Below the Yellow River Bridge, the river water wasn’t particularly turbulent.
After Chu Hao jumped in, his mind cleared considerably, though he did swallow a lot of water. He swam vigorously. With his intermediate-level marrow-cleansing strength, conquering this great river was definitely not a problem.
In such rapid waters, an ordinary person would likely have already died. He struggled ashore and, taking advantage of a brief moment of lucidity, took out the Talisman for Exorcising Ghost Qi.
"Eliminate all sickness, devour malevolent ghosts, shatter immediately! By the urgent decree of the Three Marvels Emperor!"
Only then was the Ghost Qi within his body expelled.
However, Chu Hao was utterly drained. This was not just physical torment but mental anguish as well.
That intense desire from before... he felt like he could have even violated an old sow! The mere thought was terrifying.
He collapsed on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Chu Hao woke up. To be precise, he was jolted awake by his phone’s ringtone.
Chu Hao looked at himself and couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. He was in a truly sorry state: soaked through, with several tears in his clothes.
Chu Hao was furious. "Flirty Ghost King, you just wait for me!"
If it weren’t for that Flirty Ghost King, would I be in such a mess? I, Brother Hao, have committed this grudge to memory!
He pressed the button to answer. This phone was incredible; it even had a waterproof function! Domestic products are just badass.
Li Yin’s voice came through, "Damn it! You finally answered your phone! Do you even know what day it is?"
Chu Hao’s mind was still groggy. "What’s up?" he asked.
Li Yin said helplessly, "You’re really something else! Today’s the first day of school! Madam Miejie found out you weren’t here and blew her top on the spot, chewing out every single one of us first thing in the morning."
Only then did Chu Hao remember that today was indeed the first day of school.
Li Yin continued, "You better hurry. Madam Miejie said she’s giving you two hours. If you don’t show up by then, she’s going to expel you."
Chu Hao was startled. If I actually get expelled, how am I supposed to explain this to the orphanage director? Half of my tuition is paid by the orphanage. If I get expelled, how heartbroken would the old director be?
An hour later, Chu Hao finally arrived at Star Dream High School. The iron gates were tightly shut, and the security guard wouldn’t let him in.
The security guard put on a stern face. "Beggars are forbidden from entering the school."
Chu Hao was speechless. "..."
After a moment, he said, "Uncle Guard, don’t you recognize me? I’ve even told your fortune before. I’m Little Maozi!"
The security guard looked closely and then exclaimed in surprise, "Little Maozi! What happened to you?"
Chu Hao replied bitterly, "It’s a long story. Please let me in quickly, Uncle, or Madam Miejie will expel me."
The security guard chuckled. "Go on in."
"Thanks, Uncle!" Chu Hao sprinted into the school.
By then, it was the last period of the day. Chu Hao peeked stealthily at the lectern. Realizing it wasn’t the homeroom teacher leading the class but the English teacher, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Hao brazenly walked in. "Teacher, I’m here," he said.
The English teacher was a young woman, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. She was rumored to be a graduate from a prestigious university in Europe or America. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, she had a slim figure with enviable curves, and her legs were fair and long. Many students in the school loved her classes.
Qiu Xueying adjusted her glasses. "Chu Hao?"
Chu Hao said awkwardly, "Teacher, it’s me."
His classmates almost didn’t recognize him. His whole body was filthy, and his clothes were tattered in many places, making him look like a beggar.
A handsome boy in the class snickered, "Chu Hao, did you fall into a manure pit?"
The entire class roared with laughter.
Chu Hao glared at the boy. "Teacher, something came up, but I rushed back for class."
Qiu Xueying nodded. "Go on in."
Back at his seat, his deskmate Li Yin covered his nose. "You didn’t actually fall into a manure pit, did you? Why do you stink so much?"
Li Yin was quite tall, about 1.8 meters, with a large nose like a garlic bulb. He gave off an impression of being sturdy, but in reality, he was ’skinny fat’ from too much gaming.
Chu Hao rolled his eyes. "You’re the one who fell into a manure pit."
He saw Mu Yuxun, the school beauty. She had called him earlier, but he had been in such a rush that he hadn’t called her back.
Finally, class ended.
Chu Hao was in agony; he desperately wanted to take a shower and change his clothes. The river water truly stank.
The school beauty, Mu Yuxun, walked over. She still looked so pure, her large eyes sparkling as she looked at Chu Hao. "What happened to you?"
Li Yin, standing nearby, was astonished. The school beauty is actually talking to Chu Hao? In the past, this would have been impossible! Not to mention, she was once scammed by Chu Hao and should hate his guts! Why would she show concern?
Mu Yuxun’s eyes held a hint of resentment. Ever since that day leaving Ancient Moon Residence, I clearly saw Chu Hao get into Older Sister’s car. What on earth did those two get up to? And they even ganged up to lie to me!
"Chu Hao, where are you off to?"
At that moment, a handsome young man walked over—the same one who had joked about Chu Hao falling into a manure pit.
Wang Qi. This rich kid enjoyed bullying others and was a typical school tyrant.
Seeing Mu Yuxun take the initiative to talk to Chu Hao, Wang Qi felt extremely annoyed. He and several tall boys from the class surrounded Chu Hao.
Chu Hao glanced at him and said indifferently, "Where I go is none of your concern, is it?"
Wang Qi narrowed his eyes. Before he could speak, a short boy with shifty, triangular eyes and a thuggish air said viciously, "How dare you talk to Brother Qi like that? Are you looking for a beating?"
This was Liu Chan, Wang Qi’s lackey. He was accustomed to swaggering around and bullying others by riding on Wang Qi’s coattails.
Would Chu Hao be afraid of them? What a joke!
"Liu Chan, no offense, but you follow people around like a lapdog every day. Aren’t you tired?" Chu Hao said leisurely. "I’ve read your fortune. You’re fated to be a lapdog in this life. Want to change that? We’re classmates, after all. Treat me to lunch, and I’ll help you change your fate. I don’t offer this to just anyone."
He really was hungry, and as it happened, he didn’t have a single penny on him.
Everyone was stunned.
You had to admire the guy; he was truly worthy of being a fortune-teller from under the bridge, not even letting his classmates off the hook.
Liu Chan was so furious his liver ached. He pointed at Chu Hao’s nose and cursed, "You’re the one with the lifelong fate of a lapdog, damn you! Believe it or not, I’ll break your legs!"
Li Yin stood up, his voice cool. "Liu Chan, whose legs are you planning on breaking?"
Li Yin was tall and imposing, and Liu Chan was somewhat afraid of him.
Liu Chan snorted. "I wasn’t talking about you."
Just then, Wang Qi spoke up. "Because of you, our entire class got chewed out by Madam Miejie. How are you going to settle this?"
Chu Hao retorted, "Then go find Madam Miejie. Why are you coming to me?"
Wang Qi’s expression turned cold. Mu Yuxun was watching, and Chu Hao wasn’t giving him any face at all! He huffed, "When I, Wang Qi, look for trouble, why would I need to explain myself to anyone?"
Just look at him! Now that’s how you play a tyrant—with real style, enough to rival a seasoned gang boss!