Chapter 6

The next day, Zhang Chengyuan went to school as usual. As soon as he arrived at the school gate, he saw Jin Youji standing on the rooftop of the teaching building, glaring at him fiercely. Jin Youji's hands were grabbing at the air as if trying to strangle him, and he even bared his teeth and broke a thin wooden stick in half.

Zhang Chengyuan sneered at Jin Youji's ridiculous actions, slightly bowed to the vice principal who was checking the students' conduct at the school gate, and then, instead of leaving immediately, stood there for a while, looking in Jin Youji's direction before slowly walking into the school.

His unusual behavior immediately caught the vice principal's attention. Following Zhang Chengyuan's gaze, the vice principal saw Jin Youji, whose figure he knew all too well. The vice principal immediately raised a megaphone and shouted loudly, "Jin Youji, it's you again. Come down and see me right now!"

In South Korea, many schools strictly prohibit students from going to the rooftop of the teaching building. One reason is to prevent students from hiding there to smoke, drink, or fight; the other is to avoid students who can't withstand the intense academic competition from jumping off the building to commit suicide. However, for many delinquent students, the rooftop is their territory, the only place in the school where they can escape the oppressive academic atmosphere. Therefore, no matter how many times the school warns them, there will always be students who sneak up there. Jin Youji is a regular visitor to the rooftop!

For students who dare to challenge the school's authority and violate the rules, the vice principal would never let them off. Moreover, Jin Youji is the top name on his list of delinquent students.

Jin Youji glared at Zhang Chengyuan with anger and obediently ran down from the rooftop under the vice principal's watchful eye. By this time, Zhang Chengyuan had already entered the classroom, taken out his textbook, and started reading seriously, unlike the other male students who ran to the window to watch Jin Youji being scolded by the vice principal with great interest.

South Korea is a country deeply influenced by ancient Chinese Confucian culture, emphasizing etiquette and respect for teachers. Teachers, especially university professors, are highly respected by the public, and their status is far above most other professions. Even Jin Youji, the top student leader in the Jijiu District, had to submit to the vice principal's punishment like a kindergarten child and dare not resist, though he might curse behind his back.

After school, Zhang Chengyuan packed his books and prepared to go to the fried chicken shop for work. As he walked out of the classroom, he saw Jin Youji and seven or eight of his followers blocking the corridor in front of the teaching building. Every student who passed by looked at them with fear and curiosity, wondering who would be the next unlucky victim targeted by Jin Youji.

Zhang Chengyuan paused for a moment, then continued walking forward with a cold snort. Jin Youji stroked his chin, feigning a cool and arrogant demeanor, and said, "Zhang Chengyuan, you ran fast yesterday. Let's see where you run today!" Suddenly, his face changed, and he roared, "Tell me, who ambushed me yesterday?" Throughout, Jin Youji never thought that Zhang Chengyuan had knocked out the three of them yesterday; he always believed that the person who acted was someone Zhang Chengyuan had brought in for help.

Zhang Chengyuan looked at Jin Youji in surprise and thought to himself, "This Jin Youji is indeed a big fool that everyone looks at with disdain! Arguing with him is a waste of words. Since that's the case, I might as well give him a lesson today." He raised his head to glare at Jin Youji, just as he was about to act, he felt a tall and slender figure running towards him and immediately lowered his head, pretending to be weak.

This tall and slender figure was none other than the vice principal, who had just severely punished Jin Youji that morning.

At this moment, he approached and shouted loudly, "Jin Youji, it's you again. You dare to bully students openly in school. It seems I haven't been strict enough with you!"

Seeing the vice principal, Jin Youji's body went limp, and he stammered, "Teacher, you're mistaken. How could I dare to do such a thing? I just wanted to get closer to my junior, Zhang Chengyuan. Junior Zhang Chengyuan, right?" As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Chengyuan a few times.

Zhang Chengyuan didn't want the vice principal to get involved, so he nodded slightly and said, "Yes."

The vice principal looked at Zhang Chengyuan a few times, seeing his calm expression, and felt puzzled: "Could I really be mistaken?" He then turned to look at Jin Youji, seeing a hint of satisfaction on his face, which made him even more suspicious. However, since Zhang Chengyuan didn't report him, he had no reason to punish Jin Youji. So he coldly stared at Jin Youji and said, "Jin Youji, I hope you don't cause trouble in school anymore. If you don't want to study, go home early after school to help your parents. Also, I will keep an eye on today's incident. I hope to see no damage to this student tomorrow."

With the vice principal's intervention, a potential conflict was temporarily averted.

A few more days passed quietly. It was now the weekend. Zhang Chengyuan spent about an hour completing his homework and practiced the cultivation technique for maintaining life. Seeing nothing to do, he decided to look for another part-time job. As his cultivation improved, he found his appetite increasing, and the money he earned was no longer enough to cover his expenses. He had to make other plans. Sigh! Who would have thought that this was an era of spiritual energy scarcity, and the only way to improve his cultivation was to extract essence from food.

On the streets of Jijiu District, Zhang Chengyuan walked briskly, his sharp eyes scanning for job advertisements. However, the current economic situation in South Korea was not good, and after a long walk, he found no suitable job information. Unconsciously, he walked from Jijiu District into the more prosperous Yongdungpo District.

After walking for a while, he turned a corner and suddenly saw a group of about twenty young men in black clothing walking towards him, all tall and muscular. Upon closer inspection, the one in the middle was none other than Jin Youji, who had been trying to cause trouble for him. Jin Youji's hair was neatly combed, his bangs curled upwards, revealing his entire forehead, giving him a somewhat imposing air like a gang leader in a Hong Kong movie.

Jin Youji was in a particularly good mood today because he had just won a fight against the leader of a school in Yongdungpo District, beating him to a pulp and making him swear never to enter the Jijiu District again. After the victory, Jin Youji became even more arrogant, strutting down the street with his many followers, causing passersby to curse him in their hearts.

Jin Youji, who was boasting, didn't notice Zhang Chengyuan walking towards him, but his followers who had seen Zhang Chengyuan before reminded him. Just as the two groups were about to pass each other, Jin Youji noticed Zhang Chengyuan and, like a bull in heat, his eyes turned red with anger. He roared and charged at Zhang Chengyuan, reaching out his right hand to grab the back of Zhang Chengyuan's collar.

Zhang Chengyuan, hearing the sound, waited until Jin Youji's hand was about to grab him, then suddenly sidestepped. Not only did he avoid Jin Youji's rude attack, but Jin Youji, caught off guard, almost fell. Fortunately, Jin Youji, with his rich fighting experience and quick reflexes, managed to steady himself by putting his left hand on the ground and simultaneously kicking back with his right leg to prevent anyone from taking advantage of him. Unfortunately, Zhang Chengyuan remained still and ignored him, making the move look rather ridiculous.

Jin Youji straightened up, dusted off his hands, and tried to hide his embarrassed expression. He turned around and said angrily, "Zhang Chengyuan, you can't escape. No one can save you today. Just let me beat you up."

Zhang Chengyuan said casually, "Find a quiet place. I'm annoyed." Jin Youji's persistent harassment had made Zhang Chengyuan extremely frustrated, and he was eager to resolve the issue once and for all.