Chapter 6: Angering the Campus Belle

Since early morning of the next day, all sorts of variations of news and stories about Ling Yun exploded throughout Qingshui High and spread like wildfire.

"Have you heard? Apparently, the useless Ling Yun from Grade 12 Class 6 came back to hostel really late last night. I heard he was in a frenzy as he stepped on Wei Tiangan in his room!"

"I've heard about that long ago, it wasn't just that, you know who's Jia Meng, right? He got slapped so hard he flew out of the door and lost two of his teeth..."

"Of course I knew that! I saw him clutching his cheeks as he walked towards the hospital when I came to school. I'm guessing he's going to fill his teeth! Hey, his cheeks were so swollen..."

"Unbelievable, judging by how useless that dumb fat pig looks, what on earth could have triggered him to that extent? Don't forget that he has never retaliated no matter who bullied him for almost three years..."

"Hehe, do you really have to ask? That idiot definitely confessed to our school's number one campus belle Cao Shanshan last night. I'll let you know but don't tell anyone, Ling Yun was half-naked when he returned to the hostel!"

"Well, you can't be sure. Maybe Ling Yun felt that since he had bullied and tainted Cao Shanshan, he'd be screwed sooner or later anyway. Therefore, he acted the way he did in the hostel..."

"When all hope is lost, people really do lose their minds..."

...

Last night's news was like a gust of wind that blew through every corner of the school's compound since early morning. In addition, with the vivid imagination of high school students, the rumors snowballed and got even more ridiculous. Yesterday's incident was completely twisted beyond recognition by the end of it!

"That useless garbage Ling Yun confessed to our campus belle Cao Shanshan last night and got rejected. This resulted in him unleashing the beast within and forcing himself upon her. We don't know what happened after that. However, when he got back to his hostel, he gave his hostel mates, who had bullied him before, a good beating!"

To summarize, it was basically like a toad lusting over a swan's flesh! She was way out of his league!

Maybe that was the conclusion that satisfied the high schoolers' wild imagination and curiosity. Ultimately, this was the version of the story that garnered the most approval among the students.

Grade 12 Class 6.

Wei Tiangan held an English textbook in his hand. Even though his eyes were staring at the book, his focus was elsewhere. He had an evil and sly grin on his face that spelt success, with a hint of ruthlessness emanating from the corner of his lips occasionally.

Ling Yun, even though I don't know why you suddenly became so strong, and even though I can't beat you now, there are two among the Big Four Bullies in school who have openly confessed that they like Cao Shanshan. Let's see how your death with unfold when this news gets out!

As his thoughts trailed there, a hint of sick satisfaction filled Wei Tiangan's heart. It was as if he could actually see Ling Yun getting physically abused by those bullies until he was unable to get up, all while howling in pain and begging for mercy.

Hmm, so what if you can fight? With your results being the last in class, you probably can't even pass the college entrance exam and will end up as a labor worker in the future...

Wei Tiangan's Ah-Q spirit[1] was strong and he quickly found his sense of superiority back. Very soon, he started slipping into a state of self-admiration.

Cao Shanshan definitely deserved it when people crowned her the best campus belle in the history of Qingshui High. No matter whether was it her family background, physical attributes, or academic results, she was always of a higher calibre!

However, Cao Shanshan's beautiful face seemed to be covered in snow. Her gloomy expression, colossal bust that was rising and falling rapidly, and her flaring nostrils following her gentle pants made her look like an angry little lion. She did not know if she could hold it in any longer!

Right then, her desk mate, Zhang Ling, nicknamed "mouth runner", whose favorite thing to do was to get to the bottom of things, would not stop trying to gossip with her.

Zhang Ling was rather attractive too. In fact, she would be considered a beauty if she was among some plain-looking people. However, when she was beside Cao Shanshan, she was nothing more than accessory, like a leaf to a flower.

"I say, Shanshan, did Ling Yun really do something to you?"

"I didn't even see that idiot last night! I've answered this question way too many times already and I'm sick of it!" Cao Shanshan looked at Zhang Ling with an expression that seemed like anger mixed with embarrassment. She looked as though she was about to explode!

"But last night, I really did see Ling Yun follow you out of school...The distance between the two of you was not more than 30 meters..."

Zhang Ling blinked as if she was trying to spot hints or clues from Cao Shanshan's reply.

"You dare say! Alright, I'll admit that he was not far behind me last night. After a few hundred meters, he took a turn and went the opposite way from me! After that, I went straight home! You can go and ask my parents right now if you don't believe me! Are you satisfied with that answer?" Cao Shanshan was about to lose her mind!

However, the first thing she saw when she got to school was how her classmates were judging her and whispering among themselves. The bits and pieces of the news that she overheard sent her into a boiling rage!

When she finally got to her classroom, Cao Shanshan noticed that everyone there was looking at her differently. She was about to go insane right then and she really wanted to string up Ling Yun before tearing him into thousands of shreds!

"Is it possible that that idiotic Ling Yun wanted to use this kind of method to tell you he likes you?" Zhang Ling truly had the potential to become a reporter. However, since she did not have the guts to trigger Cao Shanshan directly, she just mumbled to herself.

Cao Shanshan blanked out for a moment after she heard that. True, that is indeed very possible.

"Hmm! I'll find an opportunity to let him know today, I will rather accept a pig than accept him. He should just give it up! What an idiot! An idiot whose IQ is lower than a pig!"

Zhang Ling's mouth twitched as she said nonchalantly, "Would you even expect him to be in class? Needless to say, even the teachers couldn't be bothered with him after he gave up on the college entrance exam. His brain probably went haywire, that's why he showed up for self-study session last night and started such a riot today. It would be a miracle if he dares to show up!"

...

The one who started it all, the man of the moment, the idiot who was more worthless than a pig in Cao Shanshan's eye, had just awoken from his slumber.

Ling Yun was woken up by his hunger.

Ling Yun could not help but shake his head and smile bitterly as he heard his stomach growling. He recalled that ever since he had forced himself into fasting period, he had hardly had a taste of normal food.

However, since he got banished to Earth while he was in the Tribulation Stage, he became a mortal. Even though his highest priority was to lose weight, he still had to fill his tummy and treat his organs well!

"I have to buy food first... Crap!" Ling Yun was shocked!

His wallet and meal card were in his coat, but he had already generously given his coat to Lin Menghan last night!

"If only there was a storage bag or a spatial magic instrument of some sort... That'd be a lot more convenient..." Ling Yun muttered to himself.

"Ugh, it's hard being a good person these days. The only time I actually did a good deed, I ended up starving myself..."

Ling Yun rubbed his empty belly and gritted his teeth in regret. He swore to himself never to be a good person again while he pondered about how he could fill his empty stomach.

"Why don't I borrow some from my little stepsister?" According to the information from his memory, he had a younger sister who was also in Grade 12 from Qingshui High. Her name was Ning Lingyu, and by her looks, it seemed like she was one of the three campus belles in school.

An image surfaced in his mind: A beauty with big brilliant eyes, tall and slim physique, with a ponytail tied up. Ling Yun could not help but shudder at the image.

Ning Lingyu. She was always disappointed in him because she had high expectations of him. In fact, her impression of him worsened as they progressed onto Grade 12. Even though they were in the same school, they only saw each other around every few months.

Or, even if they did see each other and Ling Yun tried to approach her, all he would get in return was an icy groan filled with deep disappointment. Following which, she would turn around and sprint away.

Ling Yun completely understood the mentality of these two siblings. He knew that Ning Lingyu was not looking down upon her brother. Instead, she wanted to use that method as motivation for her brother to man up and not be such a weakling.

As he recalled Ning Lingyu's eyes that were filled with disappointment but yet a glimmer of hope, Ling Yun shook his head and muttered to himself, "Forget it, I'll just look around, what if I can find a bit of money? All treasures are discovered this way!"

He searched high and low and dug through all the drawers and shelves. Lady Luck seemed to be on his side since he managed to find a hundred dollar bill in a book at his headboard!

This boy seemed to be good at hiding money. It was too bad he had the time to hide it but did not have the time to use it.

Alright, time to fill this tummy.

After he packed up everything, Ling Yun strolled out of the hostel leisurely with the hundred dollar bill in his hand and went straight to the school canteen. He could not be bothered by the students who were judging him and whispering among themselves on the way to school as long as they did not disturb him.

He knew for sure that the news of him beating up Wei Tiangan had spread like wildfire, but he could not be bothered about it. If people were not talking about the strong, it must have been because he was not strong enough!

However, Ling Yun still decided to keep an extremely low profile for only one reason. If it was not for his overly showy attitude and high profile in Cultivation World, he would not have suffered that terrible tragedy from Heaven!

As he recalled that horrible tragedy that endlessly haunted him until he was completely destroyed beyond repair, Ling Yun's facial muscles twitched violently. He lifted his head to look at the clear blue sky.

Low profile, mm, I must keep a low profile!

Money was really easily spent at that time, a simple breakfast that was just enough to fill Ling Yun's tummy had already cost him thirty dollars out of the hundred dollars that he originally had.

Of course, that was decided by the portion of the food that he chose. Even though the old Ling Yun had a weak body, he already had a huge appetite; the current Ling Yun was a fatty, who was stronger than a normal person. Naturally, his appetite would be even bigger.

"I want to be rich! Otherwise, I really can't keep up with my appetite. I don't want to waste my body away while I do my strength training!" This was a big question that suddenly popped into Ling Yun's mind as he was walking back to his hostel after buying his meal.

When it came to earning money, Ling Yun was truly not worried at all.

Even though he was still incapable of looking into bodies and utilizing the spiritual energy within him, he was still able to cure normal illnesses with his superb medical skills and familiarity with the human body's meridians and acupuncture points. This was as long as he had a few silver needles with him.

He would also be able to concoct medicine and even craft talismans when he reached the Qi Cultivation Stage. He was confident that it would be a breeze for him to earn money in this world.

After he was done with his meal, he went downstairs again. This time, however, he ran straight for the school field.

PE lessons were cancelled long ago since all the Grade 12 students were busy studying diligently for the college entrance examination that was merely two months away. However, there were still a few classes from Grade 10 and 11 that had PE classes at the school field.

Of course, every high school had their own student-athletes. It was only natural for them to be undergoing their crazy training under the guidance of their coaches under the hot sun right there and then.

Ling Yun's destination was here.

"Yo, if it isn't the centre of attention from our class. Hey fatty, I heard that a lot of people are ready to pick a fight with you after you stirred up that huge mess. Shouldn't you be looking for somewhere to hide? Why are you still here?"

[1]: More about the Ah-Q spirit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Story_of_Ah_Q