Chapter Twenty-Seven: Calamity Without Cause

"Tuoba Feng, you all stop right now!"

A furious girl's voice rang out, and everyone in the cafeteria turned as one toward the doorway, where a lively figure had appeared.

Her short chestnut hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, revealing a fair and delicate oval face now flushed with anger. Her clear, luminous eyes were alight with barely-contained fury, fixed unwaveringly on the scene ahead.

Tuoba Feng’s expression darkened. He hadn’t notified Xia Ruli in advance, and sensing the blaze in her gaze, he grew flustered. "Lili! I—"

"Don’t call me! Tell your brother to stop this instant, or don’t ever speak to me again!" Xia Ruli shouted, humiliated and enraged as she watched Nangong Yuchen and Tuoba Lin locked in combat on the open floor.

Tuoba Feng’s face fell completely. The girl he’d pursued so long now, before all these people, sided with Nangong Yuchen and treated him thus. It felt as if his chest would explode.

As the two faced off, a group of boys burst through the doors, shouting, "Boss, it’s not our fault! Xia Ruli heard someone say we were going to trouble Nangong Yuchen, so she rushed here ahead of us—"

"Enough! You two keep an eye on Xia Ruli, everyone else, get in there!"

Overcome by rage and jealousy, Tuoba Feng no longer cared about the consequences. Seeing Nangong Yuchen fighting his elder brother Tuoba Lin to a standstill, he seized a nearby chair and swung it.

"Go to hell!"

"Nangong Yuchen, watch out!"

The two cries came almost simultaneously. Xia Ruli, especially, went pale with fright, watching as the iron-framed chair arced toward the back of Nangong Yuchen’s head.

In the midst of his struggle with Tuoba Lin, Nangong Yuchen was well aware of everything happening around him. He never expected Tuoba Feng to resort to such a dirty trick. As the chair neared him, he quickly tried to retreat—he had no intention of meeting metal with his head.

But just then, Tuoba Lin’s lips curved in a sinister smile, and his hand clamped onto Nangong Yuchen’s retreating arm, his enormous strength—nearly 450kg—pulling him back.

Ordinarily, Tuoba Lin wouldn’t stoop so low. But today, when he came to trouble Nangong Yuchen, he found himself increasingly on the defensive. If things continued, he was sure to lose, and what face would he have if a senior student were beaten by a freshman? At the critical moment, his younger brother swung the iron chair, and Tuoba Lin was secretly delighted—just the opportunity he needed to cripple his opponent!

Now, his worries would be gone.

Bang!

Nangong Yuchen couldn’t evade in time; the flying iron chair struck his head directly. Agonizing pain overwhelmed him, nearly causing him to faint, as blood streamed down his face.

Tuoba Lin, thrilled at his advantage, felt his opponent falter and quickly drove his fist into Nangong Yuchen’s abdomen, sending him flying.

The students watching had thought this would be just a minor scuffle, but events took a shocking turn. Their contempt for Tuoba Lin, a senior, reached its peak—two years older and yet so shameless!

"Nangong Yuchen!" Xia Ruli’s face drained of color as she watched Nangong Yuchen lying on the ground, covered in blood. Tears streamed down her cheeks; she had never imagined her recent inadvertence would bring him such trouble.

"Haha, I’m going to cripple you! Let’s see if Xia Ruli will still like you now!"

Tuoba Feng, his mind clouded by rage, rushed forward with a dinner plate, intent on viciously attacking the still-prone Nangong Yuchen.

Just as he was about to strike, Le Han, trembling with fury, grabbed a nearby iron chair. While everyone’s attention was fixed on Nangong Yuchen and the Tuoba brothers, he ran up and smashed it down onto Tuoba Feng’s head.

Bang!

"Agh—"

Tuoba Feng’s head burst open, blood streaming as he wailed in agony. The blow jolted him clear-headed, and he dropped the plate, clutching his head in pain as he rolled on the ground.

"You’re damned for this!" Tuoba Lin’s attention snapped to his brother, only for a fat student to suddenly appear wielding a chair, bashing Tuoba Feng’s skull. Enraged, Tuoba Lin charged and punched Le Han in the face, sending him flying into the crowd.

Tuoba Feng’s head continued to bleed as he howled at his gang, "Ugh—get them, kill those two bastards!"

Tuoba Lin seized Le Han by the collar, hoisting him up, his eyes burning with murderous fury. His left fist rained down, brutal and relentless, leaving Le Han bruised and battered with no sign of stopping.

A cough escaped Nangong Yuchen as he finally stood, wiping the blood from his face. An aura of barely-contained violence radiated from him—he was truly enraged.

He hadn’t fought Tuoba Lin with full strength, intent on honing his combat experience, but who could have guessed his opponent would be so vile? Now, even his close friend Le Han had been beaten within an inch of his life!

"Get out!"

Seeing six thugs rush at him, Nangong Yuchen sprang forward, his fists and kicks sending two flying seven or eight meters, collapsing chairs as they lost consciousness.

He immediately turned, launching a kick at Tuoba Lin, his greatest desire now to punish this senior—so base and ruthless, daring to nearly kill Le Han!

Bang! Tuoba Lin was caught off guard, watching a black shoe sole magnify in his vision, unable to defend before he was kicked in the face and sent flying.

It all happened so swiftly—from Nangong Yuchen rising, to sending two thugs flying, to kicking Tuoba Lin, only two seconds had passed. Before the students could react, the situation had reversed.

Helping Le Han up, Nangong Yuchen turned fiercely, attacking the remaining four thugs.

A chorus of screams filled the room; all four were beaten half to death and tossed atop Tuoba Feng, nearly crushing the instigator.

"Nangong Yuchen!"

Tuoba Lin, seeing his thugs unconscious and his brother barely alive, was incensed. He charged at Nangong Yuchen, fists clenched.

But he regretted it immediately.

The Nangong Yuchen who had matched him moments ago was suddenly overwhelmingly powerful; Tuoba Lin had no chance to retaliate. Speed, reflexes—he was utterly outmatched.

Bang! Bang! He might have been better off not attacking, but once he did, Nangong Yuchen showed no mercy. In moments, Tuoba Lin’s injuries multiplied, and he fell to the ground like a dying dog, convulsing unconscious.

Everyone was stunned, gazing at the black-haired youth standing alone in the open, their hearts trembling as they instinctively stepped back.

The two thugs at the door blanched, terrified that Nangong Yuchen might come for them next, and hurriedly fled, abandoning even the Tuoba brothers.

Xia Ruli was thus freed. Seeing Nangong Yuchen still bleeding, guilt and worry filled her as she hurried over, eyes brimming with tears. "I’m sorry!"

"Enough. Just don’t bother me again," Nangong Yuchen said impatiently, supporting Le Han and waving her away.

There was nothing between them, after all. If not for their brief encounter at the Star Emperor Tavern, and knowing she was Kexin’s close friend, he wouldn’t even have spoken. But what truly angered him was that his best friend Le Han had been dragged into this and gravely hurt. His fury burned.

Such senseless disasters—he never wanted another.

Xia Ruli held out a tissue, intending to wipe the blood from Nangong Yuchen’s face, but his words made her freeze, hand withdrawn, her left arm curled at her chest as she murmured sadly, "Nangong Yuchen... I—"

"Enough, move aside. Don’t delay me taking Le Han to the medical room!"

"Oh..."

She stepped aside, watching him pass by, feeling a sharp pain in her heart, as if something was slipping away.

The footsteps receded. The sense of loss grew stronger within Xia Ruli, and as his figure reached the doorway, she was suddenly filled with boundless courage and called out, "Nangong Yuchen!"

At her shout, Nangong Yuchen paused, supporting Le Han, and all eyes fell on them. Just as Xia Ruli was about to speak, another voice interrupted.

"Who’s instigating a brawl here?"

Before the stern, questioning voice finished, a middle-aged woman appeared before Nangong Yuchen.

At the sight of her, Nangong Yuchen felt a sudden foreboding—this was none other than the campus vice director, Guan Jingyun.