Kapitel 192: The Story of the Bandaged Man
Ling Chen's head-down conversation with Chen Kong left everyone puzzled. They were too far away to hear what the two were talking about.
Chen Kong, looking at this guy who was no less powerful than himself, was quite confused: whose side was he on?
Seeing Chen Kong's indifferent expression, Ling Chen smacked his lips and directly said, "I'm telling you, this is a big deal, and a lot of people are going to come after you. Do you understand?"
"I understand, so?"
"Tch! Why are you so aloof?" Ling Chen scratched his fluffy afro. "Let me be straight with you. You heard them just now; they all call me senior."
"To be honest, I'm Ling Chen, the seventh seat of the Upper Academy. You probably don't know since you're an outsider, but that means I'm ranked seventh, which gives me some standing in this academy."
Chen Kong nodded.
The Upper Academy's Hundred Seats were likely similar to the Inner Court's Qingyun Stele in their Imperial Academy, but of much higher quality.
"Good, you get it now." Ling Chen nodded in satisfaction seeing Chen Kong's nod. He moved a bit closer and patted Chen Kong's shoulder, but Chen Kong instinctively stepped back.
Ling Chen awkwardly withdrew his hand but quickly regained his smile. "Look, this is a big mess you've made, and it's not easy to smooth over. But I like you because you're a spirit body. I'll help you settle this. How about it?"
"Thanks," Chen Kong said, not knowing what Ling Chen was up to.
"Great, it's settled then!" Ling Chen clapped his hands in excitement upon hearing Chen Kong's thanks.
Then he leaned closer with a flattering smile. "So, since we're settled, how about... you know?"
Chen Kong was puzzled. "What?"
Seeing Chen Kong's confusion, Ling Chen rubbed his fingers together. "You know... that..."
"That what?"
Chen Kong understood now; Ling Chen wanted to take this opportunity to extort something from him. Was the dignified seventh seat of the Upper Academy such a person?
But Chen Kong pretended not to understand, not following Ling Chen's words.
Ling Chen was getting anxious. He had been talking to Chen Kong for a while now, and people were starting to look at him curiously.
"Brother, are you really clueless or just pretending? If you want someone to do something for you, you have to pay a fee! I'm a practical person, running a small business. Anything from Earth-grade techniques, fifth or sixth-grade pills, pill recipes, divine weapons, treasures, all acceptable," Ling Chen finally spoke plainly.
He found Chen Kong to be a tough nut to crack.
Chen Kong glanced at him. "Oh, I don't have any."
"Huh? Are you refusing to pay? Expecting me to work for free?" Ling Chen's face darkened, the smile disappearing.
No deal?
"You don't have to do it," Chen Kong remained unmoved.
Ling Chen's face turned even darker. He never worked without a reward. Doing something for the academy's benefit for free was not his style.
He had hoped to make a profit and then act, but Chen Kong was not cooperating.
Even though he was the seventh seat, dealing with matters on the national level was beyond his control.
Cursing his bad luck, Ling Chen sprang back several dozen feet and pointed at Chen Kong. "You insist on being my enemy!"
Chen Kong was speechless. Refusing to make a deal and resorting to threats? Was this forced buying and selling?
However, Ling Chen reminded him of someone he knew, though he couldn't recall who.
"Senior Ling Chen, stop stalling! We've collected some stuff for you, hurry up and deal with him!" A student in a blue uniform from the Blue Flame Royal Academy threw a package at Ling Chen.
Many in the Blue Flame Royal Academy knew Ling Chen's nature well: he never acted without benefit!
Forget about the academy's reputation or national interests; if you offered him enough benefits, he would dare to burn the principal's hair!
Seeing Ling Chen's strange and overly friendly talk with Chen Kong, they knew his old habits had resurfaced.
So, they each contributed some items, such as pills and spirit stones, all kinds of miscellaneous things, and handed them over to Ling Chen as payment.
Ling Chen accepted the package, opened it, and his expression changed. Outsiders might not be helpful, but his own junior brothers knew what to do.
After storing the package in his Storage Ring, Ling Chen's face changed again. No longer flattering, he angrily pointed at Chen Kong and cursed, "How dare you cause trouble at the gates of our Blue Flame Royal Academy and injure people! You must be tired of living!"
Chen Kong was speechless at how quickly Ling Chen changed his attitude, but he didn't respond. Instead, he calmly prepared for the battle.
Seeing Chen Kong ignoring him, Ling Chen seemed to be even more infuriated. "You! What's your name? I don't kill nameless people!"
"Chen Kong!" This time, Chen Kong spoke. Regardless of Ling Chen's character, his strength qualified him to know his name.
"Chen Kong? Nice name... no, wait! What a ridiculous name, never heard of it!" Ling Chen started to praise the name but suddenly stopped and spat on the ground, continuing his insults.
"Hey, Chen Kong, right? As an outsider, I wonder if you've ever heard of the story of the Bandaged Man?"
Bandaged Man? Chen Kong was puzzled. What was that?
Before Chen Kong could respond, Ling Chen continued, his expression animated as if recalling a glorious past, "It's about someone who caused trouble at our club's entrance and got beaten by me until he was wrapped in bandages!"
"You dare cause trouble at our academy's gate? I won't spare you! If you're smart, surrender now. Otherwise, I won't hold back!"
Ling Chen was no longer calling him 'brother' and 'junior' with a smile. Now, he was all about 'I' and 'you,' completely changing his demeanour.
Chen Kong finally realized why he felt a sense of familiarity with Ling Chen. Wasn't he just like the younger version of that sleazy old teacher?
Thinking of this, Chen Kong felt a surge of heat inside.
He held a grudge against that teacher, but since he couldn't beat him, he had to endure the bullying.
But now, facing this young version, he had a chance!
If he couldn't beat the old one, he'd settle for beating the young one! This was his chance to vent!
Chen Kong became excited, stomping his foot and taking the initiative to attack, "Enough talk! Let's fight!"
The people from the Imperial Academy were stunned. Just how annoying was this Ling Chen to make Senior Brother Chen Kong take the initiative to attack?
In their memory, Chen Kong usually waited for the opponent to make the first move and rarely attacked first.
Ever since becoming an Earth Spirit Body, this was even more true.
However, when it came to why Chen Kong would uncharacteristically attack first, his fellow disciples Mo Qingkuang and Han Shu might understand best.
"Brother Han, I think this Ling Chen is going to be in trouble..."
"Great minds think alike."
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