Misfortunes Never Come Alone, Wang Hong, What Are You Laughing At!

"You're Xu Huxiao, right? I came to see you today because you publicly humiliated my brother at the opening ceremony. What do you think we should do about that?"

Xiao Ji, the leader, shook his leg, draped in his school uniform with his hands in his pockets and his chin raised.

Bao Jingjing watched the aggressive group across from them, clearly looking for trouble. Although she called Xu Huxiao her brother, she was actually a second-year senior. Naturally, she had to step forward in a situation like this.

Just as Bao Jingjing was about to take a step forward, a strong hand beside her grabbed her.

"Jingjing, relax. It's fine."

It was Xu Huxiao.

Yun Ji also pulled Bao Jingjing behind her and said, "Jingjing, don't worry. Huxiao is very strong~"

Xu Huxiao looked at the brats before him. Since they had specifically come for him, he naturally had to deal with them himself. But their talk of humiliation left him utterly confused.

"Humiliated your brother? Who are you talking about?"

Xiao Ji snorted. "Xue Long, get out here. My brother Xue Long. You humiliated him when school started. Don't tell me you're too scared to admit it?"

With that, Xu Huxiao looked at Xue Long, who was glaring at him, even more confused.

"Oh? How did I humiliate him?"

Xiao Ji laughed in anger and pointed at Xu Huxiao.

"At the opening ceremony, in front of all the teachers and students, you said my brother Xue Long was very weak. Do you dare say that wasn't an insult?"

"My brother only wanted to go easy on you because you were small. Not only did you win by sneak attack, you even wrote 'very weak' in his assessment evaluation."

"That evaluation was posted publicly across the school for three weeks. Because of your comment, my brother now has the nickname 'Three-Second Man.'"

"And you still dare deny it!"

After hearing his description, Xu Huxiao finally remembered. When he heard "Three-Second Man," he smiled.

"Oh, I was just telling the truth. He was weak to begin with. So what?"

The five casual words, he was weak to begin with, struck Xue Long's supposedly tough heart like three more arrows.

This bastard!

Xue Long shrieked, "Young Master Xiao, look! He's humiliating me again!"

"Fine. Now we have proof of both the insult and the injury. You hurt my brother's pride, so you'll have to pay the price."

As Xiao Ji spoke, the lackeys behind him began shouting in agreement.

"Right, pay the price!"

"Brother Long is one of us. He can't be humiliated for nothing!"

Xu Huxiao was speechless. They made it sound like some little girl had been violated.

"Fine, I admit I humiliated him. Move aside. I'm leaving."

That tone genuinely enraged Xiao Ji.

"So arrogant. You little first-year rookie, can't you understand what you're being told? You must apologize to my brother, then pay five thousand Gold Soul Coins to comfort his wounded heart."

"Otherwise, don't even think about leaving. Got it?"

Xu Huxiao glanced at the little brat and said calmly,

"If you don't get lost, your bodies won't be the only things getting hurt. Your hearts will too."

That immediately fired Xue Long up. He shouted, "Young Master Xiao, look at him! This brat has no respect at all. He even threatened you."

Xiao Ji clenched his fists. Losing face in front of his lackeys made him extremely displeased.

"Xu Huxiao, don't think that just because you're Elder Demon Bear's son, you can look down on everyone. Do you know who I am?"

Hearing that, Xu Huxiao looked at the name embroidered on the left breast of his school uniform, his expression turning strange.

"You're Xiao Ji... right? That's right, so what?"

When Xue Long and the other lackeys heard Xu Huxiao say his name, they all bit their lips, clearly trying hard not to laugh. One of them held it in so hard that he let out a loud fart.

The moment that fart came out, everyone seemed to find an outlet for their laughter. They snickered as they awkwardly searched for excuses.

"Wang Hong, you brat, why'd you fart at such an important time? Hahaha, that's hilarious."

"Exactly, exactly. I told you to stop eating so many radishes, but you wouldn't listen. Hahaha~"

"Haha, Young Master Xiao, we aren't laughing at you. Please continue, haha~"

"Enough! They're laughing because you farted. Wang Hong, what are you laughing at?"

"Pfft, cough, cough... Young Master Xiao, sorry, I couldn't hold it in. My mind went somewhere else. Mainly because this brat dragged out the 'Ji' in your name, then read your name together with 'right.' I thought... I thought..." Wang Hong scratched his head, too embarrassed to say the rest.

"Thought what?!" Xiao Ji's expression darkened.

Wang Hong was a blunt fool. Seeing that his boss had sincerely asked, he leaned close to Xiao Ji and whispered,

"I thought he was saying the place where you pee was small, Boss."

"..."

Xiao Ji's face flushed red. His bunch of lackeys had no education and couldn't read the room at all. Damn it!

But if anyone was to blame, it was that bastard surnamed Xu. The homophone in his name was his greatest pain, yet it had been spoken aloud in public. Everyone who saw him usually called him Young Master Xiao.

The two girls behind Xu Huxiao were somewhat puzzled. Yun Ji, especially, quietly asked,

"Jingjing, what's so funny? Why are all those boys laughing?"

"I don't know. It seems like Huxiao just read out that purple-haired guy's name, and then they started laughing."

"Oh, is it because his name is good?"

"Maybe."

Both girls found it completely baffling.

When Xiao Ji heard their whispers, his face turned green with rage. It was all that bastard surnamed Xu's fault!

"You... you! You not only humiliated my brother, you actually dared to humiliate me too!!"

"I'm telling you, I'm the grandson of the newly promoted Spirit Hall elder, Dragon Soul Douluo. My grandfather isn't afraid of your father. Get on your knees and apologize to me!"

Hearing such childish words, Xu Huxiao had no interest in wasting breath on them anymore. He treated them as if they were invisible, led the two girls away, and shoulder-checked the two men who were clamoring about being humiliated as he headed toward the cafeteria.

He still had to cultivate Yang Origin Soul Power that night. He could not waste time.

Xiao Ji and Xue Long staggered from the collision. If not for the lackeys beside them supporting them, they would have nearly been knocked down. Xu Huxiao's strength was not something they could compare to.

Xiao Ji clenched his fists, pale purple Soul Power gathering in his hand as he prepared to summon his Martial Soul. But suddenly, a furious shout echoed in his memory.

'Xiao Ji, I don't care about the nonsense you get up to every day, but listen carefully to this: under no circumstances are you to make a move against anyone from the Xu Family at Spirit Hall Academy, especially that Xu Huxiao who enrolled this year!'

"If you dare cause any trouble for your father, I'll skin you alive!"

That was his father's warning at the start of school. He could not take the initiative to provoke anyone from the Xu Family, or he would definitely receive a vicious beating!

Thinking of his father's harsh methods, Xiao Ji shuddered, and the purple Soul Power gathered in his hand dissipated.

Endure!

Xiao Ji looked at the three figures leaving and shouted,

"You just wait!"

Xu Huxiao had no reaction to that, but Yun Ji turned around and made a face at him.

Bleh, bleh, bleh~

Damn it, damn it!

Xiao Ji kicked the tree beside him in fury, only for a sharp pain to shoot up from where he had struck it.

Hiss, that hurt!

Xue Long watched helplessly as Xu Huxiao and the two girls disappeared into the distance, then looked at Xiao Ji, who was raging impotently. He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

He had finally found someone powerful to back him up, and had even contributed half a year's worth of allowance. Yet it had fizzled out just like that.

This was... far too frustrating. Fuck!

No, his allowance absolutely could not go down the drain. He had to regain his dignity, Xue Long thought viciously.

Seeing Xiao Ji fuming with anger, Xue Long knew Xu Huxiao was the son of a Titled Douluo elder, so ordinary people would not dare touch him. He would have to make use of Xiao Ji.

"Young Master Xiao, we suffered such a huge loss. Are we really just letting that brat leave?"

Helpless, Xiao Ji told his loyal lackey about his father's warning.

After hearing it, Xue Long's eyes rolled, and he immediately came up with a nasty idea. He said sinisterly,

"Young Master Xiao, if we can't do it openly, then we'll do it secretly. I have an idea..."

He leaned close to Xiao Ji's ear and told him his plan. The moment Xiao Ji heard it, his eyes lit up.

"Good, good, good. What is this called again?"

"Young Master Xiao, luring the enemy into the trap."

"What a fine luring the enemy into the trap. We'll do it that way. Father warned me not to take the initiative to provoke anyone surnamed Xu, but if he comes to provoke me first, then no one can blame me."

"When we make our move, remember to bring more people. They can all testify for me and see who strikes first."

"Yes! Young Master Xiao!"

Having received Xue Long's clever plan, Xiao Ji felt much better. If all his lackeys were talented people like Xue Long, how wonderful would that be?

At that thought, Xiao Ji saw the dull-witted Wang Hong beside him, and his anger flared again.

It seemed he would have to raise the standards for taking in lackeys in the future. Lackeys like Wang Hong, who were uneducated and incapable of reading the room, would only cause him trouble.

Meanwhile, Xue Long stared in the direction Xu Huxiao had left, his face filled with viciousness.

Xue Long looked burly and straightforward on the surface, but he was actually full of schemes and petty calculations. Someone like that clearly did not suit a strength-based Martial Soul as direct as the Dragon Horn Rhinoceros.

Thus, although his talent was decent and his Innate Soul Power had reached level nine, his Soul Power cultivation was very slow. At fourteen, he had only barely reached level twenty, even falling two or three levels behind people less talented than him.

After the three finished dinner, Bao Jingjing and Yun Ji each returned to their dormitories to cultivate. Most Soul Masters meditated at night to cultivate Soul Power, since the results were best then.

Xu Huxiao comfortably finished his nourishing meal and felt extremely satisfied, his entire body brimming with strength.

Just as he was about to return to his dormitory to cultivate as well, two older male students appeared again, arms folded and expressions unfriendly, reaching out to block his path.

On the covered bridge leading to the dormitories.

One of them said in a mocking tone, "Well, if it isn't Xu Huxiao, Young Master Xu, the one who challenged an exclusive spirit battle on the first day of school. Don't walk so fast. Chat with your seniors for a bit."

"I heard you have Innate Full Soul Power too. My goodness, that's something seen only once in a hundred years. Langkuan, it looks like this junior standing before us might become a future Titled Douluo."

The other man, Li Langkuan, curled his lips and looked Xu Huxiao up and down before letting out a disdainful snort.

"Tch, Brother, I think you're wrong. Innate Full Soul Power is indeed good talent."

"But the teachers have said that even with high Innate Soul Power, if someone's Martial Soul is mediocre, their future cultivation won't amount to much."

"Think about it. If a Soul Master had Innate Full Soul Power, but his Martial Soul was only the lowest-grade Blue Silver Grass, would you call him a genius or trash?"