Chapter Twenty-Eight: The True Villain

At first, Xiao Zi could not distinguish Si Liren from ordinary people, as he lacked the Blood Demon’s Eye. She appeared just like anyone else. But now, with the Blood Demon’s Eye, he sensed a different aura—a sacred one. Though this aura was concealed with great care, Xiao Zi could faintly perceive its presence. Combined with her cryptic words earlier, he began to piece things together.

First, in this world, apart from the bizarre creatures, there are also gods. These gods grant power to certain unusual individuals; Si Liren was most likely empowered in such a way. Furthermore, it seemed that the gods were divided into factions. Given the current state of the world, what factions could the gods belong to? Most likely, they stood either with the bizarre creatures or with humanity.

But all this was mere speculation. To truly uncover the truth of this world, he needed to grow stronger. As long as he became powerful enough, what information could possibly remain hidden from him? If his strength reached a certain level, even gods could be slain.

For now, Si Liren seemed to regard Wang Hui as one of her own kind. That was just as well; until their true strength was known, avoiding conflict was prudent.

As for the "interesting person" she mentioned at the school, Xiao Zi had sensed them too. The aura's owner was brazen, making no attempt to hide. It was powerful, yet feeble, like someone on the verge of death. Coupled with the intelligence from the Killer Rabbit, it was obvious that this was the so-called "Unblemished One." Though this Unblemished One's strength had been greatly diminished, Xiao Zi had no intention of confronting them yet. He was just a hair’s breadth from breaking through to D-rank; once he did, it would not be too late to meet this adversary.

Looking over the school, Xiao Zi could not help but feel a twinge of shock.

“Wang Hui, your school is quite something,” he remarked.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Wang Hui looked baffled.

“There are real hidden dragons and crouching tigers here. I won’t even mention that strange girl, Si Liren—for now. But in your class alone, there’s someone of my kind.”

“What!” Wang Hui was so stunned he nearly leapt out of his seat.

Someone like Xiao Zi? That could only mean a monster—an inhuman creature that took pleasure in terrorizing others. And one had been in his class all this time, unnoticed? The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

“Where is he?”

Wang Hui scanned the classroom, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“He’s sitting in the last row, in the corner—the boy who’s made himself look like a ghost. He dresses up like a clown; hasn’t anyone noticed anything strange about that?”

Wang Hui followed Xiao Zi’s gaze. There, a boy with his entire face smeared in white paint, lips painted a vivid red with heavy clown makeup, sat smiling serenely at the teacher.

“Good lord! Who is he?” Wang Hui looked even more shocked than Xiao Zi.

“Wang Hui, please pay attention in class,” the teacher on the podium, a refined-looking man in gold-rimmed glasses, said gently, his eyes full of warmth.

Wang Hui could only sit up straight in resignation.

That clownish being was an F-rank monster—weak by all accounts. Judging by Wang Hui’s reaction, it must have a skill akin to signal jamming: you could stand right before it and not even notice its presence. Who knew why it lingered at the school? Since it posed no threat, Xiao Zi paid it no further mind.

Instead, his attention shifted to the teacher on the podium. Shockingly, this teacher’s soul was black. According to the Killer Rabbit, a black soul signified a wicked person. In other words, this teacher was evil. That was fascinating—neither the boss who trafficked illegal goods nor Liu Anran, who had framed Wang Hui, counted as truly wicked. Yet this scholarly, good-natured teacher was.

The darkness that hides behind a pleasant façade—Xiao Zi was particularly fond of such things.

“Wang Hui, your teacher is quite interesting. Want to help me scare him tonight?”

“You mean Mr. Peng? I don’t mind, but didn’t you say you wanted to create a horror legend at our school?”

“A horror legend can’t be conjured out of thin air. There must be something that lets people feel true fear. Sometimes, killing is essential for that.”

Wang Hui simply nodded. “Alright.”

Soon, class ended. Mr. Peng didn’t leave immediately but walked over to class monitor Jiang Yuqi, whispered something in her ear, and then left with a file. Though he spoke softly, nothing in this small classroom could escape Xiao Zi’s hearing. He clearly heard the words: “Come to my dorm after school.”

Judging by Jiang Yuqi’s panicked and pained expression afterward, Xiao Zi could already guess what was going on.

“That girl in the first row, Jiang Yuqi—you know her, right?”

“We’re in the same class, of course I know her. But how do you know her name?”

“I wandered around the classroom when I was bored and saw her name on a textbook. But that’s not the point. Do you know what kind of relationship she has with this Mr. Peng?”

“What kind of relationship?” Wang Hui frowned, repeating the question softly.

Before he could finish, the boy sitting in front of him whipped around with a mischievous grin.

“Li Dongxu, what’s wrong with you?” Wang Hui was startled and snapped irritably.

Li Dongxu ignored him, waggling his brows with a lewd expression. “So, you’ve heard about Jiang Yuqi and Mr. Peng, huh?”

“What are you talking about?” Wang Hui said, exasperated.

How would he know about any rumors between those two?

Li Dongxu glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention, then leaned close to Wang Hui and whispered, “I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t tell anyone.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“I get it, I won’t tell. Just say it.”

“Really, you mustn’t breathe a word!”

“Are you going to say it or not? If not, forget it!”

“Okay, okay.” Li Dongxu finally relented, his tone full of disdain as he glanced at Jiang Yuqi. “Let me tell you, don’t be fooled by her quiet appearance. That girl is filthy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone saw her with their own eyes in Mr. Peng’s dorm, doing things that go against all decency.”

“What?!” Wang Hui was stunned. “And you heard about this? How does Old Peng still teach here?”

“Ha, you don’t know the half of it. Mr. Peng doesn’t keep it to himself—most of the male teachers here, even the principal, have probably ‘shared’ in the experience—at least seventy percent!”

“You’re serious?”

“As serious as the A-spike on my foot! When I first heard, I was even more shocked than you.”

Apparently delighted by Wang Hui’s shocked reaction, Li Dongxu immediately leaned toward another boy. “Hey, Zhang, did you hear about Jiang Yuqi and Old Peng…”

Wang Hui and Xiao Zi were both left speechless.