Chapter 66 Your Face is Full of Stories

After a long while, Ding Peng, holding You Xiaoqi, looked at Lu Luo with a complex expression. In fact, it wasn’t just Lu Luo who felt awkward; Ding Peng and You Xiaoqi were feeling it too. Lu Luo’s dominance was more than just shocking. They were beginning to understand why Ludie had asked them to work under him. "Brother Qi, Brother Ding, I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose." Lu Luo took the initiative to come over and apologize, but Ding Peng waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, don’t mention it. I can probably guess what you’re going through. Qi isn’t supposed to be used like that. Hurry up and pack it in!" The confrontation between Lu Luo and You Xiaoqi ultimately fizzled out; or rather, they had already had their showdown. The outcome was self-evident. If it weren’t for Ding Peng, You Xiaoqi might have already been injured by Lu Luo. 「Back at the studio」 Lu Luo took out the guns he had bought earlier and handed them to the two men. "Brother Kane, Gu Fangyi, these are your guns." Gu Fangyi calmly accepted his. The gun could unleash significant combat power in his hands, and since Lu Luo had given it to him, he naturally wouldn’t refuse. Zhou Kai, however, was much more timid. Although he had held a gun before, he was still quite nervous about it. "Lu Luo, are you joking? We’re going to school now, carrying guns to school? Are you serious?" Lu Luo frowned. Zhou Kai actually had a point; carrying guns to school was a very dangerous act. If they were discovered and reported, expulsion would be almost certain. "Forget it. Let’s leave them in the studio for now. We rarely need to use guns unless we’re dealing with a commission." "Okay." Gu Fangyi also nodded in agreement. In the evening, Lu Luo apologized again to You Xiaoqi and, as a token gesture, drank a glass of water. Then he left with Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai. Anyway, they had to return to school for a few days, so the affairs of Circle Studio would have to be left to You Xiaoqi and Ding Peng for a while. After Lu Luo and the others left, You Xiaoqi tugged on Ding Peng, who was beside him. "Hey, Brother Ding." "What’s up? Stunned speechless by that display, and now you’re looking for comfort?" "That’s not it. I just wanted to ask, did you go all out just now?" "I did. What about it?" "And him?" "Don’t know." "He’s pretty cool!" "Are you nuts? Or just smitten?" "Never mind. Call the boss. Lu Luo has reached First Tier." At this, Ding Peng nodded and dialed Ludie’s mobile number. As soon as the call connected, Ludie’s somewhat irritated voice came through. "I’m about to advance to Gold! Can you guys not call me at this time? I’m begging you, act like decent human beings for once!" Ding Peng, while admiring Ludie’s strength, scoffed at his card-playing skills. His own pathetic skills were all thanks to Ludie’s terrible teaching. A strategy like playing four deuces with two jokers was something only Ludie could teach. The guy wouldn’t even admit he was terrible, always concocting some ridiculous theory to justify his poor play, which was truly infuriating. Ding Peng had been playing cards with Lu Luo recently, and his skills had improved significantly. He felt that if he went to the Fight the Landlord tournament again, he should be able to make it to Silver. But Ding Peng didn’t want to boast. He decided to keep it low-key. He’d wait until he saw Ludie next time to utterly crush him. "Boss, Lu Luo has broken through." There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Ludie managed to muster a response. "This hand... I’ll pass, then." When Lu Luo and the others returned to school, it was already night. They went straight back to their respective dormitories. As soon as Lu Luo reached his bed, he sensed an unusual atmosphere in the dormitory. People around him kept glancing his way. Your feeling isn’t wrong. Ever since you entered the dormitory, over thirty people have been quietly observing you. This is obviously not normal. Quan Pu in the next bed, number 19, suddenly sat up. He poked Lu Luo’s shoulder and whispered, "You’ve also noticed that something’s off, haven’t you?" Lu Luo nodded. "What’s going on?" He didn’t usually hang out in the dorm or spend much time on campus. He had minimal contact with his dorm mates, so they barely knew each other. Quan Pu glanced around. Perhaps because he had previously demonstrated his strength, his gaze still carried a deterrent force, and few dared to meet his eyes. "You usually check in late at night to sleep, and you’ve been scarce lately, so you’re out of the loop on a few things," Quan Pu explained in a low voice. "Two days ago, new rules were established for our Dormitory Number 6. Cheng Xiong from Bed 15 in Row 2 has practically consolidated power in Dormitory Number 6 and is preparing to meet with other dorms. "These kinds of meetups happen with every new cohort. Their purpose is simple and tacitly approved by the school: to select a leader. "People here either join their group and go out to fight, or they stay in the dorm and pay a ’management fee’ of thirty bucks a month. "You’re the only one they haven’t contacted yet, so they’re definitely coming for you tonight." "Thirty bucks for a management fee? Interesting." Thirty bucks in the Wasteland wasn’t like thirty bucks in his previous life. Thirty a month from over two hundred people in the dorm—that was a substantial sum for students. Lu Luo looked at Quan Pu. He had always sensed that this drunkard wasn’t so simple. "So what about you? Did you pay the fee, or did you join them?" Quan Pu tightened his grip on the bottle. GLUG GLUG GLUG. He took a few gulps of liquor, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I’m broke; all my money goes to booze. Besides, do I look like the type to fight for others? "Hahaha, they’re not touching me now because I’ve already broken the leg of one of their little leaders." Lu Luo nodded. If winning a fight meant not having to pay, then it was simple. But he knew that while they could be arrogant, he could not. His situation with Lan Tian Biology was too complex. Normally, as long as he maintained his student status, he would secure two years of safe development time. Therefore, he couldn’t go too far at school. "Thanks for the heads-up. I’m broke right now, but when I’ve got money, I’ll treat you to a drink." "Nah, don’t mention it. We’re schoolmates." 「Late at night」 Lu Luo lay in his bed, practicing control over the Qi within his body. Although the Second Path was a perfect method of cultivation, his battle mode, up to now, was still the set he’d used in his former life in the underworld. Hard punches, eye gouges, groin kicks, striking weak points! These all sounded formidable, but they were essentially brawling techniques. His application of Qi and his knife skills were very rudimentary. Ding Peng’s Qi He approach was far superior; despite Ding Peng having lower quality and quantity of Qi, he had managed a draw. This bothered Lu Luo. It was likely the difference made by combat skills and techniques. Looks like I’ll have to fleece Ludie for combat skill manuals! After midnight, a few shadows began to gather near Row 2. Not sleeping in the dead of night, still whispering to each other over there, and glancing your way from time to time. Needless to say, they’re here to cause trouble. There weren’t many of them, only five in total. This was perhaps because Lu Luo had kept a low profile. Besides Quan Pu, no one in their dormitory understood Lu Luo’s true strength. If they knew even a little about Lu Luo, even the strength he possessed before his breakthrough, they wouldn’t have sent just five people. Cheng Xiong sat at the edge of Lu Luo’s bed, acting like a concerned older brother. He hadn’t spoken yet when Lu Luo took the initiative. It couldn’t be helped; Lu Luo preferred to control the conversation. "Brother Cheng Xiong?" Seeing Lu Luo act so understandingly, Cheng Xiong’s interest was piqued. "What, you’ve heard my story?" Lu Luo shook his head. "No, but your face tells many tales." "Oh? Then tell me, what tales does my face tell?" "The story of the Hidden Dragon, the Phoenix... and the fledglings..."