A New Way to Tease

At noon the next day, there were only two days left until the Quota Competition.

Lu Jue had just stepped through the Martial School gates when the phone in his pocket suddenly rang. The moment he answered, Liu Ga's almost distorted wail burst through:

"Fuck! Brother Jue! I really need you to save my life this time!"

After yesterday's turmoil, Liu Ga seemed to have sobered up considerably and quickly pulled himself free from the shadows of heartbreak.

When they spoke last night, he had even, for once, started staying up late to train extra.

"Explain yourself!"

"Instructor Li suddenly announced it! At three this afternoon, he's dragging our two classes in for a surprise assessment of Basic Fist Arts!"

"Didn't we just have one round of testing two months ago?" Lu Jue frowned slightly.

"Who the hell knows what that bastard's smoking! I think he's short on cash and is finding another way to squeeze money out of us! Brother Jue, hurry over and teach me a couple of vicious tricks. I'm cramming at the last minute—one extra point is still a point!"

"With guidance from a Grandmaster of Fist Arts like you, I'll definitely get a few more points!

"I'll be right there!" After ending the call, a sharp glint flashed through Lu Jue's eyes.

The Martial Arts Examination was divided into two sections: practical combat and theory. The former took priority, while the latter served as support.

Countless students took the Martial Arts Examination every year. If every ranking had to be determined through one-on-one fights, factoring in time to recover from injuries, the whole examination would drag on until the year of the monkey.

Generally speaking, the first two rounds of the Martial Arts Examination could not guarantee absolute fairness. A candidate with the same practical combat score as you might very well be a notch weaker.

At such times, what determined the rankings was the theory score accumulated during one's years at school.

The higher one's theory score, the higher one's overall ranking among candidates with identical practical combat scores. Assessments were an important component of those theory points.

According to the rules, Sixth Grade martial arts students had to undergo an assessment of the Three Great Basic Cultivation Methods once every three months, with the scoring authority held by the Assistant Instructor responsible for that method.

If the method had already been mastered to perfection, the student would automatically receive full marks and be permanently exempted from all subsequent assessments.

Lu Jue remembered that Instructor Li had only organized an assessment two months ago.

It was probably because Lu Jue had extorted him last time, leaving his pockets flat. He wanted to hold an assessment early and rake in some extra cash.

"Heh, wants to make money?" A cold curve lifted at Lu Jue's lips.

"Then this time, I'll make sure you earn your fill."

He changed direction, no longer returning to the dormitory, and headed straight for the training hall where the afternoon assessment would take place.

Meanwhile, inside the instructors' office.

Li Zhanting lounged with his feet propped atop the desk, his body leaning slightly back with the chair. He appraised the pretty-faced girl standing before his desk with an amused gaze.

"Yao Li!"

Li Zhanting drew out the words, his fingers tapping endlessly against the desktop. "It's not that I want to criticize you, but more than two months have passed. How come your fist arts haven't improved at all? Your force is all soft and limp, and your circulation of blood and qi is sluggish."

"It would be one thing if you hadn't improved, but what's the meaning of stuffing money into my hands? Are you trying to bribe an instructor?"

Yao Li lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes between her hands, her face slightly pale.

How could she not hear the hidden meaning in Instructor Li's words? She felt both terrified and resistant.

She had originally wanted to be like the other students, scrape together some money to smooth things over and ward off disaster by spending money. Who would have thought Instructor Li would explicitly refuse the cash, and instead—

Seeing her remain silent, a trace of smugness flashed through Li Zhanting's eyes as he continued to coax her. "Of course, scoring is ultimately an instructor's subjective judgment. I know your family circumstances are difficult. Actually, as long as you're a little more sensible..."

"As your instructor, I can naturally see your 'hard work' and 'improvement.' Then your score will rise as well. You don't want your results in this assessment to look too ugly, do you?"

As he spoke, he lowered his feet and seemingly casually paced over to Yao Li's side. One hand naturally reached toward her faintly trembling shoulder.

Yao Li flinched as if burned and instinctively retreated a step. But her back struck the cold metal filing cabinet behind her with a thud. There was nowhere left to retreat.

The smile on Li Zhanting's face deepened, carrying the teasing amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

Not only did he fail to withdraw his hand, he pressed forward another half-step. His other hand rose as well, seemingly to brush away a few loose strands of hair from her forehead. The gesture was frivolous, and his intentions could not have been clearer.

"Why are you hiding?"

His voice lowered as his gaze swept across her chest, which rose and fell faintly with her hurried breathing. "Your hair's all messy. During an assessment, one's appearance and bearing are important too."

Yao Li's entire body went rigid. She instinctively wanted to raise her hand and knock his away, but her arm felt as heavy as if filled with lead.

"Let your instructor take good care of you."

Just as those fingers were about to touch Yao Li's cheek—

Bang!

The office door was pushed open without warning.

A cool, aloof figure stood in the doorway, holding a document. Her voice was calm and even. "Instructor Li, the list of students from Classes Six and Seven participating in this assessment, along with their past results, is all here. Please review it."

As though pricked by a needle, Li Zhanting instantly pulled back all his movements. The lecherous expression on his face switched within a hundredth of a second into one of propriety, even faint eagerness, so quickly it was astonishing.

"Oh, it's Student Su Li! Thanks for the effort, thanks for the effort. Why trouble yourself with something so minor? Just put it on the desk. I'll look it over in a moment!"

Ordinarily, he relied on his Lineage connections and position as an instructor to swagger before the students, throwing his weight around. Yet the scales in his heart were perfectly clear: he knew exactly whom he could provoke and whom he absolutely could not offend.

The woman before him was not only the principal's personal disciple, but also a committee member of the Martial School Academic Affairs Office. Even though she spoke courteously and without the slightest air of superiority, he did not dare slight her in the least. The filthy thoughts in his heart had long since been scared into smoke.

Su Li's gaze calmly swept through the office, briefly resting on Yao Li for a moment. "You're Yao Li from Class Six, right? The assessment is about to begin. Why aren't you hurrying off to prepare?"

At those words, Yao Li felt as though she had been granted amnesty. She nearly fled the office.

Then Su Li placed the list on the tea table by the door and dipped her head slightly. "Instructor Li, according to the procedure stipulated in Martial School Article 78, I cannot leave until you have signed to confirm this list."

The muscles in Li Zhanting's face twitched almost imperceptibly. He could only force out an even more "kindly" smile and repeatedly agree. "Of course! Of course! Student Su is truly meticulous in her work. I'll review it right away, sign it right away!"

He quickly picked up the list and flipped through it for show, then promptly grabbed a pen and signed it. Holding the list up in both hands, he indicated for her to inspect it.

After Su Li confirmed that everything was in order, she nodded faintly once more and finally turned to leave, her departing figure as cool and aloof as ever.

Only after the door closed did a strange look flash through her eyes. She swiftly took out a notepad and pen and wrote:

A new way to tease: using the authority in one's hands to forcibly touch the other person's body