"Are you all right, kid?" After chasing off the troublemaking brats, the old instructor asked Chang Ping with concern.
Chang Ping shook his head.
"If you're all right, go back to your seat. Class is about to start." The old instructor patted Chang Ping on the shoulder.
Chang Ping turned and walked over to Shen Yue's seat, then dropped into it.
The old instructor was a little surprised, but didn't say anything.
A while later, Shen Yue slunk in through the door with his tail between his legs, like a stray dog. Under everyone's mocking gazes, he took a seat in the back of the classroom.
He clenched his fists and glared at Chang Ping with venom. Just you wait, you little bastard. After school at noon, if I don't beat you until you call me Dad, I'll stop being a Shen!
Given Chang Ping's formidable fighting skills, Shen Yue wasn't going to challenge him one-on-one. He planned to round up a bunch of people and gang up on him instead. After all, two fists couldn't beat four hands, and a lion couldn't take on a pack of wolves. No matter how strong someone was, they couldn't defeat a crowd—especially when the other side had weapons.
Time vanished as quickly as a burning match. In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
Ding, ding, ding!
The moment the dismissal bell rang, groups of students poured out of the classrooms. They raced across the courtyard, shouting and chattering, and surged toward the academy's large cafeteria to the north.
The sun blazed overhead, like a fiery umbrella spread across the sky.
The Grain in Ear season was nearly upon them, and the weather had grown quite warm. Wearing a straw hat, Chang Ping followed the crowd onward.
Lu Piao laced his fingers together, rested his arms behind his head, and ambled along behind Chang Ping, using his broad back for shade.
Suddenly, a senior student with one eye bigger than the other hurried up and spread his arms, blocking Chang Ping's path.
"Kid, Young Master Shen wants to see you!"
Chang Ping answered with a palm as big as a fan.
With a sharp smack, the senior student flew sideways to the left, blood spurting from his mouth and nose.
Chang Ping had held back. If he'd used Dark Energy, that one slap would have let the overconfident senior student see his own brains.
"Go tell Shen Yue and Shen Fei that if they don't want to die, they'd better stop bothering me!"
After warning Shen Yue's lackey, Chang Ping snorted and headed for the cafeteria.
"Brother Chang, you're amazing! Hao Jian's in the Formal Class, and he's a Silver Two-star martial artist. You took him down with one slap!" Lu Piao promptly showered Chang Ping with praise.
Chang Ping said expressionlessly, "He's trash. I don't even take him seriously."
Only after the two had gone some distance did Shen Yue and the others dare come over and help Hao Jian up.
Shen Yue hadn't expected Chang Ping to be so terrifyingly strong. He deeply regretted not heeding his older brother's advice.
Now it seemed there were only two ways to deal with Chang Ping. Either spend a fortune on a Gold Weapon capable of killing him in one strike, or wait until Chang Ping left the academy and have the family's Gold-rank experts surround and kill him.
Even an ordinary Gold Weapon cost at least a million Demon Spirit Coins. Shen Yue didn't have that kind of money, so he could only choose the second option.
"Do I have to let him walk all over me for as long as I'm in this academy?" Shen Yue clenched his fists, deeply unwilling to accept it.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
If he couldn't beat Chang Ping head-on, he could use underhanded methods instead!
"You, go buy a packet of arsenic from the shops outside!" Shen Yue ordered one of his underlings. "Remember, get the most poisonous kind. It has to be enough to kill a Gold-rank demon beast."
The academy's large cafeteria.
By the time Chang Ping and Lu Piao arrived, the first floor was already packed.
Saint Orchid Academy had thousands of students and nearly a hundred instructors, all eating in the same place. Of course it was crowded.
"The first floor's a free cafeteria for commoners, and the second floor's a paid dining hall for nobles. Let's go to the second floor, Brother Chang. My treat!" Lu Piao tugged Chang Ping toward the stairs.
"No need! I'm worried I'll eat you broke!" Chang Ping refused.
Lu Piao still hadn't realized how serious things were. He laughed and patted his wallet. "I've got over three thousand Demon Spirit Coins here. That's enough to buy more than six thousand sesame flatbreads. You think you can eat me broke? Don't be shy. Come on!"
Ten minutes later.
Lu Piao came downstairs with a mournful expression.
"That was a great meal. Thanks for treating me!" Chang Ping said gratefully, picking his teeth.
Lu Piao forced a smile more painful than crying and twitched the corners of his mouth. "As long as you enjoyed it, Brother Chang!"
He'd eaten three thousand Demon Spirit Coins' worth of food. Was this guy a bottomless pit?
He'd swallowed the sesame flatbreads one after another without even chewing. That wasn't eating—it was drinking his food.
After lunch, the two headed toward the dormitory district.
"Hey, where are you going? The students' dorms are to the right!" Lu Piao suddenly called out.
Chang Ping gave a thumbs-up and pointed to the left. "Those are your dorms. Mine are over there."
"Why do you get to live in the instructors' dorms?" Now that he'd gotten to know Chang Ping, Lu Piao wasn't as reserved around him as before.
Chang Ping shrugged. "Vice Dean Ye Sheng arranged it personally. I'm not sure why. Probably because I'm a genius?"
"A genius? A genius at eating?" Lu Piao was still sore about Chang Ping polishing off three thousand coins' worth of food in one meal.
"Maybe." Chang Ping looked helpless. "Thanks for treating me to lunch today. I'll treat you to a feast another time."
"When's 'another time'?" Lu Piao pressed.
"How about a week from now?"
In seven days, he'd be able to collect seventy thousand Demon Spirit Coins in cash from the General Affairs Office staff.
The two went their separate ways and returned to their own dorms.
On the way, Chang Ping ran into an old acquaintance.
It was none other than Shen Xiu.
The moment Shen Xiu saw him, she fled in a panic, like a fly confronted with insecticide.
"Stop! Don't run!" Chang Ping darted forward and blocked Shen Xiu's way.
Shen Xiu's wide, frightened eyes glared at him warily. "What do you want?"
"What else? You, of course!" Chang Ping smiled wickedly. "Instructor Shen Xiu, you don't want the men of the entire Glory City seeing your secret photos, do you?"
"You're shameless!" Shen Xiu slapped at Chang Ping's face, but he caught her wrist first, gripping it lightly.
"Thanks for the compliment. I'll show you just how shameless I can be!"
Chang Ping gave a sudden tug and pulled Shen Xiu into his arms.
"Let go of me! If you keep this up, I'll call for help!" Shen Xiu cried out in terror and struggled wildly. She never wanted to relive last night's nightmare.
"Go ahead, call! Scream all you want—no one's coming to save you." Chang Ping didn't let go. He only tightened his embrace.
She'd eaten his heart, then thought one quick fling would settle things. Not a chance!
Shen Xiu had been poisoned by Xiangliu's Blackwater Strange Poison. She'd been able to endure it, but when Chang Ping pulled her into his arms, her emotions surged, and the poison quickly spread, beginning to take effect.
Her breathing grew ragged, and her gaze turned hazy. She even began to wind her arms around Chang Ping's thick neck of her own accord.
"Good. You know what's best for you!" Chang Ping snorted, swept Shen Xiu into his arms, and strode toward the dorms.
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