Chapter 65: Struck at the Fatal Point

The students also began to file into the classroom one after another.

Even now, they still couldn’t believe that the man they’d spent the last two days with—Gu Xiangnan—was actually the genius professor. The students crowded around him.

Zi Xiaoyin walked over, her face bright with joy. “Professor Gu, I’m truly so glad you’ve come back.”

Gu Xiangnan smiled gently. “Still not used to calling me ‘Professor,’ are you?”

Just then, Xu Chenyi burst into the classroom, visibly excited. “Brother Nan, you’re amazing! Looks like I picked the right person to follow! If I ever fail an exam, can you cut me some slack?”

“Sure! I’ll even give you a green hat if you want,” Gu Xiangnan replied with a hearty laugh.

The two of them laughed together. Hearing this, Cao Guang felt even more miserable. He glared fiercely at Gu Xiangnan, unable to believe that he was now the professor. The scholarship that was nearly in his grasp had vanished, and he’d made a fool of himself. He blamed Gu Xiangnan for all of it.

The bell rang for class.

Gu Xiangnan stood at the lectern, with Teacher Han assisting him. Today’s lesson was on acupuncture points. Gu Xiangnan had begun memorizing these points since he was five; the textbook material was child’s play to him.

“Professor Gu, I have a question,” someone called out not long after the lesson began. It was Cao Guang, raising his hand.

“What is it?” Gu Xiangnan turned to him.

“These books are too simple. I can recite all the acupuncture points and accurately locate each one. Professor Gu, can you teach us something deeper? Otherwise…”

He paused deliberately, leaving the implication hanging in the air.

Gu Xiangnan’s gaze darkened. “Otherwise, what?”

Cao Guang curled his lips into a smile. “Otherwise, people might think Professor Gu doesn’t have any real skill.”

A direct challenge. The classroom erupted in whispers.

“Cao Guang’s got guts, actually challenging the professor face to face.”

“But he is really smart—always top of the class.”

Teacher Han frowned. “What kind of attitude is that, Cao Guang? Even if you’re an excellent student, you should still respect your teachers.”

“It’s alright,” Gu Xiangnan said, folding his arms. “Cao Guang, since you claim you can recite all the acupuncture points, go ahead and show us.”

Cao Guang strode confidently to the front, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew two human figures on the blackboard—one for the front of the body, one for the back.

“Now, I’ll demonstrate all twenty-four points of the Conception Vessel.”

As he recited the points, he marked their exact locations on the drawings. “Next, I’ll recite the twenty-eight points of the Governing Vessel.”

It was clear he had memorized them well, and his markings were precise. Even Teacher Han nodded with approval. In just a few minutes, he finished.

Teacher Han was astonished to find that not only had he recited all the points already covered in class, but even those they hadn’t yet learned. It seemed Cao Guang had studied ahead.

He tossed the nub of chalk aside, dusted off his hands, and looked at Gu Xiangnan with pride. The entire class turned to Gu Xiangnan, eyes shining with anticipation.

“Very good! Well done,” Gu Xiangnan said with a smile, walking toward Cao Guang. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he hugged him.

The whole class was taken aback. They all knew there was no friendship between them—Cao Guang had just tried to embarrass Gu Xiangnan. Why would he embrace him?

Cao Guang disliked Gu Xiangnan intensely and tried to push him away.

Gu Xiangnan stepped off the platform, fetched a chair, and set it behind Cao Guang.

Everyone was bewildered.

With a slight smile, Gu Xiangnan announced, “Everyone, Cao Guang is about to be paralyzed. Do you believe me?”

“No!” the students chorused.

Cao Guang sneered, “What a joke. How could I possibly be paralyzed?”

He stepped forward to leave the stage, but a strange numbness crept from his toes up to his waist. Suddenly his legs buckled; he lost his balance and fell backward, landing neatly on the chair Gu Xiangnan had placed behind him.

“Ah?” gasped the students.

“Cao Guang, are you acting with Professor Gu? Haha!” a few classmates started to laugh.

“Acting my foot! I can’t feel my legs!” Cao Guang began hammering his thighs with his fists. The sound alone made it clear how hard he was hitting, and yet he felt nothing.

It was real.

The class erupted into chaos, everyone rushing to the front.

No matter how hard he tried, Cao Guang’s legs were numb, completely out of his control. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Gu Xiangnan. “What did you do to me?”

“Nothing. I just made you paralyzed,” Gu Xiangnan replied lightly. “Oh, and someone grab some tissues—he’s about to get a nosebleed.”

No sooner had he spoken than Cao Guang felt a warm trickle from his nose. Sure enough, blood began to flow. His classmates hurried to get tissues, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

Zi Xiaoyin asked anxiously, “Professor Gu, what’s happening to the class monitor?”

“Oh, nothing really. I just pressed his death point,” Gu Xiangnan said breezily.

Death point?!

Cao Guang’s pupils contracted with terror. He stared at Gu Xiangnan in disbelief.

“Class monitor, you’d better apologize to Professor Gu so he’ll release you,” Zi Xiaoyin urged worriedly.

Cao Guang clenched his fists, stubbornly refusing to yield.

Gradually, his hands began to tingle; even making a fist was impossible.

“Is your hand going numb now? It won’t be long before your whole body is paralyzed. Soon your respiratory system will shut down, and you’ll suffocate,” Gu Xiangnan remarked as if discussing the weather.

Panic gripped Cao Guang.

He struggled to speak. “I…”

Just then, the classroom door burst open. The principal stood at the entrance, calling out, “Professor Gu, you’re in the wrong classroom! These are freshmen—the material is too advanced for them. You’re supposed to be teaching the graduate students.”

Gu Xiangnan immediately gathered his things and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Cao Guang was frantic. If Gu Xiangnan left, he’d be doomed.

“I’m sorry,” Cao Guang finally blurted out.

Gu Xiangnan returned, placed a hand on his shoulder, and asked, “What did you say? Speak up.”

“I’m sorry!” Cao Guang shouted.

Gu Xiangnan straightened, satisfied. “Then I forgive you. Knowledge isn’t just about rote memorization—you must learn to apply it flexibly.”

With that, he turned to go.

“What about my death point?” Cao Guang called after him anxiously.

Without turning back, Gu Xiangnan tossed over his shoulder, “It’s already released.”

Gu Xiangnan then followed Hua Hongwen to the graduate classroom. Normally, each advisor would have four or five students, but Gu Xiangnan’s situation was special. Hua Hongwen had all the graduate students and their advisors attend his lecture.

The class went smoothly; Gu Xiangnan answered many questions. Both the faculty and students held him in high esteem.

After class, the principal took Gu Xiangnan to his private office—a privilege reserved for him alone.

At that moment, his phone rang. It was his second master, the gentle Immortal of Healing Herbs, sending over a PowerPoint presentation.

Gu Xiangnan turned on his computer and opened the file. The materials were impressively detailed, listing everything from the ingredients for alchemy, the steps for refining pills, mastery of the flames, to potential difficulties and their solutions.

He leafed through the slides, inwardly full of admiration. His second master truly cared for him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Professor Gu, I’m your student, my name is Huang Ying. May I add you on WeChat for convenience in asking questions?”

A tall, fair-skinned girl with gold-rimmed glasses entered, her figure graceful and elegant.

“Of course,” he replied.

As Gu Xiangnan took out his phone, Huang Ying’s gaze flickered toward the computer screen.