158: Chapter 158 The Twelve Zodiac Animals - Rat

In the eastern district of the Holy City, a greyish-white building stood at the street corner.

The building was not tall, only six stories high, with its outer walls covered in withered yellow vines. Embedded among the vines were several faded metal characters — "Dawn Advertising Company".

No one knew that the boss of this inconspicuous advertising company was actually one of the Twelve Zodiacs, Rat.

A middle-aged man sat inside the office.

He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a grey Zhongshan suit, with every button neatly fastened.

Qiao Bo. Twelve Zodiacs, Rat.

A man whose background no one knew, a man who hid himself deeper than anyone else, a man who had stayed in the Twelve Zodiacs for twenty years and had never once made a move.

Qiao Bo put down his newspaper, took off his glasses, slowly wiped the lenses with a velvet cloth, and put them back on.

Then he picked up the phone on the desk and dialed a number.

It rang a few times on the other end before being answered, revealing a young woman's voice: "Dad, what is it?"

Qiao Bo leaned back against the chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk: "Do you remember that arranged childhood marriage I told you about when you were little?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end: "I remember. What about it?"

"He has arrived in the Holy City these past few days. If you have time, go meet him."

"What if I don't like him after I meet him? Just like the others you introduced before."

"If you don't like him, then you don't. We won't pay him any mind. This arranged marriage was just a joke from the start; there's no need to take it seriously."

"A joke? You gave your word to them back then."

Qiao Bo laughed as well: "The one who gave his word was Wang Dashan, not me."

"What if he sees me and insists on this marriage, pestering me?"

"If you're afraid of trouble, you can find an opportunity to kill him. But the prerequisite is that you can actually kill him, and secondly, don't leave any evidence."

Qiao Shuwan was stunned for a moment: "Kill him? Aren't you and his father good friends?"

"There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Unless my daughter is willing, no one can have designs on her."

Qiao Shuwan, a dual Esper — Wind and Poison, one so fast it cannot be caught by the naked eye, the other colorless, odorless, and formless.

She was not a flower in a greenhouse, but a rose with thorns; she was not to be trifled with.

Qiao Shuwan said nothing more. She knew her father meant what he said.

He was Qiao Bo, he was Rat, the most calculating person in the Twelve Zodiacs, and Qiao Bo believed that the Rat rightfully held the first position among the Twelve Zodiacs.

What he said, he could do.

Qiao Shuwan was not afraid of killing, she just didn't want the trouble.

If that person named Wang Lin really didn't know better and pestered her, she wouldn't mind letting him know what trouble was.

"Where is he in the Holy City? If I'm free and it's on my way, I'll go meet him."

"No need to go looking for him. He will go to your school."

"School?"

"Bishop Qin Cang arranged for him to enter the Holy City Academy. The paperwork was just processed today. You decide what to do. Whether you go meet him now or wait until you see him at school, it's up to you."

"I understand."

Meanwhile, at the Holy Court headquarters, in Bishop Qin Cang's office.

Bishop Qin Cang sat on a mahogany chair, with a young man in his early twenties standing in front of him.

He held a document in his hand and respectfully handed it over.

"Bishop Qin, the admission paperwork you requested has all been processed."

"Student Wang Lin has been placed in Freshman Class (3), which is the best class in our academy."

Bishop Qin Cang nodded and waved his hand, dismissing the man.

Then he picked up the phone on the desk and dialed a number.

When Wang Lin arrived, Bishop Qin Cang was drinking tea.

He pointed to the chair opposite him, "Sit."

"Your admission paperwork is done. It's for the Holy City Academy. The best academy in the Holy City."

Wang Lin hadn't expected that after finally escaping nine years of compulsory education in his past life, he would have to go to school again now?

So he asked: "What am I going to school for?"

Bishop Qin Cang picked up his teacup and took a sip: "You are now a member of the Holy Court, you can't be wandering around outside all day."

"Going to school allows you to learn some things and meet some people."

"The cultivation of Superpower requires theory, practice, and guidance from others."

"The Holy City Academy has the best Superpower theory courses in the Holy City."

Wang Lin was silent for a moment, then placed the document on the table: "But I don't want to go to school."

"I'm not asking you to actually study. You're just going there to kill time. If you want to learn, learn; if you don't want to, don't. No one will force you."

Wang Lin was stunned for a moment; it could be like that?

"The Holy Court is one of the academy's shareholders, and everything has already been arranged."

"No one there will give you a hard time. Even if you hit a teacher there, as long as no one dies, it's fine."

Wang Lin's eyes suddenly lit up. This wasn't going to school, this was going to experience life, this was going to be a boss.

He recalled the fear of being dominated by nine years of compulsory education in his past life,

waking up before dawn every morning, carrying a heavy schoolbag, squeezing onto crowded buses,

listening to the teacher's chanting voice on the podium, wanting to sleep but not daring to.

In this life, he had finally awakened, finally didn't have to go to school, yet here he was, having to go to school again.

However, if it was this kind of schooling, that was different.

"With a Holy Court like this, I feel such a sense of belonging."

Bishop Qin Cang looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Additionally, there is Ancient Martial Arts instruction in the academy, which is privately set up by our Holy Court."

"You can go take a look when you have time. Learning an extra skill is always good."

Wang Lin's eyes lit up again. Ancient Martial Arts—he had witnessed it before with Lu Zhiyi,

that Taiji Sword, that Lightness Skill, that Tongbei Fist—they were all good things, but unfortunately he hadn't had the chance to learn them.

Now the opportunity had come. He had an entire academy's worth of time to learn, to practice, and to become stronger.

Wang Lin stood up, picked up the document from the table, and stored it inside his space ring.

"Fine. I'll go."

Wang Lin turned and walked toward the door, stopped after two steps, and asked without looking back, "Does that Ancient Martial Arts class require extra tuition?"

Bishop Qin Cang was stunned for a moment: "No need. You are one of us."

…

The next morning, Wang Lin stood at the gate of the Holy City Academy.

The gate was very tall and wide, with four large golden characters engraved on the grey stone pillars: Holy City Academy.

People were coming and going at the gate: students carrying schoolbags, teachers clutching lesson plans, and security guards in uniforms.

Wang Lin put his hands in his pockets, stood up straight, and walked toward the gate.

He passed through the playground, through the teaching building, and through a long corridor.

At the end of the corridor was an office with a sign hanging on the door: Academic Affairs Office.

The class teacher's surname was Zhou, named Class Teacher Zhou Mingyuan, in his early forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with his hair combed neatly.

He held a document in his hand and looked Wang Lin up and down.

"You are Wang Lin?"

Wang Lin nodded.

Class Teacher Zhou Mingyuan didn't say anything more, turned around, and walked toward the door, "Follow me."

Wang Lin followed behind him, went through the corridor, went up to the third floor, and walked to the door of the classroom at the very end, where the doorplate read: Freshman Class (3).

It was very noisy inside; some people were talking, some were laughing, and some were playing around.