Era of Mist

A single shout sent all of Class 28 into a sudden hush. The roughhousing stopped. The laughter died. The girls all looked toward the classroom door with frightened eyes, and the boys were just as uneasy.

The Black-Handed Hungry Tiger was called the Black-Handed Hungry Tiger because his methods were dirty and he was greedy. Of course, he couldn’t possibly extort and threaten every single student, but he was an expert at making an example of someone. His infamous reputation had long since spread throughout the trash classes, carried by the tragic fates of his victims.

Students in other classes had it better. Zheng Big Head made occasional patrols, and with teachers who cared, the students were braver. They rarely experienced the full force of Teng Chaoguo’s imposing Evil Qi. But in the neglected, unwanted trash class, the name "Black-Handed Hungry Tiger" was enough to inspire terror.

CLACK, CLACK. Amidst the sound of leather heels on the floor, Teng Chaoguo appeared at the classroom door, four lackeys in tow. Teng Chaoguo’s sinister eyes swept across Class 28. The students all averted their gazes, trying to avoid being targeted by him.

This Teng Chaoguo was definitely here to start trouble!

The trash class had its own rules. The students of Class 28 quickly looked to the delinquents in the back row, hoping they would step up and negotiate. But the so-called boss of Class 28, Zhou Nan, was nowhere to be seen. As for the other punks who were usually so loud and boisterous, they had all chickened out.

Their asses seemed glued to their chairs; they couldn’t stand up at all. Their eyes darted about evasively. A few even bowed their heads and offered obsequious smiles from a distance, their expressions utterly submissive.

Only Shi Tiexin.

The students of Class 28 were shocked to discover that this new big guy showed no signs of fear whatsoever. He was lost in his own thoughts, and hadn’t even seemed to notice the commotion.

’Is this guy ignoring Teng Chaoguo?’

’Or does he just not know the reputation of the Black-Handed Hungry Tiger?’

But either way, they couldn’t count on this big guy now. After all, he had just arrived in Class 28. There was no way he would get involved in anything at a time like this. All they could do now was pray that the Hungry Tiger wasn’t targeting them.

"Yo," Teng Chaoguo spoke, a playful, ambiguous smile on his face. "Lookin’ lively."

Who?

Who was he talking about?

Who exactly was the Black-Handed Hungry Tiger targeting this time?

CLACK, CLACK. Teng Chaoguo strolled into the Class 28 classroom, unhurried and nonchalant, as if he owned the place. His four lackeys filed in after him, each one looking menacing.

At a time like this, in a normal class, the class monitor would be the one to step forward. But the students took one look at theirs and felt nothing but contempt.

Their class monitor was the most terrified person in the room!

CH-CH-CH-CH. Someone’s teeth were chattering. It was Zhao Qingmiao. Sprawled over his desk, Zhao Qingmiao kept his head buried, not daring to look up, let alone let Teng Chaoguo see him. He was normally terrified of delinquents, and Teng Chaoguo was the most vicious of them all.

"Hey, Class Monitor!" a boy called out, mustering his courage. Seeing their class monitor acting so spinelessly made many of the students furious.

But Zhao Qingmiao couldn’t care less what anyone else thought.

’Go find someone else, go find someone else, please go find someone else!’ Zhao Qingmiao prayed frantically. ’I’m not the class monitor, and I don’t want to be the class monitor! I can’t handle this, I really can’t! Please, just pick someone else, hurry up and pick someone else! Dammit, you all call me "Little Miaozzi" every day, and now you want to throw me to the wolves? Am I really your class monitor? Son of a bitch. That bastard Hungry Tiger... no matter who he picks on, I’m not saying a single word!’

’Oh, right, he should go for the new guy! That way it’ll be dog-eat-dog!’ Under the immense psychological pressure, Zhao Qingmiao’s face, still buried on the desk, contorted. ’These damn delinquents are all going to be the dregs of society, total losers! How dare they bully me? How dare they look down on me? Fortunes change! Don’t look down on a young man for being poor! When I make something of myself in the future, when I’m successful and famous, I’ll... I’ll—!’

CLACK. The footsteps stopped right next to Zhao Qingmiao. He shuddered, and he could feel a malicious gaze boring down on the top of his head from above.

"Get up."

The voice, neither high nor low, belonged to Teng Chaoguo.

’He’s here for me?’

’He’s really here for me!’

’I’m already acting so subservient, why is he coming for me?!’

Despair flooded Zhao Qingmiao’s heart. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"Heh. So you won’t even listen to what I say anymore. Gotten brave, have we?" Teng Chaoguo suddenly shot out a hand and yanked Zhao Qingmiao up by the collar. He glanced at Shi Tiexin, who was sitting calmly in the back, lost in his own world, then roared at the pale-faced Zhao Qingmiao, "You dare steal my stuff? Are you trying to die?!"

Zhao Qingmiao was completely petrified. He stammered, unable to speak, and after a long moment, managed to eke out a weak protest. "I... I didn’t steal your stuff..."

SMACK!

A slap landed squarely across Zhao Qingmiao’s face.

"Worthless trash! Shameless bastard! You’ve got the guts to do it, but not to admit it?" Teng Chaoguo roared like a hungry tiger. "Last night, didn’t Zhou Nan leave some stuff with you? Yes or no?"

"Well..." Zhao Qingmiao cupped his face, tears welling in his eyes. "Y-yes, a few things..."

"Then where are my cigarettes? I left my good stuff with you, and now it’s gone. And you fucking dare say you didn’t steal it?"

Zhao Qingmiao was on the verge of a breakdown. ’I was crammed in here all night, I didn’t touch your cigarettes!’

"I-I didn’t..."

WHAP!

Another slap, vicious and sharp, sent Zhao Qingmiao stumbling, his cheek swelling up instantly.

Zhao Qingmiao’s legs gave out, and he started to collapse. But the two lackeys grabbed him from either side, holding him up so he was forced to face Teng Chaoguo’s ferocious expression. "Gone? You think saying ’it’s gone’ is the end of it? If you lose someone else’s stuff, you just pay it back. But if you lose my stuff, you’d better be ready to pay with your life! Or else you can say goodbye to it!"

Teng Chaoguo was talking tough, but he actually had another goal in mind.

Originally, he had wanted to come and start trouble with Shi Tiexin directly. But Teng Chaoguo wasn’t a complete idiot. The reason he could extort, threaten, and beat up students without being disciplined by the school was only partly due to his family background. The bigger reason was that he had a certain talent for blackmail; he knew how to find leverage.

As long as he had leverage, the students he blackmailed usually didn’t dare to speak up and could only hold their noses and accept their fate.

Teng Chaoguo wanted to find some leverage on Shi Tiexin first, so he spent two class periods investigating his recent situation. In his view, for the Champion Scholar Stone to be exiled to the trash class, something big must have happened. There had to be some major leverage waiting for him to grab.

But the results of his investigation gave him pause.

Shi Tiexin had indeed gotten into trouble, but it was for something even he wouldn’t dare to do—assaulting a teacher!