Chapter Fifty-Two: A Hero’s Welcome

After Samo Bhikkhu stepped aside, Yu Bo also took a step forward, shrugging helplessly as he looked at Ye Ran. Both of them hailed from the Temple, and now belonged to Maple Leaf Academy; no matter what, they felt compelled to stand up for Miffy.

Ye Ran glanced at the two of them and said, “She was at fault, not me. As for any explanation, ask her.”

Upon hearing this, Miffy behind him burst into even louder sobs.

Not only were the boys in the crowd furious, but the girls were incensed as well, all berating Ye Ran. What a bastard—bullying a girl and refusing even a single word of explanation. How utterly lacking in chivalry!

Ye Ran, however, remained utterly indifferent. He simply raised his foot and strode forward, step by step, only to have Samo Bhikkhu block his path like a small mountain.

Just as another confrontation seemed inevitable, a low cough sounded from the rear of the crowd. Upon hearing it, the students immediately made way, and three figures came walking through.

“Grandpa Lu!”

“Hello, Grandpa Lu!”

Leading them was an elderly man with his hands clasped behind his back. At his arrival, the students all greeted him respectfully.

Wang Li and Lin Yuan followed him at a leisurely pace.

Seeing that it was Lu Yanhé, Samo Bhikkhu and Yu Bo had no choice but to step aside.

Lu Yanhé walked over to Ye Ran, hands still behind his back, and cast a fleeting glance before asking, “Ye Ran, Miffy, what is going on here?”

Ye Ran waved his hand dismissively.

Miffy cried uncontrollably, but no one seemed willing to offer an explanation.

“Young people are always hot-blooded and proud. Come with me to the discipline office. Everyone else, return to your activities,” Lu Yanhé said, waving his hand as he turned.

Wang Li and Lin Yuan followed behind Ye Ran and Miffy. Lin Yuan edged forward and whispered, “Ye Ran, you’re really becoming quite the troublemaker these days.”

Wang Li could only shake his head with a wry smile, quietly pulling her back.

A fight on campus, with Ye Ran being an outsider, was certainly a serious incident for Maple Leaf Academy. Nevertheless, for Lu Yanhé, the matter could be handled however he pleased; someone of his seniority could hardly be bothered to get involved personally. Thus, the questioning was left entirely to Wang Li and Lin Yuan.

Ye Ran briefly recounted the events, while Miffy, feeling humiliated, made another scene with him. Only after considerable effort did they manage to clarify the sequence of events. After reporting to Lu Yanhé, the three of them agreed to play down the incident as much as possible.

Punishment, of course, was inevitable. Ye Ran was placed on Maple Leaf Academy’s blacklist and banned from ever entering again, while Miffy received only a symbolic scolding.

“Sigh, Brother Ye, I’m sorry to make you take the blame again,” Wang Li said apologetically as they left the discipline office. The unfairness Ye Ran had suffered, both in the martial exam and this recent incident, was obvious.

“It’s nothing. I’m used to it,” Ye Ran replied, waving his hand as he left Maple Leaf Academy.

When Wang Li returned to the discipline office, he saw Lu Yanhé standing by the window, shaking his head ruefully as he watched Ye Ran’s departing figure.

Both injustices had their roots in the Temple. It was as if this young man was fated to be at odds with them.

What Ye Ran didn’t expect was that, when he arrived at Taiting Academy the next day, he was treated like a hero because of the incident at Maple Leaf.

“Ye Ran—no, Instructor! Is it true you went over to Maple Leaf Academy last night and beat someone up?” Xu Nan rushed over as soon as he entered the school. Several other girls quickly surrounded him as well, chattering away with endless questions.

Ye Ran had no idea that his altercation with Miffy had already become the talk of all three academies overnight. Within Maple Leaf Academy, of course, he was denounced on all sides; eliminated from the martial exam and then hired by Taiting as an instructor, it was outrageous that he would dare to go to the girls’ dormitory at Maple Leaf and bully someone. Such behavior was intolerable. Though he ended up blacklisted, many students didn’t intend to let it go, especially a few from the Martial Ranking—they were already itching for a fight, vowing to properly teach this unchivalrous fellow a lesson.

Yet the attitudes at Taiting and Shali Academies were completely different.

Having long been overshadowed by Maple Leaf, students from these two academies were used to being looked down on. Maple Leaf students always acted superior. It had always been Maple Leaf bullying them—never the other way around. Now, for the first time, someone had stood up to Maple Leaf, and what a sense of satisfaction that brought! Who cared whether the victim was male or female? They’d support Ye Ran to the end, regardless.

Just that very morning, a noble student from Maple Leaf and one from Shali had quarreled over this matter at a breakfast stall, which soon escalated into a fight. The Maple Leaf noble emerged victorious, making the Shali and Taiting students even more furious and, in turn, even more enthusiastic in their praise of Ye Ran.

Ye Ran was baffled. “Last night... it was just a minor dispute, that’s all. Classmates, fighting is not good, especially getting into brawls off campus. Here at Taiting Academy, our culture is always one of harmony and mutual learning...”

Having only been an instructor for two days, he had already memorized these official statements by heart.

But the students weren’t having any of it.

“Instructor, I hear they’re plotting revenge on you. I’ll definitely stand by your side!”

“Instructor, next time you go make trouble at Maple Leaf, you have to take me with you!”

“Me too! Me too!”

Ye Ran had to expend considerable effort to extract himself from the crowd of students who seemed to relish chaos. He felt a little uneasy—he wondered if Elder Sun would have any issues with this incident.

As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. No sooner had he set down his files in the office than Sun Jiulou strode in, beaming.

“Xiao Ye, I hear you had a run-in with Maple Leaf Academy last night?”

“Ahem, Elder, it was a moment of impulsiveness on my part. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Sun Jiulou waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, nothing. Young people—who hasn’t been impulsive? I heard that old fellow Lu Yanhé handled the matter last night?”

Ye Ran realized at once—Elder Sun didn’t care in the least about his dispute with Miffy; Lu Yanhé was the real nemesis here.

He replied, “Yes, he gave me a very stern reprimand.”

Sun Jiulou snorted. “That old rascal—why is he picking on the younger generation?”

Though he said this, inwardly he was delighted. Lu Yanhé, that old fox, had never bested him in all his life. And now, he’d been foiled by a youngster like Ye Ran. Sun Jiulou had long heard that Lu Yanhé had secretly sent two of his half-wit disciples to ‘enlighten’ Ye Ran. Luckily, Ye Ran didn’t accept his offer, or else he’d never have a chance to win against Sun Jiulou. Clearly, Lu Yanhé was only putting on airs with Ye Ran out of jealousy—after all, those two incompetent disciples of his could never inherit his mantle.

With this in mind, Sun Jiulou found Ye Ran increasingly pleasing to the eye, even affectionate. The scorching look he gave Ye Ran made the latter’s skin crawl.

What Ye Ran didn’t know was that, not only the students, but even the upper echelons of Taiting Academy had long grown weary of Maple Leaf’s arrogance. Officially, they turned a deaf ear and allowed the students to make a fuss, but inwardly, they were overjoyed at the turn of events.

“Xiao Ye, come with me,” Sun Jiulou said, cheerfully walking out of the office.

“Elder, where are we going?” Ye Ran asked, following after him.

“To the gymnasium. We need to test your energy and essence. Xiao Ye, it won’t be long before you have a direct clash with Maple Leaf Academy. You’d better train hard.”