Chapter 72: Commendable Courage

Afterwards, time slipped by in a haze. Half a day passed before Chen Bo realized it, his mind wandering somewhere far beyond, lost in thoughts he himself could not grasp, a trickle of drool escaping the corner of his mouth. This spectacle did not escape the watchful eyes of Yu Shifei, who had been observing him all along. She was both amused and exasperated; never before had anyone dared to doze off in her class. Chen Bo had certainly set a precedent.

Seeing Yu Shifei pick up her disciplinary ruler and walk slowly toward Chen Bo, the other students sneered, their faces brimming with schadenfreude. Chen Bo, whose thoughts were drifting who knows where, failed to notice anyone approaching until a dark object hit him squarely, jolting him awake. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.

“Ouch! Ah! That hurts!” Chen Bo clutched his forehead, eyes brimming with tears, gazing innocently at the amused Yu Shifei before him.

“Mentor, why did you hit me?” Though Chen Bo had a temper, he dared not curse under Yu Shifei’s intimidating presence. Still, he figured asking wouldn’t earn him another beating.

But this time, he overestimated Yu Shifei’s restraint. Before he could finish, the ruler rained down on him again, accompanied by a barrage of scolding. The gentle demeanor she had shown earlier was utterly gone.

“Scoundrel! The only reason I don’t kill you in the academy is out of respect for the old man and for Jingjing! If you dare test my limits again, do you believe I’ll break your third leg right here today?”

Unable to fight back or curse, what could Chen Bo do? Of course, he could only cover his head and flee, lest he stand his ground and take a beating.

“Wait, wait! I was wrong, I was wrong, isn’t that enough?” Chen Bo was frustrated. Who had he offended, really? He merely spaced out for a moment—was that worth such punishment? The ruler stung fiercely.

Unfortunately for him, Yu Shifei, having finally found an opportunity to discipline him, showed no intention of stopping. She beat him until his body was covered in bruises from the ruler, though he managed to shield his face just in time, sparing himself a swollen nose and blackened eyes.

“What’s going on? Weren’t those two rumored to be lovers? Why are they suddenly fighting?” Someone foolish muttered beneath their breath.

This time, Yu Shifei’s expression changed completely. Her gaze turned menacing as she looked at the freshmen whispering about her and Chen Bo, fury boiling within.

These idiots dared to call her the paramour of that little rogue? She tried to suppress her murderous impulse, forcing a cold smile as she strode toward the group of freshmen. Deep in their gossip, they didn’t even notice the danger approaching. The main reason was that Yu Shifei walked without making a single sound—she was like a ghost, silent and unseen.

Chen Bo silently mourned for them. Clearly, these fools had never heard of Yu Shifei’s infamous “Witch” nickname; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare discuss her so openly. In their minds, Yu Shifei was nothing more than a beautiful, ordinary mentor. These so-called prodigies were used to being arrogant on their own turf, but little did they know that in Tianyang Academy, even a regular mentor was not someone they could provoke.

“Hey! You damn woman, how dare you hit me! Do you know who my father is?”

“Ah! My arm! My arm is broken! You wretched woman, you’re dead! My father is the mayor of Gaohu Town! You’re dead! I’ll tell him everything!”

“Hmph! If you dare hit me, don’t blame me if my sword shows no mercy!”

Yu Shifei’s beating grew harsher. “Damn woman”? “Wretch”? No one had ever dared utter such words before her in all her life!

Even Chen Bo couldn’t help but admire their courage. Apparently, there really were those in this world with no fear of death, for someone dared to insult Yu Shifei so brazenly in public.

If word got out, these fellows would instantly become legends in Tianyang City. After all, Yu Shifei’s father was the academy’s dean. Their actions today would surely reach his ears soon enough. After that, it’d be packing up and rolling back home.

“So you called me a wretch, huh? A damn woman, huh? Your father’s a mayor, is he? Your sword skills are impressive, are they? Even if you didn’t join in the insults, you still deserve a beating!”

The ruler in her hand was like a magic wand; with every strike, the students wailed for their fathers and mothers, no longer daring to utter threats, begging for mercy through tears and snot.

But alas, if apologies could solve everything, what need would there be for law enforcement? Yu Shifei did not relent—in fact, she grew more enthusiastic, even kicking viciously at certain places. Chen Bo saw their expressions mirror Chen Long’s from that day.

Only after a good while did Yu Shifei finally stop, breathing out with satisfaction. “Refreshing! It’s been ages since I’ve had such a cathartic beating. Truly invigorating!”

Chen Bo glanced at the battered students. Goodness, she had broken at least all their limbs—likely their third legs as well. He felt a chill below his waist. Luckily, she knew his sister; otherwise, he’d be in their place.

To be fair, those fools brought it upon themselves. From a woman’s perspective, to be verbally insulted like that—letting them live was already a stroke of fortune.

Besides, this was a society built on power, where the strong could kill the weak without fear of consequence.

“Wow, she’s so commanding! If she had swapped the ruler for a sword, those idiots would be dead by now.”

“I’ve never seen her lose her temper before. Now I can only say—she’s so damn cool! Even though I’m a woman, I think I’ve fallen for her! My god, I’ve turned!”

“Yuri is wonderful, though it can’t bear children. Sister, the road is winding, rugged, full of prejudice and obstacles. Keep going!”

“So ruthless! Pity our beloved streamer, beaten so badly! Why do I feel a touch of schadenfreude? Hahahaha!”

“Streamer, you must rise up! You’ve been trampled by a girl; next time, switch roles and pin her beneath you. Then, start streaming your wild nights together.”

“What’s happened? Damn, why does the streamer look like that? Who are those half-dead guys?”

“The streamer acted recklessly, so got beaten. Those idiots were even worse, insulting our goddess—so they were crippled. Now they’re barely hanging on; a few more hits and they’ll be gone.”

“Serves them right! Who told those idiots to insult our goddess? They deserve what they got! At least the streamer was clever enough to beg early. Maybe a bit cowardly, but knowingly resisting someone so formidable—that would be truly stupid. Even protagonists like Long Aotian or Zhao Ritian wouldn’t be that dumb.”