At 1:30 in the afternoon, Xue Jing arrived at school.
Just like in the morning, he didn't go directly to his class but entered the Qingcheng University campus once more, heading to the Qing University Library.
Compared to the sparse population in the morning, there were quite a lot of people in the library at this time. However, everyone was very quiet, with basically only the sound of flipping pages to be heard.
Xue Jing's arrival caught the attention of many students. A short-haired girl sitting in the lounge area with an extracurricular book in her hands looked towards Xue Jing, who was clad in the Affiliated Middle School uniform, with bright and shining eyes, whispering excitedly to her best friend:
"Look, look! That boy is so handsome!"
"Should we go ask for his WeChat?"
Her best friend, while staring at Xue Jing, teased her, "I thought you liked older guys? Why are you chasing after a young pup from the Affiliated Middle School?"
"Even if I'm not fond of sweets, when faced with top-tier desserts like this, I can't help but salivate!" said the short-haired girl, her eyes sparkling.
"Come on, I'll go ask for his WeChat, and you bolster my courage…"
As she said this, she stood up from her chair.
The chair was pushed back, causing a friction sound with the floor that was a bit sharp.
It seemed as if Xue Jing had heard the noise, he turned his head and looked toward the short-haired girl.
"…"
That glance from those cool and detached eyes made the girl feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, chilling her from scalp to heel, extinguishing her desires in an instant.
It wasn't until Xue Jing had ascended the stairs, leaving her line of sight, that the short-haired girl suddenly clutched at the ample fruits in front of her chest, gasping for air as if she were a drowning victim who had just been pulled ashore.
Her best friend was stunned for a moment before quickly patting her back to help her catch her breath, asking with concern, "What's wrong, Lin? Are you alright?"
The twin-tailed girl named Lin, still shaken, said, "I don't know why, but that boy... he seemed quite dangerous. I think I won't ask for his WeChat after all."
Unaware of the psychological impact his inadvertent glance had just inflicted on someone, Xue Jing continued to ascend and arrived at the seventh floor.
The seventh floor was as deserted as ever, a stark contrast to the bustling six floors below. Only a girl sat there, in an old chair, holding a book, still sitting so perfectly upright that not a single fault could be found, the light blue skinny jeans stretched tight like a perfectly ripe peach.
This was the same girl Xue Jing had encountered in the morning at the same spot.
Different from the morning encounter, when the girl saw Xue Jing this time, she nodded at him, her waist-length ponytail swaying gently, and a hint of a smile appeared on her clean and pretty face.
Xue Jing smiled back but didn't speak, also nodding his head in return.
He thought this silent exchange of nods was quite interesting.
Walking into the bookshelf area, Xue Jing began to look for clues that might relate to 'Divine Substance.'
Under the dim yellow lights, Xue Jing and the girl were busy with their own matters, clearly demarcated. They seemed like two unrelated passersby to each other yet there was an inexplicably natural harmony between them.
An hour later, Xue Jing had learned a bunch of things that ordinary people didn't know, but still came up empty-handed in regard to Divine Substance.
"I should go to class first."
Shaking his head, Xue Jing put the book back on the shelf and left the library.
The silent seventh floor was left to the girl alone, as if she were a lone Bound Spirit confined to this place, with only the occasional turning of a book page to prove her real existence.
When Xue Jing walked into his own classroom, he found that the desk and chair originally defaced by Pei Youguang had been replaced with a whole new set.
"It was that second-year student, Pei Youguang, who moved it over. He swapped out your desk and chair," explained a classmate who had come in quite early.
"I see," said Xue Jing in response.
He didn't mind it much, as chairs and desks are still functional no matter if they are scratched or not. However, that set of graffiti-covered furniture had indeed been stuffed with filthy things in its drawers, so it was quite good that it was replaced.
Pei Youguang is pretty sensible,
Xue Jing thought to himself.
It wasn't in vain that he had earnestly lectured him.
The four afternoon classes quickly passed by, and Xue Jing greeted Li Ge, saying he had something to do and told him to go ahead first.
Then he packed up his textbooks, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and walked out of the third teaching building where he was.
The Affiliated Middle School has three teaching buildings, one for each year, with twenty classes per year.
Xue Jing arrived at the corridor of the second teaching building where the second-year students were, leaned against the pillar at the doorway, took out his phone, and while browsing some martial arts explanatory videos, he waited.
He was quite eye-catching, and the second-year students exiting the building couldn't help but let their gaze linger on him a bit more than usual.
He didn't have to wait long; soon, a plump young man bandaged up with band-aids on his nose and eyes, wrapped like a mummy and surrounded by a crowd of lackeys, came out.
It was none other than Pei Youguang.
The lackeys beside him also had various injuries, just not as severe as Pei Youguang's.
Upon seeing Xue Jing, Pei Youguang was momentarily stunned, then hurried over and said eagerly, "Hey, Jing Bro, are you waiting for me?"
His behavior immediately stunned the surrounding second-year students.
"Is that Pei Youguang?"
"Ah? That's Pei Youguang? He's wrapped up like a mummy, I didn't recognize him."
"Who's that guy? Why does it look like Pei Youguang is... fawning over him?"
"It's Xue Jing from the third year! This morning I saw him getting called out at the school gate by Zhou Juncheng, I thought he was going to get beaten up by Pei Youguang, but it seems like nothing happened to him at all..."
"Stupid, with Pei Youguang looking like that, he definitely tried to hit someone but ended up being hit instead."
"What happened? Wasn't Pei Youguang trained in martial arts? How did he end up getting beaten like this?"
Whispers of discussion came from all around, with the students sporting expressions of excitement as if they had stumbled upon juicy gossip.
This school bully wasn't well-liked on regular days, so now that he seemed to be at a disadvantage, everyone was quite pleased.
"Serves him right, always bullying others; now he's run into a tough nut to crack!"
"Finally, someone can handle him."
"I'm in the same class as Pei Youguang. This morning he was still saying he was going to teach Xue Jing a lesson, supposedly because Lin Shiyu likes Xue Jing... Look, Lin Shiyu is coming out."
The younger school girl Lin Shiyu, wearing a school uniform skirt, with long, straight legs that shone in the sunset, walked out of the teaching building and saw Xue Jing. A look of embarrassment appeared on her beautiful face.
Having her confession rejected that morning and now encountering the person concerned left her feeling awkward.
Fortunately, Xue Jing didn't even glance at her, as if he hadn't noticed her at all. Although it seemed a bit heartless and made her feel dejected, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Lin Shiyu quickly grabbed her bag and, holding on to her best friend's hand, scurried away.
"Jing Bro, you came to learn Power from me, right? Come on, let's go to my place. My house is quite big, and we have almost all the equipment needed for Martial Arts Practice in the dojo..."
While speaking, Pei Youguang gestured with his remaining good eye to his lackeys.
One of the lackeys immediately understood and stepped forward to offer politely:
"Jing Bro, let me carry your backpack for you."
"Mm, let's go," Xue Jing smiled, handed his backpack to the lackey, and followed Pei Youguang out of the school.
...