Over the next few days, Pudding had his boys tail Ah Jun, but they never found a good opportunity. At school, the teachers kept a close watch; after school, Ah Jun always seemed secretive, as if avoiding something. They were baffled—they couldn’t even find him.

  So, one day after school, Pudding couldn’t hold back and personally led his crew to find him. But even following him himself, he failed—damn, was this kid part mouse?

  Just as Pudding was feeling helpless and about to call off the hunt, his scout came running with good news: they’d spotted the “jinx,” in a nearby alley, facing off against a group of girls!

  “Hmph! Let’s see where you run now… bullying girls, are you?”

  Pudding gave a cold smile—now he had a righteous cause. He immediately ordered his “army” forward—only to spend ages circling around to get there, leaving him dizzy. Then, when he finally saw the scene—

  —Good grief, those weren’t ordinary girls. They were the infamous allgirl squad “Jiu” (Jiǔ, 玖), led by a boss a year above him, whose martial skills surpassed his own. Even he didn’t dare provoke them!

  Well, this was awkward… He immediately gave his scout a knock on the head. Pudding’s crew was wellknown at school, but this girl squad was even more formidable. They were also “problem students,” but lacked nothing and were not to be trifled with. How had that kid gotten himself mixed up with them?

  Sensing the situation, Pudding quickly raised his hand to signal a halt, then hid at a distance to observe. He saw a girl lying on the ground, crying, while Ah Jun stood protectively in front of her.

  Looked like the kid was trying to play the hero—rescue the damsel. The girl looked delicate and frightened, her eyes fixed on Ah Jun’s back as if she’d found her savior.

  But Pudding smiled coldly again, a trace of smugness on his face—he knew the girl. She had transferred here at the start of the term, a fifthgrader, and was an “illegitimate child” (shùchū, 庶出) of a Guardian.

  Her situation was unusual: her mother was an ordinary person, and though her father was a Guardian, by principle their children weren’t allowed to attend Guardian schools. More broadly, for Guardians—especially the great clans—schools were meant to cultivate pureblooded Guardian talent. They didn’t welcome children like her, who could tarnish the school’s reputation and status. Such children were often labeled illegitimate, unwelcome among students, and easily bullied.

  —Truly, search high and low and you’ll never find it, but here it was: two misfits together. No need to go looking for trouble or waste effort… Pudding smiled to himself, then straightened up, quietly instructing his boys to be careful as he led them closer.

  “Yo, what a coincidence, Sister Hong!” he called, cautiously approaching the girl boss, greeting her respectfully yet with authority.

  “Hm? Oh… it’s you, kid!”

  The girl boss, panting, kept her eyes on the girl behind Ah Jun, giving Pudding only a sidelong glance and a casual reply.

  “We just happened to be passing by. If there’s anything we can do to help, just say the word!” Pudding said, casting a notsokind look at Ah Jun.

  “You’re here for this kid, aren’t you?” The girl boss seemed to see right through him, asking politely.

  —That was direct! How did she know what I was thinking…? Caught off guard, Pudding didn’t know how to respond.

  “Phew—this kid’s a handful. All talk, no action. Says a good man doesn’t fight women, spouting all that moral righteousness. We’ve been sparring with words for ages, mouths dry, and we can’t outargue him. As for fighting—uh, forget it!”

  Then Pudding saw the onceformidable girl boss suddenly shake her head, complaining with a face full of helplessness. This puzzled Pudding, who immediately signaled his boys to bring over some drinks.

  “Since you’re here for him too, I’ll do you a favor and hand him over—brat, don’t think you’ve found a protector. Watch yourself next time! Let’s go!”

  The girl boss didn’t give Pudding any time to react—she simply, and generously, handed Ah Jun… over to him? Then, avoiding Ah Jun’s gaze, she shot the girl a fierce warning look, waved her hand, and led her crew away.

  Soon, the alley was left with only Pudding and his boys, standing there puzzled. He watched the dejected backs of the girl squad as they left, wondering why they had given up so easily.

  —Ah, never mind. No point overthinking it. This was an opportunity, and he had to seize it.

  Thinking it was a onceinalifetime chance, Pudding quickly turned to act—only to see Ah Jun calmly helping the fallen girl to her feet, not even glancing at them.

  By now, the girl had stopped crying. She wiped her tears with both hands, looking at Ah Jun with gratitude and a smile. Ah Jun smiled back, taking out a tissue from his pocket and handing it to her—this kid… could smile?

  The sight left Pudding baffled. Every time he’d seen Ah Jun before, it had been with a bitter melon face, or one that begged for a beating.

  “Hey! Kid, you think our boss is air?” One of Pudding’s underlings, apparently unable to stand it any longer, stepped forward to provoke him.

  “—What? You want to keep going?”

  After steadying the girl, Ah Jun suddenly turned, shielding her behind him, and barked in a hoarse voice—his hands and feet trembling.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  —Tch, so much for playing the hero. Looks like it’s all an act.

  “I… you… boss, are we still going?” The underling, startled by Ah Jun’s shout, instinctively stepped back two paces and asked.

  By then, Pudding had moved to the front of the group. He patted the underling’s shoulder, gave him a flick on the head, and replied to Ah Jun with swagger.

  “You’re pretty arrogant, kid…”

  “—Why do you say that? We don’t seem to know each other, and we’ve no grudges. Where does ‘arrogant’ come from? If there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way. She needs treatment.”

  Under pressure, Ah Jun didn’t lash out. He chose silence, carefully supporting the girl, preparing to leave—but was instantly surrounded by Pudding’s crew. Ah Jun wanted to end this quickly; he knew his body was close to its limit.

  “Leave? Where to? I’m not done talking yet! Being a hero isn’t so easy!” Pudding signaled his boys to keep provoking him, but Ah Jun still refused to yield.

  Because of the earlier commotion with the girl squad, the oncequiet place had drawn a crowd. Normally, when kids fought, nearby adults would step in to break it up. But when they saw it was Ah Jun, the reaction was different.

  More and more people gathered. Ah Jun, holding the girl, couldn’t find a way out. The verbal attacks grew sharper, all aimed at him.

  Yet Ah Jun felt a faint comfort—at least the girl was safe. He kept shielding her, holding his ground, even though he was weak himself and his symptoms were returning.

  The girl looked around at the crowd, then back at Ah Jun. She found it strange—someone even more pitiful than herself. Summoning her courage, she stepped forward to face them with him, though she didn’t know which way to turn—there were spectators in every direction.

  And so, without exchanging a word, the two children stood backtoback, sharing the pressure. In that moment, they had gone from strangers to comrades. But now Pudding was in a bind—he’d only meant to scare the kid a little, but the scene had blown up.

  He knew Ah Jun was popular in his own way, but hadn’t realized people cared so much—so much that they didn’t even care about the “illegitimate” girl. It left him caught between advancing and retreating.

  —Tch, if the kid had just backed down earlier, I could’ve let him go. Now it’s hard to back off.

  “Ah!”

  Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out. Somehow, one of Pudding’s wiry underlings had thrown himself at Ah Jun and the girl!

  Ah Jun had no choice but to defend himself—he shoved the boy to the ground with one palm. They were still just kids; the underling landed on his backside and burst into tears. That made Pudding angry as the boss—though inwardly, he admitted the kid had some skill, if still a bit below his own.

  Then, Pudding’s boys and the onlookers began jeering, accusing Ah Jun of hitting someone. Pudding now had to demand justice for his troublesome underling. He stepped forward sharply, squaring up to spar with Ah Jun and teach him a lesson.

  But thanks to that underling’s stunt, Ah Jun’s condition worsened—his whole body tingled and trembled, his mind grew hazy, and he felt a force surging out from within, as if a voice were speaking to him.

  Still, to protect the person beside him, he forced himself to stand firm, ready to face Pudding. Around them, the crowd was primed for a show—some selling tickets, some betting, others munching melon seeds, and a few even holding eggs and cabbages, ready to throw.

  “Ha! You jinx, you illmannered brat—didn’t your family teach you… no fighting?”

  “Yeah—yeah, you little pest, your parents—hmph—never taught you to respect your elders?”

  “Hey, I’m telling you, kid, don’t think having someone back you up means you can throw your weight around! We’ve put up with you long enough. If we weren’t afraid to speak, we’d…”

  “—Yeah, we’re afraid…”

  “—Afraid? Us? Don’t bring that up—cough! Anyway, because of you, this city’s getting more and more unsettled, you know? Look at the state we’re all in these days…”

  “Our boss works in the Guardian Squad and hasn’t rested in days—boo hoo—you know that, you brat? All you do is run wild, bullying us honest, defenseless folk… your family’s all the same, huh?”

  “Hmph! Every day the whole city revolves around you—fun, isn’t it? Think you’re somebody? You’d better not stick around here. Get as far away as you can!”

  “Yeah! Everyone agree… right?”

  In the moments that followed, a large crowd took turns hurling words at a single pitiful child, voices overlapping in a frenzy, like a public denunciation rally—and Ah Jun was the target of it all.

  Normally, he would let them shout as they pleased; he’d long since stopped caring, especially with his earplugs in. But today, it was as if his earplugs had suddenly failed—every word poured straight into his heart like water through a funnel.

  —Say whatever you want about me, but you will never insult my family!

  Inside, Ah Jun roared in fury, but he could no longer shout it aloud. It felt as if something had gripped his throat. Only his mental strength was still holding his body upright.

  A second, a minute, a moment—time ticked by, and with it, something inside Ah Jun was changing. Perhaps he had already reached his limit… but in truth, he was gradually losing conscious control. His heart was being filled with a force steeped in hatred—he felt as though a door before him was slowly closing.

  Meanwhile, Pudding, waiting for his moment, noticed something strange about the boy. Was this going too far? Face or no face, maybe it was time to back off… this was getting…

  But this wasn’t something Pudding could just walk away from—not with the crowd egging him on. After all, they thought, it’s just kids fighting; nothing serious could happen. Everyone urged Pudding to keep going.

  As he hesitated, Pudding suddenly saw Ah Jun’s body begin to change—a wisp of inky black mist, like watercolor ink, started to coil around him, growing denser. Then, a few flashes of light flickered on Ah Jun’s forehead. But, like a faulty lightbulb, they blinked for a moment and vanished.

  Pudding recognized that light—it was something he had long dreamed of achieving himself: the awakening of the Fèngxiān Seal (凤仙印).

  Gradually, Ah Jun’s eyes took on an unnatural gleam—his gaze was frightening. Seeing this, Pudding instinctively stepped back, unsure what to do. This was getting serious.

  “You—shut—up!”

  Pudding heard the shout, and then saw the black mist being drawn into Ah Jun, only to pour back out from his body, cloaking him like a spray, faintly revealing the small, frail figure within.

  The girl beside him seemed startled, her eyes vacant—but she still didn’t run. She stood her ground, watching the boy who had been driven to this state to protect her, her gaze full of sympathy and loyalty, shaking her head.

  Ah Jun’s eyes, glowing faintly red, were fixed straight ahead, as if all his rage had been poured into the figure before him.

  To the onlookers, he still seemed to be shielding the girl. But in truth, no one knew that at this moment, he had almost completely lost his own consciousness. That roar had been his last shred of self-expression. Now, as everyone had wished, he had become exactly what they’d long expected—a monster.

  “Quick—come see! The jinx has shown his true form!”

  “Oh! See? I knew it—he’s a freak! Definitely in league with those others. Hurry… call the police…”

  “Yeah! Everyone be careful… this kid’s been odd since he was little. Now it looks like his brain’s gone too. Don’t let him hurt you!”

  …

  —This… time… are you all… satisfied?

  The more perceptive in the crowd kept shouting, but also stepped back a few paces to keep a safe distance from the “monster,” then resumed their verbal barrage. They felt the truth had finally come out, that years of grievance had been vindicated—it was deeply satisfying.

  But facing Ah Jun, Pudding now realized these people were just stirring the pot. He was the one being stared down, not them. What now? Maybe he really couldn’t win. Could he withstand this? This kid had been hiding such a big secret—had he underestimated him?

  The next second, Ah Jun shifted into a fighting stance, ready to attack. Across from him, Pudding felt both excitement and fear. He puffed out his belly, set his stance, and prepared to try and take the blow…