Hua Qiang waved a hand in front of Wang Baoyuan's eyes several times, but Wang Baoyuan remained standing there like a statue, utterly unresponsive.
With no other choice, Hua Qiang slapped him across the face.
"Ow, Brother Qiang, why did you hit me?"
"Hehe, there was a mosquito on your face. I helped you smack it dead!"
Two meters away from Hua Qiang, a mosquito quietly flew past, then said indignantly:
"Don't drag us mosquitoes into this. At least come up with a more convincing excuse!"
"You slapped someone, so just admit it generously. Why make us mosquitoes take the blame?"
"If I hadn't noticed that you fat bastard had already reached the martial artist level, I'd definitely have jabbed your face hard a few times today and sucked you dry!"
Wang Baoyuan stared straight at Hua Qiang with wide eyes, making Hua Qiang's scalp tingle and goosebumps rise all over his body.
"Fatty, the way you're looking at me is creepy!"
"Brother Qiang, you're not being loyal!"
"When did you become a martial artist?"
"Why didn't you tell me about something this huge?"
"Are we still brothers?"
"Are we still buddies?"
"Didn't we practically wear the same pair of pants..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Fatty, don't get more and more ridiculous. When have we ever worn the same pair of pants?"
"With our builds... do you think we could even fit into one pair?"
"Huh? Brother Qiang, if you hadn't mentioned it, I really wouldn't have noticed. How did you get so much thinner?"
"Quick! Tell me, how did you slim down?"
"I want to lose weight too! I want to become the hottest guy around!"
A couple of words from Hua Qiang had sent Wang Baoyuan completely off track, and he even forgot what he had wanted to ask.
"Fatty, if anything happens in the future, Brother Qiang has got your back. Those words will always stand!"
"Good! Brother Qiang, I'll remember that. You'll walk the path of martial arts, while I'll walk the path of literature."
"One scholar and one warrior, twin swords joined as one—we'll be invincible under heaven!"
"If you ever need anything, just say the word. Don't forget me, your friend from the days of bran and chaff, just because you've become a martial artist and entered that lofty circle!"
Hua Qiang rolled his eyes at him. "What kind of talk is that?"
"You even brought up 'bran and chaff.' Aren't you just trying to disgust me?"
Hua Qiang made a gagging motion.
"Hahaha, Brother Qiang, you still haven't answered me. When did you become a martial artist? What realm are you at now?"
Wang Baoyuan finally remembered his earlier topic and circled back to it.
"Just these past couple of days. I woke up from a nap and discovered I'd shed my mortal frame and exchanged my bones, completely bidding farewell to the old me..."
Listening to Hua Qiang's fog-shrouded explanation, Wang Baoyuan got so dizzy he was utterly turned around.
In truth, Hua Qiang's words were half real and half false. It was just that Wang Baoyuan found it all too fantastical to believe, yet had no choice but to believe it.
The reality was that Hua Qiang had become a martial artist—and a mid-stage martial artist at that.
Naturally, Hua Qiang had deliberately concealed some of the truth.
What Wang Baoyuan envied most was that Hua Qiang had become thinner and turned into a devastatingly handsome man.
That was something he had dreamed of!
If Wang Baoyuan also became a handsome man, then with his family's wealth, wouldn't girls be throwing themselves at him by the armful?
Instead of like now, when he wanted to throw himself at girls but they refused.
This guy simply weighed too much. They were afraid he would crush them to death...
"Brother Bao, let's part ways here. I've got things to do!"
Wang Baoyuan's form of address kept changing in Hua Qiang's mouth.
"Alright, Brother Qiang, go handle your business. Remember, we're queueing together this weekend!"
"Well, we'll talk about it this weekend. If I'm free, I'll go indulge you!"
Ye Bingxue stood at the entrance of First High School, stretching her neck as she looked toward the end of the street.
She kept grumbling to herself. How could this old brother of hers be so unreliable?
He had said he would come over as soon as school let out, but half an hour had already passed. Why was there still no sign of him?
How dare he stand me up? Just wait until we get home and see how I deal with you!
Beep beep beep!
A burst of car horns sounded behind Ye Bingxue, and then a luxury car stopped beside her.
The window rolled down, revealing a young man with a center-parted hairstyle plastered down with greasy hair wax and several pimples on his face. He looked at Ye Bingxue with burning eyes.
"Yo! Bingxue, are you waiting for me?"
"Come on, get in. I'll take you out to eat the finest food and drink the hottest drinks!"
Ye Bingxue looked at this notorious delinquent from Class 2 of the third year, disgust flashing over her face. She looked away and ignored the spoiled rich brat.
"Oh? So proud? I like it!"
Seeing that no one else was around and that Ye Bingxue was alone, Ye Xuewen's heart immediately burned hot, and even his balls perked up.
He opened the car door, got out, and walked toward Ye Bingxue.
"Bingxue, you should know exactly how I feel about you, right?"
"Better to act on a lucky day than wait for a chosen one. No matter what, you're having dinner with me today!"
"I'll treat you to a feast, then we'll catch a movie, and afterward... hehe hehe!"
Watching this spoiled brat of a classmate, with that drooling idiot face, keep edging closer to her, Ye Bingxue felt utterly disgusted!
The trace of resentment that had built up in her heart while waiting for Hua Qiang was stirred up by this delinquent classmate, making her even angrier.
Her face turned cold as she snapped, "Classmate, please show some respect. If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Oh, Bingxue, I just love that cold and domineering look of yours!"
"I love it when you're rude to me!"
"Come on... don't be polite! Hehe hehe!"
The more Ye Xuewen spoke, the more excited he became, and he kept pressing closer to Ye Bingxue.
The foul stench from his mouth nearly made Ye Bingxue throw up.
When she looked at him again, her brows stood on end and her eyes blazed with fury.
"I'm warning you: if you dare come any closer, I'll make a move against you!"
Ye Xuewen shrugged, his face full of lewdness.
"Fine, fine, Bingxue, make a move against me!"
"Harder... use more strength. The harder you go, the more I like it!"
Ye Xuewen only felt his face receive a vicious slap. His head spun, his body turned several circles where he stood, and with a thud, he fell to the ground.
He shook his head hard. Once the golden stars dancing before his eyes faded away and he saw who stood before him, he immediately flew into a rage.
"Bastard, who the hell are you? You dare hit me? Are you courting death?"
Hua Qiang looked at Ye Xuewen with a half-smile. "Don't you like being abused? Didn't you ask people to use more strength?"
"I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've seen someone make a request like that, so I satisfied you!"
"Do you think that wasn't enough force just now? Want me to add a little more?"
Ye Bingxue had originally been about to slap Ye Xuewen herself, but then a figure suddenly appeared beside her and directly knocked that hateful person to the ground.
When she saw that it was her old brother, her face immediately lit up with joy.
All the resentment she had felt from waiting for him vanished in an instant.
Now, seeing the wicked sort of exchange between her old brother and that annoying creep, she could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Little sis, who's this guy? Has he been pestering you often? Want your old brother to... crush him to death?"
Hua Qiang made a squeezing motion with his hand, then rubbed his fingers together.
It looked as if he had truly crushed something to pieces, then cleaned up the remains.
"Y-you... who are you? Don't do anything reckless!"
"I'm Ye Xuewen, the Young Master of the Ye Clan!"
"My father is Ye Liuxiang, the master of Liuxiang Martial Arts Hall."
"If you dare touch me, my father won't let you off!"
Before you continue