Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1709 - 932: Tit for Tat

The bell for morning dismissal chimed loudly.

Wang Yong shot out like he was finally free, refusing to hang around another instant.

Dong Qingfeng eyed his old desk buddy in such a panic and couldn't suppress a laugh, thinking back to Wang Yong's scornful remarks on the Four Golden Flowers.

Two separate eras, two contrasting scenarios.

'He's an even bigger coward than I imagined!' Dong Qingfeng shook his head.

Yiyun commented, 'Pang Jiao can be really scary. It's understandable he'd retreat.'

Wu Xiaoqi and Song Sheng had yielded daily before.

Dong Qingfeng remarked, 'The issue is he surrenders way too fast, zero backbone at all.'

'Forget it, no more on that. I'll treat you to lunch. There's this spot with awesome stir-fries,' Dong Qingfeng mentioned offhand, spotting Shen Qing’e still seated.

Her typical vibrancy had faded, swapped for a constant frown, yet this sadness only enhanced her allure, pulling Dong Qingfeng in deeply.

Gentleman mode engaged!

Dong Qingfeng inquired worriedly, 'Shen Qing’e, how come you're not heading out for lunch?'

'Too packed outside. I'll leave in thirty minutes,' Shen Qing’e answered.

Dong Qingfeng promptly suggested, 'I know a great eatery a ways from school. Care to come along?'

Meng Ziyun's expression soured. What's your angle, Dong Qingfeng?

Next to them, Jiang Yanan chimed in, 'Sounds good? Then count me in!'

Aside from her petite eyes, Jiang Yanan was perfection embodied, boasting plenty of suitors. Dong Qingfeng was ecstatic to bring both beauties.

Shen Qing’e hesitated deeply. Her allowance was tight, and dining out with Dong Qingfeng meant splitting costs she'd struggle with. She didn't want to mooch off anyone these days.

Whether Dong Qingfeng picked up on it or not: 'Lunch is on me, girls. If it bothers you, buy me bubble tea sometime later.'

'Fine, if you insist.'

Dong Qingfeng beamed inside, marching out with swagger alongside three stunning girls, riding high on life.

The school's faulty loudspeaker blasted the hottest hit tune.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong wandered the school grounds as the mellow song drifted to his ears, sparking a wave of satisfaction.

'Chuchu’s skipping home lunch today. We’ve got no food,' Xue Yuantong griped.

Jiang Ning proposed, 'We’ll dine out today.'

'Sure! I’ll snap pics and send to Chuchu to envy her!'

Jiang Ning smiled. Eating out now and then felt truly invigorating.

While other pupils rushed past fearing no meals, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong sauntered casually, in no rush.

Second year offered high school's laziest phase—no first-year naivety or timidity, no third-year exam frenzy.

Back then, Jiang Ning hadn't grasped it. He yearned to rush the college exams, university, graduation, job—accelerating time, believing joy awaited some milestone.

Truth was, it never did.

Life lacks endpoints, just the path itself.

Now, reborn with a second chance, even the blaring school speakers sounded delightful, infinitely superior to fancy office audio at corporate bashes.

Maybe not the tune's beauty, but sharing it with her and the essence of youth.

He stretched to tousle Xue Yuantong’s bun-top hair.

Xue Yuantong felt it, tilted her head up, and shot him a glare. 'What’s that for?'

Jiang Ning answered, 'Just messing around.'

'Hmph, think I’m tiny so you can pat my head easily and act superior? Newsflash, I’ll shoot up taller, and my mind’s way higher...'

Her tiny mouth rambled on; she even leaped to reach Jiang Ning’s head.

Jiang Ning dodged smoothly, then noted, 'You were pretty standoffish at first meeting.'

Xue Yuantong paused, like a button flipped inside.

Memories of their initial encounter bubbled up in her head. Yeah, she’d been distant, icy, haughty then.

Comparing to her pushy now, Xue Yuantong dropped her hand quietly, slipping it into her sleeve. Was she irritating him?

Jiang Ning assured, 'It’s fine, that’s all you.'

Relieved, she huffed, 'Jiang Ning, grades dropping lately, ditching games with me, always teasing Chuchu—yet I still find you decent, so I’m nice to you. Appreciate it.'

Jiang Ning said, 'Got it, got it.'

'Tch, so casual.'

The tall and short duo slowly vanished from the classroom block.

Meanwhile, in the building's corridor, Cao Kun tuned into the lyrics floating from the damaged loudspeaker.

"What kind of man, what kind of man watches her leave without saying anything?"

He gazed at Meng Ziyun strolling alongside Dong Qingfeng, finding the loudspeaker unusually loud that day.

Those lyrics demolished every shred of his pride.

"How naive, stop pretending to be strong, expecting you to make up but you just gave her away, what kind of man?"

Cao Kun snatched his phone in haste and fired off a message: "Meng Ziyun, make sure you eat well."

Meng Ziyun replied almost instantly: "Got it."

Cao Kun: "Remember not to drink anything cold, and don’t forget to nap at noon."

"Mm, you remember too."

This unexpected warmth touched Cao Kun's heart deeply. With hands shaking, he messaged, "Remember what?"

Meng Zi Yun: "Remember that we are just strangers."

"Snap!"

Cao Kun's heart appeared to crack apart, his inner thoughts roaring: ’You will get your comeuppance!’

…

"Dong Qingfeng, quit teasing Wang Yong. He's simply dodging trouble and chasing gains," Jiang Yanan remarked.

Shen Qing’e: "Anyone in that spot would likely back down."

Dong Qingfeng: "Just messing around, haha."

The group of four made their way to the noodle joint, the path stretching just over a kilometer. They bantered along the route, savoring the casual vibe.

Inside the shop, Dong Qingfeng grabbed the menu from the owner to place orders: Sichuan spicy pork stir-fry, soybean-braised chicken feet, braised ribbonfish, and a considerate sweet-and-sour pumpkin bake.

Jiang Yanan: "That’s plenty of food."

Only then did Dong Qingfeng wrap up: "Also, a liter of coconut juice, and a separate can of cola for me."

As he ordered, a fellow in rumpled attire shot him a glance from nearby.

Dong Qingfeng spotted him as well. The guy looked thirty-something or forty, hair unkempt and limp, with a sloppy plate of topped rice before him.

Dong Qingfeng brushed it off; his ego soared right then, surrounded by three gorgeous girls, drawing constant stares from other guys in the place.

He felt secure in the bright daylight, with Yuzhou booming and even dubbed a civilized city.

The food arrived promptly and tasted fantastic. The braised ribbonfish packed spicy flavor, the chicken feet simmered tender off the bone with tasty soybeans, super mouthwatering.

Surrounded by three beauties, Dong Qingfeng polished off his rice bowl fast and headed for seconds.

On his way for more rice, he jostled a man by mistake and blurted, "Sorry, sorry!"

Normally, it would've blown over.

But instantly, the man shoved Dong Qingfeng and snarled in a rough, gravelly tone: "Are you blind?"

Dong Qingfeng froze, staring at him: "You bumped into me first; why the cursing?"

"I curse if I want!" The shabby man jabbed at his own nose. "Got a problem? You looking to get hurt?"

"Not happy about it?" The shabby man pressed forward, slamming his shoulder into Dong Qingfeng while hurling raspy taunts nonstop: "Go ahead, hit me! Come on, hit me!"

How could a hot-blooded youth of sixteen or seventeen swallow that? Dong Qingfeng's fists balled up tight.

Right then, Shen Qing’e yelled out: "Don’t fight, don’t fight!"

Rushing over as she called, with Jiang Yanan right behind, seizing the raging Dong Qingfeng.

Dong Qingfeng's face flickered with hesitation.

Shen Qing’e quickly added, "Uncle, sorry!"

Jiang Yanan tugged Dong Qingfeng away.

Avoiding fights with women runs deep in the culture. The shabby man's bravado deflated, but he still wagged a finger at Dong Qingfeng: "You spineless punk, keep your trap shut next time!"

He hawked a spit on the floor while speaking, dripping with scorn.

Under this insult, Dong Qingfeng shook with fury as Jiang Yanan whispered:

"No violence! A wise man avoids short-term losses!"

Dong Qingfeng burned with injustice, especially shamed before the girls. Wasn't he just like the Wang Yong he'd mocked?

The chef emerged from the kitchen into the eating area, big spoon gripped, wondering at the noise.

The shabby man grumbled his way out, bumping into a tall, lean approaching figure. Still seething, he barked:

"Out of my way! Move!"

Jiang Ning halted, milk tea in hand, eyeing him: "What did you say?"

The shabby man’s fading rage flared up anew: "You’re asking for it..."

Before his words could even finish, a rapid kick slammed into his chest, hurling him backward onto the grease-smeared floor.

A "ding clang" rang out as a silver-gray folding knife sprang from his pocket, clattering to the floor right in front of the customers.

Chills gripped everyone's hearts. Dong Qingfeng, who had been burning with righteous anger moments before, now shivered with icy relief, filled with deep gratitude.

Anyone could foresee the disastrous path the conflict might have taken if it had exploded.

At best, a hospital stay; at worst, a corpse.

Jiang Ning eyed the man sprawled on the ground, speaking slowly: "Oh, you even carry a knife?"

The nearby chef hurriedly kicked the folding knife aside to stop any more danger. As the knife slid away, the defeated man scrambled up from the floor and grabbed the big ladle from the chef’s grip.

Then, brandishing the ladle, he rushed at Jiang Ning, his face twisted in savage fury, exposing his ruthless core.

Hearts raced in tension as everyone assumed the tea-sipping youth would dodge or raise his arms to block.

Far from backing away, Jiang Ning surged forward, his leg snapping up in a flash.

In a blur of motion, the defeated man crashed down, lying still without a twitch.

Jiang Ning shot a glance: "Gave you a chance, but you weren’t up to it."

Dead silence blanketed the shop when a man in a suit stepped to the doorway, yelling: "Wu, pay your debt!"

The next instant, his voice caught in his throat: "Eh?"