Zhang Dehua and Zhang Qun entered the Internet cafe. Upon seeing Chu Hao, their faces lit up with excitement, like children seeing their father.
Zhang Dehua was incredibly exhausted, having not closed his eyes for two days. When he saw Chu Hao, his heart ached, as if he had endured the eighty-one trials of a legendary journey. With tearful eyes, he said, "Classmate Chu Hao, I... we’ve finally found you."
Chu Hao ignored him and said to a guy nearby, "Bro, lend me a cigarette, will ya?"
The guy next to him kept his head down, acting as if he didn’t know Chu Hao at all; he really didn’t want to get caught by the vice principal.
Zhang Qun reacted quickly, hurriedly producing a cigarette—definitely a limited-edition luxury brand—and personally lighting it for Chu Hao. He smiled apologetically, "Young friend, have a smoke."
Chu Hao took a puff and said slowly, "Not bad, this cigarette."
"Ding... Host has subtly shown off, earning 70 Show-off Points."
The guy with his head down was so shocked his jaw practically hit the floor. Smoking in front of the vice principal? How freaking awesome is that, man! And to top it off, the vice principal is treating Chu Hao like his own father. I just can’t figure this plot out at all!
The bodyguards behind Zhang Qun felt their lips twitch. They had been frantically searching for Chu Hao for two days, only to find him chilling in an internet cafe. And now, Zhang Qun, Chairman of the Shanshui Group, was personally lighting his cigarette! What an incredible honor this was!
Zhang Qun said, "If my young friend likes it, I can give you a whole carton, no! A whole case wouldn’t be a problem."
Quite a few students skipping class in the internet cafe witnessed this scene and quietly recorded it on their phones.
Chu Hao said, "Fine, get me a carton."
Zhang Dehua, his eyes rimmed with dark circles and his expression bitter, pleaded, "Classmate Chu, you must help us."
Chu Hao glanced at him. "Didn’t you expel me?"
"I... I..." Zhang Dehua, on the verge of tears, slapped himself hard. These past two days had been torture; he was nearly driven mad. He was about to kneel before Chu Hao.
Chu Hao waved his hand. "A man your age, kneeling to me? Do you want to become a public spectacle?"
Zhang Dehua looked embarrassed, unsure of what to do next.
Chu Hao said to Zhang Qun, "I can take care of this, but I’m a bit short on cash lately. I don’t even have money for drawing talismans. Sigh... what to do."
Zhang Qun pulled out a card. "Young friend, this card has a five million limit. Spend it however you like. If it’s not enough, I have more."
Five million was nothing compared to his life. Besides, as the chairman of the Shanshui Group, he certainly wasn’t short of such an amount.
"Ding... Host has successfully shown off, earning 70 Show-off Points."
The nearby students skipping class gawked, their eyes nearly popping out. This is insane! He just says he’s out of money, and boom, someone forks over five million! ’Spend it as you like, and there’s more if it’s not enough!’ Their worldview was crumbling.
Chu Hao, his expression calm and his heart steady, accepted the card as if he were a seasoned pro at taking money. "Well then," he said nonchalantly, "I’ll reluctantly accept this as payment for the talismans."
Zhang Qun, however, sighed in relief. As long as Chu Hao took the money, the matter would be easy to resolve.
To everyone else, this guy was just too damn arrogant.
Zhang Qun said excitedly, "Young friend, help me with this, and I’ll give you another five million."
Chu Hao put on a stern face. "Bro, talking about money sours the relationship."
The people behind Zhang Qun were speechless. Zhang Qun was old enough to be Chu Hao’s father, yet Chu Hao had called him ’Bro.’
Zhang Qun was also speechless. The young man changed his tune so quickly it was impossible to anticipate.
"Young friend," Zhang Qun said, "I’m determined to befriend you. Another day, your old bro here will treat you to a meal."
Look at him, wrapping the Chairman of the Shanshui Group around his finger in just a couple of sentences. Simply incomparable.
Chu Hao asked, "Got any more cigarettes?"
The real estate manager beside Zhang Qun quickly took out the same brand and handed them to Chu Hao.
Chu Hao tossed the cigarettes to the student skipping class. "Here, thanks for the lighter."
The guy stared at the Liqun Fucunshanju cigarettes in his hand. Damn, a thousand bucks a pack, and hard to get even if you have the money! His admiration for Chu Hao was boundless.
As Chu Hao was leaving, the guy mustered his courage and said, "Brother Hao, take care."
Look at that, so imposing.
Chu Hao waved his hand, leaving behind a legendary silhouette, worshipped by the group of students skipping class at the internet cafe even more than they worshipped Chen Haonan.
Once in the car, Zhang Qun asked, "Young friend, do you need to prepare anything?"
Chu Hao shook his head. "Let’s go straight to the back mountain. I’d like to meet this Mountain Ghost myself."
Everyone was excited and drove straight to the school’s back mountain.
The back mountain was currently crowded, mostly with bodyguards Zhang Qun had called in.
Besides Zhang Dehua, the Vice Principal of Xingmeng School, a tall, thin man was also present – the school’s official Principal, Lu Junhe.
Lu Junhe, his head wrapped in white gauze, had spent the past two days in a state of constant anxiety. Having finally found Chu Hao, he rushed forward to inquire solicitously about his well-being, much like a subordinate greeting a superior.
Chu Hao thought, It would really give me face if my classmates could see this.
The others, especially Zhang Dehua and Zhang Qun, could understand Chu Hao’s arrogance. After all, in such a situation, who wouldn’t fear death? Especially such a bizarre form of death.
Lu Junhe was thrilled. "Classmate Chu Hao, we’ve been eagerly awaiting you! From now on, your tuition at Xingmeng School is waived, and you’ll receive a scholarship every semester."
Chu Hao rolled his eyes. "I’m almost graduating, so I won’t get many scholarships. I am, however, interested in the Mimicry Student Award."
He just wanted a Mimicry Student Award to take back and make the old dean happy.
"That’s no problem at all. We’re counting on you, Classmate Chu Hao," Lu Junhe replied.
Chu Hao smiled and walked towards the clearing on the back mountain, yelling loudly, "Mountain Ghost, aren’t you going to show yourself?"
There was no movement. The people behind him stood stock-still, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the back mountain.
Chu Hao snorted and thought, System, purchase Taisui Meat.
"Ding... Host has purchased Taisui Meat, consuming 100 Show-off Points."
Chu Hao took out the Taisui Meat. After only a short while, various wild animals emerged from the undergrowth on the back mountain.
Surprisingly, these animals were exceptionally large. A Yellow Weasel, for instance, was as big as a common mutt.
Pangolins, foxes, small, vibrantly colored snakes, and other creatures appeared one after another, leaving Zhang Qun and his men dumbfounded.
The animals stared at the Taisui Meat in Chu Hao’s hands, gulping repeatedly.
A Yellow Weasel rushed forward but was pinned to the ground by Chu Hao’s foot. "Little demon," Chu Hao said coldly, "where has the Mountain Ghost gone?"
The Yellow Weasel squeaked, its small eyes glaring angrily at Chu Hao.
"Speak!" Chu Hao commanded, striking it with his palm.
He knew this Yellow Weasel could definitely speak human language. A weasel of its size must have already cultivated into a demon.
However, Zhang Qun and the others found it ludicrous. How could an animal talk? This guy must be insane!
The Yellow Weasel screamed and then, indeed, began to speak. "Human, the Mountain God is not here! You better let me go, or you’ll regret it!"
Zhang Qun, Zhang Dehua, and Lu Junhe trembled. A Yellow Weasel... actually speaking?
This wasn’t a Yellow Weasel; it was clearly a demon!
However, seeing Chu Hao so effortlessly bring this demon to heel, their admiration and shock surged to an extreme.
This was especially true for Zhang Qun and his men. If they had harbored any doubts before about Chu Hao’s ability to handle the situation, those doubts were now gone. In their eyes, this young man was practically a living deity.
"Ding... Host has successfully shown off, earning 70 Show-off Points."
Not here? Chu Hao mused.
He put away the Taisui Meat. Only then did the eyes of the assembled animals lose their frenzy, though they now stared at Chu Hao with fury.
Chu Hao picked up the Yellow Weasel. "So it was you lot trying to harm people, wasn’t it?"
The Yellow Weasel said angrily, "They deserved to die for disturbing the Mountain God’s peaceful cultivation!"
Chu Hao tossed it aside. A powerful aura emanated from him as he declared, "I don’t want to say this a second time. If any one of these people before you dies, I will slaughter this entire mountain."