Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

In that cramped space, Hou Youcai's face was contorted with extreme anger.

His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, veins bulged on his forehead, and his mouth was agape, revealing his menacing teeth.

The grotesque appearance made Huang Xu's legs go weak involuntarily, and his eyes quickly reddened, with tears welling up in them as if they were about to burst forth at any moment.

In truth, Huang Xu cannot be held responsible for this incident.

Hou Youcai's expression at this moment was truly chilling; it was a look of terror and rage that could not be accurately described in words.

He never imagined that his son, in the prime of his youth, would pass away so suddenly. This thought weighed heavily on his chest, making him almost suffocate.

His only thought was to make the person who killed his son pay the most terrible price, to make them pay for their crime in blood.

But he was completely unaware that it was he himself who was truly pushing his son into the abyss of death.

Hou Youcai glared fiercely at Huang Xu, finding his trembling voice particularly jarring in the quiet and oppressive atmosphere.

In his heart, if his son were still alive, he would not be so noisy, but would be calm and composed.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear another word from you. Don't mention anything else, understand?"

He roared, his voice echoing in the small space, making Huang Xu's ears ring.

"I'll ask you one more time, who exactly got involved in this? You'd better tell me everything clearly, otherwise..."

Huang Xu shook his head frantically, his hair flying wildly, and his body trembled violently, like a candle flickering in the wind.

However, Hou Youcai ignored his explanation and, in a fit of rage, blamed Gao Jie without thinking.

Xu Rourou had no connection with Gao Jie, but the gears of fate quietly turned at this crucial moment. Her appearance, in Hou Youcai's eyes which were blinded by hatred, was undoubtedly tantamount to taking the blame on Gao Jie.

Given this, how could Hou Youcai let it go so easily?

He was determined in his heart that he would never let this go and would make Gao Jie pay the price for his son's death.

Meanwhile, in the quiet library, Gao Jie, Xu Rourou, and Huang Muran were sitting around an old-fashioned desk, talking quietly.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on them.

Huang Muran looked at Gao Jie with admiration in his eyes and sighed sincerely.

"Gao Jie, I truly admire you to the skies. I never imagined your martial arts advancement would be so rapid; it's an extremely rare talent among us."

He paused slightly, his brow furrowing, before continuing.

"The key point is that everyone now knows that such rapid upgrades often come with serious side effects. But you're different. How is that possible?"

"Logically speaking, if one takes a large amount of drugs to promote martial arts improvement, the body will inevitably experience adverse reactions. For example, I have personally witnessed someone forcing themselves to swallow many drugs they shouldn't have in order to pursue rapid advancement in martial arts. In the end, their head swelled up like a giant baby, and their appearance was very strange and terrifying. But you don't show any of these signs at all, which really puzzles me. I really can't understand the reason."

Xu Rourou listened quietly from the side, her heart also filled with curiosity.

After spending time together, she increasingly felt that Gao Jie was hiding many secrets.

I thought I had a certain understanding of him, but now it seems that those secrets are like layers of fog, which have not only not dissipated, but have become even thicker.

However, she didn't care too much. After all, who in this world doesn't have their own little secrets?

Sometimes, having many secrets isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, under certain circumstances, secrets can become a help, pushing things in a positive direction.

However, Huang Muran seemed to feel that there was something wrong with this matter.

"I don't think this situation is quite right. If you really don't have any side effects, then you're too different from us, and it's too unfair."

Gao Jie slightly raised the corners of his mouth and chuckled softly, a smile carrying a hint of mystery and confidence. Then, he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Actually, the question you raised is not a difficult mystery for me to answer. I can easily clear it up for you."

"The key to this is that the cultivation methods we practice are different. The cultivation methods you practiced at school actually have flaws, and the school seems to have never revealed a single word about this to you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping lightly over Huang Muran and Xu Rourou's faces, before continuing.

"Moreover, the skills you are exposed to in school are quite different from what is taught in universities today. This is the main reason why it is difficult for children from poor families to achieve success. I only realized this problem by chance."

Gao Jie's eyes deepened, as if he were lost in memories.

"As for the side effects, if the cultivation method we practiced were at a normal level and within a normal system, then with our talent and hard work, our current strength would probably far exceed what we are now. Perhaps, at that time, everyone would have the opportunity to become a third-tier powerhouse. Can you understand the enormous difference that would make?"

Upon hearing Gao Jie's words, Huang Muran and Xu Rourou exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing disbelief.

Xu Rourou was the first to react. She frowned slightly and said softly.

"Gao Jie, we were just chatting and joking among friends. How could you say something like that? You need to understand that if these kinds of remarks get out, they will definitely touch a nerve with some people and cause their dissatisfaction and displeasure. To avoid unnecessary trouble, let's try not to talk about these topics anymore, okay?"

Gao Jie smiled gently and nodded slightly, indicating that he understood Xu Rourou's concerns and that he would be careful with his words and actions and would not spread these matters carelessly again.

However, given the current situation, various complex factors and potential crises are like a thick fog, enveloping them and creating a sense of oppression and unease.

Just then, Huang Muran seemed to suddenly remember something, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he asked curiously.

"Where's your good buddy Huang Xu? He should have arrived by now, according to common sense."

He tilted his head slightly, as if trying to recall every detail about Huang Xu, and then jokingly said with a smile.

"Huang Xu is quite the troublemaker. He's always out flirting and chasing girls. But I don't think it's an unforgivable mistake. After all, young people are bound to be a bit reckless. It's just that, for some reason, I feel that his behavior lately has been a bit strange and hard to figure out."

After Huang Muran brought it up, Gao Jie suddenly realized that something was wrong.

His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

"I find it really strange too. Where did Huang Xu go? That kid didn't even text me tonight. We clearly agreed to meet at the library, but he stood me up. Could he have accidentally offended someone out there?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in Gao Jie's heart.

He knew that Huang Xu was usually reckless and prone to causing trouble outside. If he really offended some powerful figure, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Moreover, Huang Xu's foul mouth easily provokes dissatisfaction from others.

Gao Jie felt something was wrong, so he didn't hesitate any longer and quickly spoke up.

"He hasn't contacted us yet. I suspect he's gotten himself into some trouble. Maybe we should go look for him."

Huang Muran pursed his lips.

"Finding them is fine, but what if they're enjoying themselves somewhere and don't want to talk to us?"

"I think we shouldn't contact them yet. If they're unhappy, they might even scold us. What do you think?"

Gao Jie was surprised that this little girl spoke with such sarcasm and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

"Alright, we're all classmates, and we've been through life and death together. Now we should put aside all prejudices."

"Huang Muran, go look around in the romantic spots. If you find anything, message me. Rou Rou, go back and rest. I know you've been working hard lately."

"I'll go look for him near the university town. I'll contact you when I find him."

Huang Muran curled his lips slightly, speaking with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"All you ever do is order me around, don't you? Why don't you ever order your girlfriend around?"

This one sentence instantly made the originally relaxed atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Xu Rourou's cheeks flushed instantly, and her expression became extremely unnatural. She hurriedly tried to explain.

"Huang Muran, you've misunderstood. Gao Jie and I aren't in that kind of relationship..."

However, Huang Muran seemed to be deliberately teasing her, ignoring her explanations completely. He simply crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head to the side, and looked at her with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Xu Rourou felt as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been spilled, with all sorts of feelings welling up inside her.

She realized that this incident had served as a wake-up call for her.

After all, there was no romantic relationship between her and Gao Jie, but others always tended to misunderstand.

If this continues, rumors will inevitably spread everywhere, and as the saying goes, "three men can make a tiger," and if many people say it, some will surely believe it.

Thinking of this, Xu Rourou frowned slightly and secretly decided that she should find an opportunity to say hello to Gao Jie. In the future, unless there is something important, she should try not to get together with him, unless she needs his protection in case of danger.

Before she could even voice her thoughts, Gao Jie, as if he had some urgent business to attend to, had already hurried away.

Xu Rourou watched Gao Jie's departing figure, couldn't help but pout slightly, and muttered softly.

"Okay, I'll contact you again when I have time."

After saying that, she slowly stretched and moved her stiff body, then turned and walked towards the dormitory.

Meanwhile, Huang Muran was leisurely strolling around this place, which everyone called a romantic spot.

He looked around at all the men and women with great interest.

They seemed to be looking for something interesting or a familiar face.