After seeing Wang Chi off, Yu Bu'e returned to the classroom.
The moment he stepped through the door, a crowd swarmed around him.
"Yu Bu'e, tell us! How exactly did you kill that Two-Stripe Demon Beast?"
"Yeah, Yu Bu'e! You really pulled off something huge without saying a word!"
"I always said Yu Bu'e just hadn't spent much time on martial arts. Otherwise, nobody else would've stood a chance!"
Fortunately, Yu Bu'e was levelheaded enough not to let all the praise go to his head.
The girls were desperately squeezing toward him too, practically burrowing into his arms.
Luckily, the teacher arrived just in time to rescue him, allowing him to return to his seat in one piece.
A moment later, and his backside would've gotten a couple of pinches.
He was about to take his books out of his desk when he unexpectedly pulled out several letters.
Pink envelopes, complete with red hearts.
As he stared in confusion, Wu Yang hid his face behind a book and whispered, "Two are from girls in our class. The other two are from other classes."
[Wu Yang's Jealousy Points +70]
The corners of Yu Bu'e's mouth lifted as he tucked the love letters into a book.
"Man, I should've gone out and killed a demon beast too." Wu Yang sighed. "Maybe then I'd get a love letter someday."
"You can't put it that way. I've gotten them before, you know," Yu Bu'e said.
[Wu Yang's Jealousy Points +88]
"Wu Yang, I actually envy you. These love letters... they're such a burden!"
[Wu Yang's Jealousy Points +99]
"Wu Yang, do you think School Belle Luo will get jealous if she finds out?"
"Shut up! Drop dead!" Wu Yang snapped.
Yu Bu'e laughed even harder.
Once class began, the teacher stood at the front and gave Yu Bu'e another round of special praise before starting the lesson.
When the bell rang at the end of the last class, Wu Yang packed his things and was surprised to find Yu Bu'e still sitting in his chair.
"Hey, Old Yu, aren't you leaving?"
Although Yu Bu'e got good grades, he was always quick to leave when school let out.
"I've still got something to do!"
Wu Yang smacked his forehead. "Almost forgot. You've got an auction to run."
He glanced toward the door. Nobody seemed to have arrived yet, and he couldn't help feeling a little worried.
Xu Hu walked past, looked toward the door as well, and burst out laughing.
"Yu Bu'e, stop waiting. Just keep that lousy Meridian-Opening Pill! Who'd willingly let you jerk them around like a dog?"
"Exactly. Just go home. They already said they weren't coming!"
"Haha! You get your hands on a few Meridian-Opening Pills and think the whole world revolves around you? Hu, why don't we stick around and watch him make a fool of himself?"
That was exactly what Xu Hu had in mind!
Wu Yang looked at them, baffled.
"Don't you guys get tired of making a nuisance of yourselves every single day?"
"What's it to you? You own this place?"
Wu Yang snorted and said viciously, "I'll get Old Yu to slaughter the three of you like demon beasts. That'll shut you up!"
Xu Hu said nothing, but the guy on his left jumped in fright.
"Y-you'd be breaking the law!"
Wu Yang rolled his eyes skyward. All that swagger, and he couldn't take a thing.
Still, it showed that Yu Bu'e now had the power to intimidate people.
"Don't shove! I got here first!"
"Damn it! Liu Laomao ran over time again, or I'd have been here ages ago!"
"Thank goodness. The auction hasn't started yet, right?"
Hearing the commotion outside, Wu Yang whipped his head around and discovered that the corridor was already packed solid.
"They... they actually came?" He could hardly believe it.
Xu Hu and his friends looked equally confused.
"That doesn't make sense. Didn't they all say they weren't coming?"
People kept filing into the classroom, while the crowd in the corridor grew into a dense sea of bodies.
There were even more people than there had been at noon!
"Fuck! You're squeezing the shit out of me! I was here first!"
"Get out of the way... huh? Li Ran? Didn't you fucking say you weren't coming?"
"Zhao Hong, you've got the nerve to call me out? We agreed nobody would come! You look so honest, and you still lied to me?"
"You're doing the same thing! Besides, I tell little lies all the time. So what?"
Wu Yang quickly retreated and sat down beside Yu Bu'e.
"Old Yu, what's going on? They made such a fuss earlier. Didn't they all say they weren't coming?"
"They said that for everyone else's benefit," Yu Bu'e replied. "If nobody else came, there'd be less competition."
Once Wu Yang understood, he flew into a rage.
"Fine, fine! We're all high school students. How come they're all so damn scheming?"
Zhao Hong, Li Ran, and the others finally squeezed into the classroom. Seeing the situation, they could only beat their chests in frustration.
Had everyone gone crazy?
They'd agreed not to let Yu Bu'e make monkeys of them, much less treat them like dogs. Why had they come anyway?
Where was their dignity? Their bottom line? Their principles?
"Yu Bu'e, let's get started! I need to go home and take care of my grandma after she gives birth!" Li Ran shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Yeah, exactly! My dad's at home giving birth to my grandpa. I'm in a hurry too!" Zhao Hong quickly chimed in.
They were worried that if even more people showed up, winning that Meridian-Opening Pill would only get harder!
Xu Hu's Jealousy Points soared, and he roared at them.
"Are you all out of your minds? It's just one Meridian-Opening Pill! Is it worth all this? You know Yu Bu'e's gone crazy trying to make money, and you're still supporting him?"
Li Ran glanced at him. "What's it to you?"
"Exactly. Just leave already!" Zhao Hong said irritably. "Even with Yu Bu'e's talent, one Meridian-Opening Pill let him open three spirit meridians in a row. That's immortal-grade stuff!"
"That's right! Taking Yu Bu'e's Meridian-Opening Pill even lets you kill a Two-Stripe Demon Beast!"
"That's not all! I heard his Meridian-Opening Pill boosts your charm too. Even the school belle will give you a second look..."
"Yu Bu'e, I heard your Meridian-Opening Pill can extend your lifespan. Is that true?"
"I heard that too! They say it can even bring the dead back to life!"
"You guys haven't heard yet, have you? I also heard..."
As their discussion grew increasingly heated, Yu Bu'e hurriedly interrupted.
"Everyone, find a seat first!"
He couldn't understand how, in the space of a single afternoon, the rumors about his Meridian-Opening Pill had gotten so out of hand. If it could bring the dead back to life, do you think you'd get a turn?
"Let's get this straight, everyone! My Meridian-Opening Pill might be high quality, but it definitely can't bring anyone back from the dead! Don't take those rumors seriously!"
Wu Yang quickly tugged at Yu Bu'e and whispered, "Old Yu, are you nuts? Why explain? The crazier their claims get, the more money you'll make!"
Yu Bu'e shook his head. "Marketing is one thing. False advertising is another."
Even though he'd debunked the rumors on the spot, more and more people continued to arrive.
Many of his own classmates hadn't left either, wanting to stay and watch the fun.
As a result, very few seats had opened up. Those who came in later could only stand at the back of the classroom, until even the aisles between the desks were packed.
At this rate, they'd have to sell tickets for spots hanging from the ceiling.
"Old Yu, you're going to strike it rich!" Wu Yang joked.
Yu Bu'e shook his head. "Most of these people are just here to watch. Not many actually have the money to bid."
Wu Yang nodded. Then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he patted Yu Bu'e on the shoulder.
"Leave this to me!"
With that, he strode to the front and slapped the desk a few times. Once everyone quieted down, he cleared his throat. "Everyone, if you want to take part in this auction, you'll need to show proof of funds first!
"As you can see, there are far too many people here today. I know many of you don't intend to bid and just want to watch, but that's going to interfere with the auction. Please cooperate!"
After Wu Yang finished speaking, quite a few people left in embarrassment.
But someone raised his voice in protest.
"Why should we? This classroom doesn't belong to you! What gives you the right to kick me out?"
The speaker was none other than Xu Hu!
Before you continue