This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
[1] 变脸 (bian lian, "face-changing"): In Sichuan opera, performers switch elaborate painted masks in fractions of a second -- a signature art form and national intangible cultural heritage. Here used to describe how quickly Yu Ming's personality flips from aggressive to conciliatory the instant he realizes how far outclassed he is.
Early the next morning.
The Special Training Class arrived at the Spirit Fighting Arena.
The moment they stepped into their private booth, a burly man appeared at the door.
"Was it YOUR people who bullied my student?"
The man's face was ice-cold -- one look and you could tell he was here to start trouble.
Beside him, Xia Yan stood in silence.
His eyes were dull and lifeless. Not a trace of yesterday's arrogance and swagger remained.
Overnight, Xia Yan's injuries had fully healed -- Chen Shu had naturally shown restraint with his hands. But though the marks on his face were gone, the scars in his heart would never fade.
Everyone stared at the pale-faced Xia Yan, who looked as though he'd been violated. Then, in perfect unison, the entire Special Training Class turned to look at Chen Shu.
What the hell did you DO to him last night?
"What student?" Shen Wushuang shrugged, the picture of innocence.
"You have the gall to do it but not the guts to own it? Is this really what Nanjiang Second High is about?"
Yu Ming narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with cold mockery. "Bullying a student -- that's what you call impressive?"
Xia Yan might have been an arrogant brat, but his talent was undeniably exceptional. And Yu Ming was his teacher -- no way was he going to stand by while some other school pushed his student around.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Shen Wushuang's smile vanished. A chill crept into his eyes.
"Are you challenging me?"
Yu Ming's brow furrowed slightly. He'd only come here looking for an explanation, but he hadn't expected the other side to be this aggressive -- ready to throw down at the slightest provocation.
"Teacher..."
Xia Yan tugged at Yu Ming's sleeve, his gaze locked onto Chen Shu.
When the entire class had turned to look at Chen Shu just now, he hadn't missed it. Xia Yan wasn't stupid -- he'd instantly identified his prime suspect.
Unfortunately, that urea bag had been wrapped too tightly last night. He hadn't caught even a glimpse of his attacker's face.
"Don't worry. I brought you here to get answers, and answers we'll get!" Yu Ming patted Xia Yan's shoulder, then turned back to Shen Wushuang. "If you think you're tough enough, then let's settle this in the arena!"
"You sure about that?"
Shen Wushuang's eyes narrowed to slits. A faint smile played at his lips.
CRACK
The space above his head split open without warning. Waves of frost billowed out, blanketing the room in a bone-deep chill that made everyone shudder involuntarily.
And there, inside the fractured rift of his beast-taming dimensional space, the terrifying silhouette of an Ice Phoenix loomed.
"A Semi-Manifest Summon?! An S-rank contract spirit?!"
In that instant, Yu Ming's face went through a complete transformation. Something clicked in his memory, and he blurted out: "You're... Shen Wushuang?!"
"You know me?"
Shen Wushuang raised an eyebrow. They were in Daxing City, but it wasn't far from Nanjiang -- naturally, some Beast Tamers here would recognize him.
"Then shall we?" Shen Wushuang gestured toward the door, already stepping out of the booth, ready to head for the arena floor.
Yu Ming's expression twisted into something agonized and indecisive. If they actually fought, he was going to get absolutely destroyed.
He shook his head and said: "Students' little conflicts -- they can work it out among themselves, can't they? Why should we teachers get involved in their business?"
"..."
Chen Shu and the others all folded their arms across their chests, watching Yu Ming's face-changing art[1] with great interest.
"Then why are you here?" Shen Wushuang dismissed the Semi-Manifest Summon and asked.
"Uh..."
The corner of Yu Ming's mouth twitched. His eyes darted back and forth, and then he said: "I was just... asking whether it was your people who bullied my student."
His plan was simple: if they denied it, he'd take Xia Yan and leave. A face-saving off-ramp for both sides.
But who could have predicted -- Shen Wushuang nodded without the slightest hesitation, not bothering to disguise a single thing.
"Yes. We did it. Got a problem?"
Holy shit! Did you have to be THAT direct?!
Yu Ming forced out a laugh. "Heh... heh... I was just asking. Just a simple question, that's all."
"Now that I have my answer -- farewell!"
"..."
And with that, Yu Ming swept Xia Yan out of the room and retreated to Daxing Third High's private booth.
Xia Yan's fists clenched at his sides. The humiliation was almost unbearable. He never imagined his own teacher would back down that easily.
Yu Ming sighed but offered no further explanation.
Xia Yan, it's not that I won't fight for you. The problem is this man buries people at the drop of a hat!
"Teacher Shen, that was dominant!"
Chen Shu couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. He hadn't expected Shen Wushuang to be this ruthlessly direct.
"What exactly did you do to him?" Shen Wushuang asked. Xia Yan's eyes had literally lost their light -- god only knew what that kid had been through.
Chen Shu waved it off. "Just paid him a little... condolence visit."
Everyone went collectively speechless. A condolence visit. From the Nanjiang Bandit. Sure.
"Teacher Shen, Chen Shu, thank you. And thank all of you," Xia Bing said. She hadn't expected the entire class to stand up for her.
At the end of the day, everything had started because Xia Yan had recognized her.
Chen Shu puffed himself up with maximum self-righteousness. "Small thing! You can mock ME, Chen Shu, all you want. But mock my classmates? That crosses the line!"
"..."
Everyone turned to stare at him. Are you absolutely certain you didn't say that backwards? Is that genuinely how you feel?
Just as the class was chatting, a staff member from the Spirit Fighting Arena arrived.
"Student Chen Shu, you're up!"
Chen Shu had been mid-conversation with Xie Sunan when the call came. He immediately said: "Oh -- do me a favor and put my loudspeaker on the platform first, would you?"
"..."
The corner of the staff member's mouth twitched. He grabbed the loudspeaker and left.
"Attention, all Beast Tamers!"
Chen Shu's combatant platform stood empty -- no person in sight, just a single loudspeaker sitting there, blasting yesterday's recording on repeat.
When that voice rang out, the audience knew. That man was coming.
Sure enough, Chen Shu sauntered up to the platform at a leisurely pace.
"I'm sure everyone here has been eagerly anticipating today's match!"
The announcer could barely contain his excitement. "On one side, we have the bandit from Nanjiang Second High -- er -- the student, Chen Shu! He may have only fought a single match so far, but I'm sure he's already left quite the impression!"
Spectators throughout the arena nodded along. A scheming bastard this young was indeed a rare sight.
"And on the other side, we have an equally formidable contender -- last month's Spirit Fighting Rankings number eighty-seven, the Level 9 Beast Tamer: Lin Yuan!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd at this introduction.
Eighty-seven might not sound impressive, but the Daxing Spirit Fighting Arena drew Beast Tamers from five or six surrounding cities. The pool of Level 9 Beast Tamers alone numbered in the tens of thousands -- clawing your way into the top hundred from that field was genuinely remarkable.
Seeing the awe in the crowd's faces, Chen Shu casually pressed play on the next recording.
"Hey, you on the other side! I don't care what reputation you've got -- against me, none of it matters!"
"Just surrender already! Medical bills are expensive these days, hon!"
"..."
The loudspeaker's voice echoed through the entire arena, drowning out even the announcer.
Every single spectator was stunned into silence. How many goddamn recordings did this guy make?
Back in the private booth, Shen Wushuang buried his face in his hands, sighing over and over. I have failed as a teacher...
He'd given the students the New Year's break to prepare for the upcoming city tournament.
Chen Shu couldn't have spent the entire holiday just making bombs and recording voice lines... could he?