Shi Ting stared at me blankly. I merely smiled while keeping track of the teachers' presences. They were all leaving, probably heading back to the staff room.
It was a well-known fact that the teachers didn't really like Shi Ting because of how obnoxious he was. Though he wasn't a delinquent to the extent where he would go around bullying others like Qi Fu Ren and the hoodlums, he was the type to throw his weight around. He enjoyed belittling others and using his family's influence to get advantages, such as trying to bribe teachers to change test scores or look the other way when he harassed girls.
There were rumors that he had driven two girls to suicide after playing with them, discarding and dumping them after he had his fill. But he managed to cover it up because of his family. Oh, and how about the other time where he hired a bunch of thugs to cripple a handsome male student who had an athletic scholarship because he viewed him as a romantic rival?
That last thing, in particular, was what drove the teachers against him. Even though they came forward and testified, because of the influence and wealth of the Shi family, the entire matter was swept under the rug. The crippled male student received meager compensation, lost his scholarship because he could no longer play sports, and almost dropped out.
I think Si Nan might actually know the guy, but I wasn't going to approach that silent and brooding jock just to ask for gossip details.
In any event, the teachers had decided to turn a blind eye and pretend they didn't see what was going to happen to Shi Ting because they had enough of his antics. To think that he was bold enough to hire gangsters to assault a fellow student right outside the school gates, and that they couldn't do anything about it, it really rankled them.
So they were going to enjoy watching justice get served to him, even if they couldn't spectate the whole thing directly.
"I see that time in the library wasn't enough, right?" I grabbed Shi Ting by the arm and hauled him up.
"No, that's…"
"Hmm, and I'm guessing, after this, you're going to hire someone else to beat me again? I wonder how I can stop that. How do you suggest I prevent that from happening?" Then I held up a finger and wagged it. "If the previous lesson in the library wasn't harsh enough, then maybe I'll use much more force this time."
I kicked the young master in his groin, causing him to double over.
"That…that…that…" Shi Ting swallowed, clutching his crotch. His voice was pretty high-pitched now and he looked as if he was about to faint from the sheer agony. "You won't get away with this!"
"Funny you say that. And you will?"
"Hah! Do you know who my family is? You are right. I have the power and connections and money to continue making your life a living hell! You are right! I'll hire someone stronger this time! Maybe the leader of the Ghost Bear clan! I'll take this up to my brother! He'll destroy you for me!���
"Oh…so you're running to your older brother now?" I rolled my eyes. "Should I be scared?"
"You should be!" Shi Ting snarled defiantly. "I'll hire the most dangerous thugs I can find and get them to kill you! You will never be able to attend school peacefully again!"
He then laughed hysterically.
"If you don't want that happen, prostrate yourself before me and kowtow a hundred times! Then break one of your arms! Only then will I consider letting you go!"
At least he wasn't doing that "I will consider leaving your corpse intact" bullshit. No matter how, this was still modern society, bound by laws. No matter how rich and influential his family was, they couldn't possibly cover up a murder in broad daylight.
I waited for Shi Ting to finish laughing, and then pushed my glasses up.
"Prostrate, kowtow and break an arm, was it?"
"Yeah! Scared now? Do it, and I might just let you off!"
Shaking my head, I grabbed him by his slick, gelled hair, and then smashed his face onto the ground. His whole body flopped over, his hands splayed out and his knees bent.
"You like prostrating, don't you? So how does it feel? Prostrating yourself like this?"
"You bastard…!"
I silenced him by slamming his forehead against the ground so hard that blood splattered me.
"Guh!"
"You like kowtowing, right? All right, I'll make sure you get to kowtow. How many times? You said a hundred, right? Ninety-nine more to go."
"You…!"
I smashed his forehead against the ground again, causing him to scream.
"Ninety-eight. Hey, why am I the one counting? Since you're the one kowtowing, you should start counting. What's one hundred minus two?"
"How dare…"
Another smack, his forehead cracking the concrete, and the guy howled in pain. I raised his head by pulling his hair.
"What's one hundred minus three?"
"N…ninety-seven."
"Good. Keep counting." I rammed his head onto the ground, but gentler this time. "As long as you cooperate, I'll make it easier for you."
Gritting his teeth and weeping, Shi Ting swallowed his pride and anger, his pain and fear overshadowing them.
"Ninety-six." Bam. "Ninety-five." Slam. "Ninety-four."
And we continued that until he finally reached zero. I then let go of his hair and allowed his head to lie helplessly on the bloodstained ground. Rising to my feet, I listened to Shi Ting whimper.
Breathing heavily, he turned to glare at me with bloodshot eyes.
"My father will hear about this, Potter!"
"Huh? I'm not Potter." I frowned, wondering if the poor fella's sanity had snapped after the hundred kowtows I had subjected him to. When they finally send him to the hospital, he was going to require a psychiatric checkup as well.
"Shut up, you fucker! I'll definitely kill you! Even if I have to spend all of my family's money, I'll definitely hire the deadliest assassin and send him after you!"
"Oh, you're still pretty lively, aren't you? Seems like the previous lesson isn't enough."
Once again, I placed a foot on his leg and leaned over. Shi Ting winced and tried to move, but he was unable to yank his limb free. I leaned over to glare at him.
"What was it you said earlier? Breaking an arm?"
"That's. That's…" Shi Ting was shaking fearfully, cold sweat coursing down his face. He clearly regretted his outburst. Not his fault, given that I had caused all the blood to rush to his head from the constant kowtowing.
"Don't worry. With the Kao Gao so close, I don't think it's a good idea to put you in the hospital. Also, how will you be able to take the exam without a broken arm? Unlike you, I'm a lot more considerate."
Shi Ting looked extremely relieved, only for his expression to freeze when I suddenly snapped my fingers.
"Ah! But you don't need your legs to take the exam, do you?
I increased the pressure on his knee and snapped it, causing him to howl in pain.
"You…you fucker!"
I kicked his broken knee and he rolled around, screaming as he clutched his leg. Tears streamed down his eyes and he gritted his teeth.
"I'm just giving you a leg up," I replied and placed my foot on his other knee. He turned a shade paler.
"No! Please, no!"
"So…do you still have any funny ideas about harassing me again or hiring assassins?"
"No, no! I swear! I swear I won't bother you again!"
Right now, I must have resembled a monster. Shi Ting was literally foaming at the mouth. I could sniff the stink as he wet his pants. The girls looked away in disgust while the guys chuckled in amusement.
I had almost forgotten that I was right in front of an audience. At least they weren't doing their usual trash-talking nonsense about how I was going to lose or get my ass kicked, only to get their faces slapped when I proved them wrong.
"You guys." I turned to the five schoolmates who were keeping their distance from me, recognizing them as Shi Ting's lackeys. They jumped when they met my cold gaze, but I simply shook my head and gestured for them to come over. "Take your young master and go. Might want to bring him to a hospital."
"Y…yes."
"Understood."
Zhe Xiu and Wu Shu grabbed hold of Shi Ting and dragged him away. While they did so, I turned back to the five Ghost Bear Clan members. The four low-ranking dudes were stirring, groaning as they got up. I approached them and they immediately tensed.
"We…we surrender!"
"We won't bother you again!"
"Yeah, I'll hold you to that. But for now…" I jabbed a thumb at Ying Quan. "Get your boss out of here. And don't ever come to our high school again."
"Roger that!"
I watched as they scrambled toward Ying Quan and carried him out of there. Sighing, I scratched my head, retrieved my bag and then went home.
*
"Brother! You must help take revenge for me!"
Shi Ting was limping on a crutch while yelling to a handsome young man a few years older than him. His brother, Shi Mu, was dressed in a bathing robe, while two beautiful women were tending to him from both sides. One of them had her head buried in his crotch, presumably giving him…you know. That kind of job.
Shi Mu let out a moan, his fingers gripping the long hair of the girl whose face was in his groin. He cast a lazy glance at his younger brother.
"Xiao Ting, did you just order me?"
Shi Ting immediately turned pale. He shook his head frantically.
"No…of course not! I would never dare to!"
"Funny…are you saying that I'm lying?"
Shi Ting almost fainted when he caught the glare of his brother. Tears leaked from his eyes and he raised his free hand.
"No…never! It's just that…brother, you misheard me! I'm begging for your help! That's all!"
Shi Mu allowed the woman to continue pleasuring him for a bit longer, and then finally sighed dramatically. Whether it was from the sensation from his lower half or from resignation, Shi Ting couldn't tell.
"Xiao Ting, ah, you really are hopeless. What are you doing?"
"I…"
"Did you think Father sent you to high school to play around? To get into fights and get into trouble? Every time you cause a commotion, who do you think has to clean up your mess? And now that you lost a fight, you want me to come and wipe your fucking ass for you too? Don't you think you're getting a bit too entitled?"
"S…sorry, brother!" Shi Ting gulped and looked down, unable to meet his brother's fierce gaze. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and splashed onto the ground. His hands trembled violently.
"Also, you think the family's money belong to you, is it?" Shi Mu continued to drawl. "Just because we don't say anything when you withdraw a few thousand yuan here and there doesn't mean you can start getting complacent and drawing much larger sums. A few million yuan? To hire an assassin? Against a high school student? Are you fucking insane?"
"No…no…"
"Father is very mad, you know." Shi Mu dropped his voice to a whisper. "I convinced him after you returned the money, but he's on the verge of disowning you and kicking you out of the family. Stop your stupid stunts and concentrate on your Kao Gao. Quit getting into these meaningless schoolyard fights. Our family's wealth is not for you to recklessly spend on nonsensical stuff like hiring gangsters and assassins."
"U…understood." Shi Ting swallowed, but he clenched his fists tightly while leaning on his crutch. He couldn't let it go like this. He refused to let it end like this. All the humiliation he suffered…he must pay it back several fold. "But…brother, doesn't this concern the prestige and reputation of our family? If we let a commoner loser like that Shu Cong beat me around, wouldn't that bring shame to the Shi family?"
"Huh? Are you an idiot?"
Shi Mu yanked the girl away from the crotch, causing her to cry out in alarm. He ruffled the bottom of his robe to cover his dignity and stood up to glare at Shi Ting.
"Do you think people associate the reputation of the Shi family with whether you get beaten up by someone you harassed in school? By a victim who turned the tables on you and defeated whatever lackeys you have or hoodlums you hired? What goes on in that head of yours?"
"I…I…"
"Use your fucking brain! You are the one bringing shame to our family with your stupid antics! Causing the suicides of two girls! Hiring thugs to cripple a rising athlete star, forcing Father to dish out large sums of money so that you don't have to go to jail! And now trying to fucking commit murder in broad daylight! And you think people will laugh at us just because you failed to bully someone? No, they are already laughing at us for raising such a failure like you!"
Shi Mu grabbed an ashtray on the table and hurled it across the room. Shi Ting flinched as the ashtray whizzed past him and shattered against the wall behind.
"Now get your bloody act together and focus on the Kao Gao! Stop bothering other people with your nonsense! Otherwise…" Shi Mu lowered his voice to a point where the atmosphere of the room practically dropped to freezing point. "I don't care if you're my blood brother. I'll dispose of you myself."
"U…understood, brother."
Shi Ting hung his head, suitably chastened.
"Now get the fuck out of my room. You're ruining my mood." Shi Mu sat back down on the couch and placed a cigarette in his mouth. The other beautiful lady hastened to light it for him and he took a deep breath.
Shi Ting could only nod, turn around and shuffle out of the room in a pathetic manner.
*
"Ho? You said this kid beat you and four others?"
Gui Xiong was lounging on a gigantic throne-like chair as he listened to the account from a battered Ying Quan. The smaller man, dwarfed by the leader of the Ghost Bear Clan despite his own immense size, lowered his head and nodded.
"That's right."
"That's rare. To think you'll meet an opponent you cannot defeat."
Gui Xiong leaned back in his chair and contemplated. He raised a small glass and took a sip of wine.
"This kid, Shu Cong, he was using some sort of mystical martial arts. On the surface, it felt like Tai Ji Fist, but…"
"But…?" Gui Xiong prodded when his subordinate trailed off. Ying Quan swallowed, and then continued.
"I saw the yin-yang symbol coalesce behind him. That's no mistaking it. He was using rudimentary methods to manipulate spiritual qi."
"Really?" Gui Xiong leaned forward, his interest piqued. "And you think that he is a cultivator? Using ancient martial arts like the Na Lan family? Or perhaps he's from one of those hidden sects? What do they call them…ghost hunters?"
"I don't dare to say I know for sure, but I believe so. It's the only explanation." Ying Quan kept his head lowered.
"Hmm…I see. It's not surprising, considering that he was able to not only defeat you, but Yong Shi and the rest." Gui Xiong thought for a bit. "I didn't think we'll run into an ancient martial artist in Gao Zhong High School."
For a moment, Ying Quan remained silent, leaving his leader to his brooding thoughts. Gui Xiong then sighed heavily.
"And from what you said, it's unlikely that he will join the Ghost Bear Clan. Doubly so, especially since you attacked him."
"Yes." Ying Quan sighed. "It's a good thing he wasn't part of the Black Serpent Gang, or we would have been in trouble."
"Indeed," Gui Xiong rumbled. And then he paused for a moment, drumming his fingers along the side of his chair. "Black Serpent Gang…wait. Didn't they have members in Gao Zhong High as well?"
"Yes, but they were all killed in that incident over a few months ago. The one where we were framed."
"That's the incident I was thinking." Gui Xiong nodded in approval. His hand tightened into a fist. "Thirty Black Serpent gangsters annihilated…by what seemed to be a single person. And now, you fought a young man who just happens to know ancient martial arts. It can't be a coincidence, can it? Or am I overthinking things?"
Ying Quan blinked. "Boss, you can't mean…"
"Oh, yes, that's what I mean." Gui Xiong nodded pensively. He turned to a hooded figure who was standing a few paces away. "What do you think, Han Sha?"
The hooded figure returned his stare evenly. Despite his features being concealed by his hood, he was unable to hide his delight.
"Shu Cong, right? Yes, it's him. It's definitely him."
"The target you came all the way back here, to this world and this time, to eliminate?"
"Terminate," the hooded figure corrected. Gui Xiong rolled his eyes. Same difference. The hooded figure didn't seem to notice, though. He continued. "We cannot allow him to live. If he grows stronger, he'll become a massive threat to us in the future. That was why I have been sent here, to this time. To terminate him before he achieves that."
"And in return for teaching me your techniques, you want me to help you with this boy." Gui Xiong grinned as he inclined back in his vast seat of power. "Very well. I will have the boy brought to me. I wish to meet him, anyway."