Her shout instantly drew everyone's attention, and they all clearly heard the name: Xia Tian. The two most formidable figures at Jianghai High School were Huo Lazi and Xu Shaocong.
But Xia Tian had actually defeated Xu Shaocong's Four Great Vajras—and then went on to tease Huo Lazi.
Now, Xia Tian's name had spread across the entire school. He was famous—very famous—and this was happening right before the college entrance exams.
"Hey, I didn't even touch you. You were the one hugging me and refusing to let go, okay? If anyone was doing the molesting, it was you harassing me," Xia Tian said helplessly, looking at Huo Lazi. She was known for her fiery temper, but he hadn't expected her to be so unreasonable.
"What you're saying… actually makes some sense," Huo Lazi muttered to herself, before remembering what she was supposed to be doing. "No, I'm not letting go unless you promise to teach me martial arts!"
"Teach you martial arts? Do I look like I know martial arts?" Xia Tian said, exasperated. He didn't actually know any martial arts—the moves he'd used earlier to deal with those four guys were something he had secretly learned from Fan Lao that very morning.
"Of course you do! Just like before—you took down Xu Shaocong's Four Great Vajras in only a few moves!" Huo Lazi's eyes sparkled with excitement as she recalled the scene.
At the same time, elsewhere—
"Fan Lao, everything's been investigated."
"Mm. Read it out."
"Xia Tian. Male, nineteen years old. His mother disappeared right after his birth. His father died in an accident when he was fourteen. Currently a student at Jianghai High School, with excellent grades. Half a month ago, he saved the daughter of Zeng Rou—the female chairperson of the Zeng Family, one of Jianghai City's Four Great Business Clans—and then quietly left the hospital without accepting any reward.
He now lives with his cousin and usually works part-time to earn money."
"Hmm. Any information on his parents?"
"None. Both records are encrypted. His father's file is A-level encrypted, and his mother's is S-level encrypted. Our clearance isn't high enough."
"I see. Any recent activity from Liusha?"
"Liusha seems to have noticed him too, but they probably won't move against him for now. They appear to be after a certain item, not his life."
"Jianghai City hasn't been peaceful lately. I have to leave for a while. You all stay and protect Xiao Feng and the others. If anyone dares to touch them—kill them."
"Young Master is very sensitive to us. You know how skilled he is; our people have already learned that the hard way."
"Then protect him from a distance—especially from Liusha. Aside from them, no one in Jianghai City would dare touch my son."
Meanwhile, within Liusha, the city's top assassin organization—
"Yin Fu, when do we move?"
"Not yet. Keep watching him. Once you locate the secret scroll, act immediately."
Yin Fu wore a black robe that concealed his entire figure. A dark aura radiated from him, chilling the air around him.
"Understood."
"Oh, and keep an eye on that boy. If anyone else starts taking an interest in him—eliminate them," Yin Fu said coldly. The potted plant before him instantly withered to dust.
At that moment, Xia Tian had no idea Jianghai City was on the verge of chaos. He had just managed to deal with Huo Lazi. Although she wasn't clinging to him anymore, she still followed him everywhere. Fortunately, she had already sent her two punkish younger sisters away, but she herself refused to leave his side.
"Master, when are you going to teach me martial arts?" Huo Lazi bounced around him, alternating between skipping ahead and trailing behind.
"I told you, I'm not your master. I only know those two moves—and those are reserved for my wife and kids in the future," Xia Tian sighed, trying to shake her off.
"Then just take me in, Master," Huo Lazi said, pretending to look pitiful.
"I'm not Monk Fahai—why would I 'take you in'?" Xia Tian muttered. He needed to buy a new phone and replace his SIM card. He didn't have many contacts, but it would still be troublesome if his aunt or cousin couldn't reach him.
"Master, that's not what I meant. I mean—why don't you just marry me? Then you can pass your martial arts down to me," Huo Lazi said, her mind full of heroic fantasies about learning peerless martial arts.
Xia Tian gave her a sideways glance and smirked. "You? You have no figure, no looks. I'm not marrying you."
Huo Lazi glanced down at herself.
"Master, don't be so picky! I'm still a woman, you know. Just make do and take me," she pleaded, clinging to his arm.
"Alright, alright—when I have time, I'll teach you those two moves," Xia Tian said, heading toward the business hall.
"Master, look! Scratch cards! Let's buy a few!" Huo Lazi exclaimed excitedly when she spotted the lottery stand at the entrance.
"You're not short on money. Why bother with scratch cards?" Xia Tian frowned. He didn't know her true identity, but he'd heard rumors.
They said Huo Lazi came from an extremely wealthy family, one rumored to have ties to the underworld. She was known for spending money extravagantly. How could someone like her possibly be short on cash?
"I just like the anticipation and excitement," Huo Lazi said, dragging Xia Tian toward the counter.
"Hmm… maybe I can test whether Clairvoyance works on these," Xia Tian thought suddenly. So far, he had only used his Clairvoyance for peeping and fighting—never for anything else.
"Boss, give me these few cards," Huo Lazi said eagerly, grabbing a handful and scratching them one after another. None of them won.
"My luck's terrible," she complained.
Just then, Xia Tian asked for three cards.
"Master, I thought you weren't playing?" Huo Lazi asked, puzzled.
Xia Tian didn't answer. He scratched the first card—nothing. Then the second—still nothing.
"You're doing it all wrong," someone nearby scoffed. "You can't win just scratching like that." The man was also buying tickets—the same kind as Xia Tian's.
"Kids like you, dreaming of getting rich. It's just wasting money," the man mocked.
"How dare you talk to your Granny like that!" Huo Lazi snapped, but before she could say more, she noticed the prize amount on Xia Tian's third card.
It had won—eight hundred yuan.
"It won! Master, you actually won!" she shouted excitedly.
"Hmph. Just dumb luck," the man sneered, though jealousy twisted his face. He'd wanted to show off his 'experience,' but instead, the boy had stolen his thunder.
"Exchange seven hundred yuan for cash, and give me ten more of these," Xia Tian said, pointing at a stack of scratch cards.
"Master, I heard once you win, your luck runs out. You shouldn't keep playing," Huo Lazi said, adopting the tone of a self-proclaimed gambling expert.
Xia Tian only smiled faintly. He had just tested it—his Clairvoyance could indeed see through the cards. The reason he'd bought three earlier was because he had seen the one with the eight-hundred-yuan prize. Buying all three together had been a deliberate move to avoid suspicion.
Now, he used Clairvoyance again. This time, he spotted two two-thousand-yuan cards and one one-thousand-yuan card, all next to each other—so he asked for ten cards in total.
"The seller must love customers like you—winning and still throwing it all back in," the jealous man muttered. He bought ten more cards himself, matching Xia Tian's choices.
Xia Tian scratched seven in a row—none won. Huo Lazi shook her head in disappointment, while the man managed to win fifty yuan.
Then, Xia Tian scratched the eighth card—a win! One thousand yuan. Before Huo Lazi could react, he scratched the ninth—two thousand yuan. Even the shop owner was stunned. The man beside them stopped scratching altogether, staring at Xia Tian's cards in disbelief.
The tenth card—another two thousand yuan.
Three wins in a row—five thousand yuan total. It was an astonishing sight. Even the usually talkative Huo Lazi was speechless.
She didn't react until after Xia Tian had finished cashing out his winnings.
The man who had bought the same cards had only won fifty yuan from ten tickets. Ashamed, he slipped away quietly. Xia Tian, now five thousand eight hundred yuan richer, walked into the business hall—which also sold mobile phones.
The staff inside saw two students walk in. Their clothes were simple, and Huo Lazi's outfit was particularly eye-catching—shockingly so. No one paid them much attention.
"Sigh, kids these days start dating so young. Just look at her clothes—completely punkish."
"Yeah, there are too many freeloaders these days."
"What kind of phone could they even afford? Probably some cheap one. Not worth bothering."
The sales clerks ignored them. The hall was large, filled with brand-name phones, all priced above a thousand yuan.
Just then, a young saleswoman—new, by the look of her—approached Xia Tian. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but her smile was genuinely sweet.
"Student, what kind of phone would you like to buy?" she asked.