Chapter 137: On the Coach

Unexpectedly, after the exams, Huang Xiaobiao did not even wait for the final results to be tallied before slinking off home, leaving his report card to be collected later.

Zhang Pu smiled to himself, muttering in the direction of Huang’s departure: "You knew you were going to lose!"

However, Zhang Pu could not be bothered to dwell on his competition with Huang Xiaobiao anymore. He figured he would just let the other students be stunned when the results were eventually revealed. He, too, was in a hurry to return to his hometown.

This time, Zhang Pu decided to travel alone, without Liu Yingde and his other underlings or followers. He wasn’t quite sure why he had become so low-key all of a sudden.

Boarding the bus from Qingwu to Tu County by himself felt much like his initial journey. He wondered if he was the type of person who clung to nostalgia. But then again, things were no longer what they used to be. In just half a year, who would have guessed how much he had changed? From a perfectly ordinary student, he had vaulted into a position where he could actually challenge the regional kingpins! Yet, on the surface, he still maintained the guise of an unknown nobody.

Who among the passengers could possibly know that he was now someone who could cause a tremor in the entire Qingwu region just by stamping his foot?

Zhang Pu gazed out the window, lost in thought. Before long, he closed his eyes and began to drift away. He had always enjoyed these moments of leisure. Without realizing it, he fell into a deep sleep.

"Wake up, hey—" Just as Zhang Pu was pondering the intricacies of the Black Gold Staff technique in his dream, someone shoved him violently.

Zhang Pu opened his eyes, and immediately, a hideous, ferocious face filled his vision.

What was this? When did a passenger like this sit next to me? Why don't I remember?

While Zhang Pu was still bewildered, the burly ruffian saw that he had woken up and immediately barked, "Nice dream you were having, kid! Hurry up—hand over all your valuables like everyone else, or else—"

He brandished a gleaming dagger, implying that if Zhang Pu did not comply, he would be on the receiving end of a "white blade in, red blade out."

A bus robbery? Had these people gone insane?

Zhang Pu realized what was happening immediately. These were the kinds of heinous acts he had only heard rumors about, yet here they were, crashing into his reality.

"What are you staring at?" The ruffian, seeing Zhang Pu was just a student, assumed he was frozen in terror.

In truth, Zhang Pu had already scanned the entire bus; there were only three robbers. But because they were vicious, burly, and armed, they had managed to cow the entire busload of passengers. Zhang Pu hadn't been completely oblivious earlier, but he was so confident in his own abilities that even if someone had caused chaos while he slept, he was certain he could turn the tables. How could a small place like Qingwu suddenly spawn several hidden masters on par with him? He certainly didn't believe in such nonsense.

Zhang Pu took in the appearance of the three bandits: the one holding the knife was a hulking brute; another was a bald man who looked like an ex-convict; the third was a pockmarked man with a thick beard. All three had various tattoos covering their exposed skin.

"I don't have anything valuable on me," Zhang Pu replied to the brute, unhurriedly.

No valuables? The brute paused, momentarily forgetting that even students carried phones or wallets.

"Third Brother, hurry up! If he has no money, just slap him and be done with it. We don't have all day!" yelled the bald man, who was in charge of the front of the bus.

Upon hearing this, the brute prepared to strike Zhang Pu.

Zhang Pu felt his temper flare. He wasn't a man to endure such things, and given his temperament, he felt he had to act.

"Ouch—my hand—" The brute let out a blood-curdling scream, his face contorted in agony.

The passengers on the bus cast surprised glances in their direction, and the bald man, naturally, was no exception. He frowned and roared, "Third Brother, what are you playing at? You can't even handle a student?"

"It’s not that, Boss, this kid, he... ouch!"

Before the brute could finish his explanation, he retracted the hand he had intended to strike with, clutching his stomach and doubling over in pain. Across from him, Zhang Pu remained as still as a statue, his expression one of calm, like a Bodhisattva looking down upon the world. Now, however, a mysterious, inscrutable smile played on his lips.

Both the robbers and the victims were even more stunned.

The bald man rushed over. He didn't believe in supernatural nonsense; he felt he had the sheer strength to shatter whatever tricks this student was playing. Without a word, he grabbed for Zhang Pu, intending to drag him into the aisle and force him to his knees. He even thought about urinating on