"Tsk tsk tsk, if you ask me, Qin Ming getting beaten up is completely deserved. It's all his own fault. Who told him to act so arrogant all the time? Now he's finally met his match!"
"Exactly! He's always scowling and punishing us at the drop of a hat, as if the whole world owes him money. It's infuriating to see. Finally, someone's put him in his place."
At this scene, a wave of snickering laughter rose from the crowd, filled with satisfaction at Qin Ming's comeuppance.
The noise from the crowd grew louder and louder, like a boiling pot, eventually catching the attention of Director Li inside the admissions office.
Director Li frowned, his face filled with displeasure. He slowly walked over, pushed open the door, and spoke with a tone of authority and impatience, "What's all this racket? What kind of behavior is this?"
At first, he thought it was just another argument between Qin Ming and the students, as such incidents had happened a few times before. He was well aware of Qin Ming's temper.
But when he looked closely into the crowd, he saw a bloodied figure lying on the ground, clothes torn and flesh mangled. For a moment, he couldn't even recognize who it was.
Director Li was startled and quickly took a few steps closer for a better look. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized the person on the ground was none other than Qin Ming!
"What happened? Who did this?" Director Li's eyes widened as he roared, "This is lawless! How dare someone openly assault someone at the gates of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
Director Li's sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, and he soon spotted the likely culprit—the White-robed Soul Saint, who was wiping a blood-stained rod in his hand.
Without hesitation, Director Li strode toward the White-robed Soul Saint.
Before Director Li could speak, the White-robed Soul Saint seemed to sense his presence. He coldly turned his head and glanced at Director Li with a sidelong look. He casually tossed a token engraved with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda toward Director Li and said, "Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School business. Get lost!"
Director Li instinctively caught the token. When he saw the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda pattern on it, his face instantly turned pale, and all his anger vanished without a trace.
His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and even his voice carried a hint of flattery, "Yes, yes, of course. Go ahead, take it easy. I'll just go to the restroom. I didn't see anything."
Before he even finished speaking, he turned and scurried away like a frightened rabbit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Qin Ming, who was lying on the ground barely conscious, had thought his savior had arrived. Seeing Director Li run off like that, he fainted on the spot.
If Director Li knew what Qin Ming was thinking, he would have been furious. "I only earn a few hundred Gold Soul Coins a month, and you expect me to risk my life for you?"
The White-robed Soul Saint pointed at Qin Ming, who was now barely breathing, and asked, "Young Master, do you think this is enough?"
Gu Feng, with a faint smile on his lips and a satisfied expression, nodded leisurely, "Hmm, I think that's about enough. We of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School are civilized people, and this is Brother Xue's territory after all. We should give him some face. After all, we're patriotic, aren't we?"
Not long after, Director Li returned with a few strong and sturdy students in tow. When the students saw Qin Ming lying on the ground barely alive, they couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Director Li waved his hand, signaling the students to quickly drag Qin Ming away. The students didn't dare delay and hastily lifted Qin Ming onto a stretcher before hurrying off.
After dealing with this messy situation, Director Li cleared his throat and regained some of his composure as the admissions director. He addressed the remaining students, "Alright, everyone, settle down. Let's begin the enrollment process. The tuition fee is 500 Gold Soul Coins."
Gu Feng, standing at the front of the line, calmly took out a gold card from his pocket and handed it to Director Li.
Director Li took the card and swiped it on the card reader, but after several attempts, the machine didn't respond, only emitting a series of "beep" sounds indicating an error.
Director Li subtly glanced at the White-robed Soul Saint standing nearby, forcing a flattering smile as he whispered, "Young master, could there be an issue with this gold card? As you can see, the machine keeps showing a transaction failure."
The White-robed Soul Saint sighed helplessly and softly reminded him, "Young master, the card you're holding belongs to Miss Rongrong. Think about it, Miss Rongrong only spends money on buying candies. Could she possibly have that many Gold Soul Coins?"
"A few days ago, when I checked the spending records, your gold card had already been frozen by the Sect Leader. He said that as long as you go back and apologize to Bone Douluo, showing some humility, he'll unfreeze it for you."
Hearing this, Gu Feng was momentarily stunned.
Who could understand his family's antics?
To force him to return, they'd even resort to such underhanded tactics.
Furious and trembling with anger!
Gu Feng gritted his teeth and declared firmly, "Apologize? Not a chance. I'll never apologize in this lifetime. Even if I die, even if I jump off the Star Dou Great Forest, I'll never go back and apologize."
"Young master, then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."
The White-robed Soul Saint shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness. He knew Gu Feng's stubborn nature well—once he made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.
With that, he lightly tapped the ground with his foot and flew away.
However, he didn't actually leave but instead hid in the shadows, silently watching over Gu Feng.
Gu Feng stood in place, watching the White-robed Soul Saint depart, then glanced at Director Li before him, feeling utterly helpless.
Truly, even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money.
He had never imagined he'd find himself in such a predicament over tuition fees.
Just as Gu Feng was racking his brains trying to figure out how to pay the tuition, a soft, pink hand holding a silver card appeared in front of him. A clear, slightly sweet voice gently rang in his ear, "I'll pay for him."
Gu Feng turned sharply, following the voice.
There stood Ye Lingling, wearing a pristine white dress, its hem swaying gently in the breeze.
Her face was round, her fair skin tinged with a soft pink, and her large eyes sparkled with liveliness and purity. Her short silver hair, cut just above her ears, was strikingly bright.
At that moment, the card reader let out a crisp "beep," breaking the brief silence.
"Payment successful."
Director Li's face was filled with a warm, friendly smile as he enthusiastically announced, "Congratulations to both of you for becoming students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
Hearing this, Ye Lingling neatly tucked the silver card into her small crossbody bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked briskly into the academy.
Gu Feng was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught up and walked side by side with Ye Lingling. Curious, he asked, "Hey, Lingling, why did you pay for me?"
After all, the two of them had only met once before, and their relationship was far from close.
Ye Lingling didn't stop walking but tilted her head slightly, casting a glance at Gu Feng with her clear and bright eyes. She replied crisply, "Just a thank-you for last time."
Gu Feng shrugged and remarked, "Alright then. But I didn't expect you to be such a little rich girl. At such a young age, you're already so wealthy—500 Gold Soul Coins, and you just handed them over without a second thought."
(End of Chapter)