At last, the winner was decided. Seeing Tang San limp along, Wang Sheng came over to help him, but Tang San decisively dodged his outstretched arm.
Wang Sheng didn't think much of it. Instead, he turned to Huang Tian, his face lighting up with delight.
"Congratulations! You beat Tang San, so you're the new leader of Dorm Seven.
Boss, you're really amazing."
Huang Tian looked bewildered.
"What Dorm Seven? What leader? I'm not a work-study student.
I only came here to find an older student who knew the ropes and get some information. I wanted to find out if there were any particularly strong students or anything like that.
Who knew someone would challenge me before I'd even made it through the door?"
Wang Sheng was dumbfounded. A rumble went off in his head, and he felt as if the sky had fallen. His smile froze on his face, turning so ugly it looked like he was about to cry.
The other work-study students, who had just felt a rush of joy at the thought that they might finally stop being bullied by the nobles, were dumbstruck too, their faces ashen with grief.
Tang San's limping steps suddenly stopped. He stood motionless where he was.
He closed his eyes wordlessly. His face turned from red to green, then from green to purple. After taking several deep breaths, he felt his temples throbbing wildly and an urge to kill rising within him.
If you weren't a work-study student, why didn't you say so sooner?
If you didn't want to be the boss, why didn't you say so sooner?
And Wang Sheng, why didn't you ask first? Why?
Worse than getting beaten up was getting beaten up for nothing, when it could have been avoided altogether.
Huang Tian was completely oblivious to everyone else's mood. As if he'd suddenly had an idea, he clapped his hands with a bang.
"It's lunchtime. I'll treat all of you. How about you tell me what the academy's like?"
"We're just a bunch of work-study students."
Wang Sheng lowered his head slightly, his expression awkward, his dejection tinged with inferiority. Huang Tian looked puzzled.
"So what if you're work-study students? Do work-study students not have to eat?
Come on, let's go, all of you. Tang San, you're coming too."
As he spoke, he pushed Wang Sheng forward by the back and then ushered the others along, his manner utterly hearty.
Finally, he went to pull Tang San without a hint of hesitation. When Tang San dodged him, Huang Tian's expression turned thoughtful.
"You're angry because you lost that fight just now, aren't you?"
His tone immediately turned exasperated, as if Tang San had let him down.
"My teacher told me that a real man should stand tall, with the whole world in his heart. He should be like a fierce tiger and an eagle."
You lost this time? Then win next time. What's the point of crying and feeling sorry for yourself?
Come on, let's go. I still don't know if there are any other interesting students at the academy, but you're definitely one of them."
Sanzi had been cornered by his words, as if refusing to go would mean he was holding a grudge, even though that was exactly how he felt.
He could only follow along in silence, pretending not to care, though he still said nothing.
Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, General Outline, Article Nineteen: When an opponent cannot be defeated, feigning compliance is permitted.
Knowing what would happen next, Huang Tian deliberately asked on the way whether there were any bullies at the academy, or any cases of students picking on others.
As soon as they entered the cafeteria, a voice full of scorn and amusement came from the stairs to the second floor.
"Well, well, if it isn't Wang Sheng and his band of paupers."
"Paupers will be paupers. I doubt you'll ever make it upstairs to eat in your lives."
More than ten people occupied the stairs, looking down at them from above with mocking expressions. They clearly hadn't run into the group by chance; they'd been waiting for them on purpose.
Huang Tian immediately looked confused and turned to Wang Sheng.
"How long have they had this condition? Do they have frequent episodes? How many times a day, on average?"
Wang Sheng's face flushed red, but he darted a glance aside, unwilling to answer in front of the others.
Many of the work-study students lowered their heads in silence. Only Xiao Wu let out a sudden giggle, finding Huang Tian's way of speaking absolutely hilarious.
Insulted, the noble students on the stairs didn't get angry. Instead, they beamed as if they'd found something incredibly entertaining.
"So there's a new kid. Wang Sheng, didn't you tell him about the rules here?"
He put extra emphasis on the word "rules."
As soon as their leader spoke, several lackeys joined in, shouting and jeering.
"Heh, I admire your courage. Too bad courage won't fill your stomach."
"This is interesting. Hope you can keep talking tough when the time comes. Don't wet your pants or fall to your knees begging for mercy."
Huang Tian ignored them and stared straight at Sanzi.
"Tang San, you're the leader of the work-study students. What do you say?"
With his opponent's strength unknown, Pure and Innocent San didn't dare act rashly, especially after a new student had just beaten him up.
Sure enough, just like in the novel, he turned and went straight to join the line at the serving window, leaving behind a casual remark.
"I'm here to eat."
Tang Sect rules: Tang Sect disciples must not casually stir up trouble. But if anyone attacks them first, they may retaliate with thunderous force.
(Voice-over: Then why the hell don't you retaliate?)
He was obviously scared, but still tried to make excuses for himself.
I'm an adult. No matter what these students are like, they're all just kids in their teens. It'd be beneath a dignified transmigrator to squabble with them.
(Note: This is the original text.)
Tang San's reaction disappointed the work-study students, and Xiao Wu looked at him with disdain.
"Coward."
Huang Tian said nothing more and silently walked toward the serving window. But he didn't get in line. He went straight past everyone and stepped up to the counter.
He glanced around, tossed over a Gold Soul Coin, and snatched the steel ladle from the woman serving food. He hefted it up and down, testing its weight. When he found it felt pretty good, a faint smile appeared on his face.
He turned around, gripped the steel ladle, and charged forward. Near the stairs, he bent his knees and sprang into the air, bringing the ladle crashing down on the head of the noble at the front.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound rang out, shaking everyone to the core and making their foreheads ache in sympathy. It instantly drew everyone's attention.
Everyone, whether eating or getting food, immediately turned to look.
He knocked one of them down. Huang Tian didn't know his name, but the man rolled down the stairs with a series of thuds. Huang Tian immediately swung at the second.
As he whirled the steel ladle with a whoosh, he cursed furiously, his voice full of Li Yunlong-style rage.
"Rules, huh?"
"Nobles, huh?"
"You think you're hot stuff, huh?"
"Picking on the weak, huh?"
"Looking down on us from up there, huh?"
"Sick and refusing to get treatment, huh?"
Clang, clang, clang. The steel ladle smacking into skulls made a crisp sound, like a percussion instrument. Just hearing it made everyone's heart tighten and their bodies want to tremble.
Tang San stared in stunned disbelief. Xiao Wu stared in stunned disbelief. Wang Sheng stared in stunned disbelief. The work-study students stared in stunned disbelief. The woman serving food stared in stunned disbelief. Everyone in the cafeteria stared in stunned disbelief.
Only the nobles who had been occupying the stairs were different. Some clutched their heads and howled in agony, while others were so terrified that their faces turned deathly pale.
After two seconds of stunned silence, Xiao Wu let out a loud whoop, her eyes lighting up at once.
With excitement written all over her face, she charged forward and kicked a noble who was trying to escape down beside the stairs. Then she plunged into the crowd and started throwing punches, beating them even more enthusiastically than Huang Tian.
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