Han Li's Ledger

In the early morning, the dining hall of Shrek Academy was filled with the mixed smell of watery porridge and pickled vegetables.

Dean Flender was famous for being stingy. Breakfast at the academy always consisted of just three things: plain porridge, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns.

Oscar had once complained that it was "pig slop" and been punished by Flender with twenty laps. After that, he never dared say it out loud again, only grumbling about it to Dai Mubai in private.

Han Li sat in the very corner of the dining hall, his back to the wall and his face toward the entrance.

It was a habit of his. No matter which world he was in, he liked sitting somewhere he could observe everyone.

He had done the same in the Seven Profound Sect in his previous life, in the Yue Kingdom, in the Chaotic Star Sea, and now, in the Douluo Continent.

A bowl of plain porridge, a steamed bun, and a dish of pickled vegetables sat on the table in front of him.

He hadn't touched the porridge, the bun, or the pickled vegetables.

Han Li held a writing brush in his hand, with an old, worn notebook spread out before him.

The cover had been so worn that its original color was impossible to make out. Its corners curled up, and its pages had yellowed, but the handwriting inside was neat and orderly. Every single stroke carried a seriousness that made one's scalp prickle.

His expression was focused, his gaze calm, and the corners of his mouth even tilted up slightly—if one ignored the chilling glint in his eyes.

He dipped the brush in ink and put it to paper.

"Person No. 301."

Han Li's brush flew across the page, his handwriting as neat as print.

"Cafeteria lady. This morning, while serving food, she said someone who looked like me shouldn't eat so much. Noted. Approximately forty to fifty years old. Martial Soul possibly related to kitchen utensils. Soul Power around level thirty. Crime scene: serving window at Shrek Academy dining hall. Time of crime: the third quarter of the Chen hour. Remark: her hand shook badly while serving food, suggesting she deliberately gave me less."

When he had finished, Han Li gently blew on the ink and studied it with satisfaction for a moment. Then he turned to the previous page and reviewed the earlier entries.

Person No. 287: Fabric shop owner in Suotuo City, said, "An ugly freak like you can't afford good cloth."

Revenge taken: Infiltrated his shop that night using a Stealth Talisman and cut three inches off all his fabric. The shop owner still hasn't noticed.

Person No. 289: Child on the roadside, said, "Mom, look how ugly that person is." Revenge taken: Used an Illusion Array to scare the child into thinking he'd seen a ghost. He cried for three days. His parents hired seven Soul Masters to drive away the evil spirits, all to no avail.

Person No. 295: Shrek Academy gatekeeper, said, "Someone who looks like that dares to come to our academy?" Revenge pending: Plan in progress.

The corners of Han Li's mouth lifted. He closed the notebook and was just about to drink his porridge.

"Hey, Han Li, what are you hiding away over here by yourself?"

Xiao Yan sauntered over with a tray and plopped down across from Han Li.

He was in a good mood today. His cultivation of the Heavenly Flames had advanced the night before, and the fusion between the Green Lotus Core Flame and his Soul Power had improved by several percentage points.

Han Li reacted in the blink of an eye. The notebook vanished, stowed away in his Storage Bag.

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "What's so precious?"

Han Li kept a straight face. "None of your business."

"Tch, so secretive." Xiao Yan took a bite of his steamed bun and frowned. "This bun's harder than a rock. Does Dean Flender think he's raising pigs?"

Han Li didn't answer and lowered his head to drink his porridge.

Xiao Yan didn't mind. He ate on his own, wolfing down his food as if afraid someone would snatch it from him. He stuffed the bun into his mouth in a few bites, then picked up the bowl and drained his porridge.

"Burp!" Xiao Yan let out a belch and wiped his mouth. "Han Li, lend me your Heavenly Bottle, will you? I want to grow some medicinal herbs too."

"No."

"Stingy."

"Mm."

Their conversation was as terse as that of two strangers. In fact, they were strangers. Before transmigrating, each had cut a swath through his own world. Afterward, they had become fellow sufferers, but they were far from close.

Xiao Yan's impression of Han Li was: ugly, quiet, scheming, and not to be trifled with.

Han Li's impression of Xiao Yan was: talkative, reckless, fond of showing off, but reasonably capable.

The one thing they had in common was that neither wanted to get close to the other.

If life had carried on this way, the ledger might never have been discovered.

But then Shi Hao arrived.

"Breakfast! Breakfast! Breakfast!"

Shi Hao's voice boomed from the dining hall entrance, making the windows buzz. He strode inside bare-chested, his muscles gleaming bronze in the morning light. Mud clung to his trouser legs; he had clearly just finished smashing rocks in the back hills and rushed straight to the dining hall without even putting on a shirt.

"Shi Hao, could you put some clothes on?" Xiao Yan said with distaste.

"Clothes get in the way of my performance!" Shi Hao declared, entirely unapologetic.

He brought over five bowls of porridge, ten steamed buns, and six dishes of pickled vegetables, stacked up like a little mountain. With a clatter, he set them on the table beside Han Li and pulled out a chair.

The chair creaked under his weight as he sat down.

Shi Hao paid it no mind. He grabbed a bun in each hand and ate with both at once, his cheeks bulging like a hamster's.

Xiao Yan's mouth twitched at the amount he was eating. "You're eating enough for five people all by yourself?"

"Not enough," Shi Hao mumbled. "I can only eat until I'm seventy percent full at breakfast. Anything more would affect my cultivation."

"Seventy percent full?" Xiao Yan looked at the mountain of food in front of him. "You call that seventy percent?!"

"Mm, seventy percent." Shi Hao swallowed the bun in his mouth. "Three more portions and I'd be able to fight a thousand-year Soul Beast."

Xiao Yan: "..."

Han Li silently drank his porridge, doing his best to make himself inconspicuous.

But his efforts failed.

When Shi Hao finished his fifth bun, his gaze suddenly fell on Han Li—or, more precisely, on the bulging Storage Bag at Han Li's waist.

"Han Li, what's in that bag?" Shi Hao asked. "You carry it around every day and treat it like a treasure."

Han Li's hand instinctively settled on the Storage Bag. "Nothing."

"Let me see!"

"No."

"Looking won't make it any smaller!" Shi Hao said, reaching out to snatch it.

Han Li's expression turned as dark as water. He was about to dodge, but Shi Hao was much faster than he'd expected.

That enormous, fan-like hand went straight through Han Li's guard and grabbed the Storage Bag's drawstring.

Han Li's pupils contracted.

Shi Hao yanked, pulling the Storage Bag free. Han Li stepped back two paces, his face livid. "Shi Hao, give it back."

"Just let me take a look, you miser." Shi Hao casually untied the Storage Bag and tipped it upside down.

Clatter.

A pile of things spilled out: bottles and jars, formation flags and talismans, spirit stones and pills, herb seeds... and the old, worn notebook.

The notebook hit the ground and fell open.

Shi Hao's attention was drawn to it. He bent down, picked it up, and casually read aloud, "Person No. 301. Cafeteria lady. This morning, while serving food, she said someone who looked like me shouldn't eat so much. Noted..."

His voice was loud enough for the whole dining hall to hear.

Xiao Yan stopped chewing his bun.

Ma Hongjun, who was in the middle of serving himself, froze.

The bowl of porridge in Dai Mubai's hands nearly fell to the ground.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head, her expression cold.

Ning Rongrong covered her mouth.

The pickled vegetables on Oscar's chopsticks fell onto the table.

Tang San and Xiao Wu, who had been whispering sweet nothings in a corner, looked over too.

Shi Hao didn't notice the eyes fixed on him. He kept turning the pages and reading aloud. "Person No. 12: passerby A, said this person's as thin as a bamboo pole. Person No. 13: passerby B, said the bamboo pole had become a spirit. Person No. 14: passerby C, said to stay away from him so the bamboo pole wouldn't poke you. Person No. 89: old vegetable seller, said, 'Young man, does your face look like someone stepped on it?'..."

Xiao Yan set down his bun, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a fist.

Ma Hongjun came closer, glanced at the notebook, and sucked in a sharp breath. "Good heavens..."

Shi Hao turned to a page in the middle. "Person No. 156: Shrek Academy student, said, 'That ugly freak is back again.' Person No. 157: same person, said, 'He's coming over, run!' Person No. 158: same person, said, 'He's looking this way, help!' Han Li, you wrote down the same person three times?"

Han Li's face remained calm, but his fingers were already clenched so tightly they crackled.

At some point, Wang Lin had appeared in the dining hall doorway. Dressed in white, his delicate face pale, he had heard Shi Hao reading from a distance, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

He walked over and looked down at the notebook in Shi Hao's hands. "Are you planning to write down everyone on the entire continent?"

Han Li lifted his head, his gaze as still as a pool of dead water. "Debts must be repaid, and insults with blood."

The entire dining hall fell silent.

Xiao Yan swallowed and tried to remember whether he'd said anything offensive to Han Li earlier. He didn't think so. Probably not. Most likely not.

Ma Hongjun silently moved his chair farther away.

Dai Mubai lowered his head and pretended to focus on his porridge. He might have said Han Li "had quite a distinctive look" three days ago. That shouldn't count as an insult, right? It shouldn't... right?

Zhu Zhuqing remained expressionless, but she was drinking her porridge noticeably faster. Last week, she had said Han Li "didn't look like a good person." She wondered if he'd written it down.

Ning Rongrong blinked her big eyes, looking from the notebook to Han Li. She whispered to Oscar, "That man's terrifying."

Oscar nodded like a bobblehead. "I'll never say he looks like a bamboo pole again."

"You said that?" Ning Rongrong's eyes widened.

"No! Absolutely not!" Oscar shook his head frantically.

Tang San finally plucked up the courage to leave the corner, wearing his standard peacemaker's smile. "Brother Han, if we keep taking revenge, when will it ever end? We're all classmates. What's the point?"

Han Li turned his head and looked at Tang San's face, pausing for three seconds.

Tang San's smile froze.

"If you say another word," Han Li said softly, each word stabbing into Tang San's ears like a knife, "you'll be Person No. 302."

Tang San's smile vanished completely.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't think of anything. In the end, he chose the wisest course: he shut his mouth, turned around, went back to Xiao Wu, and hugged her. "Resurrect, My Love..."

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes. "I'm not dead."

"I know. I just wanted to hug you."

"Then why do you have to say that every time?"

"Habit."

"..."

Xiao Yan glanced at Han Li and then at the notebook in Shi Hao's hands. He hesitated before speaking. "Um, Han Li, put the notebook away. You're scaring everyone."

Han Li said nothing. He stepped forward and took the notebook from Shi Hao, then carefully straightened its pages one by one and put it back in the Storage Bag. He moved slowly and meticulously, as if he were putting away something precious.

Shi Hao scratched his head. "Han Li, you're way too petty. You write down every little insult. Can you even finish the list?"

Han Li stowed the Storage Bag and raised his head, his face expressionless. "I have a thousand years to live. I can take my time."

Shi Hao: "..."

Xiao Yan: "..."

Wang Lin: "..."

Tang San: "..."

The dining hall fell into deathly silence once more.

A fly buzzed past, its wings clearly audible.

Dean Flender happened to walk into the dining hall. Seeing everyone's expressions, he frowned. "What's wrong with you all? You look like you've seen a ghost."

No one answered.

Flender shook his head and walked over to the serving window. "Lady, a bowl of porridge, please."

The cafeteria lady served him a bowl with a smile. "You're looking very well today, Dean."

Flender took the porridge and turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something and looked back. "By the way, have you seen Han Li? I need to talk to him."

Everyone's eyes turned to Han Li in unison.

Han Li's expression didn't change.

Flender followed everyone's gaze and frowned. "Han Li, what's wrong with you? Why's your face so dark?"

Han Li was silent for a second. "I didn't sleep well."

"Oh," Flender said, nodding. "Come to my office when you're done eating."

Han Li nodded and watched Flender leave.

The atmosphere in the dining hall eased a little, but everyone still looked at Han Li with a strange mixture of caution and wariness.

Xiao Yan finally couldn't hold back and asked in a low voice, "Han Li, have you really written down three hundred people in that notebook?"

"Three hundred and one," Han Li corrected. "Dean Flender makes three hundred and two."

Xiao Yan froze. "Dean Flender? What did he say?"

"He said my face was dark."

"..." Xiao Yan was silent for a moment before asking, "Then who's on the first page?"

Han Li didn't answer.

But Shi Hao remembered. He'd seen the first page while flipping through the notebook.

"Person No. 1," Shi Hao suddenly said. This time, he didn't read aloud, but murmured in an incredulous tone, "The thing that called me ugly while I was passing through the black hole: the black hole itself. Remark: possibly sentient. To be verified."

The entire dining hall fell silent again.

Then Xiao Yan laughed.

He laughed so hard he doubled over, slapping the table until his bowl of porridge nearly tipped over. "The black hole called you ugly? Hahahahahaha! Han Li, you even go after black holes?!"

Ma Hongjun couldn't help laughing too, but then remembered he might get written down. He quickly covered his mouth, holding back his laughter until his face and neck turned red.

Dai Mubai's mouth twitched, and a rare hint of amusement flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

Oscar leaned on the table, his shoulders shaking.

Even Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and giggled.

Tang San looked at Han Li's expression and wisely chose not to laugh.

Wang Lin stood to the side with his arms crossed. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual aloof expression. He didn't want to end up in Han Li's notebook.

Han Li swept his gaze across the room. Expressionless, he lifted his bowl and drained the porridge, then picked up a bun, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.

Then he stood up, picked up the Storage Bag, and headed for the dining hall entrance.

As he passed Shi Hao, he paused.

"Person No. 302: Shi Hao, looked through my belongings without permission. Noted."

Shi Hao's smile froze on his face.

Han Li continued on, passing Wang Lin.

"The 303rd person: Wang Lin. Watched without stopping it. Noted down."

Wang Lin's expression twisted slightly.

Han Li kept walking, passing by Tang San.

Tang San hurriedly said, "I wasn't laughing! I really wasn't!"

Han Li glanced at him. "The 304th person: Tang San. Meddled in other people's business. Noted down."

Tang San looked like he was about to cry.

Han Li walked out of the cafeteria, his back forlorn, like a lone wanderer carrying a deep-seated grudge.

Inside the cafeteria, Xiao Yan's laughter finally stopped.

He watched the direction Han Li had gone and said thoughtfully, "This guy really isn't someone you can afford to offend."

Shi Hao rubbed his neck. "He said he was going to write me down..."

"You asked for it," Wang Lin said coldly. "Who told you to snatch his things?"

"You didn't stop me!"

"Why should I? You're the one getting written down. What's that got to do with me?"

"You!"

"All right, all right," Xiao Yan waved a hand. "Let's all say a little less, in case he writes us down."

The four exchanged glances and shut their mouths at the same time.

But their eyes were all saying the same thing.

This guy really wasn't someone you could afford to offend.