Chapter 28: The Faux Excursion Begins

Not long after Zhang Pu finished absorbing those medicinal herbs, he went to sleep. He hadn’t forgotten that tomorrow he would need to supervise Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying.

The next day seemed to arrive after only a single, vague dream. Early that morning, Zhang Pu grabbed a casual breakfast on the street before heading straight to the Hong family’s apartment. The whole family was in the middle of breakfast. Xu Huiping was pleased by his early arrival and warmly invited him to join them. But Zhang Pu replied that he had already eaten outside.

“Oh, this child…” Xu Huiping’s tone was a mix of affection and gentle reproach.

Indescribably, Zhang Pu felt that this was the demeanor of a truly virtuous and graceful woman.

Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying had no chance to give Zhang Pu the slip. In truth, Zhang Pu wasn’t entirely sure whether they had really planned to try and lose him while Xu Huiping wasn’t aware. Beforehand, the students had clearly stated that no parents were allowed to join the group outing, so even Xu Huiping couldn’t tag along if she wanted to. After breakfast, she simply had Hong Guishan drive the trio to the school for the assembly.

After dropping them off at the school, Hong Guishan took his leave.

Following Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying, Zhang Pu soon realized that this was not a single-class trip, nor was it exclusive to Modern High School—students from other schools were participating as well.

Notably, some of the prominent figures Zhang Pu knew from Modern High, like Zheng Furen and Gao Lixia, were not among the participants. As he mingled with the crowd, Zhang Pu quickly learned that the Modern High students on this trip, like Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying, were precisely those whom the usual school bullies like Zheng Furen and Gao Lixia dared not provoke.

Zhang Pu wondered whose influence Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying relied on within Modern High to make even the notorious bullies keep their distance. It couldn’t be Hong Guishan’s social connections—he wasn’t really a big shot in Qingwu City.

Puzzled, Zhang Pu recalled Xu Huiping’s earnest instructions to him. He began to suspect: could it be that one of Wu Xiaomei or Hong Yingying’s boyfriends was secretly protecting them, making the school bullies too wary to touch them?

As for the true identity of Wu Xiaomei’s or Hong Yingying’s boyfriend, today’s outing would probably reveal all.

After the Modern High students had gathered, they boarded the prearranged tour buses and set off. Picking up more students from two other neighborhoods in Qingwu City, the group ultimately filled two large tour buses heading out of the city.

When it came time to board, Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying insisted Zhang Pu not sit near them. Seeing the two of them sitting together, Zhang Pu felt reassured and took a seat toward the back. He guessed that their boyfriends might be on the other bus. Perhaps only once they reached their destination would these secretly dating teens pair up openly.

Zhang Pu was bracing himself for possible trouble. His cultivation level didn’t yet allow him to practice the divination arts of the Immortal Realm, the kind that could foretell events like a master fortune-teller. He simply resolved to keep a close watch on Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying, determined not to let them fall prey to any ardent boys during this outing. Failing Xu Huiping’s trust would leave a shadow in his own heart, however inexpressible.

But then, he thought, these were just students. Even if some were from other schools whose strength he didn’t know, how much trouble could they really be compared to Zheng Furen and Gao Lixia? Zhang Pu relaxed.

The destination of this outing was Weiming Lake, situated on the border between Shuixian County in Qingwu and the Tuorong district. The buses hadn’t yet arrived, but Weiming Lake was already visible in the distance—a patch of sapphire blue set like a crystal amidst lush greenery, breathtakingly beautiful.

Several girls on the bus couldn’t contain their excitement and cheered aloud.

At that moment, among the crowd, Zhang Pu noticed an exceptionally beautiful girl—a beauty who grew more enchanting the longer one looked. Ordinarily, if she chose to keep a low profile, she could easily blend in, and many might overlook her charm. But if anyone ever realized that her beauty truly stood out above all others in the school, she would become unforgettable.

This beauty, whose name surfaced from Zhang Pu’s past-life memories, was Liu Qingyan—the true school belle of Modern High. Compared to her, Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying were nothing but plain fare.

According to the students, Liu Qingyan came from a highly influential family and was herself shrouded in mystery.

She rarely mingled with others at school, but those who knew her background dared not provoke her. Even students from other schools eventually learned about her and kept their distance.

It was a surprise to Zhang Pu that Liu Qingyan would join this outing at all. Still, it wasn’t the time to ask questions.

Zhang Pu was seated next to a boy from the school—apparently a senior in Class 1. Perhaps because the recent setbacks suffered by Zheng Furen and Gao Lixia had been kept secret, the boy had no idea of Zhang Pu’s true influence, and treated him as nothing more than a poor relative of Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying. He ignored Zhang Pu, instead stealing glances at various girls, sometimes lost in daydreams like a lovesick fool.

He looked refined on the surface, but was clearly quite lecherous—a fact that did not escape Zhang Pu. Naturally, since the boy ignored him, Zhang Pu felt nothing but disdain in return. That was the way with the well-connected and wealthy heirs.

Still, Zhang Pu didn’t really care. He was an immortal cultivator. When he returned to his former glory, these people would be nothing more than ants to him. Why bother with the petty squabbles of insects?

For now, Zhang Pu’s attitude was simple: he wouldn’t get involved in their affairs, but if he saw injustice, he might intervene—perhaps without anyone even noticing.

Time passed quickly, and before long they arrived at Weiming Lake. This was not a day trip; the group would be staying overnight. Because a holiday was being observed the next day, there would be no school on Monday either.