The moment these words were uttered, the already-dispersed atmosphere in the classroom instantly solidified again.
Ma Shicheng looked at Jiang Ning as if he were looking at a madman and was shocked. He whispered,
"Have you gone mad, Jiang Ning? Provoking him now?"
Everyone had a sense of Song Sheng's fighting ability just now. They estimated that no one in the class could beat him. With Song Sheng still fuming, Jiang Ning dared to stand up to him—such a small figure that one punch from Song Sheng could knock him down.
The students in the class turned their attention to Song Sheng upon realizing it was Jiang Ning who had spoken.
Song Sheng slowly turned around, staring down Jiang Ning like a furious lion.
He had harbored displeasure towards Jiang Ning for a long time, and now this upstart dared to demand an apology, thinking he was someone important?
He walked towards Jiang Ning, and the air grew tenser. Huang Zhongfei tried to persuade him,
"Let it go this time, Song Sheng. If things get out of hand and the homeroom teacher comes, it won't end well."
Song Sheng issued a fierce threat, "It won't matter who comes, if anyone dares to stop me, I'll beat them up too!"
At these words, the surrounding students, seeing his fierce gaze, truly didn't step in to stop the fight.
They probably also felt that, considering things had already died down, Jiang Ning's stepping out to stir trouble now was really asking for it. His way of taking a stand was simply brainless.
Xue Yuantong felt puzzled. Knowing Jiang Ning for some time now, he had always been low-key. So why would he suddenly demand an apology from Song Sheng, who looked rather unapproachable?
However, she wasn't too worried. Though Jiang Ning was small in stature, she had ridden on his bicycle before. Anyone who could make a bike fly with his pedals could certainly run fast.
Shen Qing'e stared with wide eyes, as if seeing Jiang Ning for the first time. When did Jiang Ning become so bold? Even if he wanted to attract attention, this was not the way to do it, right?
Had he lost his mind?
Shen Qing'e had no intention of intervening. Well, let Jiang Ning be taught a lesson—it would serve to make him realize that Fourth Middle School was not the same as his previous rural junior high school.
Chen Siyu had been paying attention to Jiang Ning all day and, seeing that he was about to be beaten, quickly nudged Bai Yuxia, hoping she could stop the fight as she did before.
But Bai Yuxia slightly shook her head. Some people just couldn't be reasoned with, like Song Sheng, a violence fanatic. Once you angered him, he could even lash out and beat up girls—a dangerous element on the streets, perhaps fitting the description of anti-social personality.
Song Sheng walked to the last row of the classroom and suddenly erupted, slamming his fist towards Jiang Ning with great force, not holding back at all. If it had landed, it would definitely have hurt for a long time.
Guo Kunnan, seeing the fight start, didn't step forward to stop it. He had a good relationship with Dan Kaiquan, but only a so-so one with Jiang Ning—not worth intervening for.
Moreover, after being flung away by Song Sheng a moment ago and feeling his strength, if he tried to stop it, Song Sheng might well strike him too.
Huang Zhongfei rushed over to try to stop it, but it was too late. It seemed that Jiang Ning was about to be brutally beaten by Song Sheng in front of the whole class.
A cruel smile crossed Song Sheng's face, looking forward to savoring Jiang Ning's screams of agony.
In a flash, Jiang Ning suddenly kicked out.
As a cultivator, he had used only a fraction of his strength, yet it was already far beyond that of ordinary people, comparable to an Olympic champion.
Before Song Sheng's punch could land, Jiang Ning's leg struck first, hitting Song Sheng squarely in the chest.
It was as if the scene froze; Song Sheng was halted as if he had slammed into a car, and the next moment, his bulky body was sent flying backwards, crashing to the ground with a "bang" like a scene from a martial arts movie.
The entire class was stunned.
Song Sheng struggled to get up, his face deformed, vomiting a mouthful of acid water.
Jiang Ning slowly walked by his side and, under the shock and bewilderment of everyone's stares, reached out to grab Song Sheng's hair and nonchalantly lifted him up.
He spoke deliberately,
"Apologize? Did you hear me?"
Song Sheng's face turned vicious, as if ready to devour someone, and swung his fists fiercely towards Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning just smiled. He had seen this kind of look all too often, but what a pity—daring to show such a face without the strength to back it up was simply ignorant.
He easily caught Song Sheng's fist and with a slight squeeze, Song Sheng felt as if his fist was trapped in steel pliers, he held back a howl of pain as his features twisted grotesquely.
Guo Kunnan winced just looking at his expression.
"Do you apologize or not?" Jiang Ning asked him, continuing to apply force.
Song Sheng was sweating cold sweat from the pain, feeling like his bones were almost breaking as he begged for mercy,
"Let go, please let go, I apologize, I apologize!"
Jiang Ning released his grip; this guy had a fierce look on his face but possessed a pitifully weak will. He hadn't even used one ten-thousandth of his tormenting techniques before the other party couldn't take it anymore. It was hardly satisfying.
Jiang Ning slapped his face twice,
"Don't forget to pick up the table."
Dropping that comment, he took his seat back in a leisurely manner.
At this moment, the entire class looked at Jiang Ning, their gazes filled with disbelief, as if they were looking at an alien.
Jiang Ning's appearance was too deceiving. Song Sheng, a big guy weighing one hundred and seventy or eighty pounds, was actually kicked and sent flying by him – a sight they had never witnessed before.
What kind of strength was that?
They dared not contemplate in their minds, but they were clear that from now on, no one in the class would be able to bully Jiang Ning again.
Guo Kunnan moved closer and probed cautiously, "Jiang Ning, are you a martial artist?"
"I'm curious too, Brother Ning?" Ma Shicheng asked, is this like some kind of real-life campus expert?
Jiang Ning just smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
To the others, this reaction suddenly appeared profound. Ma Shicheng regretted not being a martial artist himself, otherwise, he could have had a moment of glory like Jiang Ning today.
On the other hand, Song Sheng wished he could kill Jiang Ning, wished he could end him, but at that moment, fearing Jiang Ning's fists, he could only keep his anger bottled up and tentatively fix the table.
He, being subdued by Jiang Ning just now, truly understood Jiang Ning's indifferent attitude towards life. If he dared to resist, the other party might even ruthlessly break his bones.
He himself was a bully, but in his eyes, Jiang Ning was an even more ruthless kind of the same breed.
And so, Song Sheng sincerely apologized to the few classmates who had been affected by his outburst, not daring to show any insincerity.
The few classmates had an inexplicable feeling. Had it not been for Jiang Ning stepping forward, given Song Sheng's character, he definitely would not have dealt with them and they would've had to suffer in silence.
Others might have thought Jiang Ning was impulsive just now, but in their eyes, when they were bullied, only Jiang Ning had stood up for them and spoke the words they should have said.
Justice is in the heart of the people. Some classmates thought, even if tonight's incident alarmed the class teacher, they would still speak a word of justice for Jiang Ning.
The class quieted down once more, but the thoughts of everyone had changed.
To those unfamiliar with Jiang Ning, they had seen Zhuang Jianhui's basketball skills in the morning, and by night, they had admired Jiang Ning performing a movie-like kick.
What a thrilling day it was.
Those who knew Jiang Ning well, such as Shen Qing'e, were particularly perplexed. She understood Jiang Ning all too well—it was fair to say that few people understood him better than she did. That's why she had been able to manipulate Jiang Ning previously by thoroughly understanding his thoughts.
Like a goddess understands a guy who fawns over her because he had already shown her all his few good points, leaving her with intimate knowledge.
But the side of Jiang Ning that had been revealed just now? She had never seen that before.
When Jiang Ning used to mess around with others, due to his short stature and thin build, it was easy for others to overpower him, leaving him in dire straits.
And now he could send someone flying with a kick?
Since when was he so capable?
Shen Qing'e didn't understand. She wanted to ask Jiang Ning, but she couldn't bring herself to do it; in her heart, Jiang Ning was no longer in her league.
'Anyway, what's the use of being good at fighting? Who still glorifies violence in modern society? The law is there, no matter how good you are at fighting, you're helpless in the face of a gun.'
After all, they were just two different kinds of people.
Shen Qing'e stopped thinking about these unimportant matters.