Chapter 48: Soft Rice Hard Eating

Ye Chenliang’s anger value: 999!

Ye Chenliang felt he had never been so humiliated. He had swaggered in, intending to put someone in their place, but now it felt like he was offering his own face to be slapped. As for a duel, he had completely abandoned the idea. A person who could kill dozens of fierce black jackals was certainly not someone he could handle.

“You’re only a D-grade talent, what master are you pretending to be here?” Just then, a voice abruptly chimed in. Zu’an’s pupils constricted. He had already spotted Hong Xingying in the crowd and wondered if he had perhaps dug up his ancestor’s grave before. Why else would he be so persistent?

At this point, many who had witnessed the scene at the school gate also chimed in: “That’s right, he does seem to be a D-grade talent.”“He’s in the Yellow Class now; what kind of master could come from the Yellow Class?”Ye Chenliang, however, was filled with doubt and uncertainty. What these people said should be true, but what Ji Xiaoxi and the others said shouldn’t be false either. What exactly was going on? If he were to probe again, he was a bit scared. He had already been humiliated enough for one day; if anything else went wrong now, he wouldn’t be able to show his face at school anymore.

Yuan Wendong, who was standing nearby, noticed his expression and knew he had probably chickened out. He secretly cursed him as a good-for-nothing; it seemed he would have to step forward himself. He took a step forward and cupped his hands towards Zu’an, saying: “I originally didn’t want to get involved in this matter, but your words and actions just now were far too arrogant. You are trampling on the dignity of those of us who strive hard every day. We have attained our current cultivation through diligent daily practice, while you take the crooked path. If you win today, who knows how many junior students will be misled by you, losing their will to achieve due to frivolous pursuits. I am unwilling to witness such a disheartening situation. Therefore, I, Yuan Wendong, on behalf of the vast number of hardworking cultivators, challenge you to a duel.”

He had heard Hong Xingying mention earlier that the opponent only had bottom-tier D-grade talent, and he mostly understood the situation. Even if the other party was feigning weakness to trap him, he wasn't afraid in the slightest. It was important to know that he wasn't merely the Fourth Grade Consummation as everyone believed, but had just broken through to the Fifth Grade in the last two days. How many Fifth Grade students were there in the entire academy? Apart from those few monstrous talents, he was confident he was not inferior to anyone. This fellow in front of him had just built up to his peak, making him a perfect stepping stone. Anyway, the upcoming conflict between the Yuan family and the Chu family in the armory business was about to escalate into a full-blown war, and it was the perfect time to make Zu’an a sacrifice. All the momentum the opponent had just built up would end up benefiting him.

His speech about hardworking strivers immediately garnered favor from the crowd. Many had long been displeased with Zu’an’s habit of relying on others, and seeing someone step forward to beat him, they were all incredibly excited. There was no need to eat dinner tonight; just watching the drama unfold was enough.

“Why are you the only one who works hard? Do you know how hard *I* work?” Zu’an said indignantly.Yuan Wendong was taken aback: “What are you working hard at?”“Working hard to be a kept man, of course. Do you think it’s easy to be a kept man who still maintains his dignity?” Zu’an said self-righteously.

The men around finally exploded in uproar:“Damn it, I can’t take it anymore, I want to hit him!”“I want to hit him too.”“Shall we go together?”“Let Yuan Wendong finish first, then we’ll go.”

A graceful figure passing by happened to hear his words and couldn’t help but laugh softly to herself, thinking how truly shameless this fellow was, and wondering how Chu Chuyan could have possibly taken a liking to him. She clearly had no interest in such minor squabbles and turned to leave.

At this point, Yuan Wendong sneered: “Being a kept man? You’ve got no spine. Can you rely on women your whole life? In a situation like this, can you rely on a woman to get through it? Chu Chuyan? Or Ji Xiaoxi? Together, they’re no match for me. Men, true strength comes from one’s own power.”

Zu’an let out a long sigh: “I didn’t expect your imagination to be so limited. Why can’t I rely on a woman to get through this now? Pei Mianman, come out and help me deal with this annoying fellow.”

Pei Mianman?Hearing this name, everyone was stunned. This was a beauty renowned on par with Chu Chuyan. Perhaps Chu Chuyan’s aloofness made her seem unapproachable to some, but Pei Mianman had an exquisite figure, a gentle smile, and exuded a seductive charm from head to toe. No man could dislike her. How could such a peerless goddess be connected to this shameless fellow? Impossible, was everyone’s first reaction.

As expected, after he called out, the captivating voice didn’t appear, and everyone began to boo. Yuan Wendong couldn’t help but laugh: “Do you know who Pei Mianman is? Someone like her would be interested in you? That’s like a toad wanting to eat a swan!” He had once been captivated by that woman himself and had tried every trick to pursue her. Unfortunately, although her smile was gentle, deep down she possessed an aloofness that kept people at a distance. Through various signs, he had concluded that this woman, despite her alluring demeanor, actually regarded all men as nothing, and was even harder to win over than Chu Chuyan. How could such a woman possibly be linked to this shameless scoundrel in front of him?

“I just saw you! If you leave, I’ll tell everyone what happened between us last night!” Zu’an shouted loudly. The captivating figure, who was secretly trying to slip away in the crowd, trembled upon hearing this. Hearing him wailing there, she finally couldn’t help it: “Shut up!”

Everyone saw a young woman in a red top and black skirt hurrying over. Her oval face was like creamy jade, her alluring peach-blossom eyes seemed to speak, and her proud figure was enough to make men’s bones tingle and women feel ashamed. The young woman, who was usually beaming and gentle-faced, now had a dark expression, glaring at Zu’an: “If you dare say one more word, I’ll kill you immediately.”

Originally, everyone had some doubts, but hearing her words now, countless men’s hearts shattered. It was actually true! Our dream goddess was really involved with this shameless man!

Zu’an, however, was somewhat confused at this moment, because he noticed that the anger points he received were only half of what they were earlier. What was going on? Was Pei Mianman’s chest not big enough, or her face not beautiful enough? He had thought her grand entrance would push the anger point income to new heights, so why had it been halved instead?

Puzzled, he looked into the crowd and saw that many men’s gazes towards him were no longer filled with anger, but with envy and... adoration. Wei Suo, who had been hiding far away, directly ran over and tightly grabbed his sleeve: “Big Brother, for this lifetime, you’ll always be my big…” Before he could finish, he was trampled underfoot by others. People kept surging towards Zu’an from behind: “Boss, take me as your disciple.”“Boss, take me, take me, my talent is better!”“Clearly I look more like him; I can definitely inherit the mantle of the Kept Man King!”“Trying to rise so quickly? Master, you can’t take in someone who would betray their master and ancestors like that.”Zu’an couldn’t help but sigh, lamenting that life was truly as lonely as snow. Even if his system collected admiration points instead of anger points, he could still dominate the world.

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, watched with twitching eyelids, her teeth grinding slightly: “You’re very pleased with yourself right now, aren’t you?”Zu’an waved his hand: “Let’s skip the pleasantries for now. First, help me beat up these two guys. Oh, no, and also that traitor over there.” As he spoke, he pointed at Hong Xingying, who was hiding in the crowd.

Actually, Zu’an was a bit apprehensive in his heart. He wasn’t sure if this woman would help. If she turned against him instead, then he would only be able to invite the beautiful Headmistress out. Pei Mianman, who had been glaring furiously at Zu’an, suddenly, for some unknown reason, had a gentle smile flash across her face: “Alright.” Then she turned her head and pointed at Yuan Wendong, Ye Chenliang, and Hong Xingying: “Duel. The three of you, come at me together.”

The three of them changed color immediately. Yuan Wendong hurriedly said, “Miss Pei, we...”Pei Mianman sneered: “What’s wrong? Weren’t you all quite bold just now? Now three grown men are afraid to face just me? Then kneel down and kowtow to Zu’an, and I’ll pretend today’s events never happened.”Hong Xingying became furious: “Face you? Who’s afraid—” Before he could finish, a dark shadow punched him in the stomach. He writhed on the ground in pain, curled up like a cooked shrimp, desperately gasping for breath.Pei Mianman blew on her fist and said coldly, “Not even Fourth Grade, and I don’t know where you get your courage from. It’s your two’s turn!”

Yuan Wendong’s face turned alternately green and white. He secretly cursed Hong Xingying for being an idiot. He knew that everyone in the school was watching now, and if they chickened out of a three-on-one, they would be completely humiliated. “Pei Mianman, don’t push your luck! You should know I’m also Fifth Grade now!” After he spoke, his hands began to shimmer with golden light, and swords flew out from the sheaths of people around him, circling him. It looked quite imposing.“That Yuan fellow is actually Fifth Grade? I thought he was only Fourth Grade peak.”“This guy hides his strength well. Who knows who this old schemer was planning to ambush. Fortunately, he exposed himself today.”“Now there’s a good show to watch. Who do you think will win?”“Of course, our goddess.”“Not necessarily. That Ye Chenliang isn’t an ordinary opponent either. It might be a bit difficult for Miss Pei to face two against one.”

Hearing the discussions around him, Ye Chenliang also channeled his energy. A tortoise-shell-like transparent substance visibly condensed on his body. Zu’an secretly watched with alarm. Ye Chenliang’s move was Vitality Armor, covering his entire body; clearly, he had reached Third Grade Grand Completion. As for Yuan Wendong, he seemed to be using elemental power—was it metal manipulation? He looked like Magneto. He secretly pondered that no matter who these two were, he couldn’t defeat them in a head-on confrontation, unless he used “Great Wind” combined with his instant-kill dagger; then there might be a glimmer of hope.

Yuan Wendong understood the principle of striking first. With a wave of his hand, dozens of long swords directly attacked Pei Mianman. Ye Chenliang, as if in perfect sync, charged forward like a cannonball behind the swords, protected by his large tortoise shell, aiming for the captivating figure. Even thick-skinned Zu’an couldn’t help but feel a little worried for Pei Mianman. He saw her with a cold expression, as a black flame, like a divine dragon, coiled upwards around her body from her feet. The fiercely incoming long swords, upon touching her black flames, vanished section by section at an extremely fast rate.