Chapter 149 – Bad Luck

Today is the first day of school for various universities.

On his way to school, Lu Yuan saw students wearing school uniforms and carrying backpacks everywhere.

A boy in a blue and white school uniform, wearing glasses, hurried past Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan noticed that the name of Jiaoyan No. 1 High School was embroidered on his clothes.

Suddenly, he thought of Xia Zhiqing, the girl he had carried out of the rainy alley three months ago, timid and obedient like a cat.

Lu Yuan picked up his mobile phone, thinking of sending a message to “Quiet Bamboo Treasure.”

He originally intended to send “Happy school year,” but then it felt odd to wish someone happiness for the start of school.

“School year powerful?” Forget it.

“Wishing you all the best in the new school year!”

Was this the first time Lu Yuan had actively sent a message to Xia Zhiqing?

Without waiting for a reply, Lu Yuan put his mobile phone back in his pocket.

His home was not far from No. 4 Middle High School.

It only took about ten minutes to walk there.

Today was the first day of school, and generally, there were no classes in the morning. Even if there were, Lu Yuan was in no hurry and walked slowly.

It had been a long time since he walked this road like an ordinary senior high school student.

He had only been formally practicing martial arts for a little over four months, yet it felt like he had completely deviated from the path of ordinary life.

He often wandered among the extraordinary, enjoying the thrill and excitement brought by exploring the new world.

“Caw—”

A crow flew over Lu Yuan’s head, flapping its wings, and landed gently on a trash can a dozen meters away.

It watched him quietly.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, quickly noticing…

On the telephone poles by the roadside, on the street lamps, on the signs of the shops along the street…

Unknowingly, many crows had gathered around Lu Yuan.

They hid among the bustling crowds, in the noisy street scenes.

Just like that, they watched him coldly like loyal overseers.

They had completely lost the obedient and friendly demeanor they once had as his “crow assistants.”

Lu Yuan stood at a nearby bus stop.

Pretending to wait for a bus, he quietly closed his eyes.

His invisible Mental Power spread out like light, extending further and further.

Slowly…

Lu Yuan vaguely sensed it.

An evil consciousness was rapidly approaching him.

“During the execution of the Covenant, both duelists can sense each other’s exact location…”

Lu Yuan opened his eyes and murmured thoughtfully, “Since I can’t avoid it… I need to be prepared in advance.”

Senior Year 2, Class Three.

It should be Senior Year, Class Three now.

The once empty classroom, having been silent through the summer vacation, was now filled again with long-forgotten hustle and vitality.

After the final exam last semester, the arts and science classes were separated.

Class Three of the new senior year had bid farewell to familiar faces and welcomed new members.

Lu Yuan sat quietly by the window, casually flipping through the newly issued textbooks in front of him.

Outside the window stood a lush camphor tree, its dense branches and leaves home to a few crows preening their feathers. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled golden spots with the breeze.

Lu Yuan was still sensing the gradually approaching evil consciousness.

But to others, this scene was a beautiful picture of youth.

Summer, sunlight, white curtains fluttering in the breeze, and…

A quiet, handsome boy with scholarly air sitting by the window.

“Lu Yuan!”

A voice pulled Lu Yuan out of his thoughts.

Lu Yuan looked up to see Cheng Peng walking toward him with a big smile, alongside the hurriedly turned backs of a few girls.

“My homework is in my bag… I didn’t write a single word.”

Lu Yuan said calmly to Cheng Peng.

“What the heck, what did you do all summer? I couldn’t contact you, and you didn’t do any homework…”

Cheng Peng exaggeratedly exclaimed, as if he was scrutinizing Lu Yuan.

“Are you still the top student I know?”

“You know I’m a top student, yet you ask such a silly question?… Do real top students need to do homework?”

Lu Yuan replied expressionlessly, pushing up the black-framed glasses on his nose.

They were newly prescribed a couple of days ago, meant to hide the brilliance in his eyes.

“Let’s see how you perform in the opening exam,” Cheng Peng said through gritted teeth.

“Well, it’s definitely going to be a rank you can only dream of,” Lu Yuan retorted casually. After a pause, he asked, “Why didn’t I see you much at the martial arts gym over the summer?”

Cheng Peng hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly, “I’ve decided to put the martial arts class on hold for now…”

“Hmm?”

“I want to apply to the same university as Xiaolan. My current grades… are still quite far off.”

“Oh.”

Lu Yuan nodded, “So it’s the power of love.”

He had some things he wanted to say to Cheng Peng, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. Why spoil someone’s pure and beautiful thoughts?

“Can you lend me your study notes later? I need to really work hard this semester!”

“Yeah, I’ll bring them over to you.”

“You’re the best. If I get into the top ten of the grade, I’ll treat you to a month of meals in the small cafeteria!”

“Well, I guess I won’t get to eat there before I graduate…”

“Don’t underestimate my determination. I’m serious this time; I’ve even given up gaming.”

As Lu Yuan and Cheng Peng chatted, Lu Yuan happened to notice a boy and a girl standing at the back door of the classroom, talking.

The boy, fair and handsome, was handing a cup of milk tea to the girl with a fawning smile.

The girl took the milk tea and returned immediately.

When she turned her head, she met Lu Yuan’s curious gaze.

Her cheeks instantly turned red, as if she had been caught doing something wrong, and she hurried away.

“Regretting it now, huh… hehe…” Cheng Peng chuckled mischievously.

Lu Yuan looked at him, “Regretting what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Regretting that Ling Yue got together with Cai Qidong from Class Five. Ling Yue liked you first, you know…”

“But honestly, you still have time to regret it. I’ve heard that Ling Yue still likes you. Cai Qidong is just a backup. They’ve been together for over a month, and they haven’t even held hands, let alone kissed…”

“Boring.”

Lu Yuan shook his head, saying lightly, “I won’t waste my time on such things. I have too many things to do.”

“Impressive, two months apart and your bragging skills have improved,” Cheng Peng gave Lu Yuan a thumbs up.

The two chatted for a while longer before the head teacher entered the classroom.

The noisy room quickly quieted down, and the students wandering around returned to their seats.

As usual, the head teacher began with a speech, reviewing the past semester and looking forward to the new one.

Lu Yuan didn’t take in a single word; his mind was occupied with thoughts of the upcoming confrontation with the Crow Deity sect opponent.

“An Ordinary Divine Servant can use a crow flock to achieve brief flight. Someone above a Powerful Divine Servant would certainly be even better at this.”

“Land-to-air combat… the choice of battleground becomes crucial.”

Lu Yuan picked up a pen and started scribbling on the blank pages of his textbook.

“I lack the appropriate weapons and special means. It’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to shoot him down from the sky.

So then…”

A glint of determination flashed in Lu Yuan’s eyes behind his black-framed glasses as he drew a heavy line on the paper.

“I’ll just have to ensure he can’t take off!”

Lu Yuan’s mind raced, brimming with a continuous stream of ideas.

His pen never stopped moving.

His new deskmate, a little fatty, curiously peeked over.

He was shocked to discover that this top student and school heartthrob, famous in No. 4 Middle High School, was drawing a highly detailed map on his physics textbook!

He didn’t understand it, and he didn’t dare to ask. He could only silently marvel: The world of top students is truly beyond our comprehension…

“The only thing to worry about now is the strength of that Crow Deity sect strongman named Karofis.”

“I killed one of his Powerful Divine Servants… and maybe those previous Ordinary Divine Servants were also under him. He’ll come after me personally for revenge. This means he’s strong, but not invincible. Most likely, he’s one or two tiers above a Powerful Divine Servant, definitely not more than three.”

An inexplicable light started to flicker in Lu Yuan’s eyes, and his muscles seemed to gradually become restless.

He yearned for such an opponent.

One who could bring him close to the brink of death, yet not overpower him in an instant.

Such an opponent is rare and precious… truly marvelous.

“Even if, worst case scenario, I can’t beat him… I still have a final fallback.”

Lu Yuan’s pen moved lightly, sketching a lifelike white bear on his textbook.

After thinking for a moment, he added a pair of small wings to the bear’s back.

“You’re really good at drawing.”

Sitting next to him and also daydreaming, his deskmate, Little Fatty, finally found the courage to strike up a conversation after watching Lu Yuan doodle for a while.

Lu Yuan glanced at him, smiled, and said, “Just doodling.”

That smile dazzled Little Fatty, causing a voice inside him to lament: He’s so handsome, why do good-looking people always excel in their studies too?

Feeling honored and wanting to build a better relationship with Lu Yuan, Little Fatty was about to continue the conversation when the previously quiet classroom suddenly erupted in commotion.

“Look outside!”

A bold student stood up, disregarding the head teacher on the podium, and shouted while pointing outside.

Many people followed his gaze.

They saw that on the camphor tree outside the classroom, on the rooftop of the opposite teaching building, on the lawn in between…

In so many places.

There were crows everywhere!

These various sizes of crows, all pitch black, seemed to be holding some kind of mysterious gathering.

They were congregating here.

Yet, they didn’t make a sound.

Down below, janitors and teachers were already using brooms to drive them away forcefully.

But the crows that were chased into the air flapped their wings and landed again in no time.

Unnoticed, the number of crows in the school kept increasing.

People in the nearby teaching buildings were also alarmed.

Many rushed out of their classrooms or leaned out of the windows to look outside.

The dense, yet unexpectedly quiet scene sent an inexplicable chill through everyone watching.

One boy muttered, “Could it be an earthquake? The books say animals behave strangely before an earthquake.”

“Why do I feel like someone’s going to die? Crows eat dead bodies, you know.”

“Shut up, are you saying everyone at No. 4 Middle High School is going to die?”

“Stop it, stop it, you’re scaring me…”

The classroom was abuzz with chatter, and the head teacher couldn’t control the situation. Frowning, they hurried out of the room.

Many students took out their mobile phones to take pictures, and some even started calling TV stations and newspapers.

Only Lu Yuan remained calm.

“Are you… urging me?”

Standing by the window, Lu Yuan seemed to quietly lock eyes with the countless crows outside.

An inexplicable atmosphere flowed between him and the crow flock.

The sky seemed to gradually turn gloomy.

“I understand.”

Lu Yuan removed his glasses from his nose and gently placed them on the desk.

“Lu Yuan, you’re a top student. Why do you think so many crows have come to our school?”

Little Fatty had been watching out the window for a long time. Being stared at by so many crows gave him goosebumps.

He turned around stammering, trying to talk to Lu Yuan.

But when he turned his head, he was shocked to find…

His “brilliant” deskmate had disappeared without a trace.

…

“Master, to the east district, Bai Sui Yuan Community.”

Lu Yuan exited the school gate, flagged down a taxi, and got in.

“Young man, isn’t today the first day of school? Why are you out so early?”

The taxi driver chatted curiously.

“Yeah, just going home to get something.”

Lu Yuan replied casually, then took out his mobile phone to quickly handle some messages he had just received, while also requesting leave from the head teacher.

As he was doing this, an unfamiliar local number called.

He answered.

A familiar, cold female voice came from the other end of the line.

“Lu Yuan, did you receive the express delivery I sent you? Make sure to review it carefully; it’s very important for the new blood assessment you’re about to face…”

“Got it.”

Before Gao Qing could finish, Lu Yuan impatiently interrupted.

“I have something to deal with here, so let’s talk later.”

He hung up the phone.

Lu Yuan sat quietly in the back seat of the taxi.

Looking out the window, he could still see crows chasing and following.

Then he heard the taxi driver mutter under his breath.

“Bad luck!”