Dean Chen Qingquan

A sharp shout rang out.

"Stop! You little bastard, are you fucking itching for a beating?!"

The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority, like a basin of cold water poured into a pot of boiling oil.

Almost instantly, Bai Yushan felt a pulling force envelop his entire body. It came from the doorway, like an invisible hand gripping him and lifting him off the ground.

His feet left the floor.

The air around him grew thick, fixing him in midair like glue. Electricity flickered across his body a few times, trying to break free of the restraint, but the pulling force was too strong, so strong that his electricity could not break through at all.

Bai Yushan was dragged toward the doorway.

His body passed through the classroom doorframe and flew into the corridor. The corridor was a little dimmer than the classroom, and several portraits of famous figures hung on its walls. Now, the faces in those portraits flashed past his eyes.

A large hand clamped down on his forehead.

The hand was so large that it could cover his entire head. Five fingers gripped his skull like iron pincers, the rough, hard calluses on their pads scraping his scalp until it tingled.

A tall, burly middle-aged man appeared in Bai Yushan's field of vision.

He wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit, with a red school badge pinned to his chest. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, and tightly pressed lips. His hair was meticulously combed, with a few white strands at his temples. His gaze was as sharp as two knives, stabbing straight into Bai Yushan's eyes.

Chen Qingquan.

Bai Yushan knew him.

He was the very man who had caught him stealing books from the library.

Chen Qingquan looked coldly at Bai Yushan, his eyes holding nothing but the indifference of a spectator watching a spectacle. His lips parted, and his voice squeezed out from deep in his throat, carrying a mocking lilt.

"You inherently evil little bastard. Fighting as soon as you enroll? I'm giving you a beating today, no matter what!"

Feeling himself enveloped in a force he could not escape, Bai Yushan's expression changed.

His earlier frenzy, excitement, and delight all vanished, replaced by an innocent, adorable smile with a hint of ingratiation.

"Heh! Can we settle this peacefully?"

His voice was soft and sweet, as though he were wheedling.

A gloomy smile appeared on Chen Qingquan's face.

"At a time like this, surely you must be joking?"

He shifted his gaze away from Bai Yushan's face and looked at Lin Ximeng inside the classroom.

Lin Ximeng stood where she was, her face still shaken. Her two Yellow Soul Rings had already dissipated, and the scale-like markings had faded from her face.

"Teacher Lin, I'm taking him with me. Sorry for the trouble, but please take those two students home yourself. I'll also visit their homes tomorrow to apologize."

Lin Ximeng opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she did not know what to say. Watching Chen Qingquan turn and leave with Bai Yushan in his grip, she let out a helpless sigh.

She turned around and looked at the wreckage strewn across the classroom.

Desks and chairs lay toppled every which way, textbooks had been torn to shreds, and dust floated in the air. The children huddled at the very back of the classroom, every face deathly pale, their bodies trembling. A few were still crying, their sobs very, very quiet, like frightened kittens.

Lin Ximeng's head swam, her vision darkened, and she nearly fainted.

She caught hold of the doorframe and took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady her body.

Then she forced a smile, making her voice as gentle as possible.

"Children, come with me. Let's move to another classroom."

The children looked at one another, none daring to move first.

Tang Wulin stood up.

The handprint was still stamped on his left cheek, the redness and swelling yet to fade. But his eyes were calm, and his steps were steady.

He walked over to Lin Ximeng and looked up at her.

"Teacher Lin, I'll help you."

Looking at the boy, as lovely as a porcelain doll, Lin Ximeng felt her eyes burn and nearly shed tears. She reached out and stroked Tang Wulin's hair, her voice catching a little.

"Good boy."

Tang Wulin turned around and beckoned to his classmates hiding in the corner.

"Everyone, come with me. It's all right now."

Only then did the children slowly emerge from the corner, following Tang Wulin in twos and threes toward the classroom door. Their footsteps were very, very light, as though they feared disturbing something.

Lin Ximeng brought up the rear. She glanced back at the classroom littered with wreckage and sighed.

There was no getting through days like these.

Meanwhile.

Inside the dean's office.

Chen Qingquan pushed open the door and flung Bai Yushan onto the floor.

Bai Yushan rolled twice across the floor, only stopping when he hit a sofa leg. The wooden floor was very smooth. The fall left him dazed and reeling, but he quickly scrambled to his feet.

Chen Qingquan walked behind his desk and plopped down in his chair. The chair groaned under the unbearable burden, but still staunchly supported his body.

He looked at Bai Yushan as though he were looking at a monster.

"You brat... you're really something!"

His voice carried a feeling that defied description.

Bai Yushan paid no heed to appearances, rolling on the spot and getting to his feet. He dusted himself off, tidied his disheveled hair, and spoke without the slightest restraint.

"Say, middle-aged geezer Chen, I never thought you'd turn out to be the dean of Red Mountain Academy! I thought you were just a librarian."

Chen Qingquan snorted coldly, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands over his abdomen. The corners of his mouth curved into a mocking smile.

"Oh, not at all. How could a dean like me ever be as imposing as Big Brother Bai? You beat up whoever you please. The academy's written rules are nothing but dogshit in your eyes!"

Bai Yushan was not annoyed, either.

He walked over to the sofa and plopped down. It was very soft, and his body sank into it, his whole frame enveloped in supple leather. Crossing his legs and resting his hands behind his head, he looked at the chandelier on the ceiling.

Since he had come to this world, Chen Qingquan counted as a first-rate good Samaritan.

Back then, to get a general understanding of this world, he had sneaked into Red Mountain Academy's public library, intending to steal some books to take home and read. After Chen Qingquan caught him, the middle-aged geezer had not done anything to him. He had merely told him to behave himself and read in the library if he wanted to, and not to steal just because he had no money.

At the time, Bai Yushan had even explained that when scholars did it, it could not be called stealing; it had to be called pilfering.

Chen Qingquan had laughed.

After laughing, Chen Qingquan had issued him a library card and told him to come to the library whenever he wanted to read, without sneaking around.

Bai Yushan had thought the man was rather interesting then.

He still did now.

Chen Qingquan fell silent for a while, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk twice. His gaze lingered on Bai Yushan's face for a long time, as though scrutinizing him, yet also as though hesitating.

"Brat, tell me the truth. Is your innate soul power really rank three?"