"Huff, huff!" Steady breathing echoed from the campus greenway of Jiangcheng Media University, where a tall, sturdy figure emerged through the faint morning mist.
In black shorts, his strong, powerful legs churned like a windmill, while a white tank top stretched over his broad shoulders and thick waist. Bulging muscles traced solid lines, and his sweat-slicked skin seemed to radiate a thick aura of testosterone with every breath!
The man exercising in the morning was, of course, Yang Yi.
After moving here, Yang Yi felt great. Not only did he have the vast campus to roam freely during his daily workouts, but the excellent air quality in Tingshan District also accelerated his internal cultivation.
Of course, he wasn't alone on his morning runs. Jiangchuan was a top-tier media school in the country, and every early morning, many diligent students were up and about. Few were exercising, but plenty were warming up their voices, practicing tongue twisters, or playing instruments scattered across every corner of the campus.
Though Yang Yi couldn't stand such constraints, he still cast envious glances from time to time.
Campus life—a place where youth was freely spent! And the romantic, innocent love that came with it—these were experiences he'd never had.
Even after being reborn, he couldn't go through it... Thinking about it, Yang Yi felt a bit down.
"Help!"
Yang Yi had already run deep into Tingshan along the campus greenway when a cry for help came from far away. He slowed his pace, frowning as he looked toward the source of the sound.
Could it be some cliché scene of a hero saving a damsel in distress?
No way...
Soon enough, Yang Yi saw a nimble little fat guy burst out of the bushes, stumbling and panicking as he tried to flee.
Right behind him, a black wild boar emerged from the same bushes. It wasn't huge—just a bit bigger than a dog—but its sharp tusks revealed a ferocity far beyond that of a domestic pig.
"Snort!" The boar, eyes red, relentlessly chased after him.
The little guy was about 1.6 meters tall and probably weighed 160 jin (80 kg). His belly jiggled with every step, and it was honestly amazing he could run so fast while scared out of his wits.
Of course, this wasn't the time to watch. Yang Yi shouted, stepped forward briskly, and overtook the little fat guy.
"No, it's dangerous!" The little guy was startled and tried to grab Yang Yi, but when he turned to look, his eyes nearly popped out.
Yang Yi charged straight at the boar, then suddenly sidestepped to avoid its rush. With some clever move from his left leg, he hooked the boar's hind leg and, using its momentum, flipped it into the air!
That wasn't all!
After flipping the several-dozen-kilogram boar like a soccer ball, Yang Yi spun around and swung his right leg in a full arc, smashing it into the boar's belly...
"Oof." The boar's scream cut short mid-air, and it crashed back into the bushes it had come from, going still.
"Oh my god!" The little guy was dumbfounded.
But he was incredibly bold—otherwise, he wouldn't have gone up the mountain alone early in the morning and provoked a wild boar. Suppressing his fear, he crept over to the bushes and stared for a long while.
Finally, he confirmed it and looked at Yang Yi, trembling, "Is it... is it dead?"
Yang Yi glanced at him indifferently and nodded.
Don't underestimate Yang Yi, okay? Even though he hadn't recovered half of his past life's abilities, a boar barely bigger than a dog—hit with his internal force to the belly, all its organs shattered—had no chance of survival.
But more than that, he was curious: how did a wild boar end up in these mountains? And how did this little fat guy provoke it?
If not for his curiosity, Yang Yi would have left gracefully after kicking the boar to death.
However, the little guy was even more enthusiastic. His eyes lit up, and he rushed over, grabbing Yang Yi's hand reverently, "Master, please take me as your disciple! I want to learn real kung fu! Real kung fu!"
In that instant, Yang Yi had a bad feeling.
Damn, it felt like he'd been latched onto by a creepy weirdo.
The little guy wasn't a creep, but he was stickier than glue. Yang Yi tried to shake him off with his running speed, but when he came down the mountain, he saw the guy waiting at the exit, somehow having gotten a bike and pedaling laboriously behind him.
"Master, please take me as your disciple! I'll do anything—be your servant, your beast of burden!" the little guy panted heavily.
What a waste. Yang Yi had no respect for him. He himself had run this far on foot, still breathing evenly, while this little guy was exhausted like a dog on a bike.
Not that Yang Yi had ever considered taking on disciples, but even if he did, he wouldn't want a useless one!
Yet the little guy was persistent, following Yang Yi all the way back to the small building. The coffee shop wasn't finished yet, so Yang Yi went up the back stairs to the second floor, and the little guy shamelessly followed.
Yang Yi frowned, resisting the urge to throw him out.
He had to admit, the little guy's tenacity earned him a bit of goodwill.
"This building... it seems like Professor Hu's!" The little guy, now acting like a know-it-all, slapped his forehead in surprise. "Master, are you Professor Hu's son?"
Yang Yi hadn't wanted to acknowledge him—the guy was a chatterbox, muttering nonstop the whole way—but now he was making such an absurd guess.
Yang Yi turned back irritably and glared at him. "I rented this house!"
"Oh, oh!" The little guy was actually delighted because "Master" had finally spoken to him.
"So..." He was about to keep rambling.
"Shut up!" Yang Yi didn't look back, cutting him off with a single word.
The little guy obediently shut his mouth but still looked around curiously, questions piling up in his mind: "You live alone in such a big house? Where did Professor Hu go? Master, where did you learn such amazing kung fu..."
He just couldn't ask, and it was killing him.
"Have you had breakfast?" Yang Yi, in the little guy's envious gaze, peeled off his soaked tank top, wiped the sweat from his body, changed into a dry T-shirt, and walked into the kitchen, asking casually.
"No," the little guy replied, feeling pardoned as he excitedly opened his mouth. "Master, you can cook too? I mean, you prepare breakfast yourself?"
Yang Yi ignored him, frying eggs and ham, and making a plate of fruit and vegetable salad. He set out one portion for each of them and brought it to the dining table.
"Master, you're amazing. My mouth is watering!" the little guy said, full of admiration.
Yang Yi smiled, his expression softening. He pointed at the plate in front of the little guy and said, "Eat up. Don't let it get cold."
After settling into his new identity, Yang Yi had been reflecting: was he still living as isolated as in his past life? Without a single friend, what was the point of this rebirth?
Now, encountering this thick-skinned little guy, Yang Yi suddenly felt that appropriately reaching out to strangers and making some friends might not be a bad idea.
(PS: It seems some readers on Chuangshi said they can't comment? Xiaohan doesn't know what's going on. I haven't deleted anyone's book reviews. Could the system be doing it on its own?)