Chapter 80: Marching Into the Tiger’s Lair

The sky had completely darkened.

Rows of somber buildings on campus had patches of glass windows lit up with lights, standing out distinctly in the pitch-black night. The howling cold wind rushed into the campus from mid-air, raging through. Under the dim glow of the street lamps, it swirled up snow particles from the drifts, making them flutter and scatter like layers of misty curtains, rustling incessantly.

Su Chunfeng, Li Zhichao, and Feng Gang walked hurriedly toward the dormitory.

“Gangzi, you and I will split up later to gather people… damn it, we’re gonna fight them today,” Li Zhichao said through gritted teeth. “Tell the guys to get their tools ready.”

“Zhichao, Chunfeng,” Feng Gang hesitated. “The people from Heyi Town outnumber us. And this time, even Qian Jingjiang from senior grade three is involved.”

Li Zhichao stubbornly declared, “If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, you can’t avoid it! Do we have any other choice at this point?”

“Damn it!” Feng Gang clenched his teeth. “Let’s fight!”

Su Chunfeng, who had been walking silently, suddenly spoke up. “Zhichao, do you have any knives?”

“Yes!” Li Zhichao said with a fierce expression, his face tense. “I have a chopper and two daggers myself… when we get to the dorm, pick whichever feels right.”

“Alright, keep the two daggers for me,” Su Chunfeng said. “I’ll come to the dorm to find you later. Remember, without my say-so, no one is to start a fight with the people from Heyi Town.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Su Chunfeng waved his hand and turned to leave.

Li Zhichao and Feng Gang were slightly stunned for a moment, then rushed toward the dormitory—they needed to gather as many people as possible in the shortest time. This time, they were about to face an almost unbeatable opponent. Heyi Town had many people and influence, and the already infamous school bully kings, senior grade three students Qian Jingjiang and Zhou Fan, were involved. As for Li Zhichao, he only had some prestige among the first-year students from Dongwangzhuang Township and Guanmiao Township. As for the older students from these two townships… don’t count on them; there wasn’t a single person among them with any significant weight in the school.

After parting with Li Zhichao and Feng Gang, Su Chunfeng quickly made his way to the Faculty Dormitory Building on the north side of the campus. He found out which room belonged to Qian Ming, the English teacher for classes 5 and 6 of senior grade three, and immediately entered building unit three, going up to the fifth floor.

Knock, knock, knock!

A knocking sound rang out.

Qian Ming, who was about to go out for dinner, answered while opening the door. Outside stood a student with a smile on his face, wearing a gray cotton jacket, fair-skinned and handsome.

“It’s you?” Qian Ming was momentarily stunned, then quickly stepped aside. “Please, come in, come in…”

“Thank you.” Su Chunfeng stepped inside.

The faculty single dormitory was not large, only about twenty square meters. It held a single wooden bed, a small bookshelf, a desk, and a wardrobe, making it feel cramped.

As he closed the door, Qian Ming spoke excitedly and eagerly. “I was just thinking of finding you to talk these past few days. Oh, no, I should properly thank you and ask you about some things related to Esoteric Techniques. After hearing your advice early the day before yesterday, I followed it exactly when I returned. I’m feeling much better now. I hope you can…”

Su Chunfeng waved his hand to cut off his rambling. “Teacher Qian, do you have Talisman Paper, Cinnabar, and a brush here?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Lend them to me.”

“Alright, wait a moment.” Qian Ming scurried to the bedside, pulled out a wooden box from underneath, opened it, and took out Cinnabar, pre-cut Talisman Paper, a brush, and an inkstone, placing them one by one on the table.

“Thank you.”

Without wasting time on pleasantries, Su Chunfeng walked to the table, mixed the Cinnabar liquid, directly took three sheets of Talisman Paper and stacked them together. He pressed down on the papers with his left hand, held the brush dipped in Cinnabar liquid in his right hand, then silently recited the Spell Incantation and Mind Cultivation Technique, calming his mind before wielding the brush like a dragon across the paper, finishing in an instant.

One stroke completed three Talismans!

Qian Ming watched, dumbfounded—Good heavens, is this… is this the legendary “a single spark of spiritual light becomes a Talisman”? Amazing, truly a master!

Su Chunfeng didn’t mind the dirtiness, picked up the cup of water on the table, took a sip, and sprayed it onto the three Talismans with a puff.

Then, he picked up the Talismans with his left hand, gently flicked them with his right hand, turned around, and smiled. “Teacher Qian, thank you… remember not to spread this around. You understand.”

“Understood, understood!” Qian Ming nodded vigorously.

“Goodbye.”

“Ah, goodbye, wait…” Qian Ming couldn’t help but step forward and block Su Chunfeng, asking with a look of shock and disbelief. “Those Talismans you just drew… can they be used?”

“Why draw them if they can’t be used?” Su Chunfeng said impatiently. “Alright, alright, we’ll talk later. I’m busy.”

“Oh, alright, goodbye.” Qian Ming quickly stepped aside.

Su Chunfeng opened the door and hurried out.

He left Qian Ming standing alone in the room, stunned—he didn’t understand how a high school student merely sixteen or seventeen years old could have such a high level of cultivation in Esoteric Techniques… So, did that mean there were even more legendary masters of Esoteric Techniques in this world?

After pondering for a long while, he sighed deeply, shook his head, and smiled wryly at himself. “I really was just a frog at the bottom of a well.”

…

West area, third floor of the teaching building, Class 12, Senior Grade 3.

It was almost time for evening self-study. The classroom was brightly lit, almost like daylight. Male and female students chatted and laughed, with a few occasionally enduring the noise and clamor in the classroom, burying their heads in their studies.

Classes 11 to 15 in any grade were almost always filled with the students with the worst grades in the entire grade. Under the school’s backward and brutal elimination system, once students performed poorly and were assigned to such classes, most would give up on themselves and go with the flow, influenced by the environment.

And Class 12 and Class 15 of senior grade three were the two classes that gave all senior grade three teachers the biggest headaches.

Because Class 12 had Qian Jingjiang, and Class 15 had Sun Lei—these two were undoubtedly the School Bully Kings within County No.1 High School.

At this moment, no one noticed that Su Chunfeng from Class One of the first-year grade was standing by the railing outside the door of Class 13, Senior Grade 3, with his arms resting on the railing, seemingly idly observing the campus scenery under the night sky. However, the corner of his eye kept watching the corridor to the east and the main entrance of Class 12’s classroom not far away.

After a while, Qian Jingjiang and Zhou Fan swaggered over from the east, cigarettes in their mouths, and went straight into the classroom of Class 12.

Su Chunfeng turned around. After a slight hesitation, he sighed softly, his face taking on a ruthless, resolute, cold expression as he strode toward the classroom of Class 12.

Inside the noisy, clamorous classroom…

Qian Jingjiang sat in the corner at the back of the classroom, on the south side, surrounded by four or five people, discussing the matter of teaching someone a lesson that night.

“Get everyone gathered.”

“No need, it’s just some first-year brats. We’ll just go there to back them up, let Zheng Wentao and Han Qiang handle it.”

“Exactly, beating up these little guys is just embarrassing.”

Listening to his buddies’ chatter, Qian Jingjiang, who had drunk a bit, showed an excited expression. He felt no pressure at all, as if this were all too familiar, and waved his hand with a laugh. “Those two brats are way too cocky. If I don’t personally teach them a lesson, I won’t be able to vent this anger… you didn’t see how arrogant their attitude and words were, damn it…” Just as he said this, Qian Jingjiang’s smiling, excited expression instantly darkened. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Kid, Class 12 is not a place for you.”

The few guys all turned to look and saw a fair-skinned, handsome, thin student in a gray cotton jacket walking over with a cold expression.

“Oh? Come to apologize?” Zhou Fan stepped forward and lifted his right hand to rest on Su Chunfeng’s shoulder.

All the students in the classroom looked over—when Su Chunfeng entered earlier, they simply hadn’t bothered to care who this unfamiliar little guy was or why he was here.

Su Chunfeng’s right hand shot up like lightning, gripping Zhou Fan’s approaching right hand. At the same time, his left arm swung and twisted, putting Zhou Fan in an arm lock. Amidst Zhou Fan’s sharp cry of pain, Su Chunfeng pressed Zhou Fan’s right hand with his own right hand, twisted his right arm with his left arm, and with his left hand pressing on Zhou Fan’s shoulder, he shoved him forcefully onto the desk in front of Qian Jingjiang.

Thud!

“Let go, let go… damn it…” Zhou Fan cried out in pain.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

“Damn!”

“Get him!”

Whoosh…

Several boys nearby immediately reached for chairs, ready to attack.

“Don’t, don’t move!” Zhou Fan suddenly screamed in fright.

Only then did the others see with horror that on Su Chunfeng’s left hand, which was pressing on Zhou Fan’s shoulder, a sharp, cold-edged dagger had appeared at some point, now placed diagonally against Zhou Fan’s neck.

The classroom immediately erupted into uproar.

The timid girls screamed and ran out.

True to his reputation as a School Bully King, Qian Jingjiang remained seated steadily throughout—from Su Chunfeng’s lightning-fast subdual of Zhou Fan to holding the dagger against Zhou Fan’s neck, making the others hesitate to act. Though initially surprised, he quickly regained his composure. A fierce, vicious look appeared on his face as he said darkly, “Kid, you trying to scare me?”

“No,” Su Chunfeng said coldly, while using his right hand to pull another dagger from his pocket and throwing it onto the desk in front of Qian Jingjiang. “Let’s be fair. You get one, I get one. We fight one-on-one. Whoever dies, tough luck!”

“Trying to act tough with me?” Qian Jingjiang sneered fearlessly, naturally glancing at the dagger on the desk in front of him.

At this moment, almost everyone’s gaze was fixed on Su Chunfeng and Qian Jingjiang’s expressions, and on the two gleaming daggers. So, no one noticed that Su Chunfeng’s right hand formed a strange finger gesture while his lips slightly parted, silently uttering a word: “Intimidate!”

Qian Jingjiang stood up, grabbed the dagger in his hand, and said with a fierce expression, “Not in the classroom. Let’s go to the Playground.”

“Let’s go…” Su Chunfeng suddenly shoved Zhou Fan away, simultaneously kicking him to the floor. Then, holding the dagger in his left hand, he raised it and pointed at the guys who looked ready to attack, slowly turning, his face showing no fear but a contemptuous, ruthless sneer. “Hmm… what’s up? Who wants to be the first to test my blade?”