Fierce Beast Transfer Student

You Qi only now realized he'd misunderstood.

You can know a face but not a heart. Gongzi Cong looked every inch a proper gentleman — who knew he'd bully a junior in private. By that logic, the grudge between Chun Shijiu and him might not all be Chun Shijiu's fault.

You Qi's gaze lingered coldly on Gongzi Cong's retreating back.

Gongzi Cong paused for a second, started to speak, thought better of it, and finally walked away with heavy steps.

'If he or anyone else bullies you, come tell me.' You Qi said to Zhou Mu.

'Okay, thanks.' Zhou Mu smoothly and naturally took the boxed cake from You Qi's hands. Food was better held by oneself — he didn't mind the trouble.

You Qi couldn't help being quietly impressed by Zhou Mu's appetite. He advised, 'Don't eat so much cake...'

'...eat something else too.'

Zhou Mu had been a little shocked and wounded by the first half, but the second half brought his smile right back.

A deskmate is the best!

.

It was a Saturday.

Gongzi Cong carried a burlap sack of Feral Beast meat — all local cured ribs. It was also the birthday gift he'd prepared to present to Zhou Mu. He'd promised that day, and he didn't dare not deliver. But he wasn't sure Zhou Mu would like it.

What if Zhou Mu held up his beat-up old-man phone and shouted again, 'These ruffians are feeding me carcinogens, trying to kill me'?

So he thought it over and over, dawdling on the road for a long time.

That dawdling brought him face to face with Chun Shijiu passing by.

Chun Shijiu spotted Gongzi Cong from behind. Last time You Qi had stopped him before he could get revenge. Now he crept up and lunged for a surprise attack.

Gongzi Cong was lost in worry, sensed the danger almost too late, and barely dodged, rolling away in a sorry state. Even so, a cut opened on his cheek, and the burlap sack tore a hole, spilling a few ribs. He hastily knotted it shut.

Chun Shijiu saw the ribs tumble out and laughed. 'What, Gongzi Cong, visiting your old grave for the holidays? Bringing local specialties too — don't forget to burn some paper money for Duke Qi Huan Gong.'

— Because Gongzi Cong was an unearthed artifact, Chun Shijiu mocked this in every way he could, the way Gongzi Cong mocked his studies.

Gongzi Cong's face went dark. He set down the sack. 'Dare insult my family again!'

'Family? You mean ancestral grave!' Chun Shijiu snorted coldly, his eyes vicious. 'Last time I got interrupted. Today I'll teach you manners whether you like it or not. See how you play tough.'

Gongzi Cong's snow-white hem stirred without wind. Both locked their auras on the other.

Suddenly.

They struck at the same instant, closing the distance in a blink, exchanging over a dozen blows in moments. No techniques — just brute force to vent their fury.

The scene was blinding, sword qi flying everywhere, until a passing precinct officer intervened in time. Upon noticing both wore school uniforms, the officer lectured them on the spot for half an hour.

'You're both high schoolers — and one of you is even a senior. Can't you yield to your junior? You're about to take the college entrance exam!' The officer said, frustrated at their stubbornness.

Chun Shijiu snickered.

Gongzi Cong stood with his head lowered, speechless. 'He's the same year as me. He just held himself back two grades on his own...'

'...' The officer glanced at Chun Shijiu. 'Held back two grades? Tch, that makes it worse — you should be studying harder. You're fighting, will you even get your diploma?'

After half an hour of scolding and repeated promises, the officer finally said he wouldn't notify the School.

Before parting, they were forced to apologize to each other. After dragging out his sorry, Chun Shijiu muttered a threat: 'I'll let you off today. If you've got the guts, come to the school's Rear Mountain tomorrow night!'

Gongzi Cong whispered back, 'Tomorrow night our class has a quiz during evening self-study.'

Chun Shijiu: '...'

Chun Shijiu: 'Then the day after!'

The officer's face went puzzled. 'What are you two saying? Should I notify the School after all...'

'No! Don't, uncle!' Chun Shijiu cried out.

After all this fuss, plus his earlier dawdling, Gongzi Cong arrived at Zhou Mu's house a full hour later than planned.

'What took you so long? I've been waiting forever!' Zhou Mu complained as he walked toward the courtyard gate. He was home alone — his parents had gone out of the city.

Gongzi Cong answered nervously, 'Something came up on the way.'

He walked up, opened the gate, and saw the sack in Gongzi Cong's hand. His expression softened. He said insincerely, 'Just come on in, no need to bring gifts.'

Gongzi Cong: '...hehehe, it's only right.'

Inwardly he grumbled: if I hadn't brought a gift, you'd have torn me apart. Today was clearly for this.

Zhou Mu took the sack straight from Gongzi Cong's hands, rummaging through the contents as he spoke. 'No one's home. Come in and sit for a bit.'

'It's fine, I'll head back. Don't your uncle and aunt get weekends off?' Gongzi Cong said stiffly. He didn't really want — or rather, didn't dare — get too close to Zhou Mu.

Zhou Mu's eyes were still on the sack's contents, but he said, 'They don't. Sit down anyway. Tell me who hit you — I want to hear who dares lay a hand on my people.'

Gongzi Cong: '...'

He touched the small wound on his face, his feelings complicated — touched, but afraid to be touched.

Zhou Mu inspected the torn opening on the sack. 'Hmph, lost a few pieces of meat too, didn't you.'

Gongzi Cong: 'Mm... got it fighting someone.'

His actual strength was higher, but he couldn't fully suppress Chun Shijiu, who liked ambushes — so he'd taken his share of losses.

Gongzi Cong thought and added, 'It's actually nothing serious. Just a former classmate of mine, also Feral Race. We bicker a lot. Last time we ran into each other at the mall, I fought him too.'

He worried Zhou Mu would demand meat for meat. The Ancient Race Management Office had many rules. If something happened, their people wouldn't dare bother Zhou Mu, but they might come after him — and even as an artifact, that wouldn't be easy.

'I see.' Zhou Mu said lightly. The Ancient Race Management Office played by the rules, and he was in a good mood at the School, didn't want to drop his cover, so he'd give them some face. 'If he bothers you again, tell me.'

Strange as it was, in that moment Gongzi Cong really felt safe. The greatest danger and the greatest safety could both come from the same person.

'Okay.' Gongzi Cong agreed, 'Actually...'

...

Meanwhile, Chun Shijiu, fresh wounds from his fight with Gongzi Cong, went to find You Qi.

'&@&%￥# Little Jiang Cong, I won't let him off!' Chun Shijiu cursed Gongzi Cong for ten minutes first. 'I challenged him to a duel at the school's Rear Mountain after evening self-study. Can you come be my backup?'

You Qi was holding an English book. He looked up calmly. 'Do you hear yourself?'

You challenge someone to a duel, then ask me to come help? In your family, a duel means two against one?

Chun Shijiu shamelessly said, 'I can't beat him.'

You Qi was speechless.

Chun Shijiu and You Qi had been classmates for a year at least, and he figured they had some bond. In a School full of Human Race, they were the same kind. 'What would it take for you to help? I'll do your homework?'

You Qi: '...why would you repay kindness with grievance?'

Chun Shijiu said sheepishly, 'I don't have anything else to trade. You don't need money either.'

You Qi originally didn't want to bother with Chun Shijiu's petty school fight, but he suddenly remembered Zhou Mu saying he'd been bullied by Gongzi Cong. It seemed this Gongzi Cong really was a school bully.

"I'll help you once." You Qi thought it over, then said, "But just a warning. I'll warn him, and that's where it ends."

Chun Shijiu froze.

"You actually agreed?" Chun Shijiu hadn't expected You Qi to agree. He'd only been trying on a whim.

You Qi frowned. "You were just saying that offhandedly?"

"No," Chun Shijiu said honestly, "I just didn't expect you'd agree. I'd already planned to find someone else, bring a group to beat up Gongzi Cong. Since you agreed, I won't need to find others."

You Qi: "..."

You Qi didn't care anymore, only stressed: "I'll handle it."

Chun Shijiu gave an "OK" sign.

.

The following week.

Evening physics self-study.

Zhou Mu was slumped over his desk, dead asleep. In his dream he'd captured his mom's Ranch, then threw his head back and cackled wildly: "From now on I'm number one under heaven! I'm afraid of no one hahahahahaha, everything is mine hahahahahaha!"

You Qi saw the teacher coming and poked him.

Zhou Mu startled awake, made eye contact with the physics teacher, and immediately guiltily buried his head in a problem. The moment he read it he nearly teared up. Damn, it's so hard. Even the strongest Fierce Beast fears physics.

He finally made it to the end of class. Zhou Mu stood up and received a WeChat message from Gongzi Cong.

[I'm already at Rear Mountain.]

Zhou Mu replied "coming right now," then told You Qi: "I have something today, I won't walk back with you."

You Qi had also arranged with Chun Shijiu to deal with Gongzi Cong, so on hearing this he went along: "Okay, be careful on the way."

He thought about the fight tonight and had wanted to warn him, but figured the place was remote and no one would go there, and he'd keep the scope controlled. Compared to Feral Beings fighting, for Zhou Mu traffic and muggings were probably more worth worrying about, so his reminder was just a routine one.

"You be careful too, don't run toward dark places." Zhou Mu also casually reminded his fragile seatmate.

Zhou Mu left the classroom, said goodbye to several classmates, walked briskly to the second floor, and when no one was watching turned into an open Office. He strode to the window, opened it, one hand on the sill, the other still carrying his backpack, and vaulted out, landing without a sound.

Crossing through a dark loquat grove, he reached the School's Rear Mountain.

This city sat in hilly terrain, lots of mountains, many buildings built against slopes, the School included. The whole School's topography was a gentle slope. This Rear Mountain wasn't strictly part of the School in the usual sense—not a landscaped hill like many schools—but completely undeveloped, with wire strung across to keep students out.

Zhou Mu felt his way to the hilltop to meet Gongzi Cong, shoved his backpack into his hands, put on a mask, smeared a line of special black powder across his eyelid, completely concealing his features. This was to keep Chun Shijiu from recognizing him at School later—he didn't want to drop his cover on campus—then he asked impatiently: "Where's that snake?"

"Seems not here yet." Gongzi Cong watched Zhou Mu roll up his sleeves and toss his backpack with practiced ease, and wondered how many classmates he'd beaten before.

"Is he messing with you?" Zhou Mu complained. "Arranging a fight and then being late, no morals."

He'd only just arrived himself, but the accusation came with full confidence.

Gongzi Cong said, sweating: "I don't know either. Maybe he's been here a while, just lying in ambush. He does like to..." Mid-sentence, Gongzi Cong suddenly stopped, alertly looking toward a direction.

Rustle rustle...

The sound of some massive creature gliding through grass and brush.

Smooth and cold.

A great snake?

"He's here." Zhou Mu hadn't fought since school started. In class everything was warm and harmonious, the atmosphere couldn't be better, he didn't miss the days of living in the mountains, but at this moment he did feel a long-absent excitement.

Zhou Mu silently climbed a tree, locked onto his target by sound, and without even signaling Gongzi Cong, pounced straight at that spot. He dove down from the canopy, pinned the moving object, and the moment his hand touched it he realized it was a fake decoy.

This Chun Shijiu didn't seem as stupid as Gongzi Cong had said?

Zhou Mu was thinking when he felt a gust of force from behind. He wasn't surprised, his body nimbly rolled sideways, hugging the ground, dodging the terrifying strike.

You Qi also raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the Gongzi Cong Chun Shijiu described as only fighting head-on to have learned a thing or two after all these times.

"Gongzi Cong" was crouched on the ground, still with his back to him. Compared to You Qi, the other's body was nearly two sizes smaller. The moon moved across the sky, its cold light illuminating a pale, slender stretch of neck—easy to snap... but at this moment You Qi felt a strange mix of unfamiliarity and familiarity.

The unfamiliarity was because this body didn't match the Gongzi Cong in his memory; the familiarity was that he seemed to recognize this back...

You Qi hesitated only an instant. His opponent was in front, and his hand, faster than thought, lightning-swiped at this person's neck!

At the same time, the terrifying aura of a Fierce Beast had already spread out, enveloping this small opponent, enough to make them understand they weren't facing Chun Shijiu but something far more terrifying.

You Qi's speed was already extreme, leaving this person no time to react. But their response was even more shocking: no defense at all, they deliberately offered their neck right into You Qi's hand.

Such tremendous force struck the side of the neck, and they actually took it head-on, using the moment to spin around and, with even greater, irresistible force, flip the tall You Qi over!

Even without revealing their aura, from this strength alone there was no doubt—the person before him was no ordinary being...

This was definitely not Gongzi Cong!

Their strength was absolutely many times that of Gongzi Cong, giving You Qi a boiling sensation he'd never felt before. His battle intent grew stronger, his eyes gradually darkening.

You Qi felt himself pinned. The person on top had a slender frame but was by no means fragile—built entirely for combat, movements clean without the slightest drag. Once astride You Qi's waist, one hand gripped his throat at the vital point, utterly unconcerned that their own neck was in You Qi's hand...

This person's fighting style was truly mad!

His voice was muffled beneath the mask, seemingly deliberately disguised, the original timbre undetectable. His tone, like his fighting style, was condescending, arrogantly saying: "You're the one bullying my little brother?"

Zhou Mu sized up the person beneath him. This was definitely not Chun Shijiu—he'd smelled Chun Shijiu's aura before, completely different from this one. And the other had disguised themselves too, face hidden in a hood, only a chin showing.

Not to mention that chin looked a little familiar...

While Zhou Mu was thinking, this person also replied in a low voice: "Your little brother is Gongzi Cong? Do you know he bullies classmates at School?"

Zhou Mu gave a cold laugh: "Seems we don't see eye to eye. Then let's discuss who's right and who's wrong."

His "discuss" naturally wouldn't mean reasoning things out.

The atmosphere was suddenly taut as a drawn bow.

Although he'd agreed with Gongzi Cong to just teach the other a lesson, this person wasn't Chun Shijiu, and clearly wasn't someone who could be easily set straight.

Zhou Mu narrowed his eyes. Then—

"Which class are you students from! What are you doing, fighting?!"

Several flashlight beams suddenly shone over. The School security captain shouted at the top of his lungs. He'd been on patrol and noticed the wire seemed bent, so brought his brothers up to check, and unexpectedly seemed to have caught two students fighting.

The light shone directly at their heads and faces, trying to make out their true identities.

Zhou Mu and You Qi, seeing this, exchanged a glance, and with unspoken understanding scrambled up and ran in different directions.

"Hey, stop! Who's your homeroom teacher!!"

"Damn, the little brats run fast!"

The security guards stumbled after them.

Rare Fierce Beasts of the world, fleeing in disarray.