As soon as these words were uttered, the relaxed atmosphere in the classroom instantly froze once more.
Ma Shicheng looked at Jiang Ning as if he were a lunatic. Shocked, he lowered his voice and said:
"Jiang Ning, have you lost your mind? Why are you provoking him right now?"
Everyone knew how formidable Song Sheng's combat prowess had been just moments ago; probably no one in the class could beat him. While the guy was still seething with rage, Jiang Ning had the audacity to step forward. Given his small build, Song Sheng could knock him down with a single punch.
Realizing that it was Jiang Ning who had spoken, the classmates turned their gazes to Song Sheng.
Song Sheng slowly turned around, staring fixedly at Jiang Ning like an enraged lion.
He had long found Jiang Ning an eyesore, and now this nobody dared to tell him to apologize. Who did he think he was?
He strode toward Jiang Ning. The air grew increasingly tense. Huang Zhongfei tried to dissuade him:
"Song Sheng, let it go this time. If this blows up and the head teacher comes, it won't end well."
Song Sheng spat out a fierce threat: "It doesn't matter who comes! Anyone who tries to break this up gets beaten right along with him!"
Hearing this and seeing the fierce look in his eyes, the surrounding classmates genuinely hesitated and did not dare to intervene.
Most of them probably figured that the matter had already blown over, and for Jiang Ning to step up and stir things up now was practically a death wish. That wasn't standing up for people; that was sheer brainlessness.
Xue Yuantong was puzzled. Ever since she had known him, Jiang Ning had always kept a low profile. Why would he suddenly demand an apology from Song Sheng, especially when Song Sheng looked like someone you didn't want to mess with?
Still, she wasn't too worried. Although Jiang Ning was small, she had ridden on the back of his bicycle; anyone who could pedal a bike that fast must be able to run away very quickly.
Shen Qing'e stared with wide eyes, as if seeing Jiang Ning for the very first time. Since when had Jiang Ning gotten so daring? Even if he wanted to attract attention, he shouldn't use a method like this!
Had he lost his mind?
Shen Qing'e had no intention of stopping him. Fine, let Jiang Ning take a beating; it would teach him that No. 4 High School wasn't some sleepy rural middle school from his past.
Meanwhile, Chen Siyu had been keeping her eye on Jiang Ning all day. Seeing that he was about to get thrashed, she hastily nudged Bai Yuxia, hoping she would step in and stop it just as she had a moment ago.
But Bai Yuxia gave a slight shake of her head. Some people simply couldn't be reasoned with—Song Sheng, for instance. He was a violent maniac. Once enraged, a person like him might even beat up girls. He was a dangerous element in society, perhaps even possessing an antisocial personality.
Song Sheng reached the back row of the classroom and suddenly lunged forward, ferociously hurling himself at Jiang Ning with a heavy, unreserved punch. If that blow landed solid, it would hurt like hell for a long time.
Guo Kunnan saw the fight break out but did not step forward to block it. He had a decent relationship with Dan Kaiquan, but his ties to Jiang Ning were ordinary—not worth sticking his neck out for.
Besides, he had just been sent flying by Song Sheng moments earlier and knew firsthand how strong the guy was. If he tried to intervene, Song Sheng might just beat him up too.
Huang Zhongfei rushed over from the front, attempting to stop it, but it was already too late. It looked as though Jiang Ning was about to be savagely beaten by Song Sheng right in front of the entire class.
A cruel smile flashed across Song Sheng's face. He was about to thoroughly enjoy the sound of Jiang Ning's screams.
In a flash, Jiang Ning lashed out with a kick.
Being a Cultivator, he only used a fraction of his strength, yet that strength had long since surpassed ordinary people by an unknown margin, easily rivaling an Olympic champion.
Before Song Sheng's fist could even reach him, Jiang Ning's leg struck first, catching Song Sheng squarely in the chest.
Time seemed to freeze. Song Sheng paused for a split second, as if he had run head-on into a car. The next instant, his bulky body flew backward like something out of a martial arts movie, crashing heavily onto the floor with a loud thump.
The entire class was struck dumb.
Song Sheng struggled to his feet, his features twisted in agony, and spat out a mouthful of bitter bile.
Jiang Ning slowly walked up to him. Amidst the stunned and bewildered gazes of everyone present, he reached out, grabbed Song Sheng by the hair, and hauled him up effortlessly.
He said in a leisurely tone:
"Go apologize. Did you hear me?"
With a ferocious expression, looking as though he wanted to devour him alive, Song Sheng lashed out savagely with a punch.
Jiang Ning smiled. He had seen that look countless times before. What a pity—when you lacked the strength, daring to pull such a face was simply courting disaster.
He easily caught Song Sheng's fist and applied a tiny bit of pressure. Song Sheng felt as though his hand had been clamped in a steel vise; he choked back a roar, his face distorting in a tight knot of pain.
Guo Kunnan winced just watching his expression.
"Are you going to apologize or not?" Jiang Ning asked, increasing the pressure.
Sweating profusely from the agony, feeling as though his bones were about to shatter, Song Sheng pleaded:
"Let go! Quick, let go! I'll apologize, I'll apologize!"
Jiang Ning released his grip. For all the guy's fierce facade, his willpower was pathetically weak. Jiang Ning hadn't even unleashed one ten-thousandth of his torture techniques before the fellow cracked. It was thoroughly anticlimactic.
Jiang Ning slapped him twice across the face:
"Don't forget to pick up the desk."
Dropping those words, he leisurely strolled back to his seat.
By this time, the looks the entire class directed at Jiang Ning were filled with utter disbelief, as if they were looking at an alien from outer space.
Jiang Ning's appearance was deeply misleading. Song Sheng was such a massive hunk, weighing around one hundred and seventy or eighty pounds, yet he had been sent flying with a single kick—a sight none of them had ever witnessed before.
Just what kind of strength was that?
They didn't dare to dwell on it, but one thing was certain: from now on, no one in the class would ever be able to bully Jiang Ning again.
Guo Kunnan sidled over and probed cautiously: "Jiang Ning, are you into martial arts?"
"I'm curious too, Brother Ning!" asked Ma Shicheng. Damn it, was this some real-life campus martial arts master or what?
Jiang Ning just smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
To the others, this reaction immediately made him seem deeply mysterious. Ma Shicheng regretted not knowing martial arts himself; otherwise, he could have been just as glorious as Jiang Ning today.
On the other side, Song Sheng wished he could kill Jiang Ning, wished he could eradicate him completely. But for now, cowed by Jiang Ning's fists, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and dutifully right his desk.
Having been subdued by Jiang Ning just now, he had truly experienced Jiang Ning's chilling, life-disregarding indifference. If he had dared to resist, the guy might have literally snapped his bones.
As a violent thug himself, in his eyes, Jiang Ning was simply a predator far more ruthless than he was.
Therefore, Song Sheng obediently apologized to the classmates he had affected, not daring to show the slightest perfunctoriness.
A strange emotion welled up in the hearts of those classmates. Had Jiang Ning not stepped forward, given Song Sheng's personality, he would never have paid them any mind, leaving them to suffer in silence.
Others might have thought Jiang Ning was being reckless just now, but in their eyes, when they were being bullied, Jiang Ning was the only one who stood up and said the words they ought to have said.
Justice dwells in people's hearts. Some classmates thought that even if tonight's incident alarmed the head teacher, they would still stand up and speak the truth for Jiang Ning.
Quiet returned to the classroom, but everyone's thoughts had shifted.
For the classmates unfamiliar with Jiang Ning, they had witnessed Zhuang Jianhui's basketball wizardry in the morning, and now they had enjoyed Jiang Ning's live-action movie stunt of kicking a flying man at night.
What an absolutely thrilling day it had been.
Those who were familiar with Jiang Ning, such as Shen Qing'e, felt exceptionally strange. She knew Jiang Ning far too well—arguably, no one understood him better than she did, which was why she used to be able to manipulate him so easily, having completely figured out his mindset.
Just like a goddess understands her loyal simps, because the simps had long since displayed their meager few merits to her, leaving her with total mastery over them.
Yet the scene that had just unfolded—the side of Jiang Ning that had been exposed—was something she had never seen before.
In the past, when Jiang Ning messed around with others, because he was short and thin, he was easily overpowered and ended up looking utterly pathetic.
How could he suddenly kick someone flying with a single blow?
Since when had he become so capable?
Shen Qing'e couldn't comprehend it. She wanted to ask Jiang Ning, but she couldn't swallow her pride; in her mind, Jiang Ning had long since ceased to be on her path.
*Whatever. So what if he's good at fighting? Who still worships violence in modern society? The law is right there. No matter how well you can fight, what can you do against a gun?*
They were simply two different kinds of people, after all.
Shen Qing'e stopped dwelling on these trivial matters.