Accident

Xiao Wu was already flushed with anger, and if it weren't for Ao Tian holding her shoulder, she might have already jumped up.

"You want me to accompany you? No way!" Xiao Wu angrily retorted.

"Oh, I just love these spicy little peppers. Since you won't accompany me, then hand over the money," Boss Xiao taunted.

His lackeys behind him were blatantly contemptuous of Wang Sheng and the others, with smug smiles on their faces.

"Money? We don't have any!" Xiao Wu's nostrils were practically emitting smoke from her anger.

"Hehe, then you've chosen the third option?" Boss Xiao clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. "Perfect, I haven't had you guys as punching bags for two months during the summer break, and I'm getting rusty."

Ao Tian released his grip, and Xiao Wu stood up, declaring, "If you want to fight, I'm up for it!"

"Clap, clap, clap..." Boss Xiao clapped his hands and then looked at Wang Sheng, saying, "You're becoming more useless by the day, relying on a little girl to speak for you."

"I'm the boss of Dorm Seven now!" Xiao Wu proclaimed.

Xiao Chenyu, surprisingly, glanced at Xiao Wu in amazement. He knew the rules of the work students' dormitories.

If this little girl had become the boss of Dorm 7, it meant her strength was even greater than Wang Sheng's.

Boss Xiao's interest in Xiao Wu grew more intense, and he clapped his hands, laughing heartily, "It's settled then. We'll meet behind the academy on the small hill, and none of you can escape."

Wang Sheng was initially very angry, but then he remembered Xiao Wu and Ao Tian's strengths, especially Ao Tian, who had demonstrated his power during the competition against Tang San. It was evident that Ao Tian had surpassed Xiao Chenyu.

With this thought, his anger dissipated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of vengeance and a hint of satisfaction. They would soon be able to exact their revenge.

Ao Tian stood up, tossed a gold soul coin to Wang Sheng, and said, "Go settle the bill."

Wang Sheng, with a cold look at Boss Xiao and his gang, forcefully made his way out.

"Courting death!" one of Boss Xiao's lackeys said.

"Don't worry; they'll get what's coming to them soon." Boss Xiao said.

His gaze fell on Ao Tian, and he was surprised. Due to his work-study role, Ao Tian's attire had become quite ordinary.

Boss Xiao had initially thought Ao Tian was just a good-looking but poor kid and didn't expect him to have gold soul coins.

"Kid, you seem pretty wealthy," he said.

Ao Tian smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm very wealthy."

He waved his hand on the tabletop, and a pile of glittering gold soul coins appeared. There were at least a few hundred.

Now, everyone in the room had their eyes fixed, unbelieving, on this small mountain of gold.

Boss Xiao and his gang, in particular, were almost salivating. While they did have money, they couldn't have this much pocket change. Several hundred gold soul coins were a substantial amount to them.

Ao Tian gave a faint smile, waved his hand to collect the money, and put it away.

Boss Xiao's face filled with greed as he scrutinized Ao Tian's face. He couldn't think of any noble in Nuoding City who looked this handsome.

"Do you guys recognize him?" he asked, turning to his lackeys.

All of his lackeys shook their heads.

Boss Xiao sneered with relief. In Nuoding City, he was the crown prince, and no one's status could surpass his.

If it were someone from another major city, why would they come to Nuoding City to study? And as a work-study student, no less.

Boss Xiao was confident he had Ao Tian figured out.

Before long, Wang Sheng returned, holding a bunch of silver soul coins and handed them to Ao Tian.

Ao Tian waved his hand, saying, "Since you're taking care of my work, consider this your reward."

Wang Sheng glanced at Boss Xiao and his gang and thought it wouldn't be right to refuse now. So, he accepted the money.

"Let's go, everyone."

Boss Xiao chuckled and turned to leave. Wang Sheng and the others followed behind Ao Tian and Xiao Wu, treating them as their leaders.

Worried, Xiao Wu asked, "Wang Sheng, won't we get punished for fighting?"

Wang Sheng shook his head and said, "No, as long as the teachers don't catch us."

Then he suggested, "Shouldn't we inform Tang San? With him, our chances of winning will be much higher."

He looked at Ao Tian while speaking, aware of the strained relationship between Ao Tian and Tang San.

Ao Tian shook his head and smiled, "No need."

Just as he finished speaking, they heard a loud "ouch," followed by a series of rolling and screaming sounds.

Boss Xiao and his gang had all tumbled down the stairs.

Xiao Wu and Wang Sheng stood there dumbfounded, their minds somewhat muddled.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go watch the show," Ao Tian said with a smile.

Reacting quickly, Xiao Wu and the others followed Ao Tian to the staircase.

Under the staircase, eight people were piled up, with Boss Xiao crushed at the bottom.

Continuous screams of "ouch" and "oh my god" filled the air, drawing the attention of all the students dining in the cafeteria.

"Dammit, you guys crushed me," Boss Xiao kept yelling from the bottom.

His few lackeys hurriedly got up and helped him to his feet.

The eight of them had swollen faces, and large, exaggerated bumps adorned their foreheads, resembling eggs.

Xiao Chenyu, who was once handsome and dashing, had turned into a grotesque figure.

He kept gasping in pain, and the agony on his face made him question his life choices. His entire body trembled from the intense pain.

Laughter echoed throughout the first-floor hall as everyone who witnessed the scene couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Boss Xiao and his gang looked at each other's miserable states, and the embarrassment turned their faces beet red.

"Let's go," he grumbled, charging out of the cafeteria.

His gang followed suit, their only thought being to seek medical treatment at the school infirmary. They couldn't care less about Ao Tian and the others.

"Let's go. We've had our fill; time to take a nice nap," Ao Tian said with a smile.

"Look, that kid is so handsome and cute!"

One of the girls screamed, drawing everyone's attention to the staircase.

Ao Tian descended the stairs with a smile, walking gracefully.

Although his attire was ordinary, his looks and the aura he exuded immediately attracted countless admirers.

Jealousy filled the eyes of the boys, while the girls couldn't stop screaming.

"Tasteless!" Ao Tian shook his head with a sigh.

Wang Sheng and the others followed Ao Tian, smiling wryly. They now understood the extent of Ao Tian's charm.

Even after leaving the cafeteria, a few bold girls continued to follow him.

"Seeing Boss Xiao get beaten up like that is really satisfying," one of the work-study students sighed.

"It's karma," Wang Sheng added with a satisfied grin.

Thinking about Boss Xiao and his gang's condition, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Then, his expression turned serious, and he said, "The school infirmary has Spirit Masters for treatment; they'll recover quickly. We can't afford to let our guard down; this battle might be inevitable."

He looked at Ao Tian and Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu clenched her fists tightly and said, "Don't worry; I'll make sure to beat them so badly their own mothers won't recognize them."

Ao Tian smiled and didn't say anything. 

Why would he waste his time on such trivial matters? That guy called Boss Xiao wouldn't recover in a matter of days, even if they brought the most powerful Spirit Master healers from the Douluo Continent.

The group returned to their dormitory but found that Tang San wasn't there.

Wang Sheng placed the food he had packed for Tang San on Tang San's bed and said, "He's probably gone to find Grandmaster, as he mentioned before."

Ao Tian lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and began to rest. Xiao Wu thought for a moment and did the same on her own bed.

Wang Sheng shook his head, returned to his own bed, and started meditating.

The others followed suit.

They were not naturally gifted, and they knew they had to rely on diligent cultivation to stand out.

It wasn't until the late afternoon, as the sun began to set, that Tang San returned.