Chapter 3

Xiao Yun and the guy had a staring contest, both glaring at each other.

Xiao Yun, when he looked the man up and down, saw that he resembled a young master. That's probably why nobody stopped him—no one wanted to be the enemy of a snobby hotshot.

"Apologize for pushing my friend down," Xiao Yun demanded.

"Why should I, the second master of the Shen house, Shen Hao, apologize to an insignificant fool who bumped into me?"

The crowd gasped when they heard that name. Xiao Yun figured he was some young master of a prominent family. Shen Hao likely said his family name to make him cower, though Xiao Yun didn't give two shits. Just as he was about to say more, Le Xing stopped him.

"Shixiongdi Xiao Yun, please calm down. Shixiong Shen Hao was just a bit displeased that I spoke to Shijie. There's no need to be angry—it was my fault. I shouldn't have spoken to her. Sorry, Young Master Shen Hao," Le Xing explained apologetically.

Xiao Yun was in a state of shock when he heard this—not because Le Xing told him to calm down, but because of the words themselves. What Le Xing said might sound like he was just explaining the situation, but this was a backhanded explanation. He was putting the blame on Shen Hao while making himself look like the victim—which he was.

The crowd's opinion started to change. They shifted their glances to Shen Hao, their stares now filled with blame and scorn.

Shen Hao felt sweat drip down his back under those stares. He had thought he could shut everyone up just by throwing out his family name and getting away with it.

On any other day, this would have worked—but not with Le Xing and Xiao Yun.

One could insult you while making it seem like a compliment, and the other didn't give two shits if you were from a prominent family.

Shen Hao couldn't stand the situation he'd put himself in. He turned red-faced and grabbed Le Xing by the collar.

"Why, you little—!"

Immediately, Shen Hao felt a presence behind him. He had no time to regret his choice.

BAM!!!

It happened so fast that the crowd, and even Le Xing, could barely register it. Xiao Yun had grabbed Shen Hao's hand off Le Xing's collar and delivered a square punch to his face that sent him flying.

Everyone wore a shocked expression. Xiao Yun, the short, scrawny-looking mage, had delivered a hit that sent Shen Hao, a martial artist, flying four meters away, unconscious on the pavement.

While mages can sometimes be stronger than martial artists at the same level, that's usually on the grounds that they use their core surge.

Core surge is when a mage attacks with their spiritual energy from their core—there are many different kinds of techniques.

Xiao Yun, however, hit with his bare strength because he didn't know how to use core surge. He had punched a martial artist who had spiritual energy and had joined the sect before him.

Xiao Yun was naive to this. He just thought that everyone was surprised he dared to hit the guy, even though he came from a powerful family.

The reason Xiao Yun was strong was due to extracurricular activities in school. He had chosen martial arts to learn self-defense and because it was the longest after-school activity.

Nobody knew what to do after the punch. Should they report it? Should they reprimand Xiao Yun? But he did do the right thing… Should they cheer? The Shen family would most definitely explode with rage if they did. So everyone stood there, looking at each other.

Finally, someone—obviously one of Shen Hao's lackeys—called the elder who had given the morning lecture. When the elder arrived and saw the situation, he sighed heavily.

"What happened here?"

Xiao Yun stepped forward with a neutral face and explained, "This guy, Shen Hao, pushed my friend around because he spoke to a girl, thought he could make us shut up with his family name, and when my friend apologized for talking to the girl, he tried to hit him. So I knocked him out."

The explanation was blank and straightforward. If someone who didn't know the situation heard it, they would probably think Xiao Yun was unassociated with the problem.

The elder, upon seeing Xiao Yun, looked exasperated. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said tiredly, "You again. Is getting into fights your hobby?"

When the crowd heard this, they began whispering among themselves. "Yo, is he the one that fought with another disciple right after getting accepted?"

Xiao Yun groaned internally. He couldn't seem to escape that fight. He still didn't know why the original owner of the body had picked a fight in the first place.

A lackey of Shen Hao dragged Shen Hao back to his dorm, bruised and battered. Xiao Yun was instructed to stay after the gathering. Everything carried on as if nothing had happened. People started to talk among themselves again, and the atmosphere became lively once more.

Le Xing, who hadn't said anything during the aftermath, mumbled something to Xiao Yun while no one was looking.

"…Thank you for standing up for me."

Xiao Yun thought this guy was a mystery. Even though he was really outgoing, sometimes it felt like Le Xing was alone—like when nobody helped him after he was pushed to the ground. They had just looked at him.

"You're welcome. That's what fellow disciples and friends do."

Le Xing was dazzled for a second at those words and then smiled.

"If you ever need anything, ask me."

After the gathering, Xiao Yun said his goodbyes to Le Xing and went to find the elder.

Xiao Yun braced himself for a scolding again, but to be honest, if he had the choice, he would do it again. It was satisfying to hit that condescending Shen Hao.

When the elder, who Xiao yun learned name was elder guo saw his unapologetic face, he wrinkled his eyebrows.

"You have to be careful. The Shen family will be seeking a way to get back at you for this humiliation. Even though you did the right thing, you have to be more cautious with your actions."

Xiao Yun could see that the elder was genuinely concerned, so he understood the warning wasn't meant to scold him but to advise him. The elder didn't even tell him he shouldn't have done it—he just told him to be careful. Xiao Yun smiled slightly and said,

"Yes, I understand. I'll be more cautious. Thank you for the warning, Elder."

The elder could see that Xiao Yun was being sincere, so he gave him a lantern to light his way back to his dorm and dismissed him for the night.

As Xiao Yun walked through the empty corridor, the only sound accompanying him was his own footsteps.He deduced.

'This Shen family doesn't seem like the type to let go of a grudge. They'll probably try to find a way to get revenge or even expel me from the sect. I have to be more careful with my actions and stay under the radar so they don't find out I'm not the original owner of this body.'

What Xiao Yun didn't understand yet was that this wasn't the modern world. People here were much crueler and more black-hearted. Killing and stealing were the norm.

The only illumination he had in the darkness was the lantern and the bright moon in the sky. As he navigated his way back to the dorm, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him from behind at a corner. His eyes widened as the lantern he was carrying fell to the floor with a dull thump.

Xiao Yun's only thought was, 'Who is this'