Chapter Ten: Beat You Within an Inch of Your Life

“If you can’t stop spewing nonsense, you can’t talk like a human being, can you? I’ll beat you to death!” Su Ye’s hand didn’t pause; he slapped Song Dahai again and again, the crisp sound of his blows echoing harshly through the classroom.

All their classmates were utterly stunned!

What was going on?

Why was Su Ye so different from usual today? Normally, wasn’t Song Dahai the one always calling him ‘useless’ and ‘coward’? How did things escalate to a fight now?

Song Dahai was just as bewildered, both cheeks burning and swollen from the blows.

“Su Ye, you useless piece of trash, how dare you hit me—ah, I’ll kill you!” He quickly came to his senses, shouting curses as he straightened up and lunged at Su Ye. He wasn’t class monitor merely because he flattered the teachers—he had some strength himself. Though he couldn’t compare to the students in the advanced class, he’d already opened nine of his one hundred and eight acupoints!

Nine acupoints against Su Ye’s zero—it should have been a crushing advantage.

With a thud, Song Dahai exerted his full strength, holding nothing back. All nine of his acupoints surged with heat, and his power swelled by at least a hundred pounds. Normally, this would have been enough to hurl Su Ye several meters away.

But now, Song Dahai’s body trembled in vain. He couldn’t budge Su Ye, as if he were trying to lift an SUV off the ground.

“With just you?” Su Ye parted his feet lightly, standing unmoved, then seized Song Dahai with both hands, every vein in his body surging with energy. He lifted Song Dahai, spun him a hundred and eighty degrees, and slammed him heavily to the floor.

Bang!

Song Dahai was so dazed by the blow that he couldn’t even move, only able to whimper pitifully from his throat.

“Now tell me, who’s really the useless one?” Su Ye showed no mercy, planting a foot on Song Dahai’s face and grinding it into the floor. “You’d better not mess with me again! Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes, Su Ye, I was wrong! Please, it hurts—don’t hit me anymore! I was wrong before, I shouldn’t have done what I did!” Song Dahai, his face bruised and swollen, begged desperately for mercy.

Su Ye snorted coldly. “Where’s Instructor Jian Muqian? You know all the gossip in class—don’t tell me you don’t know!”

“She’s in the Academic Affairs Office. I think she’s about to be dismissed!” Song Dahai blurted out.

Su Ye noticed that a crowd of classmates had already gathered, and class was about to begin. If the teacher arrived, there would be trouble. He lifted his foot and said, “In the future, don’t talk while walking—speak properly if you have something to say, or you’ll trip and fall again.”

“Right, right. I just tripped by accident just now!” Song Dahai covered his swollen face and struggled to his feet.

Su Ye glanced around at his classmates, noticing that many wore expressions of excitement. Though they usually looked down on him, they disliked Song Dahai’s arrogant posturing even more. Now that Su Ye had taught him a lesson, many were secretly delighted.

Ignoring them, Su Ye quickly left the classroom.

Though he didn’t interact much with Jian Muqian, she had always been diligent and earnest, treating every student with care. The incident with the giant python must have been his fault. His cultivation method was by no means ordinary—he couldn’t let her career suffer because of him.

He hadn’t yet reached the Academic Affairs Office when he heard loud voices coming from within.

“Three million! At least three million… Who’s going to pay this, you or the school? We’ve reiterated countless times that student safety comes first. Do you realize what kind of impact this incident has had on our school?” From the sound of it, that must be Director Yan.

“All right, enough! Teacher Jian has admitted her mistake, and fortunately, the student’s life isn’t in danger. Still, this is serious—the principal demands accountability! Teacher Jian, after you pay the compensation, I hope you’ll resign of your own accord. We won’t write anything negative in your file—you can rest assured.”

Then came Jian Muqian’s remorseful voice: “I understand. I failed to protect my student when I should have. It’s my fault. I’d like to take leave for a few days to care for Su Ye—please, grant my request.”

Hearing this, Su Ye sighed deeply.

In the end, it seemed Jian Muqian would have to take the blame. Otherwise, such a serious incident might even cost the principal his job.

“Teachers—” Su Ye strode to the office door, knocked, and said in a deep voice, “I’m back! I hear you’re planning to dismiss Instructor Jian. You’re wronging a good person!”

The directors and teachers inside all turned in shock when they saw Su Ye.

Jian Muqian rushed over, seizing Su Ye by the shoulders and looking him up and down, her voice trembling with emotion. “Su Ye, are you all right? How did you get back?”

At this close distance, gazing at her delicate, beautiful face, Su Ye could smell the faint fragrance she carried. “Instructor Jian, I’m fine! I’ve already been discharged. And how could this be your fault? We worked together to protect the students—why should you take responsibility?”

He turned to the directors and said sternly, “None of you were present at the time. Why make decisions without knowing the facts? When the python appeared, Instructor Jian protected the students, while I held the beast back. If anyone else had been there, there would have been casualties.”

Seeing that Su Ye was safe, the directors all relaxed. An incident with a student and one without were worlds apart.

“Su Ye, are you really all right? The school has its procedures. You’re just a student—don’t get involved. This is serious; it must be handled properly!” the director said, reverting to his formal tone.

“If you don’t like immaturity, then let me put it another way: I don’t want compensation, nor do I want Instructor Jian dismissed! While I was in the hospital, several newspapers wanted to interview me… and the school’s rival, Liangsha High, also contacted me. I’m seriously considering what I’ll say.”

Though he was only sixteen or seventeen, Su Ye spoke with the poise of someone who’d grown up differently from others.

If the world of adults was all about interests, then he would speak in those terms.

The directors blushed with embarrassment, not expecting to be cornered by a student.

“Su Ye, what kind of talk is that?”

“Interpret it however you wish. I simply think it’s a shame to lose such a good instructor.” With that, Su Ye looked at Jian Muqian.

The beautiful, captivating Jian Muqian gazed back at him in a daze. Warmth welled up in her heart, and she almost wanted to cry. As the school’s star instructor, she was always met with smiles and kindness; she’d come to believe that was the way of things. But now, when trouble arose, all that friendliness disappeared as if those faces had always been masks.

In contrast, Su Ye’s few words felt like a warm embrace in the midst of a storm, giving her a momentary refuge.

“Well, Su Ye and Instructor Jian, why don’t you both head back for now? Clearly, there’s more to this than we realized. Don’t worry—you’re both valued members of the school. We’d never dismiss you lightly.”

The directors quickly changed their tone with a smile.

After less than ten more minutes, Su Ye and Jian Muqian left the office together.

Jian Muqian looked at Su Ye in surprise. This young man was truly hard to read: once a prodigy, now the lowest-ranked student in the school—yet with a few words, he had managed to save her position.

“Su Ye—I'm sorry! As your instructor, even if the students were holding me back, I should have broken free to rescue you. But I didn’t. I’m not afraid of anything—except snakes. When I saw it, I was paralyzed. That’s a long story; I’ll tell you someday.”

Su Ye was a bit taken aback. Jian Muqian afraid of snakes? She must be: even now, just mentioning it made her tremble.

“All right. Don’t worry about it. That python… anyway, I’m fine now.”

“By the way, I wanted to ask—how did you come out unscathed? When you fought that beast, you clearly had cultivation. Are you hiding your strength? No, I must take you for a retest. There’s no way you’re at zero acupoints.” Jian Muqian grabbed his hand and started to lead him away.

Su Ye felt her soft, gentle hand in his, so comfortable he almost wanted to squeeze it a little.

“A test? Is that really necessary?”