Alagon's bodyguard sighed inwardly. They were going to lose this time. He could easily handle dozens of small-time thugs like these on his own. Yet he had never expected the outcome of this fight to rest on these two thugs.
Chen Mu was both excited and surprised. He could feel how different this fight was from his previous ones. The sensation of his strength responding to his every intention was clearer than ever.
But something else had surprised him.
The instant he swung the wooden chair, his opponent's movements had slowed in his eyes, as though he were watching them in slow motion. He had barely needed to think before striking that unlucky student. It was a sensation he had never experienced before, intense and vivid. But just as it had appeared without warning, it vanished without a sign. In the blink of an eye, the world before Chen Mu returned to normal.
Had he not taken into account that this was an academy, and that the fellow was a student rather than a thug, Chen Mu would have killed him with that blow!
He and Lei Zi had long since learned how cruel reality could be. Never give your opponent the slightest opening-anyone who had lived on the streets knew that.
It seemed these past few days of physical training had produced some results. Chen Mu was puzzled and a little uncertain. He could feel that his control over his strength had become more precise and effortless. In the past, he could never have delivered that blow so cleanly.
Although the world had slowed down for only a fleeting instant, Chen Mu was already deeply enthralled by it.
He was excited, without the slightest fear. Now he hoped these people would rush him, giving him another chance to enter that wondrous world.
When Alagon saw the look in Chen Mu's and Lei Zi's eyes, a flicker of fear passed through his own.
These two were different from Zuo Tingyi.
No matter how fierce a conflict arose between him and Zuo Tingyi, neither of them would suffer physical harm. They would only lose strength among their followers. This was one of the unwritten rules of East Guard Academy. The earlier rumors that Zeng Xinyi's older brother had dragged him into the Security Bureau and subjected him to all manner of abuse were entirely groundless. Her brother had merely given him a warning.
That was probably the defining feature of conflicts between privileged young men.
Once they grew up, they might become mortal enemies, locked in a struggle where only one could survive. But for now, before they became fully independent, they had to exercise restraint. That was how the entire upper class of the Tianyou Federation operated.
No one had ever made him feel the way he did now. He was certain that, in another few minutes, if everyone else had been beaten to the ground or fled, those two ruthless devils would swing their chairs at him without hesitation. As for his bodyguard, his gaze drifted toward the man, and he promptly abandoned any hope. The bodyguard and Hong Tao were like a pair of roosters now, glaring at each other.
At the thought of the fellow who had gone down earlier, Alagon's heart clenched. The man was still writhing painfully on the floor, curled up like a shrimp, his miserable howls never ceasing.
Alagon swallowed with difficulty. Sweat already covered his forehead.
A wise man knew better than to suffer a beating right under his nose. He quickly weighed his options. Frightening as the Discipline Office was, he would suffer no real harm there beyond losing face. Here, however, things were different. His eyes followed the wooden chair swaying in Chen Mu's hand!
Looking closely at the two, he saw that one wore flashy clothes, with glittering trinkets that were all cheap goods. But the lively gleam in his eyes showed that he was quite a sharp fellow. The other looked even more unremarkable: average height, ordinary clothes. To someone like Alagon, who savored life's comforts, those clothes were positively crude. Even his face had nothing distinctive about it. Toss him into a crowd, and you would never find him again.
Yet this utterly ordinary person, someone Alagon would never have spared a second glance under normal circumstances, now stirred a measure of fear in him. He felt he could not see through this man. That very rarely happened to him. Born into a merchant family, he had an exceptional gift for reading expressions and gauging people's moods, and constant exposure had made him quite skilled at it. He had never expected to meet someone today whom he could not read.
He decided to compromise for now.
"Fine. I'll go to the Discipline Office." At Alagon's words, the friends gathered around him all let out long sighs of relief.
That was how the incident ended. Chen Mu and Lei Zi were the first to leave, and no one dared stop them. Zuo Tingyi wanted to call them back, but when he saw them leave without so much as a farewell, both his and Hong Tao's expressions darkened.
Naturally, Zuo Tingyi's and Hong Tao's expressions were not among Chen Mu's concerns. Lei Zi had originally wanted to say goodbye to them. After all, even a blind man could tell that these two held considerable influence at East Guard Academy. The bond of fighting shoulder to shoulder today was enough to make them friends, which would be quite helpful to their future prospects.
But after glancing at Chen Mu, he still said nothing, though inwardly he felt rather regretful.
Soon, Lei Zi cast that little regret aside and said excitedly, "Hey, that fight felt great today! Beating up spineless wimps feels so good!" Then a question suddenly occurred to him, and he asked curiously, "Blockhead, did you take the wrong medicine today? What made you decide to stick your nose into someone else's business? That's not your style."
"That woman helped me once." Chen Mu's answer was simple.
"Oh!" Startled, Lei Zi immediately became interested. "I was wondering. You never meddle in other people's business, so why did you step in today? Come on, tell me. Heh, what did that girl help you with? She didn't seem to know you, though. She didn't even say hello."
"It was something to do with cardmaking." Chen Mu recounted what had happened that day.
"Mm. Then you were right to help today." Understanding dawned on Lei Zi.
Having wandered the streets since childhood, they knew all too well the warmth and coldness of the world. They had seldom received help from anyone, so they treasured it all the more. Although she had only helped Chen Mu unintentionally this time, he felt he ought to repay her, and that was why he had stepped forward today without looking back. They had not considered how much their help could actually accomplish. They simply felt they ought to stand up, so they did. It was this simple outlook that had prompted Chen Mu's actions.
Perhaps ordinary people would find that a little laughable. But Lei Zi, who had endured the same experiences as Chen Mu, could understand.
To Chen Mu and Lei Zi, this incident was no more than a minor interlude. Only the scenes of their fight surfaced in Chen Mu's mind from time to time. As for that woman, now that he had repaid her kindness, neither owed the other anything. That was how they dealt with people and the world. They neither coveted nor hoped for too much. Staying alive came first. As for kindness and grudges, if they had the means to repay them, they would; if not, they would keep them in their hearts.
They did not know that, during this time, Alagon and Zuo Tingyi had turned the academy upside down, yet still failed to find them.
Chen Mu and Lei Zi were working flat out to produce their card film. It held not only Lei Zi's dream, but Chen Mu's livelihood as well.
(End of chapter)