The Four Young Masters of Huazhong—Yuan Hao the Dragon, Jiang Xiaowen the Ghost, Liu Biao the Tyrant, and Xu Judong the Ji—were the most influential students on campus.
Even teachers thought twice before crossing them. It wasn’t just their ruthless methods. Their backing ran deep.
Ranked fourth among the four was Ji-shao, Xu Judong.
Xu Judong was notorious for his lust. Rumor said he swapped girlfriends weekly, and he’d even threatened girls into dating him. That’s why they called him “Ji-shao.”
He’d been a diehard pursuer of Lin Hanyun. Some said he’d stayed single for her. Whether that was true, no one knew.
He kept chasing, but she never gave him a good look. He got shut down again and again.
And he didn’t dare use force. Lin Hanyun’s background wasn’t weaker than his. It might even be stronger.
He couldn’t win her, and he wouldn’t let anyone else try. Even a guy saying one sentence to her earned a brutal beating.
Let alone just now—Lin Hanyun actually nodded at Xiao Mu.
Unforgivable.
“Kid, you’ve been feeling pretty cocky lately, huh?” Xu Judong glared at Xiao Mu. He came to stir trouble. No matter what Xiao Mu said, he’d beat him bloody.
He was Ji-shao Xu Judong. He had the right to be this arrogant.
“Yeah? I’m still not as cocky as you, Ji-shao. Your grasp of ‘cocky’ is like your grasp of Japanese adult videos—so deep I can’t compete.”
Xiao Mu folded his arms, a faint smile on his face. He didn’t put Xu Judong in his eyes at all.
Not just Xu Judong—everyone in class went blank. Was Xiao Mu tired of living? How could he talk to Ji-shao like that?
It had been a long time since anyone dared act this bold in front of him. Xu Judong laughed from rage. “You’ve got guts! Hit him! Break a bone and I’ll take responsibility!”
The four guys behind him cracked their knuckles and closed in. They were seasoned brawlers. A frail bookworm like Xiao Mu? Not even worth a glance.
“Stop! Xu Judong, what are you doing?” Lin Hanyun stood up suddenly, face cold.
“What am I doing? I’m going to kill him!” Seeing her speak for Xiao Mu, Xu Judong got even angrier. He pointed at Xiao Mu and roared.
She was still just a girl. Faced with this, she didn’t know what to do.
Ding. Quest appeared. Please teach Xu Judong and his four men a lesson. Reward: 30 points.
A quest? Then let’s do it.
Xiao Mu moved. He was fast—no one reacted. No one even expected him to fight back.
A side kick slammed into Xu Judong’s chest. Before he could react, Xu flew.
He crashed into his four goons, knocking them all to the floor.
“Damn, pretty strong. I don’t believe you can take five alone. Get him!” Xu Judong scrambled up and charged first.
The other four got up as well.
Xiao Mu smiled slightly and dashed forward. Shadowless Trace!
In a blink, he was at Xu Judong’s front. His left knee drove into Xu’s abdomen, rapid-fire—more than ten times in a breath.
One more kick sent Xu flying again.
Xiao Mu flipped midair. A whipping kick dropped another guy flat. He rolled, slipped behind a second, and kicked him square on the butt, making him faceplant hard.
Two left. Xiao Mu didn’t give them time. With the same clean, flashy moves, he kicked them both to the floor.
Finally, Xiao Mu flicked his hair with flair and said, “Why force me to do this, huh? Why make me use my hands?”
No one could speak. Only the pained groans of Xu Judong and his crew echoed through the classroom.
Shocking. Xiao Mu was… this strong?
Was that martial arts just now? He’d hidden so deep.
“So cool!”
“Xiao Mu is my idol now!”
“Like a drama scene—so freaking cool! Aaaah!”
Xiao Mu pretended to be calm, like it was nothing. But inside, he was grinning. He actually beat Ji-shao? Too satisfying.
Ding. Quest complete. Reward: 30 points.
Ding. Lin Hanyun’s favorability toward the protagonist rose by 2. Please keep it up.
Xiao Mu walked up to Xu Judong and nudged him with his foot. “Hey, if you’re not dead, get up. Or… do you want me to ‘invite’ you up?”
Hearing that, the guys scrambled up despite the pain.
“Don’t mess with me again. Got it?” Xiao Mu tapped Xu Judong’s forehead and smiled.
Face twisted with anger, Xu turned his head and stayed silent.
“I asked if you got it.” Xiao Mu’s voice cooled. A heroic sharpness showed between his brows. If Xu dared say “no,” that kick was coming.
Xu flinched. Reluctantly, he said, “G-got it.”
“Too quiet. Louder.”
“Got it…”
“Louder.”
“Got it!”
Xiao Mu smiled, satisfied. “Good. Now scram.”
Humiliated, Xu Judong led his four men out of the classroom.
Seeing the usually untouchable Ji-shao get beaten so badly he didn’t dare fart, many felt vindicated.
Girls started whispering about Xiao Mu.
“Thanks for speaking up for me,” Xiao Mu said evenly to Lin Hanyun.
“It’s nothing. This started because of me anyway.” Lin Hanyun shook her head and sat back down.
Seeing that, Xiao Mu didn’t force more conversation. With someone like her, the harder you push, the worse it gets.
“Xiao Mu, you’re amazing. We’ve been desk-mates this long and I never knew!”
His desk-mate, a skinny boy with glasses, stared at him with worshipful eyes.
His name was Li Yan, one of the few people Xiao Mu used to talk to. Besides good grades, he had nothing. He often got bullied.
Watching Xiao Mu go off like that sent his admiration to the ceiling.
“I’ve just been keeping a low profile.” Xiao Mu said it without blushing.
“You’re so strong. How about being my boss? I’ll follow you from now on!” Li Yan looked at him with hope.
“Uh… sure.” A little brother could be handy for errands.
They chatted a bit, then class began. Xu Judong and his crew didn’t show. The math teacher didn’t even ask where they were. Not the first time.
“This period we’ll do a short quiz. I’ll go over it this afternoon.” The math teacher held a stack of papers and had the class rep pass them out.
Ding. New quest. Please place first in this quiz. Reward: 25 points.
A quest for this too? Perfect. With his Super Scholar skill, Xiao Mu didn’t fear tests.
“Ugh… another quiz…”
“It’s exams on top of exams, every day!”
“This is torture!”
Most looked deflated. With college entrance exams looming, every day was an ocean of problems.
“Boss, want me to let you copy?” Li Yan whispered. He knew Xiao Mu’s grades weren’t great.
“No need. I’ve got this.” Xiao Mu shook his head, confident.
“O-okay.” Since Xiao Mu said so, Li Yan didn’t insist.
It’s just a quiz… Should I go for full marks?
