How Dare You Blackmail Me?

The next morning, Gao Teng woke up and headed straight to Mercy Hospital again.

But when he took the elevator to the seventh floor, he didn't find Zhou Xing in the hospital room.

"Where's my best buddy?"

A wave of disappointment washed over Gao Teng, and the world seemed to turn gray.

He hurried over to the nurses' station in the corridor and asked, "Hi, could you tell me where Zhou Xing from Room 5 went? Was he discharged?"

At the mention of Zhou Xing's name, the nurse immediately grew wary. "What's your relationship to him?"

"We're classmates. Why?"

The nurse breathed a sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing at once. "He was discharged yesterday."

"Discharged?"

Gao Teng's eyes flickered. Knowing Zhou Xing, he definitely wouldn't go home to recuperate. He had probably gone back to school, right?

"Thanks."

Without wasting any time, Gao Teng turned to leave.

But after a few steps, he turned back and asked curiously, "Yesterday, Zhou Xing's family made a huge scene at the hospital. How did it end?"

The nurse looked Gao Teng up and down, her gaze tinged with suspicion.

Gao Teng smiled and explained, "I'm just curious. Actually, I'm not on good terms with Zhou Xing. He used to bully me all the time, so I'm pretty happy to see him suffer."

The nurse's face filled with disgust. "Zhou Xing's mother is such a scammer. She kept insisting that our hospital had ruined her son's health and demanded five million right off the bat.

"There was no way the director would put up with that kind of nonsense, so he had the security guards escort them out of the hospital."

Gao Teng's smile widened. That "escort" had definitely involved some rough treatment.

Too bad he'd been in a hurry yesterday and hadn't had time to stay and watch. He could've witnessed another exciting scene.

"Too bad."

Gao Teng felt a little regretful. After thanking the nurse, he went downstairs and left the hospital, then hailed a taxi to Fifth Middle School.

Once he arrived at school, he headed straight for the classroom where Zhou Xing was supposed to be.

But to his surprise, Zhou Xing's seat was empty. The guy hadn't come to school.

"Hey!"

He'd come up empty again. Gao Teng scratched his head. Looks like he'd have to visit Zhou Xing's house. What a pain in the ass that guy was.

Gao Teng cursed Zhou Xing under his breath and headed upstairs.

But he'd only climbed a few steps when he ran into Zhou Xing, who was waiting in the stairwell.

Zhou Xing looked awful. His eye sockets were dark, his face was deathly pale, and his hair was a bird's nest. He looked as if he'd endured some kind of mental torture.

"Gao Teng!"

Zhou Xing shouted his name viciously, his expression dark as could be.

Gao Teng's lips curled into a smile as he walked over. "I heard you were hospitalized. You doing okay?

"You have no idea how much I missed you. I'm glad to see you back at school today."

"Quit pretending we're friends!"

Zhou Xing cursed viciously. "Have you got the thousand yuan ready? Hand it over!"

"Heh."

Gao Teng gave a derisive laugh.

Instantly, rage surged through Zhou Xing. His qi roared, and he raised his fist to punch Gao Teng in the face.

Gao Teng remained calm, not the slightest ripple stirring in his heart.

Zhou Xing's body was far too weak now. The power behind his strike was pitiful, with no force to it at all.

Gao Teng casually raised a hand and blocked the punch with ease.

"!!!"

Zhou Xing's expression changed dramatically, disbelief written all over his face.

The next moment, Gao Teng moved. He punched Zhou Xing in the stomach, and the force of his blow ripped straight through him!

Zhou Xing spat out a mouthful of blood and doubled over like a shrimp. It felt as if thousands of knives were twisting in his gut, and the pain nearly stopped him from breathing.

Gao Teng didn't stop there. He grabbed Zhou Xing by the collar, raised his hand, and slapped him over and over.

Before long, Zhou Xing had taken more than thirty slaps. His face swelled up like a pig's, and blood mixed with saliva trickled from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly wretched.

"Get lost!"

Gao Teng shoved him hard. Zhou Xing stumbled and fell onto the floor, stars bursting before his eyes. The world spun, and he couldn't recover for a long time.

"With strength like yours, you think you can extort me? Who do you think you are?"

Gao Teng grabbed Zhou Xing by the hair and flung him down the stairs. He bounced down the steps one by one and landed in the corner like a heap of mud.

Gao Teng stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at him.

After all those days of hard training, he could finally beat Zhou Xing like a dog.

He watched Zhou Xing with a mocking look for a moment, then turned and headed upstairs.

Stealing Zhou Xing's cultivation now might make him suspicious. It'd be better to wait until the break.

It wasn't as if Zhou Xing could run away. There was no need to rush.

Before long, Gao Teng entered the Class Five classroom and sat cross-legged in his chair to cultivate, as he usually did.

A class flew by in the blink of an eye. Gao Teng slowly opened his eyes as the qi circulating through his meridians gradually returned to his dantian.

He got up, stretched, glanced at his classmates, who were still immersed in cultivation, and headed out of the classroom.

It was time for Zhou Xing to have another good day!

"Gao Teng."

As Gao Teng walked out of the classroom, a dark-skinned classmate approached him.

Gao Teng's gaze shifted. This was his former deskmate, Zhu Hong.

Back when Zhou Xing had been rushed to the hospital, they'd talked for a while outside the Class Eight classroom.

"What is it?"

Zhu Hong pressed his lips together, looking troubled. "Did you get on Zhou Xing's bad side?

"He told you to go to the back hill. He said he wanted to talk to you about something, so he sent me to pass the message along."

Gao Teng raised an eyebrow. That beating hadn't taught Zhou Xing a lesson? Did he want another one?

"Somebody beat Zhou Xing up today, and he's in a really bad mood. I don't know if he's planning to take it out on you.

"He's gathered a bunch of people at the back hill to wait for you. If you go, you'd better watch what you say. Whatever he asks you to do, don't go against him. If you make him angry, he'll definitely make your life hell."

Zhu Hong swallowed, then added miserably, "He demanded a thousand yuan from me today. I had no choice but to give it to him.

"He's already got a lot of anger bottled up, so don't go provoking him.

"Honestly, I don't really understand you. With your grades, you're not going to get into a junior college anyway, so why stay at school and let Zhou Xing bully you?

"If I were you, I'd drop out and get a job."

Gao Teng smiled. Zhou Xing and his gang really were just a bunch of kids. They acted so ridiculously immaturely that it was embarrassing to watch.

He patted Zhu Hong on the shoulder. "Come with me to the back hill. I'll help you get your money back."

"Huh?"

Zhu Hong's eyes widened. He wondered if he'd heard wrong.

"What did you say? Have you lost your mind?"

"How are you going to get my money back? By kowtowing to Zhou Xing and his gang one by one?"

"You could smash your head open kowtowing and it still wouldn't work. Why would they give the money back just because they feel sorry for you? That's a pipe dream!"

Gao Teng shook his head. "You underestimate me. I'm going to make them return the money by force."

Zhu Hong stared at him in disbelief. "Are you okay? What's gotten into you?"