Chapter 6 Rolling Up the Mats, The Garbage Class (Part Two)

They continued walking all the way to the far end of the dormitory area, passing row after row of buildings, until suddenly the view opened up—not to something bright and fresh, but to utter dilapidation. If the previous dorms resembled relics of the medieval era, what lay ahead were veritable ancient ruins. The living conditions took a nosedive, and the campus environment wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Even standing outside, the night wind carried a soul-stirring stench that forced its way up the nose. A glance revealed that the streetlights along the main road were only sporadically functional; some flickered on and off like a scene from a horror film.

And still, this was not the end.

Zheng Kaiming and his group pressed on into the depths. Passing yet more ancient buildings, what finally appeared before Shi Tiexin’s eyes were structures that seemed to have survived from antiquity itself. Bare red brick walls, small buildings no more than three stories tall, each looking as though it would collapse at the next gust of wind. From the outside, every door and window was made of wood, many warped and unable to close properly, creaking mournfully in the evening breeze—a living embodiment of the word “wretched.”

A part of Shi Tiexin’s mind was overcome with sorrow, plunged into bottomless grief.

But outwardly, Shi Tiexin displayed nothing, following silently as they entered the last row of buildings.

The stairwell was narrow and oppressive, pitch-black. Zheng Kaiming clapped his hands—nothing happened. His expression souring, he stomped hard on the floor; the heavy thumps echoed belligerently before the motion-sensor light finally flickered on. But the school clearly had no intention of equipping this place with decent lighting—the dim, yellow glow barely illuminated the way.

Dragging his bundle, Shi Tiexin trudged up to the third floor—the very top of this ancient block. Standing on the landing, he looked up to see a gaping hole in the ceiling leading straight to the roof. There was not even a cover over the opening; cold wind whistled through, chilling him to the bone.

He followed Zheng Kaiming further in. The corridor reeked even worse. Without needing to look around, Shi Tiexin could see that not even the doors here were made of cheap tin—they were all ancient, battered wood.

If one listened carefully, there came a faint rustling from somewhere in the corridor—it was clear that others were still lurking about. Students wandering the dormitory at this late hour must all be young men chasing after their own legends...

Zheng Kaiming led Shi Tiexin to a particular room, stopping at the door. Directly opposite was the communal toilet, which suffered from poor water supply; waste accumulated and could not be washed away quickly, filling the air with a nauseating stench.

Glancing sidelong at Shi Tiexin and noting his impassive face, Zheng Kaiming said nothing, simply drew out a key and inserted it into the ancient lock.

He turned it. The door did not open.

He turned it again. Still nothing. The student from the Disciplinary Committee, evidently familiar with this place, hurried up to take over. Twisting the key, turning the handle, and then sharply lifting at a subtle angle, he finally managed to wrench the door open with a dull thud.

“This will be your dorm from now on,” Zheng Kaiming announced, pushing the door open and flicking on the light.

He had not expected the commotion that followed. With a crash, a shadow tumbled off one of the bunks—a shirtless boy. In panic, the boy hurriedly tried to hide something, then looked up; his face drained of color in an instant.

“Zheng... Zheng... Zheng…”

The boy’s conspicuously broad head left no room for doubt. He instantly realized the seriousness of his predicament, his whole body trembling with fear.

Zheng Kaiming looked him up and down, his face hardening as he thrust out a hand, five fingers splayed. “Hand it over.”

The boy feigned ignorance. “Hand… Director Zheng, hand over what?”

“The cigarettes!”

“Heh, Director Zheng, you must be joking. There aren’t any cigarettes…” The boy’s eyes darted wildly as he forced a smile. Shi Tiexin, observing this, could not help but feel speechless. The stench of smoke on that boy was so thick it could be detected even from the doorway, despite the miasma from the nearby toilet. If Zheng Kaiming could be fooled by this, it would truly be miraculous.

Wait, how did he even know what cigarette smoke smelled like? He was certain he had never encountered such an old-fashioned thing before…

As Shi Tiexin puzzled over this, Zheng Kaiming’s face darkened further, his expression turning cold. “Are you going to hand it over yourself, or do I have to search you? If I have to do it myself…”

“Understood! Understood! Director Zheng, I was wrong!” The boy, trembling, produced half a pack of cigarettes, along with a half-smoked one, and surrendered them to Zheng Kaiming.

Zheng Kaiming didn’t even look, simply held his hand out, waiting.

“There’s… nothing else…” The director’s eyes bored into the boy’s face like nails, and he spat out each word through clenched teeth: “Zhou Nan, don’t you dare push your luck.”

“I—this—!” The boy named Zhou Nan was at a loss, staring blankly at Zheng Kaiming. At last, he wilted and reluctantly produced an unopened pack.

Zheng Kaiming’s hand remained steady as a rock.

Zhou Nan stared at the outstretched hand, his expression shifting rapidly before finally collapsing into despair. Gritting his teeth, he crawled under the bed and fished out five more full packs, handing them all over. Only then did Zheng Kaiming finally withdraw his hand. Without so much as a glance for the resentful Zhou Nan, he turned and slapped the upper bunk closest to the door—and thus closest to the toilet. “That’ll be your bed.”

The three students from the Disciplinary Committee filed in, dropped Shi Tiexin’s belongings on the floor, and left without another word. Zheng Kaiming lingered, regarding Shi Tiexin closely. He noted that Shi Tiexin remained utterly silent, his face betraying neither resentment nor grievance, nor any hint of panic or dissatisfaction. There was not even the feigned indifference, forced bravado, or rebellious scorn so common among the youth.

But to say the boy was dull or witless was equally impossible. No one could become the top martial student without being extraordinary, and even now, his face and eyes were not empty or blank. Deep within his expression and gaze, there seemed to be something, though Zheng Kaiming could not discern nor describe it.

“This Shi Tiexin…” Zheng Kaiming left the dormitory and the residential area, said his farewells to the three Disciplinary Committee students, and made his way straight to the administration building. Though he moved with his usual brisk energy, his mind was wholly occupied with thoughts of Shi Tiexin along the way.

As he stepped into the main hall of the administration building, Zheng Kaiming suddenly paused. At last, he understood what he had seen in Shi Tiexin’s face and eyes.

It was calm—nothing but calm. As steadfast as a mountain, as vast as the sea. It was as if all the day’s tribulations were no more than a gentle breeze brushing the hills, the moonlight shining on the great river—nothing could shake that iron will.