Chapter Six: The Clash Erupts

Damn it! Fired up now!

“What else?” Cheng Feng’s eyes flickered with a spark of fighting spirit. “You’ve got your eye on my girlfriend, daring to poach her right from under me. Wouldn’t it be dull if neither of us ends up flat on the ground?”

The two were worlds apart: one was towering and robust, the other slender and frail by comparison, not even in the same league.

Gao Qiang found Cheng Feng’s recklessness amusing; his shoulders shook as he burst out laughing, head thrown back.

Cheng Feng kept his arms folded across his chest, expressionlessly unmoved.

“Die, you piece of trash!”

With a swoosh, Gao Qiang hurled a fist the size of a sandbag. Thanks to his Vampire Physique, Cheng Feng’s dynamic vision far surpassed normal—he could see every detail of Gao Qiang’s punch as if it were in slow motion.

“Aaah!”

Gao Qiang’s smug face froze, then he screamed in agony, doubling over like a shrimp, his eyes bulging wide.

Cheng Feng sidestepped nimbly, then drove his knee into Gao Qiang’s abdomen. Super Strength multiplied his power, a casual blow enough to knock out a grown man.

Gao Qiang’s stomach compressed under the forceful knee strike, and he retched up a mouthful of sour liquid with a guttural cry.

His face twisted in pain, clutching his stomach as he staggered back two steps, knees buckling until he dropped to the ground.

Cheng Feng looked down at the kneeling Gao Qiang. “Oh dear, did you lose your wallet?”

Gao Qiang stared in disbelief, the intense pain in his gut reddening his eyes. He couldn’t believe it—he couldn’t even stand after a single hit!

What happened?

How the hell did he get knocked down by this scrawny brat?

The thought echoed in his mind. Having never tasted defeat, he was utterly stunned; once reality hit, a wave of rage flooded his brain.

“Bastard!”

His face contorted in fury as he roared, anger eclipsing pain, trying to rise.

He barely lifted his head when all he saw was the sole of a sneaker growing rapidly larger. In an instant, darkness swallowed his vision—he lost consciousness.

A sickening thud rang out. Cheng Feng’s kick knocked Gao Qiang out cold, blood splattering.

The two henchmen were dumbstruck on the spot.

What the hell is going on?

Wasn’t Strong Brother supposed to beat this guy senseless?

That’s how the script always played out.

Cheng Feng turned, his gaze sharp as a blade landing on them. They stiffened, hairs standing on end, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

“You bastard!”

“Looking for trouble, huh?”

Both rolled up their sleeves, cursing as they charged.

Cheng Feng grabbed one by the collar, slammed him to the ground, and stomped hard, eliciting a wail of pain.

The other was so frightened he nearly begged for mercy, but before he could utter a word, Cheng Feng knocked him out with a punch.

“That’s it?”

Flicking the blood from his hand, Cheng Feng flexed his fist. After these few moves, he had a rough grasp of his Super Strength skill.

It’s only level one, after all. He hadn’t even used his full power, but a single blow was enough to fell an adult, which was decent.

If he went all out, would he stand a chance against monsters? At least, against Jiang Qian—a vampire—it still wouldn’t be enough...

He wasn’t discouraged; giving up simply wasn’t in his nature.

“Hey, wake up.”

Cheng Feng crouched and patted Gao Qiang, but he didn’t stir, only faint breaths escaping him. Blood trickled down his face, mingling with dirty soil, faintly marked with a shoeprint.

“Tch. Driven by lust, actually interested in Jiang Qian that monster? He probably wouldn’t even know how he died.”

Cheng Feng put on a benevolent act. “I’m saving you here, beating you up to snap you out of it, so you realize what kind of trash you are. No need to thank me.”

He might face two possibilities in the days to come.

Either Gao Qiang’s gang would steer clear of him, and Cheng Feng would smoothly ascend to the top of the school’s hierarchy.

Or Gao Qiang would rally his crew and come back for revenge, seeking to restore his pride.

Given Gao Qiang’s character, the latter seemed far more likely.

He couldn’t exactly kill him here, could he?

As a refined, gentle, kind-hearted, and academically outstanding student, Cheng Feng wasn’t about to tread the path of crime.

Let them come!

No matter how many times, how many people. If you didn’t encounter some turmoil and stumble through a few rough patches in high school, could you really call it youth?

“Tsk tsk tsk, interested in my girlfriend? Trying to steal her away? Of all people, you had to run into me, the champion of pure love.”

“Too bad for you. You’ll just have to be my stepping stone.”

Cheng Feng couldn’t help but mock a few more times. Just as he was about to leave, he sensed someone approaching from behind.

Instinctively, he thought someone hadn’t gone down and was about to attack.

Cheng Feng stood up, turned, and swung his fist—all in the blink of an eye.

For a split second, his vision caught the blue school skirt of their school’s uniform, dark eyes, a ponytail, airy bangs, and a fair, clear face full of confusion.

This…this…wasn’t that Xia Qingyao?

What was she doing here?

Could it be that after bumping into him in the cafeteria, she felt uneasy and followed him?

His punch stopped abruptly. The Vampire Physique’s nerve reflexes allowed Cheng Feng to swiftly retract his arm and scratch his head.

Well, this was awkward.

Xia Qingyao hadn’t noticed she nearly got punched, nor did she pay attention to Cheng Feng’s odd actions. She glanced left, glanced right.

She saw two men moaning in pain on the grass, with the largest lying unconscious.

Gao Qiang was infamous at school, with a notorious reputation. Xia Qingyao recognized this scoundrel, but her impression of him was anything but favorable.

She didn’t wonder how Cheng Feng managed to win. Frowning elegantly, she asked, “Why did you hit these people?”

Cheng Feng wanted to say they started the trouble and deserved the beating.

But seeing Xia Qingyao’s skeptical expression, he lost the urge to explain.

Instead, he brushed it off, “It’s just men being men. We sort things out with a fight.”

“And what exactly caused the conflict?” Xia Qingyao pressed, her tone stern, making Cheng Feng almost feel she was his guardian.

“Can you stop? I just don’t like them, is that enough?”

“Just because of that…”

Xia Qingyao was furious. “You… are too violent!”

“Huh?”

Cheng Feng couldn’t understand, tilting his head. “Anyway, they’re not good people. Giving them a lesson is indirectly upholding the school’s honor, isn’t it?”

“So if you don’t like me, are you going to hit me too?” She lifted her disappointed gaze.

“I wouldn’t stoop to hitting a woman.”

That was the truth. As for Jiang Qian, she was a vampire, not human.

His grudge with her would be settled; Cheng Feng wouldn’t give up until he’d thoroughly trounced her.

“Unless I know exactly why you fought, I can’t explain it to the Discipline Director. But you…you…” Xia Qingyao looked at him in dismay, “Your reason is so petty.”

Cheng Feng opened his mouth, surprised she was thinking for his sake. Strictly speaking, she cared for every classmate, but her sudden concern caught him off guard.

“I’m class president. If any classmate makes a mistake, I share the responsibility.” Xia Qingyao looked at him with deep disappointment, making Cheng Feng frown.

She turned to leave. “I won’t bend the rules for you. I’ll report this to the Discipline Director. Figure out how you’ll deal with the consequences.”

Cheng Feng scratched his face and left as well.

The lawn fell silent, leaving only the two henchmen struggling painfully to their feet. They hurried to Gao Qiang’s side, calling his name.

“Damn it… stop shouting.”

Gao Qiang gritted his teeth and got up, eyes bloodshot, still unable to accept his defeat.

He had suffered a crushing loss at the hands of an unknown kid, and the shame of his first defeat filled him with wild anger.

“Strong Brother, what now?” The buzz-cut guy asked nervously.

Gao Qiang clenched his jaw, saying nothing.