Avoiding His Edge?

"Cough, cough... Y-you're bullying me..." Xiao Wu clutched her stomach. It would be a while before she caught her breath, and she couldn't manage a full sentence, so she could only glare at him aggrievedly.

Zhao Linchuan stopped looking at her and turned his gaze to Wang Sheng and the others, who were still staring in shock. He raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Want to see whose fists are bigger?"

"N-no! Boss! You're our boss!" Wang Sheng and the others jolted in fright, shaking their heads like rattles and quickly declaring their allegiance.

As if they'd dare have any ideas after seeing Sister Xiao Wu beaten so badly.

"If nobody objects, then break it up. Go do whatever you're supposed to do. Don't all crowd around here."

Zhao Linchuan waved his hand. Then, under the others' astonished gazes, he flipped his wrist, and a neatly folded, outrageously eye-catching comforter in "macho pink" appeared in his hands as if by magic.

Holding the bright comforter, which looked completely out of place in the work-study student dormitory, he walked toward an empty bed by the window.

"Boss! Let me! Let me make your bed!"

A quick-witted work-study student hurried over at once, his face wreathed in smiles as he took the comforter from Zhao Linchuan and nimbly began spreading it out.

The soft texture, thick filling, and almost dazzling pink color left the work-study student clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Boss, your quilt is really thick and big!"

"And that color... Uh, it's certainly different. It really stands out!"

Zhao Linchuan smiled without comment and watched from the side.

It was quite a while before Xiao Wu finally stood up, still clutching her somewhat tight chest.

She looked at the bare surface of her own bed, then secretly glanced at the fluffy, soft comforter on Zhao Linchuan's bed. The "macho pink" quilt looked so warm that her little mouth puckered into a pout.

After hesitating for a moment, she tiptoed over to Zhao Linchuan's bed and lifted her face, her big eyes blinking brightly.

"Um... your quilt is so big. C-could I sleep with you?"

As soon as she said it, she seemed to realize it sounded a little too direct and hurriedly added, "Just sleep! Share some of your quilt with me!"

Zhao Linchuan didn't even raise his eyelids. "The bed's too small. There's no room for two people."

"We can push the two beds together!" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as if she'd found the perfect solution.

She didn't wait for Zhao Linchuan to agree. Turning around at once, she pushed her own hard little bed over with a series of "heave-ho"s until it was beside his. It landed with a loud clatter.

Then she turned back, pressed her hands together in front of her chest, and leaned forward slightly, gazing at Zhao Linchuan with a pair of watery eyes full of "pleading." She drew out her words.

"Pleeease? I don't have any bedding. I'll be so cold..."

Zhao Linchuan looked at her exaggerated performance, which still carried a childlike innocence. After a two-second silence, he finally stood up with an "exasperated" sigh.

"After all that, how can I say no?" He pointed at the beds pushed together. "Go ahead and fix things up."

Xiao Wu's face immediately broke into a grin. "You got it!"

[Task complete...]

A cold notification rang in Zhao Linchuan's ear. Just then, the dormitory door swung open, and a black-haired boy with a somewhat gloomy expression walked in.

He spotted Zhao Linchuan standing beside the bed at once. His brows knitted tightly, and he gave him a complicated look. Then he pressed his lips together and silently headed for another empty bed.

When Wang Sheng saw a newcomer arrive, he remembered the rules Xiao Wu had just "taught" him. He glanced at Zhao Linchuan, his new boss, and decided this was his chance to prove himself.

He immediately leapt forward, blocking Tang San's path and puffing out his chest. "Hey, new guy! Do you know the rules of Dorm Seven?!"

Tang San stopped and looked at him. "What rules?"

Wang Sheng pointed at Zhao Linchuan and declared loudly, "The rule of Dorm Seven is that whoever has the biggest fists is the boss!"

"By the rules, you have to fight the boss first!"

At that, Tang San's gaze abruptly shifted to Zhao Linchuan. The gloom in his eyes turned into a keen, icy glint. "Fine!"

Zhao Linchuan cursed Wang Sheng inwardly for being so witless as to make trouble, but his expression remained unchanged.

He looked at Tang San, who was brimming with fighting spirit, and said, "If you want to challenge me, then according to the 'rules,' you first have to prove you're qualified."

"Wang Sheng was the previous... Uh, let's call him the acting boss. Beat him first, then we'll talk."

Tang San's gaze swept over Wang Sheng's still-bruised face. There was no trace of disdain in it; he simply nodded calmly. "Fine."

The fight went almost exactly as it had in the original story. In fact, after being easily defeated by Xiao Wu and witnessing Zhao Linchuan's strength, Wang Sheng had lost his nerve and performed even worse.

Tang San, meanwhile, was holding a grudge against Zhao Linchuan, so he hit a little harder.

In no time, Wang Sheng was lying on the ground clutching his stomach, unable to get back up for a while.

Tang San withdrew his hand and turned around, fixing Zhao Linchuan with a gaze sharp as a nail. He said coldly:

"Your turn! If you lose, you have to apologize to my teacher and take him as your master!"

Tang San was especially furious over Zhao Linchuan's "rudeness." Before Yu Xiaogang had vomited blood and passed out, he had entrusted Tang San with his instructions—and Tang San had seen how unwilling he was to leave things that way.

Just as Zhao Linchuan was about to answer, the system's prompt sounded quietly—

[Current plot point detected: "Making a Name in Dorm Seven." The child of fortune (false), Tang San, has challenged you in an attempt to restore his teacher's reputation.]

[Choice quest triggered:]

[Choice one: Avoid his edge. Take a step back, and the world opens up before you.]

[Reward: Corpse-Rotting Bone-Melting Powder *1 (colorless and odorless, a must-have for home and travel), system points *50000]

[Choice two: I should avoid his edge? Who does he think he is?]

[Reward: Sow Gone Wild *1 (extraordinary effects; use with caution), system points *50000] ```

As expected of the protagonist. He's right on time with the points. Zhao Linchuan sighed inwardly, though his expression remained calm.

He looked at Tang San and said, "Fine. But if you lose, you'll have to do all the daily work assigned to the work-study students this semester in my place."

"That includes, but isn't limited to, sweeping the campus, cleaning the toilets, and moving miscellaneous items. How about it?"

Tang San was brimming with confidence. He was convinced that the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Tang Sect's secret techniques were far beyond what ordinary children could manage, so he agreed without hesitation. "Fine!"

The moment he said "Fine," Tang San's figure glided forward like a ghost. His steps were mysterious, closing the distance in an instant as one hand silently reached toward Zhao Linchuan's ribs. A faint gleam seemed to shimmer between his fingers.

He was fast, but Zhao Linchuan reacted even faster!

At the same moment Tang San moved, Zhao Linchuan casually clenched his right hand and drew it back to his waist. It looked like a simple preparatory motion, but a layer of warm yellow-white light suddenly shimmered over his fist.

No flashy moves, no mysterious footwork. Just as Tang San's fingertips were about to touch his clothes, Zhao Linchuan's right fist shot straight out like a cannonball!

The motion was simple, direct, and ferocious!

So fast that everyone present saw only a yellow-white blur!