Su Hang returned and found that the dust in Dorm Seven's hallway still hadn't settled.
The hole in the roof let in the night breeze, and the few oil lamps by the wall flickered violently.
Xiao Wu clung to Su Hang's sleeve the whole way, refusing to fall even half a step behind.
The pressure of that Titled Douluo-level powerhouse had already faded, but her wariness of Spirit Hall hadn't.
But the moment she heard they were going to make Xiao Chenyu pay for the damage, she perked right up.
"Brother Su Hang, would you call this a robbery?"
Su Hang glanced at her.
"He kicked down the door, scared people, and damaged public property. Compensation is only fair."
Xiao Wu nodded at once.
"Got it. We're protecting the rights of work-study students."
Wang Sheng followed behind them, supported by two work-study students, his legs still wobbling a little.
He'd once been something of a boss in Dorm Seven, but after tonight, the last shred of that bossly pride had vanished from his heart.
A thousand-year First Spirit Ring.
One kick had sent Xiao Chenyu flying.
And he'd dared to stand firm under the pressure of a powerhouse descending from the sky.
With someone like that as Dorm Seven's boss, anyone who wasn't convinced had to have rocks in their head.
The group crossed the academy's back courtyard and soon arrived at the upper-grade dormitory area.
The place where Xiao Chenyu lived was on a completely different level from Dorm Seven.
It had its own courtyard, bluestone paving at the entrance, gleaming windows, and even cushions and a new wooden table inside.
Light spilled out, and the subdued voices of his lackeys came from within.
"Boss Xiao, this medicine stings a bit. Bear with it."
"Don't rub so hard! Ow... That brat really hit me hard!"
"Why not get the City Lord's men to come tomorrow? No matter how good he is at fighting, he's still just a student."
Su Hang pushed open the door.
The voices inside stopped dead.
Xiao Chenyu was lying on the bed, applying medicine. Half his face was swollen, and there were several shoe prints on his back.
A few lackeys crowded around him, holding medicine bottles and towels.
When Xiao Chenyu saw Su Hang come in, he rolled off the bed and landed on the floor.
"B-Boss Su!"
The lackeys shrank back as well.
Su Hang didn't rush to deal with him. He first took a lap around the room.
Two soft beds.
A new cabinet.
A fruit platter on the table, and a pot of hot tea beside it.
It was a lot better than that pile of broken boards in Dorm Seven.
Su Hang walked over and sat in the main seat, casually picking up a fruit and taking a bite.
"Dorm Seven's door is broken, the beds have collapsed, and everyone's been knocked out."
Xiao Chenyu lay on the floor and hurriedly chimed in.
"I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll cover the door, the beds, and the medicine!"
Su Hang tossed the fruit core into the platter.
"We have nowhere to sleep tonight."
Xiao Chenyu's face twitched. His eyes swept around the room before finally landing on his own bed.
He'd spent a lot of money setting this room up.
Normally, even his lackeys weren't allowed to sleep in the main room.
Now he had to give it up. His heart ached so badly his teeth nearly hurt.
Xiao Wu peeked out from behind Su Hang, pinching his sleeve between two fingers.
"You don't expect Brother Su Hang to sleep in that drafty wreck, do you?"
Xiao Chenyu swallowed.
"I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't dare."
One of the lackeys beside him couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"Boss Xiao is the City Lord's son. How can he give this room to work-study students..."
Before he could finish, Soul Power stirred beneath Su Hang's feet.
A deep purple Soul Ring rose halfway into view.
Dark Purple Lightning crackled across the floor, and even the wooden table in the room began to rattle.
The lackey's knees buckled. He dropped straight to the floor, his forehead pressed against the boards.
Xiao Chenyu scrambled to his feet and slapped him across the face.
Smack!
"If you don't know how to talk, keep your mouth shut!"
The lackey covered his face and didn't dare utter another word.
Xiao Chenyu turned to Su Hang, his tone even more deferential.
"Boss Su, the main room is yours."
"The side room next door is empty too. Wang Sheng and the others can stay there."
"I'll have people repair Dorm Seven tomorrow."
Only then did Su Hang withdraw his Soul Ring.
The pressure in the room faded, and the lackeys all breathed a sigh of relief at once.
Xiao Wu went over to the table, picked the biggest, reddest fruit, and took a crisp bite.
"This rent's not bad."
Su Hang tapped the tabletop.
"Wang Sheng, get everyone to tidy up the side room."
Wang Sheng immediately stood up straight.
"Understood, Boss Su!"
The work-study students hurried into action.
They'd been used to being bullied by Xiao Chenyu. They'd never dreamed they'd one day get to stay somewhere like this.
As they moved things, each of them stood a little straighter.
Before long, hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
The teacher on night duty arrived with two academy guards.
He'd heard there was trouble in the dormitory area and had assumed the work-study students were at it again.
But as soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Chenyu standing obediently against the wall, half his face swollen, and even offering the work-study students a room.
The teacher on night duty stopped in the doorway, almost forgetting whom he was supposed to reprimand first.
"What happened?"
Xiao Chenyu lowered his head.
"It's nothing, teacher."
The teacher on night duty turned to Su Hang.
"Are you a new work-study student? You can't just grab whatever room you want in the academy dorms."
Xiao Wu immediately stepped in front of Su Hang, standing tall.
"Teacher, Xiao Chenyu kicked down the door to Dorm Seven first and brought people to bully us."
"The door's broken and the beds have collapsed. He's letting us stay here for one night to make up for it. What's wrong with that?"
The teacher on night duty looked at Xiao Chenyu.
"Is what she said true?"
Xiao Chenyu didn't dare deny it.
"It's true."
"I'll pay."
The teacher on night duty was momentarily at a loss for words.
He knew exactly what Xiao Chenyu was usually like.
But the boy was admitting fault far too quickly today. It was almost suspicious.
He looked at Su Hang again.
"What's your name?"
"Su Hang."
"I heard someone mention a purple Soul Ring. Show it to me."
Su Hang rose from his chair and activated his Soul Power.
A deep purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and revolved around his body.
The room fell quiet.
The teacher on night duty stood where he was, his throat bobbing.
A thousand-year First Spirit Ring.
Forget Notting Academy; even at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, that would be enough to set a whole group of teachers arguing.
He stared at the Soul Ring for a long while before finally forcing his scattered thoughts back into order.
"Where did you get your Soul Ring?"
Su Hang withdrew it, his manner calm.
"A divine gift. I can't explain."
The teacher's expression changed several times.
If an ordinary student had answered like that, he would have pressed for an explanation.
But a thousand-year First Spirit Ring was extraordinary in itself.
And there had been that pressure in the sky above the academy tonight. Though it had come and gone in a flash, he'd sensed that something was wrong.
A student like this probably had someone backing him.
As a teacher at a junior academy, he didn't need to invite trouble.
"Let's leave it at that for tonight."
The teacher on night duty turned to Xiao Chenyu.
"Have Dorm Seven repaired tomorrow."
Xiao Chenyu hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, teacher."
The teacher swept his gaze around the room once more.
"The work-study students can stay in the side room for now. No more trouble."
Xiao Wu immediately added, "Brother Su Hang will sleep in the main room. He protected us just now."
The teacher faltered.
Xiao Chenyu hurriedly spoke up.
"I offered it willingly."
"Teacher, I'll go squeeze in at a friend's place tonight."
At this point, the teacher on night duty couldn't be bothered to interfere any further.
Only after he left with the guards did the room come to life again.
Wang Sheng came in carrying bedding and bowed slightly to Su Hang.
"Boss Su, from now on, Dorm Seven will follow your lead."
The other work-study students chimed in too.
"We'll follow Boss Su!"
"If anyone dares bully the work-study students, we'll give them Boss Su's name!"
Su Hang waved a hand.
"Don't go looking for trouble."
"If someone comes after you, don't just kneel there and take a beating."
At those words, the work-study students stood even straighter.
Xiao Wu carried the fruit platter over to the other bed and sat down, her legs swinging back and forth.
"Brother Su Hang, which bed do I sleep in?"
Su Hang pointed to the one by the window.
"You sleep over there."
Xiao Wu immediately carried the fruit platter over to claim it, staking her spot in record time.
"Then you sleep here."
"If anything happens tonight, I'll call you."
Seeing how brazen she was, Su Hang nearly laughed in exasperation.
"You're certainly not shy."
Xiao Wu took another crisp bite of fruit.
"You're looking out for me, after all."
They had just settled in when footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
They were unhurried, steady.
Then a boy in plain blue clothes stopped at the doorway. He carried a small bundle on his back, was not very tall, and looked neat and tidy.
A short distance behind him stood a middle-aged man.
The man was on the thin side, dressed plainly, with his hands clasped behind his back. He had the air of an academy teacher.
Su Hang looked up.
Here they were.
Tang San.
And Yu Xiaogang.
The boy in blue stood by the door. He first glanced over the work-study students inside, then paused on Su Hang, seated in the place of honor, and finally looked toward Xiao Wu.
The fruit in Xiao Wu's hand stopped halfway to her mouth.
The boy in blue fell silent for a moment, then spoke in an even voice.
"May I ask, is this the work-study students' dormitory?"
Wang Sheng was just about to answer when Su Hang leaned back in his chair and tapped the tabletop with his fingers.
"More or less."
The boy in blue walked into the room, his voice still even.
"My name is Tang San. I'm a new student this year, too."
The smile on Xiao Wu's face faded at once.
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