39: Chapter 39

39

To encounter such a blunt and clumsy drama on the first day of reporting to university—had these people not graduated from their middle school ways yet?

Wei Guangyuan's face flushed and paled in turns, his voice thick with suppressed anger. "I don't have any money! If you keep this up, I... I'll tell the teacher!"

"Tell the teacher?"

The tattooed fat man looked as if he had heard the world's funniest joke, theatrically picking his ear. "Wake up, this is university, not playing house.

Still telling the teacher? Aren't you embarrassed?"

He spat, his gaze turning fierce. "Stop stalling and hand it over. Don't make me say it a third time."

"I really don't..."

Wei Guangyuan tried to argue further, but the blonde youth backhanded him with a slap that landed squarely on his face.

The crisp sound of the slap was exceptionally piercing in the quiet dormitory.

The blonde youth shot a look at the tattooed fat man.

The fat man understood and gave a cold chuckle. He turned around and roughly grabbed Wei Guangyuan's duffel bag from the floor, ripping the zipper all the way down and dumping everything out with a clatter.

Books, clothes, and miscellaneous items scattered all over the floor.

Wei Guangyuan wanted to rush forward to stop him, but he was pinned firmly against the cold wall by the blonde youth, unable to move.

Jiang Haojie remained leaning by the window, silently watching it all. His eyes were calm and rippleless, and he hadn't made a sound.

("Pah! A penniless pauper, yet you dared to act like a big shot and say you'd treat everyone?"

The tattooed fat man rummaged through the pile of belongings for a moment and fished out a small stack of shimmering crystal coins banknotes. After a rough count, it was about a two-thousand denomination.

He curled his lip in disdain.

"Give it back!"

Wei Guangyuan struggled, his voice choked with tears. "That's all my food money for the month!"

The tattooed fat man paced over to him and used the edge of the stack of crystal coinss to lightly tap his cheek, making soft slapping sounds. "Once something's in my hands, you think you're getting it back? You're dreaming."

He lowered his voice into a threatening tone. "Listen closely. From now on, you'll hand over two thousand on time every month.

If you're short by even a single cent, I'll make sure you can't last a single day in this university."

The blonde youth released his grip on Wei Guangyuan and slapped his palms together as if he had touched something unclean.

Then, his gaze moved across the messy floor and slowly turned toward Jiang Haojie, who hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end.

"Friend, you've been watching the show for quite a while. Shouldn't you show some appreciation?"

One of them grinned, revealing yellowing teeth. "We won't ask for much. Same rule as his: two thousand crystal coinss a month. Hand it over."

Jiang Haojie's brow arched slightly, a very faint smile flickering in the depths of his eyes. "Two thousand? That amount doesn't sound quite right."

He paused, his tone as peaceful as if he were discussing the weather. "How about this? Four thousand a month. What do you think?"

The burly man with the black tattoo on his arm immediately cheered up, his fleshy face scrunching together. "Heh, here's a sensible one! Fine, four thousand a month. From now on, you can walk through this university however you like. If you run into trouble, just mention our names."

"I think you've misunderstood."

Jiang Haojie shook his head gently, his voice remaining steady. "I said four thousand a month. Not from me to you, but from you to me."

The air suddenly froze.

The expressions on the duo's faces stiffened, then turned ferocious.

The scrawny blonde youth's eyes turned vicious as he squeezed words through his teeth: "You've got a death wish!"

The tattooed fat man didn't even bother to reply. The bones throughout his body let out a series of tooth-aching cracks and pops. His frame swelled and distorted, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a bloated, coarse-haired giant rat, lunging toward Jiang Haojie with a low growl.

Since this kid didn't know any better, he didn't mind personally teaching him the rules.

Jiang Haojie didn't even show any intention of standing up; he merely curved the corners of his lips into an understanding arc.

Long before the other party moved, a form of invisible insight had allowed him to see through their background—nothing more than an F-rank talent and a Zero-Order cultivation base.

An opponent like this wasn't worth him moving from his spot.

The giant rat lunged before him, carrying a foul wind. Jiang Haojie simply raised his palm casually and pressed forward.

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

The aggressively charging fat man didn't even understand what had happened. He only felt an irresistible force slam into his cheek. The metallic taste of blood immediately flooded his mouth, and his entire body smashed uncontrollably into the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"You motherf—"

The fat man struggled to crawl up, his beastly pupils bloodshot as he exerted force to charge again.

Unfortunately, the result was no different.

Jiang Haojie remained seated in his chair. Only at the moment the bloated body drew near did he lift his leg and kick.

Bang!

The fat man flew backward through the air like a kicked sack of rags, crashing heavily onto the hard ground a few paces away.

This fall made his vision go dark. It felt as if his internal organs had all been shifted out of place. He curled up on the ground, unable to catch his breath for a long while.

Naturally, he didn't know that this was already the result of the other party holding back. If Jiang Haojie had truly used his full strength, he would have been dead by now.

Seeing his companion's miserable state, the blonde youth's face darkened enough to drip water. Without a word, he lunged forward, cold light flickering between his fingers and claws.

However, before his offensive could fully unfold, a wave of Turning the River and Sea-like agony erupted in his abdomen.

"Ugh, ah!"

The skinny youth let out a muffled groan, his knees buckling. He knelt directly in front of Jiang Haojie, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He clutched his stomach tightly and began to dry heave, nearly vomiting up all his stomach acid.

Jiang Haojie unhurriedly retracted his fist, looking as if he were simply dusting off non-existent dust from his sleeve.

Wei Guangyuan, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. He never would have imagined that this youth, who looked so thin, would possess such terrifying skill.

"Want to continue?"

Jiang Haojie leaned forward slightly, looking at the kneeling youth with a hint of playfulness.

The skinny youth's face turned shades of blue and white, looking as if he had swallowed something filthy.

He knew that this time, they had truly kicked a steel plate.

He had thought he could intimidate the newcomer using the same bullying tactics he'd used in high school, but who would have thought they'd run into such a fiend?

Seeing Jiang Haojie suddenly stand up, the skinny youth's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled: "You... what do you want to do!"

Jiang Haojie ignored him and walked straight to the fat man still slumped on the floor. He crouched down and patted the other's sweat-soaked forehead with the back of his hand.

"Change back."

His tone was flat, but carried an air of unquestionable authority. "This appearance of yours is a bit of an eyesore."

The fat man was already scared out of his wits. Where was his previous arrogance? He hurriedly retracted his ability. The bloated rat body quickly shrank, returning to human form, though his face was deathly pale and his whole body was shaking.

Only then did Jiang Haojie smile slightly, his gaze falling on the fat man's terrified face. "Now, do you still plan on asking me for crystal coinss?"

"N-no... I wouldn't dare anymore..."

The fat man shook his head like a rattle, his voice full of lingering fear.

If he had known this person was this powerful, he wouldn't have dared to provoke this bad luck even if he were beaten to death.

With a faint, lingering smile on his lips, Jiang Haojie spoke slowly: "You say you don't want them just because you say so? I haven't nodded yet.

If you don't want to suffer more, honestly take out four thousand crystal coinss. Otherwise... you understand."

The fat youth with the floral tattoo pulled a long face, his voice raspy: "This... Big Brother, we're just from ordinary families. How could we save up so many crystal coinss? My total living allowance for the month is only a thousand."

"Where did that tough act from earlier go?"

Jiang Haojie gave a light click of his tongue. "I actually preferred your 'fearless of heaven and earth' look from before."

Hearing this, the fat man's entire face scrunched up even tighter.

"I don't care about any of that,"

Jiang Haojie's tone was flat, but it carried a sense that there was no room for negotiation. "What should be given, not a single cent can be missing."

The skinny youth with the yellow hair also hurriedly pleaded: "Big Brother, we really can't produce that much. Please, show some mercy... our daily lives are already very tight."

"Oh? No money?"

The two nodded frantically, their eyes filled with looks of begging for forgiveness.

"Heh."

Jiang Haojie suddenly let out a low laugh.

The blonde and the fat man had just begun to feel a glimmer of hope, thinking things had taken a turn for the better, when Jiang Haojie's words suddenly shifted:

"When you have no money, you know how to beg for mercy. When others had no money and begged you for mercy, what did you do?"

"Speak!"

His voice suddenly dropped, making the shoulders of all three people tremble in unison.

The fat man was almost about to cry: "Big Brother, we were wrong. We won't dare to do it again... we'll return the money to that brother right now!"

"Yes, yes, we'll return it immediately, immediately!"

Jiang Haojie didn't respond to them. His gaze turned to Wei Guangyuan, who had been standing by the door: "You, come over. Find the money on them yourself."

"Ah?"

Wei Guangyuan blanked for a moment, then rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly. "How about... let's just forget it? I didn't lose out anyway. Just let them return the money..."

Jiang Haojie's brow twitched.

This guy really didn't have the slightest bit of social awareness.

He was clearly backing him up. With him standing here, how would those two dare to act out?

He didn't expect him to be this cowardly.

Jiang Haojie shook his head inwardly.

The opportunity was given; if he didn't want it, he couldn't blame anyone else.

"Don't let me catch you bullying the weak and fearing the strong again,"

He swept his gaze over the two. "Every time I see it, I'll teach you a lesson."

"Yes, yes, yes! We definitely won't dare!"

The blonde and the fat man nodded like chickens pecking at grain.

Encountering such a tough character, they had no choice but to take the loss.

"Go do whatever you're supposed to do. Don't disturb my rest."

Jiang Haojie sat back in his chair, propped his feet on the edge of the desk, and closed his eyes.

The blonde and the fat man seemed truly beaten into submission. Every subsequent movement was extremely light, and they even suppressed their breathing, fearing they might disturb Jiang Haojie.

Even Wei Guangyuan followed suit and became cautious.

After a while, the fat man tiptoed over to Jiang Haojie's side and whispered tentatively: "Um... Big Brother, it's already noon. You haven't eaten yet, right? How about... we go grab a bite together?"

"What, you're treating?"

Jiang Haojie opened his eyes and glanced at them with a half-smile.

The two immediately nodded frantically, looking like little chicks pecking at rice.

"Fine, let's go."

Jiang Haojie was going to refuse, but changed his mind as the words reached his lips.

The group then walked out of the dormitory.

As for Wei Guangyuan—the two naturally didn't invite him, and Jiang Haojie didn't mention him either.

He could only leave the dormitory alone in a dejected manner.

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, all the freshmen had gathered at the designated location.

Jiang Haojie stood in the milling crowd, covering his mouth as he let out a long yawn.

Before long, the school leaders took to the stage one after another. First, the Principal gave a non-stop speech for a full hour, followed by the Dean of Students taking the microphone and speaking just as eloquently for nearly another hour.

Jiang Haojie was secretly amazed at how these two could have such an abundant supply of words.

The long ceremony finally ended, and class assignments began.

Jiang Haojie was assigned to Freshman Class 3. Also in the same class were the tall, thin blonde youth and the burly male with the arm tattoo.

The homeroom teacher was a young woman named Qi Yue, who had delicate features and a brisk manner.

She led the freshmen to familiarize themselves with the classroom and then took them for a tour around the campus.

By the time everything was settled, more than an hour had passed. Qi Yue announced their dismissal, stating that classes would officially begin tomorrow.

Upon hearing the words "free to go,"

Jiang Haojie turned and left without hesitation.

He didn't return to the dormitory but headed straight home, planning to go to school the next morning.

Lying on his bedroom bed, Jiang Haojie aimlessly scrolled through his phone screen when his ringtone suddenly rang.

Glancing at the unfamiliar number, he frowned. After a moment's hesitation, he pressed answer.

The other party spoke first: "Mr. X, this is Liu Jinglong.

I wonder if it's convenient for you to come to the Bounty Guild? There's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Alright, I'll head over now."

Jiang Haojie did not decline.

After hanging up, he gave his parents a brief explanation and headed out.

In the Bounty Guild hall, Liu Jinglong had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as Jiang Haojie appeared, he immediately stepped forward to greet him.

The other Bounty Hunters nearby all looked over, some whispering: "Look, it's X!"

"It really is him! My daughter has been obsessed with him lately, pestering me for an autograph all day..."

"Quick, go notify the captain. If we can pull X into our team, our strength will definitely skyrocket!"

Everyone was eager to come forward and chat, but Liu Jinglong cut them off first. "Mr. X, this isn't the place for a detailed talk. Please come to my office for a seat."

Jiang Haojie nodded.

Inside the office, Liu Jinglong personally brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Jiang Haojie. "I'm truly sorry for the sudden intrusion. If the situation weren't urgent, I wouldn't have contacted you so rashly."

Liu Jinglong rubbed his hands with a bitter smile.

Jiang Haojie took a sip of tea: "Just say it. What is it?"