"Hmph, who has the time for that?" Xue Ziyun scoffed at Chen Kangshan's relaying of Wu Qianfeng's concerns. "If he wants to come, let him come; if he wants to leave, let him leave. I couldn't care less."

"Who was just saying they needed to find an opportunity to teach that Taoist a lesson?" Han Xing'er immediately exposed him.

"Who said that...?" Xue Ziyun looked around vaguely, as if he had no knowledge of the matter whatsoever.

Shang Tongxin whispered nervously, "He... he's a Taoist priest. What if he captures us?"

"With that build of his, you could squash him flat with one paw! Honestly, so big, yet such a small bladder!" He Xinran lightly struck Shang Tongxin on the head.

Shang Tongxin quickly defended himself, "I wouldn't do that. Using violence is not good."

Regarding the matter of Wu Qianfeng, Chen Kangshan had invited every demon from the class to his and Xue Ziyun's dorm room. The room was now packed tight, but most of the demons seemed unconcerned, not giving a second thought to whether such a transfer student had joined the class. Wang Tongtong’s words probably represented their general sentiment: "If he comes, fine; what does it have to do with me? As long as he doesn't bother me, I won't bother with him. But warn him not to stir up trouble in class, or we’ll all suffer because of him."

It seemed the demons didn't have nearly as many complex thoughts as Wu Qianfeng. The longer Chen Kangshan spent among the demons, the more he noticed that most of them were simpler in mind than humans. As long as it didn't concern them, they would rarely consider interfering. Not like humans, who sometimes over-analyze matters that seemingly have nothing to do with them, needing to consider every angle to dig out any potential future disadvantages.

The demons gradually departed, all finding Chen Kangshan’s extra effort unwarranted. Chen Kangshan let out a breath of relief. Tomorrow, he would tell Wu Qianfeng the results, and perhaps the Taoist could attend school with peace of mind. Although a few demons hadn't shown up, Chen Kangshan figured they were the minority, and they probably wouldn't dare cause trouble in Teacher Lin’s class anyway.

"You really are a busybody," Xue Ziyun grumbled once everyone had left. "I think that little Taoist is a restless sort. If you speak up for him now, and he causes trouble later, watch out that everyone doesn't mistake you for his accomplice!"

"But we went through a life-and-death battle together. I can’t just stand by and watch him get bullied by us," Chen Kangshan admitted, also worrying about Wu Qianfeng's temperament. After all, the Taoist had once unleashed a terrifying madman just for the sake of seeking out a great master to study Daoist techniques (for details, see the main story, The Engagement Defense War). Who knew when he might act on a sudden whim and cause chaos? Life in this school truly offered no hope of a quiet day. Chen Kangshan couldn't help but feel a faint nostalgia for his middle school, a small village school with far inferior facilities and teaching staff compared to this elite academy. A vague premonition settled in his heart—that school life, where one only needed to worry about studying, was now gone forever.

Xue Ziyun added a final warning, "Remember, don't get too close to that guy, or you might get dragged down with him—I always feel like he’s a harbinger of bad luck."

Chen Kangshan nodded and prepared to do his homework—Xue Ziyun, Han Tao'er, and Han Xing'er all relied on copying his work after he finished it daily, making the quality of his assignments a crucial and arduous task that determined everyone else's completion status. Xue Ziyun, meanwhile, was getting ready to head out for some fun. Having escaped his parents’ watch and arrived in the bustling city, he had too many things to do to waste time sleeping. As he reached the door and saw Chen Kangshan also stand up, he asked in surprise, "What? Are you going out too?"

"I should probably go tell Wu Qianfeng something. Otherwise, he might be scared stiff and hide away." Since their dorms weren't far apart, Chen Kangshan decided to first alleviate this worry.

"You really are incorrigible!" Xue Ziyun called out loudly. "If he can't sleep, good! Scaring him a bit might make him behave later! You are not allowed to go. If anything happens, don't expect me to cover for you!" With that, he made a funny face and left.

Chen Kangshan wrestled for a long time between Xue Ziyun's warning and the kindness in his heart, but ultimately he still dashed out to report the results of the demon meeting to Wu Qianfeng.

Wu Qianfeng had been half-believing Chen Kangshan’s assurance that the demons wouldn't bother him much, but when they genuinely ignored him in class afterward, it put him much more at ease. A few weeks passed quickly, and Wu Qianfeng gradually grew accustomed to life in this strange class.

During this time, he was astonished to find the demons in the class remarkably well-behaved, certainly much calmer than he had imagined. He hadn't seen them casually eating people, nor had he witnessed robbery or kidnapping for nefarious cultivation (Wang Tongtong’s case seemed to be the exception). Since childhood, Wu Qianfeng’s mind had been filled with vivid, terrible depictions of demons. Now, surrounded daily by such creatures, he found it difficult to reconcile his expectations with reality.

Moreover, more than half the class were ordinary humans, whom Wu Qianfeng viewed as even stranger than the demons. Conversely, in the eyes of these human students, Wu Qianfeng was an utterly bizarre individual. Everyone cautiously maintained distance, so after several weeks, Wu Qianfeng had made not a single friend in this new school and class. Fortunately, he had spent most of his spare time on cultivation since he was young, had never had many friends to begin with, and was used to going it alone, so he didn't feel particularly out of place.

When the dismissal bell rang, as was customary, the students began rising and heading out of the classroom before the teacher had even officially announced the end of the lesson.

The demon students in this class respected no teacher other than Teacher Lin Qingping, and the human students respected not even Teacher Lin Qingping. The school administration’s requirement for this special class was simply that they cause no major incidents or trouble; regarding all other behavior, they turned a blind eye. After realizing the unique nature of this class, Wu Qianfeng had been greatly perplexed as to why he was assigned here immediately upon arrival without having done anything yet: it wouldn't have seemed unfair if it happened after he had done something.

Observing the scene after the bell, Wu Qianfeng shook his head and sighed, "What kind of class is this? Nobody is studying properly," before gathering his things and joining the exodus out of the classroom.

At the classroom entrance, Zhu Heihuang and Wang Tongtong were arguing over some unknown issue, blocking the doorway with their raised voices. Many students, unwilling to provoke the two, turned around to leave through the back door. When Wu Qianfeng arrived at the entrance, he witnessed Wang Tongtong punch the doorframe hard, toss out, "You better stay away from me!" and stride off.

Zhu Heihuang’s face flushed then paled. He suddenly reached out and shoved Wu Qianfeng, who was standing nearby: "Get lost! What are you looking at!"

Caught off guard, Wu Qianfeng stumbled backward several steps, colliding with a desk before stopping. Although his days had appeared outwardly calm, Wu Qianfeng’s nerves had been taut, constantly ready to fend off a demon attack. Zhu Heihuang’s sudden shove triggered an immediate reaction from Wu Qianfeng. Without thinking, he leaped up, drew several talismans from his pocket, and flung them toward Zhu Heihuang with a sweep of his hand.

As the talismans neared Zhu Heihuang, they burst into flames and enveloped him. Zhu Heihuang, having not expected Wu Qianfeng to use magic, executed an ugly forward roll out into the hallway, narrowly avoiding being engulfed in fire. He had merely meant to take out his frustration on a random classmate after Wang Tongtong publicly humiliated him, and hadn't even noticed the approaching student was Wu Qianfeng. This attempt to vent his anger only resulted in greater embarrassment. Feeling deeply disgraced, he scrambled up in a furious rage. When he realized that many students from other classes had gathered in the hallway during the break and were pointing fingers at him, his fury surged to a boiling point. He was a man deeply concerned with saving face, and Wu Qianfeng had caused him such a massive public shame. He absolutely could not swallow this insult. Forgetting the rules of the class entirely, he lunged at Wu Qianfeng. Wu Qianfeng hadn't brought his wooden sword to class today, so he clenched his fists, ready to defend himself.

"Hey, that's enough! Stop causing trouble here!" Two figures simultaneously intervened, blocking them respectively. Chen Kangshan grabbed Wu Qianfeng, shaking his head vigorously, urging him not to advance further. Blocking Zhu Heihuang was Xue Ziyun. "Zhu Heihuang, curb your temper. You're the only restless one in this class; can't you settle down without stirring up trouble?" Though his words were advisory, his tone was laced with provocation.

Although Zhu Heihuang was enraged, he knew Xue Ziyun's magical strength was about equal to his own, and Xue Ziyun also knew some human martial arts; the outcome of a real fight was uncertain. Furthermore, the Han sisters were watching intently from the side. While Chen Kangshan was human, he wasn't easy to deal with thanks to the protective amulet made for him by the Monk Master (for details, see The Aftermath of the Frost Bell and The Engagement Defense War). He didn't want to clash head-on with this "four-person gang." "You really have nothing better to do than associate with trash like this," he retorted, mocking Xue Ziyun, then brushed off his clothes and left.

"I just can't stand his arrogant demeanor. If we weren't in this class, I would have taught him a lesson already," Xue Ziyun muttered before turning back to glance at Wu Qianfeng. "Little Taoist, be careful around that guy. He isn't as tame as we are. Don't accidentally end up chewed down to the bone."

Chen Kangshan also patted Wu Qianfeng's shoulder in concern, "Don't provoke him. He hasn't said he won't do anything to you."

"Little Taoist, well done!"

"Keep it up next time! I dislike that guy too!"

The Han sisters, seemingly eager for chaos, encouraged Wu Qianfeng before leaving behind a trail of laughter.

Watching the four of them walk away, Wu Qianfeng smiled wryly. In this class, it seemed Chen Kangshan and Xue Ziyun were the most familiar faces. Chen Kangshan, being a kind-hearted soul, was one thing. Xue Ziyun, having survived a life-and-death crisis, should logically resent him, yet why did Wu Qianfeng always sense a faint thread of goodwill? Was it meant to weaken his vigilance? Regardless, he had certainly made an enemy of Zhu Heihuang and needed to be more cautious around him from now on. Perhaps he should find an opportunity to talk to Chen Kangshan alone and try to glean some information about that demon.

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