Chapter 117: The Eastern Stranger

That evening, Jiang Xiaotian invited Zhang Wei, his "wife," and Ling’er to a high-end restaurant in Beihai for a meal. The couple, knowing only that Ling’er was Jiang Xiaotian’s boss, treated her with the utmost respect. Ling’er, however, didn’t mind; she was naturally friendly toward Jiang Xiaotian’s friends.

When the bill arrived, Zhang Wei was stunned, but when Jiang Xiaotian paid without a second thought, he was truly shocked. He never expected that the poor kid who had been bullied incessantly in the past would actually turn his life around. Zhang Wei was genuinely happy for him.

In the days that followed, Jiang Xiaotian returned to a steady routine of attending classes, finally feeling a sense of peace—the kind of life he was meant to lead. Everything that had transpired from Linhai to Dragon City felt like a movie; if not for Ling’er and the divine sword lying at home, Jiang Xiaotian would have thought it was all a dream he’d had while dozing off in class.

However, from that morning on, he sensed something was off. The entire class seemed to be whispering, and when Zhang Wei arrived, he was unusually excited.

"I remember it right, it’s today! I heard the president of the Taiji Club is confident he’s going to beat the living daylights out of those Easterners!"

The only thing that piqued Jiang Xiaotian’s interest was the karate aspect. To come all this way as exchange students just to challenge a local club—they certainly had enough free time. Still, he didn't really care about such trivial scuffles, even though the news had spread like wildfire, reaching almost the entire school. Nevertheless, since it concerned the dignity of traditional martial arts, Jiang Xiaotian decided to go take a look.

By the time lunch break arrived, they followed the crowd to the gymnasium, the usual haunt of the Taiji Club. The place, usually desolate, was now packed with people—men, women, young, and old. Even the janitor couldn't help but join the throng, curious about what could possibly attract so many students.

Three people stood in the center of the gymnasium. They were all dressed in white, and despite their youth, they stood tall with an imposing air. Jiang Xiaotian immediately locked eyes on the man in the center. He was a junior, highly respected and known for his fighting skills. While not a true martial artist, the man had the faint beginnings of inner energy, or *wu jin*, within him. His mastery of Taiji was quite deep; with the right guidance, he could potentially achieve great things.

Of course, it was only a sliver of *wu jin*, but it was more than enough to handle ordinary people. After all, back when Jiang Xiaotian knew nothing at all, he had still been able to send thugs like Yellow Hair running.

The crowd below was cheering wildly. Since this was a contest between locals and outsiders, even those who held personal grudges against the club stood on the side of the Taiji practitioners.

Before long, the Easterners appeared. There were four of them in total, though only three were fighters; the man in the center had his right arm draped around a woman. When Jiang Xiaotian and Zhang Wei saw the woman’s face, they were both stunned. They exchanged a look and spoke almost simultaneously: "Chu Ran?"

She was snuggled in the Easterner’s arms like a docile kitten. Jiang Xiaotian no longer felt heartbreak or jealousy; he simply found it amusing. He hadn't expected Chu Ran to be such a social butterfly, already having dumped Chen Kai to throw herself into the arms of an Easterner.

Zhang Wei caught Jiang Xiaotian’s mocking expression. "Brother, it’s a good thing she dumped you back then!"

"..."

"Uh... I didn't mean it that way. I meant... never mind, some things are better felt than said!" Realizing his slip-up, Zhang Wei quickly corrected himself.

Jiang Xiaotian looked away and sneered. Interesting, truly interesting. Chu Ran had truly lowered the bar. In truth, Zhang Wei was right—it was fortunate she had dumped him, otherwise, he might have been wearing a "green hat" the whole time. The woman truly had no sense of shame. Many people in school disliked her, as she had earned a reputation as a woman who hitched her wagon to whoever had the most power. But no one dared to speak up now, as those Easterners were known to be fierce fighters.

The moment they met, the Taiji Club members radiated hostility, not just because of the challenge, but because Taiji was essentially the last bastion of traditional martial arts in the school. The Easterners, however, were much more relaxed, flashing yellow, rotted teeth. The man in the middle pinched Chu Ran’s cheek and said in broken Chinese, "Taiji! Impressive! Let us, learn a thing or two!"

Out of courtesy, the Taiji Club members cupped their hands in a salute. "No need for pleasantries. Let us see the power of karate."

The man with the yellow teeth snorted and nudged the person beside him, who immediately bowed and took a fighting stance. As this was not an official match, the fight began without ceremony, and the crowd fell silent. The club president took a moment to observe, then signaled for one of his own men to step forward.

Jiang Xiaotian’s brow furrowed.

These Easterners possessed inner energy—technically, they were martial artists, though their energy was strange and different from the local variety. But that was enough; the Taiji Club didn't stand a chance. Especially the man with the yellow teeth holding Chu Ran—judging by local standards, he was at the early stage of External Energy. How could an ordinary person compete with that?

"No need to watch, let's go. The Taiji Club is going to lose," Jiang Xiaotian said, shaking his head and sealing their fate.

Immediately, several people glared at him. "What are you talking about? Don't dampen our spirits before the fight even starts. What major are you in?"

"Exactly! You have no idea how strong Lin Yun is. Others might lose, but there's no way Lin Yun is going down, alright?"

Lin Yun was the president of the Taiji Club and had a massive following of female fans, so Jiang Xiaotian was instantly swarmed by angry students. Zhang Wei broke into a cold sweat and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Sorry, everyone, sorry! This is my brother. He’s been sick and hasn't been to school in a while, he doesn't know Lin-xuezhang, hahaha."

The crowd finally turned their attention back to the stage.

"Zhang Wei, let's go. Seriously, I’m not joking. They’ll be off that stage in a minute."

Zhang Wei wanted to protest. The Taiji Club was quite famous; there was a rumor that one of their members had once fought off three muggers in an alley—a story that had gone viral on the campus network. He couldn't believe they would lose so easily; surely they could hold their own for a while?

Before he could speak, a scream rang out, followed by a loud thud. Looking at the stage, the Taiji Club member was already on the ground, clutching his chest in agony. The Easterner standing opposite him raised his leg, laughed, and said with disdain, "This? Taiji? Really? Or is it fake?"

Lin Yun’s brow furrowed as he unbuttoned his jacket. "Let me teach you what real Taiji is."