What the Fuck Are You Laughing At?

Bai Yushan sat back down, propped his elbows on the desk, and rested his chin in his hands as he continued looking out the window.

Just then, a somewhat cautious voice came from behind him.

"Hello, Bai Yushan. My name is Tang Wulin. We'll be classmates from now on."

Bai Yushan turned around. An exceptionally pretty boy sat in the row behind him, his skin as fair as a shelled egg, his features so delicate they looked painted on. His short hair lay smoothly against his forehead, and his large eyes held a hint of timidity and curiosity.

If this boy didn't speak, nine out of ten people would have taken him for a little girl just from his face.

Bai Yushan stared at Tang Wulin for two seconds, then grinned and demonstrated his thunderous language system:

"Are you here to pay your respects to the local boss?"

Tang Wulin froze, his mouth falling slightly open. He clearly hadn't understood what that meant.

Without waiting for him to react, Bai Yushan waved a large hand. "Your grandpa here is in a great mood today, so I'll take you on as my little brother!"

The expression on Tang Wulin's face went from confusion to even deeper confusion. He blinked, his mouth opening and closing, closing and opening, before he finally squeezed out a sentence.

"Pay... pay respects to the local boss? What does that mean?"

Bai Yushan turned away and stopped looking at him, mumbling something indistinctly that roughly meant, "You'll understand later." He turned his gaze back to the window, but a trace of a smile still lingered at the corner of his mouth. He really did seem to be in a good mood.

There were only fifteen students, so the introductions went quickly. When Lin Ximeng heard Tang Wulin introduce his Martial Soul as Blue Silver Grass, even she couldn't help looking a little taken aback. The other students burst into mocking laughter together.

Drawn by the laughter, Bai Yushan turned his head and looked at the people laughing so heartily, one by one.

After recording everyone's information, Lin Ximeng closed her notebook and clapped her hands to quiet them down.

"All right, you've all gotten to know each other now. Next, I have some very important things to tell you. Listen carefully."

The classroom fell quiet.

"Starting today, you are students in Red Mountain Academy's Soul Master class. Your curriculum is different from the regular classes. You'll have academic lessons in the morning and Martial Soul cultivation lessons in the afternoon. I'll explain the content of your Martial Soul cultivation lessons in detail this afternoon. For now, I'll go over a few important things."

Lin Ximeng held up three fingers.

"First, arrive at school before eight every morning. No being late. Second, the academy provides free lunch. Eat in the cafeteria at noon. Afterward, you may rest in the classroom, but you mustn't wander around. Third, school ends at four in the afternoon. After school, you must go straight home. No lingering outside. If anyone breaks these three rules, I'll notify your parents. In serious cases, you'll lose your place in the Soul Master class."

After saying this, she swept her gaze around the classroom, pausing pointedly on Bai Yushan. Bai Yushan was still looking out the window with his head tilted, and there was no telling whether he had heard her.

"All right, you can move around freely for a while now and familiarize yourselves with the classroom and the surrounding area. The last lesson this morning is an academic lesson. A teacher will come to teach you then."

With that, Lin Ximeng left the classroom with the register. She had to go to the academic affairs office to file the roster for this year's Soul Master class and pick up the basic teaching materials needed for the afternoon's cultivation lesson while she was there.

As soon as the teacher left, the classroom grew lively. The children gathered in twos and threes, chattering nonstop. Some compared whose Martial Soul was stronger, some asked one another where they lived, and some had already taken out snacks they had brought from home and begun handing them around.

Bai Yushan stood up and raised both hands high. "Everyone, eyes on me! I have an announcement!"

At this statement, which rivaled a declaration of independence, the chatter in the classroom gradually faded. The fifteen children's eyes, large and small, turned toward him one after another.

Bai Yushan nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and hauled Tang Wulin out of his seat.

Tang Wulin lurched forward from the force of his pull. Before he could steady himself, Bai Yushan had already slung an arm around his shoulders, holding him firmly at his side.

Tang Wulin's pretty little face was covered in bewilderment. He had no idea why he had suddenly become the focus of the entire class, nor did he know what Bai Yushan intended to do. He stood frozen there, like a kitten held by the scruff of its neck.

"I hereby announce,"

Bai Yushan raised his other hand and pointed his index finger at the ceiling, his voice echoing through the quiet classroom, "that starting today, Tang Wulin is my lackey. Anyone who laughs at him is laughing at me and refusing to give me face."

The classroom was so silent that not even a crow or sparrow could be heard.

Standing beside Bai Yushan, Tang Wulin opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again.

The silence lasted roughly three or four seconds.

A little fatty sitting near the door couldn't hold back and let out a snort of laughter.

The little fatty was short and as round as a ball, the flesh on his face squeezing his eyes into two narrow slits.

Two guys with innate rank-three Soul Power had gotten together and made this announcement all on their own. No matter how he looked at it, the scene was hilarious. He simply couldn't hold it in. He really couldn't.

Seeing this, Bai Yushan smiled too. He let go of Tang Wulin and walked over to the little fatty, step by step.

He slapped the little fatty across the left cheek.

A crisp crack exploded through the classroom like a firecracker set off during New Year celebrations.

The little fatty's head snapped to the right. His whole body swayed in his chair, and he nearly toppled over, chair and all. A bright red handprint immediately appeared on his chubby face, all five fingers clearly visible, as though it had been stamped there.

The little fatty clutched his face, tears instantly welling up and swirling in his eyes. As the darling of his family, he had hardly ever even been spoken to harshly at home. His paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents, father, and mother all treasured him like a precious jewel. Never mind hitting him-even a bump would leave them aching for ages.

Bai Yushan stared at the little fatty with a hostile expression.

"You fat pig, what the fuck are you laughing at?"

The little fatty's lips trembled twice. Finally, he could no longer hold back his tears, and they rolled down in great drops. His shoulders heaved, and muffled sobs came from his throat, but he kept his mouth tightly shut, forcibly blocking the cries in his throat. He didn't dare actually cry out.

Bai Yushan sneered, expelling a puff of air through his nose.

"This is what happens to anyone who doesn't give me face!"

As he said this, he swept his gaze around the classroom.

Every child his gaze landed on involuntarily lowered their head or looked away. No one dared meet his eyes. Those who had laughed at Tang Wulin earlier now wished they could curl into a ball and stuff themselves into their desk compartments, while those who hadn't laughed secretly counted themselves lucky that they hadn't.

Bai Yushan nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and walked back to his seat.

Tang Wulin stood rooted to the spot, looking at the sniffling little fatty and then at Bai Yushan, who was like a bully. For a moment, he had no idea what to say or do, and could only return stiffly to his seat and sit down.