Xue Beng Picks a Fight, Xiao Wu Strikes with a Heavy Fist

The Ye Family had a long legacy. Every medicinal book Ye Cixin had brought represented the painstaking efforts of generations of Ye Family members. The books recorded countless herbs in exhaustive detail, numbering in the tens of thousands. There was no way he could finish reading them all at once.

"Aunt Ye, I can't finish all these books in one go. Could I take them back to the academy and read them slowly? I promise I'll return them exactly as they are once I'm done."

Meng Chen pointed at the pile of medicinal books and pleaded.

Ye Cixin smiled. "Of course. Your Sister Lingling happens to be at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy as well. If there's anything in the books you don't understand, you can ask her."

"Mm, thank you, Aunt Ye." Meng Chen nodded and stored the medicinal books in the Bone Dragon Ring.

Ye Cixin's smile deepened.

Though the medicinal books were precious, she felt it was worth it if they could strengthen the bond between the Ye Family and Meng Chen.

Besides, with these books serving as a bridge, Meng Chen would come to Ye Lingling or her whenever he encountered something he did not understand. The more they interacted, the closer they would naturally become.

Once Meng Chen became a Titled Douluo in the future, he would remember the Ye Family's kindness, and the Ye Family would gain another safeguard.

With that thought, Ye Cixin became even more enthusiastic toward Meng Chen. Her bountiful figure left Meng Chen feeling completely unable to withstand it.

After lunch, Meng Chen did not stay long. He casually found an excuse and left the Ye Residence.

Watching Meng Chen's retreating back, which carried a faint air of fleeing in embarrassment, Ye Cixin's lips curved slightly. A teasing smile appeared on her mature, beautiful face.

To her, handling a boy still in the midst of puberty was as easy as pie.

After leaving the Ye Residence, Meng Chen rode Big Black back to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

The academy had a dedicated place for boarding mounts. It cost one gold soul coin a month, so Meng Chen paid for a full year at once and asked the caretaker to look after Big Black properly.

"It's been so long. Xiao Wu should be awake by now."

Thinking this, Meng Chen followed the white jade mountain steps back to the Heaven Dou Campus.

He did not see many students along the way. Most were Heaven Micro-level students, while Heaven Supreme-level students were rare.

It could only be said that the quality of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's students was truly poor. If not for the rule allowing them direct entry into the finals of the Soul Master Tournament, the Imperial Battle Team probably would not even be a match for Divine Wind.

Meng Chen returned to the small building but did not sense Xiao Wu's presence.

After looking around the living room, Meng Chen's gaze landed on the tea table. A note lay quietly atop it, the ink still wet.

[Ah Chen, I went to the cafeteria.]

There was even a cute rabbit drawn on the note.

"The cafeteria?" Meng Chen thought about where it was, then turned and left the small building.

The cafeteria was not far from the dormitories, only two or three li away. After walking for a short while, Meng Chen saw its outline.

However, a crowd of students had gathered outside the cafeteria, seemingly watching some excitement.

Faintly, Meng Chen heard a familiar feminine shout. His expression changed slightly, and he involuntarily quickened his pace.

"Make way, make way..."

Meng Chen squeezed into the crowd. The students pushed aside looked dissatisfied, but considering that everyone in the academy was a noble, they did not dare cause a scene.

After much difficulty, Meng Chen finally squeezed to the front. Looking up, he saw Xiao Wu confronting several young men with slicked-back hair and powdered faces.

The young man at the front wore an arrogant expression and looked every bit the spoiled dandy. He pointed at Xiao Wu, appraising her from head to toe.

"So you're the commoner student specially recruited by the academy. You're quite pretty, but your status is far too lowly."

"Our Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is an academy for nobles, not somewhere lowly commoners like you, who happen to have a little talent, can attend."

"I advise you and that other fellow to withdraw voluntarily. Don't tarnish the nobility of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."

The leading youth's words prompted the surrounding students to nod and join in the jeering.

"His Highness Xue Beng is right. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy has always admitted only nobles. A lowly commoner like you, who knows what backwater village you came from, isn't worthy of even sharing a room with us. Why aren't you getting lost already?"

"That's right! This isn't a place for peasants like you. Do you really think having a little talent means you can cross the class divide? A peasant will always be a peasant!"

"Peasant, get out of Heaven Dou!"

"Get out..."

Hearing the insults and humiliation from the Heaven Dou students, anger surfaced on Xiao Wu's pretty face, and her fair, delicate hand clenched into a fist.

If she had not been afraid of causing trouble for Meng Chen, she would have punched Xue Beng in the face long ago.

When Xue Beng saw Xiao Wu clench her fist yet refrain from acting, a trace of disappointment flashed through his eyes.

Then he added fuel to the fire, revealing a lewd smile.

"Still, seeing that you're not bad-looking, this prince can give you a chance to stay. How about you follow this prince from now on? This prince will..."

Before Xue Beng could finish, Xiao Wu could no longer endure it. The fury in her beautiful eyes nearly overflowed. Her pink lips parted as she cursed furiously.

"You think I'm a harmless rabbit just because Sister Xiao Wu hasn't shown her might? Follow you? In your dreams!"

Amid the mocking gazes of the surrounding students, Xiao Wu's long legs, wrapped in white stockings, bent slightly. Then she launched herself into the air and threw a heavy punch straight at Xue Beng's face!

Bang!!!

The next second, before Xue Beng could react, a sharp pain exploded across his face. He became dizzy and disoriented, flying backward like a shuttlecock and crashing into the crowd. He knocked over several students who had been watching, and cries of pain erupted everywhere.

"Your Highness Xue Beng!"

"My waist! Someone help me up!"

"What happened? My arm feels numb. It can't be broken, can it?!"

"Damn it, your pressure point got hit!"

Seeing that Xue Beng had actually been beaten by a peasant, several lackeys hurriedly helped him up from atop the other students. They did not realize how bad it was until they looked, and the sight shocked them.

Xue Beng had already fainted.

A delicate fistprint was deeply imprinted on his once-handsome face. His nose had been knocked crooked, blood poured from it, and several of his teeth had fallen out.

Fortunately, there had been students beneath Xue Beng to cushion his fall. Otherwise, he would have been injured even more severely.

The lackeys were both shocked and enraged. They all turned to look at Xiao Wu and were just about to curse and accuse her when a tall figure appeared in front of her.

It was Meng Chen.

Meng Chen shielded Xiao Wu behind him and coldly stared at the lackeys. His sharp gaze fell upon them like blades, intimidating Xue Beng's lackeys into silence.

"Y-you, who are you?!"

One lackey gathered his courage and questioned Meng Chen with a fierce but shaky tone.

When Xiao Wu saw Meng Chen, joy appeared on her exquisite face. She hurriedly wrapped her arms around his arm, her eyes reddening as she said aggrievedly, "Ah Chen, they bullied me while you were gone."

Hearing this, Meng Chen's gaze grew even colder, like the wind and snow of midwinter sweeping over Xue Beng's lackeys and the students watching the show nearby.

Swept by that icy gaze, the students felt a chill seep into their bones. Their hearts tightened, and they instinctively retreated several steps.

Xue Beng's lackeys realized that Meng Chen possessed formidable soul power, and they began to consider backing down.

Yet when they looked at the disfigured and unconscious Xue Beng, they hesitated again.

Xue Beng was a prince.

If he had been beaten and they had done nothing, even shrinking back, then once the royal family learned of it, the families behind them would surely punish them severely.

The lackeys gritted their teeth. The same lackey from before spoke again, sternly saying:

"Do you know who you just hit? This is His Highness Xue Beng, the Fourth Prince of Heaven Dou. By attacking His Highness the Prince, you've slapped the royal family in the face. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy has no place for you!"