C18 Don't You Think It's a Bit Funny?

After his meal, Yang Ming left the noodle shop, only to encounter Gong Lizi in an alleyway—apparently, she had been waiting for him.

"Gekka Ming!"

Gong Lizi's gaze held a mix of emotions as she looked at Yang Ming, a man who had both disappointed and surprised her.

"Is there something you need?"

Yang Ming's voice was cool and detached, as if he were addressing a stranger.

Gong Lizi sighed internally, shaking her head at his tone.

"There's not much to say. I was just surprised to see you working on a construction site. But Lord Grass Kage wants you at the Ninja School. You need to take your studies seriously and not fall behind. Don't fail to meet Lord Grass Kage's expectations."

"Failing Lord Grass Kage's expectations? That's your concern. But putting that aside for the moment, who are you to me? What does my life have to do with you? Why should you care?" Yang Ming responded, his tone still indifferent. To him, Gong Lizi had become a complete stranger.

With that, he turned and walked away, soon vanishing into the twists of the alley, his parting words lingering in the cold air.

"I've settled all accounts with you and the orphanage. I've repaid your kindness by saving you from Chu Koichi. You took care of me for five years, and I saved your life. We're even now."

"Even? It seems I've misread him and wounded his heart," Gong Lizi murmured to herself, standing motionless for a long while before leaving with a heavy sigh.

"I am no longer the Gekka Ming of the past. I am a new Gekka Ming, and it's absurd to think that the ties of the orphanage could hold me back."

Yang Ming checked into a hotel later that evening. After freshening up, he lay on the bed, gazing at the moon through the window, the alleyway confrontation replaying in his mind. He couldn't help but scoff.

Gong Lizi, with her worldly, sharp ways, had sought him out, hoping to use the orphanage to bind him, not realizing that Yang Ming had long since shed his former self.

He was a transmigrator!

Her perception was sharp, her plan meticulous. Had it been the Yang Ming of old, he might have found himself ensnared, owing to the deep gratitude from five years of nurturing—a memory indelibly etched in his heart.

Alas, she encountered a different Yang Ming, and her scheme was doomed to fail.

"If anyone in this world could hold sway over me, there would be but one in the entirety of the Ninja World," Yang Ming mused, his thoughts adrift to his past life as he gazed upon the luminous moon. "The woman from my previous life, whom I adored so much that she haunted my dreams."

His voice was a whisper, and a face of pure, ethereal beauty shimmered into view.

A dreamless night gave way to a new day, and Yang Ming returned to the Ninja School to resume his studies.

Through mingling and conversation, he became acquainted with many classmates.

Take Katsura Atsuhiro, the prodigy who, at the tender age of six, had already harnessed the Chakra of a Junior Ninja. His proficiency with the kunai, ninja techniques, and seals was unparalleled, making him the strongest in the class.

Then there was Oka Seita, Katsura Atsuhiro's ever-present sidekick, shadowing him like a faithful hound.

The majority of the class looked up to him, often joining in on the bullying of others.

The class representative, Fujishima Zyun, turned a blind eye. Yet, as the most beautiful girl in class, she was the object of many affections. Sadly, her standards were sky-high, and she spared no one a second glance—except for Katsura Atsuhiro, for whom she harbored a special fondness.

And then there was the girl seated across from Yang Ming—Chang Jiaye, the school's ice queen, rivaling Fujishima Zyun in both poise and beauty.