few days after the incident in the library, there were a few rumors floating about. People were giving me weird stares and whispering under their breaths, probably about how I was Na Lan Yan Ran's boyfriend or something. Most likely it had nothing to do with me beating up an entire group in the library, because none of them looked afraid.
Even the incidents regarding the poor girls had trended away. Thanks to the school's measures, there were no longer any victims. Evidently, the demonic cultivator was active only at night.
Apparently, they were more interested in gossiping about the love affairs than others than a hot-blooded shounen battle between young men or the series of strange murders.
On my way to the classroom, I passed by Si Nan and Mu Zi Xing, who were talking about something. The latter, in particular, suddenly stopped when she caught sight of me.
"Oh! Shu Cong, right?" she beamed and waved happily. "I heard about it! Congratulations on your relationship with Na Lan Yan Ran…ouch!"
She was silenced when Si Nan smacked her on the back of her head. She turned to glare at her childhood friend.
"What's that for?"
"For not using your brain and indulging in those nonsensical rumors," Si Nan replied coldly. Mu Zi Xing pouted.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Think about it, how can Shu Cong be Na Lan Yan Ran's boyfriend? I mean no disrespect to Shu Cong, but their family backgrounds are too different. The Na Lan family probably will not approve of the engagement. At least not when they're still in high school. He'll have to prove himself with a good job first, and that will take a few years."
"Given how smart Shu Cong is, I'm sure he can do it!"
"I don't doubt that, but…you also forgot that the person in question has already confirmed that it was false when it happened." Si Nan turned to me and bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry for troubling you with this nonsense."
"Not at all." I raised my hand and shook my head. "I'm glad you know the truth."
"Yeah, well…I know what it is like to be the center of rumors." Si Nan gave me a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, they will move on soon enough, and talk about other things. And now that the Gao Kao is just a couple of months away, they'll be focusing on that instead."
"Ugh!" Mu Zi Xing immediately turned pale. "I really don't want to take the exams!"
"So you don't want to go to university?"
"I never said that!"
I watched the squabbling couple, wondering when their romance would ever become official. Probably in another year or so. Well, it wasn't my problem, so I bade them farewell and continued on toward my classroom.
"It must really be tough on you, huh?" Tong Xue asked when I settled onto my seat. I nodded and slumped over my desk, mentally exhausted. I hated being the center of attention.
"But there's some truth to the rumors, you know?" Ban Zhang came over, pushing his glasses up in a manner similar to me. Oi! I trademarked that move, you bastard! Don't you dare steal it from me!
"What sort of truth?" Tong Xue asked before I could complain. Not that I minded, given how I was too tired to yell at our class president.
"Na Lan Yan Ran is from the Na Lan family, right? One of the big, ancient families in our city. There are rumors that the Ling is a clan of ancient martial artists. So they will only accept strong sons-in-law. And given that Shu Cong is pretty good at fighting, I'd say there's a high chance they'll agree to marry off their daughter to him if they are impressed by his skills."
"Please spare me," I groaned, covering my face. "I don't want to get involved with this bullshit."
Rather than a family of ancient martial artists, it appeared that the Na Lan family was actually involved in cultivation. I wasn't sure what skills they practiced exactly, but Na Lan Yan Rou told me that her sister had just begun practicing ice techniques not long ago. The Na Lan family's Celestial Fiery Phoenix Formula was highly coveted by many other martial artists, which was why the leader of the Divine Dragon Sect was willing to allow his first disciple to marry her.
An alliance between the Na Lan family and the Divine Dragon Sect would strengthen both sides considerably.
"Heh…" Tong Xue looked thoughtful. "A family of ancient martial artists, huh? That sounds really cool. It's like something out of a manhua or a web novel!"
I laughed at that, causing my two classmates to stare at me in bewilderment.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, I just realized why Shi Ting failed to woo Na Lan Yan Ran. If he had focused on practicing martial arts and growing stronger instead of depending on his good looks, status and wealth, then he would have stood a chance. This is really ironic."
Tong Xue and Ban Zhang exchanged a glance before they joined in. However, our laughter was cut off by a wrathful howl outside our classroom.
"What?! What happened?!"
"Who's that?!"
"What's that sound?!"
Even without looking, I already knew what was going on because of my sixth sense. Shi Ting was screaming in rage after having overheard our conversation.
"Shi Ting? What is he doing here?"
"He's not from our class. Why is he outside our classroom?"
The questions from my classmates were answered shortly. Shi Ting barged into our classroom, pointing a finger at me and frothing at the mouth.
"You can act all haughty and mock me now, but let's see if you'll still be laughing after school today! You had better watch out!"
"Huh? What's going to happen after school today?" Tong Xue asked, but Shi Ting ignored him and stomped out of the classroom.
"You had best be careful," Ban Zhang told me, looking worried. "That sounds like a threat. We'll have to tell the teachers."
"That guy has some mental problem," Jin Bai He said, shaking her head in exasperation.
Even though we told the teachers, there was very little they could do. As if the incident with Qi Fu Ren hadn't already served to demonstrate their ineffectiveness, what with the cover up and simple suspension. They reprimanded Shi Ting for behaving so aggressively, but without evidence there was nothing they could do. Shi Ting himself also didn't say what was going to happen after school, and the teachers assumed he was making the usual empty threats.
"I'm very sorry." Na Lan Yan Ran was considerate enough to drop by and apologize to me. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me getting you involved, Shi Ting will never harass you like this."
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it." I shook my head. "Even if he didn't target me, someone else would."
All part of being a protagonist of a trashy urban cultivation novel. I was a fucking trouble magnet. Every Tom, Dick and Harry wanted to beat me up for no reason. Probably just to give me an excuse to kick their asses as part of a power fantasy and wish fulfilment thing.
Thanks to the theory of relativity, because I knew that something dreadful was going to happen after school, time seemed to fly past quickly. Before I knew it, lessons had ended and students were preparing to either go to the library or go home.
As I said before, I preferred studying at home. Since Tong Xue didn't ask me to tutor him today, I packed my stuff up and got ready to return home. Additionally, I believed that I should just get whatever Shi Ting had planned done and over with.
"You're finally out!"
The moment I stepped through the school gates, I saw Shi Ting waiting for me outside with his arms crossed and a broad grin over his face. Behind him was at least five burly dudes who resembled wrestlers or bodybuilders, accompanied by his usual entourage. Even putting aside the fact that they weren't wearing any uniforms, the five massive guys were clearly not students from our school. I couldn't help but gape at them in disbelief.
"Who…?"
"I told you, didn't I?" Shi Ting sneered. "I have contacts with the Ghost Bear Clan. Today, I'll show you who is the boss! You'll regret ever having messed with me!"
"You do realize that you're the one who messed with me and provoked me first, right?" I asked, irritated.
"Shut up!" Shi Ting turned to the five dudes behind him and pointed at me. "That's him! That's the bastard who humiliated me! Crush him and shame him in front of the school!"
"Sorry." The biggest of the bunch stepped forward. I would later find out that his name was Ying Quan, but right now I didn't know who the hell he was. "We have nothing against you, but Young Master Shi has paid us very handsomely for beating you up."
"I hope his payment covers hospitalization fees," I said sarcastically. Shi Ting's brow furrowed and his expression turned thunderous.
"You really have guts, brat. Even before you get pummeled, you're still mouthing off. I wonder if you'll still be as talkative if I hit you?"
I shrugged, not really wanting to argue with him. Bantering was fine and all, but I was of the belief that actions spoke louder than words. Anyone could taunt, brag or insult others, but whether they could defeat the opponent in a physical fight or not was another issue altogether.
Then I stared at Shi Ting before shaking my head and sighing exaggeratedly.
"You see, this is exactly why you'll never win Na Lan Yan Ran's heart."
"What did you say?!" Shi Ting stormed at me.
"Instead of growing stronger and working on improving your martial arts, you decide to throw cash at the problem and hire other people to beat me up for you. Of course she's going to look down on you. Even if you beat me up here, you'll never win her heart. She would probably prefer that big guy there over you." I raised a hand and waved flippantly. "If you want to win her affection, you have to prove your own strength, not rely on others to fight in your stead."
"Shut up! What are you waiting for, Bro Ying? Please cripple that fella!"
"On account of you paying me, I will overlook this once, but remember…" Ying Quan glared at Shi Ting, who immediately stumbled back and fell on his rump. "Never presume to give me orders. If you ever talk to me in that tone again, you'll be the one who is crippled."
"O…of course. I'm very sorry, Bro Ying. I got caught up in the moment."
"Hmph." Ying Quan turned away and then charged at me.
For a few seconds, I contemplated on what to do. I wondered if the teachers were going to make it in time, and then dismissed that thought. Even if the teachers showed up, what could they do? This Ying Quan was clearly an extremely strong person. Just look at all those muscles! Not to mention, he had four other similarly built dudes with him.
Even the teachers wouldn't be able to handle them. They would probably have to call the police, which would require even more time…
"Whoa."
"?!"
Ying Quan was stunned when I stepped to the side and completely dodged his punch. He then swung his arm to catch me in the face, but I ducked under it.
"What a slippery fellow!"
The burly guy cursed and then threw another two punches, alternating between both hands. From his jabs, I realized that he wasn't just any thug. He had evidently received combat training. A boxer, huh? Not only that, he had quite a bit of qi, which meant that he also practiced cultivation.
He switched his feet and threw another hook that smashed a hole into the concrete wall that served as a fence for the school. My eyes widened even as I was splattered by small debris and dirt. Such power from a punch…!
I countered with an elbow to his stomach, but he managed to bock my strike before countering with another jab. I twisted my head to the side and narrowly avoided getting my temple grazed by his knuckles.
Not bad. Not only was he a highly trained boxer with corded muscles, he was also experienced in fighting. The burly guy had evidently been in a few scraps, probably duking it out with other gangsters. He had honed his skills over many underground battles against criminals and hoodlums on the street.
Boxing, combined with street fighting. What a dangerous combination.
Hopping on both legs, Ying Quan delivered another barrage of punches, but I darted away from them, weaving in and out of his fists and trying to retaliate. It was a good thing that I had learned Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths, which allowed me to read his movements and predict the trajectories of his attacks, otherwise I would have gotten punched long ago.
Ying Quan then threw a feint, but because of my technique, I was able to read it and avoid the real blow. The huge man's eyes briefly widened when he saw that his sucker punch had missed, swinging through thin air.
"You could even evade that…and didn't fall for my feint. Who the hell are you?"
"The guy you were hired to beat up?" I replied. Ying Quan snorted, and then threw another couple of punches again. I ducked under the first blow, and then knocked the other one aside by slamming my hand against the inside of his arm and deflecting his fist to the side. I then rammed a knee into his gut, but it felt like I was hitting a brick wall.
However, as muscular as he was, Ying Quan was not a cultivator. Or perhaps he was merely at the very beginning of stepping into the stage of cultivation. Consequently he doubled over and staggered backward, winded by my blow.
"You..!" he growled.
As for me, I retreated before he could catch me in a clinch, to lock my arm and prevent me from following up with another attack. Breathing heavily, he studied me in disbelief, especially when he saw how skinny I was.
Yet I was somehow able to pack enough power into my knee strike to knock the breath out of him.
"You're no ordinary high school martial artist!" he growled. He threw a hook, but I evaded it, swinging around to strike at another weak point. He blocked my strike with his elbow and countered with a jab, forcing me back.
"If I was, would Shi Ting have hired you?" I pointed out dryly. He scowled, and then chuckled darkly.
"True. But your movements…they are a little similar to that Black Snake boss."
"Black Snake boss?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and avoiding another punch from him.
"Oh, it seems you aren't from the Black Serpent Gang. I heard they had a few students from your school in their group, so I thought it's possible that they might have escaped the destruction of their gang, but you don't seem to be one of them."
"I'm not," I assured him. I did know about the Black Serpent Gang, having been forced to fight them when Qi Fu Ren used his connections to spring them upon me, but other than that I had no relation to them at all.
"I was there, you know." Ying Quan grinned as he threw another dozen punches. "When my Ghost Bear Clan destroyed the Black Serpent Gang. I saw how our boss took down their boss. The snake was fast and deadly, but weak and fragile. All it took was one blow…and our boss killed him."
He then spat before throwing another punch to drive me back.
"It'll be the same for you. You can dance and run all you want, but…" Ying Quan held up a massive fist. "As long as one punch from me lands, it'll be all over for you."
Even as I retreated a few steps to avoid his relentless barrage of punches, I pushed my glasses up and smirked with a confidence that I didn't feel.
"We'll see about that."