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墨書 Inktalez
This year, Annan County's Eighth High School has unprecedentedly enrolled eight first-year classes, breaking the record set in decades since its establishment.
During the freshman orientation ceremony, Hu Ruoyun was called on stage to perform. This time, instead of showcasing his skills with a stick, he demonstrated his agility and skill in martial arts. A powerful punch landed on the wooden platform, causing it to tremble three times despite being an inch thick.
In the end, the homeroom teacher, Wang Hongjian, tossed a hard walnut towards Hu Ruoyun. With a graceful leap, he caught it mid-air, and when he landed, the walnut shattered into pieces in his hand. This impressive feat left a deep impression on the new students.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle went to Caoguying to visit Uncle. There, he heard from his second cousin that her eldest son had also been admitted to Annan County's Eighth High School. "He's quite remarkable," she said, but since he was merely a distant relative's child, Hu Ruoyun didn't inquire further.
Winter always felt particularly long, and with no farming activities to occupy their time, some idle individuals began causing trouble. The boys' dormitories of several first-year classes at Annan County's Eighth High School were repeatedly harassed by local youths. In one class, two boys were robbed of five meal tickets; in Class Three, several boys had three yuan taken from them each; and in Class Five, a handsome boy known for his charm with girls was even slapped twice.
As a result, fear spread among all first-year students.
One day during lunch break, there was a knock on Hu Ruoyun's dormitory door. Ye Jianghe, who was sleeping near the entrance, opened it to find a boy with long hair wearing a loose batwing shirt and flared pants standing there. He had fair skin and somewhat feminine features. "Is Hu Ruoyun in this dormitory?" he asked.
Hu Ruoyun sat up and looked at the striking boy before him without any recollection of him. "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
The boy smiled and replied, "I'm Mu Shengli. My dad is Mu Baishun..."
Only then did Hu Ruoyun realize that this was his Second Uncle's child. Remembering his family's previous behavior, he initially didn't want to engage but thought better of it since the boy had come looking for him. He put on some clothes and followed his cousin aside to talk.
This distant cousin had come seeking help.
Mu Shengli was a year younger than Hu Ruoyun. His father, Mu Baishun, was considered a prominent figure in Caoguying, earning six to seven hundred yuan a month—a considerable sum—while his uncle served as a village official and his third uncle worked as a village doctor. Influenced by this background, Mu Shengli felt quite important himself.
Though he struggled academically upon entering high school this year, his father's wealth allowed him to dress in the latest fashions and enjoy only the best food. With his sharp tongue and decent looks, he quickly became a notable figure among the eight first-year classes and often displayed an ostentatious demeanor.
There’s an old saying in rural areas: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Unbeknownst to him, this attitude drew the ire of some other boys. In Class Eight, there was a local boy named Hu Dacheng who was not one to back down easily. Feeling superior as a "native," he often acted tough. Seeing Mu Shengli steal the spotlight made him want to teach him a lesson with the help of his older brother on the street—Hu Jiakai.
Under Hu Dacheng's guidance, a group of aimless local boys approached Mu Shengli for money and meal tickets; they kicked him around and slapped him several times. Yet Hu Dacheng remained unsatisfied and ordered them to issue an ultimatum to this pretty boy—threatening further punishment.
Finally frightened by these events, Mu Shengli realized that perhaps the universe extended beyond Caoguying...
After explaining the situation, Mu Shengli pulled out a letter sent by Hu Jiakai. Hu Ruoyun took it and saw only one crooked line written: "Kid, get ready for a beating! I'll be waiting for you on your way home!"
Mu Shengli stammered nervously, "Brother Yun, I don't even dare step outside school anymore!"
Reporting such matters to teachers would be futile; in this era, calling the police wasn't an option either—everything had to be settled privately.
To be honest, Mu Shengli wasn't sure if this so-called cousin could help him at all; however, he felt he had no other choice at that moment.
Hu Ruoyun tossed the "challenge letter" back to him confidently: "Don't worry; I'll take you out this weekend!"
Mu Shengli left with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
On Saturday, after finishing two study sessions, when Hu Ruoyun stepped out of the classroom, he saw Mu Shengli waiting for him at the door. "Brother Yun, is it okay if we go? Should we call a few of your classmates too?"
Hu Ruoyun ignored his suggestion. "Let’s go!"
Not long after they left the school gate, Hu Ruoyun noticed a half-grown kid following them. Once they got off the main road behind the school, there weren’t many people around. Hu Ruoyun sat in the back seat of Mu Shengli's bike, allowing him to ride ahead.
After about seven or eight minutes with no one around, Mu Shengli suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Bro, they’ve blocked the way ahead!" His voice was filled with panic.
Hu Ruoyun jumped off the bike and looked ahead. A group of seven or eight half-grown kids stood there, each holding a short wooden stick about the thickness of an egg, glaring at them. The leader was at least six feet tall, with just a hint of dark fuzz on his upper lip, but he wasn’t Hu Jiakai.
The guy tapped his stick against his palm. "So you’re Mu Shengli? I heard you’re quite something at Eight Middle School?"
Mu Shengli was so scared he couldn’t speak and looked helplessly at Hu Ruoyun beside him.
Hu Ruoyun stepped forward. "Where’s Hu Jiakai?"
The tall guy seemed surprised. "Do we need our boss for this? By the way, who are you? Are you stepping in for this kid? You don’t mind getting taken down with him?"
Hu Ruoyun knew reasoning wouldn’t work with these people and continued to move forward. "Why don’t you give it a try?"
The tall guy was clearly angered and suddenly swung his stick at Hu Ruoyun.
In reality, these so-called tough kids rarely dared to actually hit someone with their sticks; intimidation was usually their main tactic. The tall guy expected that when he swung down, Hu Ruoyun would quickly dodge back, allowing him to retract his strike.
However, Hu Ruoyun had other plans. There were too many opponents this time; if he didn’t make these “doorstep tigers” submit now, Mu Shengli would face trouble in the future.
As the stick came swinging down, what surprised the tall guy was that Hu Ruoyun not only didn’t dodge but instead charged forward quickly, grabbing the stick from his hand while delivering a swift kick to his stomach.
In just one exchange, the tables turned dramatically. The stick was seized by Hu Ruoyun, and the tall guy stumbled back seven or eight steps before collapsing onto the ground!
Hu Ruoyun didn’t advance further; instead, he tightened his grip and with a sharp pull, snapped the stick in two with a loud crack!
The tall guy sat on the ground for a while without getting up, staring at the broken stick in Hu Ruoyun's hands and muttering, "Are you the one who can crush walnuts with your hands?"
The seven or eight half-grown kids in front of him, along with Mu Shengli behind him, stood there dumbfounded.
In the distance, two bicycles kicked up dust as they sped toward them. The leading rider shouted while pedaling hard, "Everyone stop fighting! Everyone stop fighting!"
As they got closer, it turned out to be Hu Jiakai leading behind him was Hu Dacheng.
Hu Jiakai first looked at Hu Ruoyun. "Bro, are you hurt?"
Hu Ruoyun shook his head and pointed at the tall guy who was being helped up along with his gang while smiling. "Kai Ge, are these all your brothers?"
Hu Jiakai scratched his head apologetically. "Ah, it's all my fault for leading you all astray..."
The big guy leaned in, looking aggrieved. "Brother Hu, he hit me!"
Hu Jiakai was a bit confused. "Come on, you guys are all armed with sticks, and you're saying he hit you?"
The six or seven who hadn't fought also gathered around. "Brother Hu, what Ding said is true. That kick knocked Ding down... let's all go together!"
Hu Jiakai grew anxious. "Go together? We're all on the same side!"
It turned out that Hu Dacheng had seen Hu Ruoyun leave the school with Mou Shengli and hurried to inform his brother Kai. After hearing the news, Hu Jiakai rushed over, but by the time he arrived, a fight had already broken out.
When he learned that Hu Ruoyun faced seven or eight people without fear and even kicked down the big guy Ding Dali, he felt relieved. "Phew, good thing it wasn't me who got involved; otherwise, my reputation would be ruined!"
In front of Hu Dacheng and the others, Hu Ruoyun scolded Mou Shengli. "When you get home, shave that head of yours and wear some decent clothes to school... If you don't listen, I won't need anyone else to teach you a lesson; I'll handle it myself!"
Turning to Hu Jiakai, she said, "Kai Ge, this is my cousin!"
Mou Shengli quickly lowered his head and replied, "Got it, bro!"
Hu Jiakai pulled Mou Shengli closer. "Let's go home quickly; everything will be fine from now on..."
Hu Ruoyun approached Ding Dali and extended her hand. "Ding Ge, that kick earlier was a bit too hard; I'm sorry!"
Ding Dali chuckled and reached out his right hand to shake hers while holding his stomach with his left hand. "Wow, that was really impressive..."
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