171: Chapter 171 First Encounter with Chen Qi's Thirteen Bodyguards
It was crowded here, just like elderly people scrambling for eggs at a supermarket entrance.
Teacher Su didn't want to jostle with the others, and she was afraid of getting separated from Yun Zhuo, so she pulled him in front of her to act as a shield.
As long as she gripped his clothes tightly and didn't let go, she could follow him wherever he squeezed through, avoiding the embarrassment of the direct crush.
The feeling of having someone shield her from the elements even made her feel a little flutter of joy.
And Yun Zhuo's frame happened to block her perfectly.
At this moment, Yun Zhuo turned sideways to look back at her, just enough for half of her body to be revealed.
Her hands were still tightly clutching Yun Zhuo's clothes, her exquisite face tilted up at a forty-five-degree angle, her beautiful eyes looking at Yun Zhuo with a hint of surprise, as if she hadn't heard what he just said.
Sunlight fell on her face, her fair skin glowing with a soft halo, and the stray hairs at her temples were gently lifted by the wind, the curve falling on her shoulder as soft as a kneaded cloud.
Yang Jing and Zhao Ming had originally only glanced over subconsciously as Yun Zhuo turned around.
But the moment their gaze landed on Teacher Su, the noisy crowd around them seemed to vanish, leaving only the sound of their own heartbeats, each one louder than the last.
The two exchanged a look, seeing the same astonishment in each other's eyes; what was meant to be a subconscious glance had left them flustered by this unexpected beauty.
How could there be such a beautiful woman?
Yun Zhuo turned and shielded Teacher Su as they walked out, when suddenly his arms were grabbed by Zhao Ming and Yang Jing.
The two said in unison, "Wait a minute, brother, is she your War Princess?"
"She's my wife. If you two want to ask for her contact information, save your breath."
"No, brother, I thought I heard you call her 'Teacher' just now."
"Who says you can't marry your teacher?"
"No, brother, that works too? How did you do it? Teach us."
"It's a long story, maybe another day."
"Wait, brother, how should we address you? How can we contact you another day?"
"Yun Zhuo."
Upon hearing the name, the two let go of Yun Zhuo's arms as if they'd received an electric shock, their hands frozen in mid-air.
Yun Zhuo glanced at them and smiled, "Still want my contact info?"
Zhao Ming's lips twitched, "Brother, stop joking. You shouldn't make jokes like that."
"Who's joking with you? And how should I address you two?"
"We... we still have things to do."
With that, the two turned and squeezed into the crowd, vanishing from Yun Zhuo's sight in an instant.
Teacher Su smiled and said, "Look, you scared them off."
"It wasn't me who scared them, it was Chen Qi."
While Yun Zhuo and Teacher Su were stuck in the gridlock, Du Mingxing had already made a round trip.
It couldn't be helped; as soon as the crowd heard Du Mingxing had arrived, they immediately scrambled over each other to make way, just to clear a path for him.
Watching Du Mingxing stroll through the crowd like he was in a garden, Yun Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, "When will I ever get this kind of treatment?"
Teacher Su laughed, "You could just stand out and say you're Yun Zhuo. Not only would they make way for you, they might even scatter completely."
"That's not certain. I suspect there's a high probability I'd be called an idiot."
Teacher Su thought about it and felt he had a point, "Then just wait a bit longer. Once the placement test is over, people will surely make way for you wherever you go."
The two finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd and looked back at the sea of people at the Task Management Office; it was impossible to pick up a task here.
Fortunately, the school was as large as a city, and there was more than one Task Management Office.
This one was only for new students, and the tasks issued were B-rank at most.
In the upperclassmen area, there were two more Task Management Offices where the tasks issued started at B-rank.
Riding Teacher Su for twenty minutes, the two found the second Task Management Office.
As soon as they arrived, they ran into an acquaintance—Luo Sen.
Along with his three companions: Gong Lei, Wu Huan, and Shen Zhao.
What a coincidence; just twenty minutes ago, he had heard about these three from someone else, and now he had run into them.
"Yun Zhuo!"
"Oh, isn't this our Senior Luo?"
As he spoke, Yun Zhuo dismounted from the motorcycle. The bike dissolved into photons and reformed into Teacher Su standing beside him.
She looked at Luo Sen and the others expressionlessly, her shoulders tense and straight, her whole being radiating a coldness that said 'don't bother me'.
When Luo Sen and the others saw her, they felt an urge to say, "Hello, Teacher."
"You..."
Luo Sen glared at Yun Zhuo; he actually dared to use the goddess in his heart as a mount.
Dammit, if Young Master Chen hadn't specifically asked for your life, I'd give you a couple of slaps right now.
"What's wrong? Did you choke on some crap?"
Luo Sen gritted his teeth and didn't speak, but Gong Lei beside him couldn't hold back and asked, "He's Yun Zhuo?"
"That's right, that's the guy."
Yun Zhuo said, "Taking on lackeys after just a few days? Won't you introduce them?"
Wu Huan chimed in, "You're really not afraid of death, are you? You actually dared to come back?"
"Why wouldn't I dare to come back?"
Shen Zhao sneered, "Don't deny it if you're stupid. Now that you've offended our Young Master Chen, you're freaking dead meat. No one can save you."
Yun Zhuo's face darkened, "What did you say? Say it again."
"I said..."
Luo Sen suddenly pressed down on Shen Zhao, "Shut your damn mouth."
"Senior, what's the meaning of this?"
Luo Sen said irritably, "What did Young Master Chen tell you? Don't provoke him in school. Whatever it is, wait until we're on the exam grounds."
"Is that guy really as good at fighting as you say?"
"Are you stupid? Can't you see? He wants to kill you all one by one right now to save himself from being ganged up on once you're on the exam grounds.
It doesn't matter if you die, but if you dare to ruin Young Master Chen's big plans, do you believe your whole family will be wiped out?"
"I...!"
Shen Zhao was immediately silenced.
"So cowardly?" Yun Zhuo looked at Gong Lei and Wu Huan again, "This guy is a coward, surely you two aren't cowards as well?"
Gong Lei said, "No rush. Once we're on the exam grounds, I'll give you a quick death."
Wu Huan said, "Giving him a quick death? That's too easy on him. Besides, how he dies is up to Young Master Chen."
Gong Lei smiled, "Thanks for the reminder. I almost ruined Young Master Chen's big plans."
"I heard there are thirteen of you this time?" Yun Zhuo looked at Gong Lei.
"There aren't as many as you say. Don't let those rumors scare you out of your wits."
"I just want you to give me an exact number. I don't want any to slip through the net when the time comes."
"You're overthinking it. It's just the three of us. Don't you dare be afraid, or Young Master Chen will be very disappointed and might lose interest in killing you."
"Fine, see you on the exam grounds."
With that, Yun Zhuo led Teacher Su into the Task Management Office.
The four watched Yun Zhuo's back. Wu Huan leaned toward Luo Sen and asked, "Senior Luo, is that woman beside him the one Young Master Chen has his eye on?"
"You know that and you're still eyeing her?"
"Senior, you misunderstand. I'm just afraid we might accidentally hurt her when the time comes."
"Even though that kid is a freshman like you, Young Master Chen did suffer a setback at his hands. Don't let your guard down."
As he spoke, he looked at Shen Zhao again, "Especially you. That kid isn't as kind as he looks on the surface. I'm not just trying to scare you."
"Is he really as powerful as you say?"
"Hmph, you'll find out in a few days."
Luo Sen and Du Biao were dying for Yun Zhuo to die at their hands so they wouldn't have to duel the kid themselves.
To that end, they wouldn't even hesitate to carry these people through tasks for free.
"Alright, let's go pick up a task. By the way, where's Du Mingxing? Didn't we agree to come pick up tasks together?"
"You know what he's like. He's definitely gone to show off in front of the freshmen again."