Chapter 55: Return, The Dean's Warning

Chapter 55: Return and the Dean's Warning

It was obvious that White Impermanence was trying to slip away seeing that the situation was turning against him. How could Liu Qingzhi and Li Zongheng possibly allow that?

However, when the two of them clearly saw the figure being thrown out, their expressions changed slightly.

The thrown figure was none of us other than Tang Xiaoyou, the student who had gone missing from the academy.

At this moment, she was unconscious with blood spilling from her nose and mouth, hurled by White Impermanence and violently plummeting toward the ground.

Li Zongheng, standing some distance away, did not have time to overthink. His figure flickered three times consecutively in mid-air, barely managing to catch her before she hit the ground.

Liu Qingzhi, having been driven back and unable to intervene directly, felt a surge of relief seeing that he had successfully caught Tang Xiaoyou, though her expression gradually grew dark and stern.

White Impermanence had escaped, and the intervention of a third-party faction could now be preliminarily confirmed.

Underworld—a faction never heard of before, originating from within the country...

Could it be the underground world?

Did Tang Xiaoyou know something?

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Qingzhi flew through the air and arrived close to Li Zongheng.

"How is she?"

"Not looking good. She has severe internal injuries that have damaged her cultivation foundation."

Li Zongheng held Tang Xiaoyou horizontally in his arms as he spoke, not daring to delay. He continued, "I will take a step ahead and bring her to the Disaster Suppression Bureau's camp for emergency treatment. You and Qin Zhe should leave the mystic realm; this matter is no longer something students can afford to meddle in. The Disaster Suppression Bureau will handle the issue with the Eagle Nation people, and your father has already intervened, bringing people into the mystic realm to conduct a search. You two should go find the Dean and explain the situation to him. I will stay in the mystic realm a bit longer to gather the Student Union members and bring them out together later."

Without waiting, he directly took flight and departed.

Qin Zhe was positioned further away. As he approached just in time to see Li Zongheng give his instructions and leave, he looked up and asked, "Department Head, will Tang Xiaoyou be alright?"

"If she can hold on until we reach the camp, surviving won't be a problem," Liu Qingzhi replied, reaching out to take his hand. "Let's return to the academy. I'll have the Student Union President bring Erbao out later."

...

Leaving the mystic realm and returning to the academy square, Liu Qingzhi brought Qin Zhe directly to the Dean's office to find Wang Chongguo.

After briefly reporting what they had witnessed during this trip, Liu Qingzhi asked, "Dean, have you ever heard of a faction called the Underworld?"

"Never heard of it. No idea where they popped up from," Wang Chongguo shook his head, his brows deeply locked as he tapped his fingers on the desk. "Let this matter end here. Once Li Zongheng brings people out, no one from the Student Union is to pursue it further to avoid running into danger. Regarding the Underworld, I will arrange for people to investigate."

"Understood." Liu Qingzhi nodded in agreement, then paused and said, "Dean, the Underworld has infiltrated the academy, and it's possible they even have personnel inside the Disaster Suppression Bureau and the Research Institute. The matter of the Abyss Mystic Realm probably can't be kept under wraps within the academy much longer. Should we make some preparations?"

"Hmm, I'll have Yao Jing come over shortly to release some information through the academy gazette, so as to prevent news from leaking later and causing a backlash among the students," Wang Chongguo said, casting a glance at Qin Zhe. "The two of you must have learned a great deal of information about the Abyss inside the mystic realm, but do not mention too much of it to others. The appearance of the Abyss Mystic Realm has drawn grave attention from the high-ups of the Dragon Country, and for now, the academy is merely cooperating with the investigation. Keeping the secret is one thing, but as for what specific information gets made public, it ultimately depends on the official authorities. We don't get to make the final call."

With that, Wang Chongguo let out a long breath, a look of fatigue surfacing on his face.

"Qingzhi, you go back and rest first. I have a few words to speak with Qin Zhe alone."

Hearing this, Qin Zhe was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected the Dean to keep him behind and felt quite puzzled.

Liu Qingzhi's reaction, however, was very decisive. She acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Once she had left the office, Wang Chongguo looked up to confirm she was truly gone. The fatigue on his face silently vanished as he cheerfully opened a drawer, pulled out a bottle of red wine, and casually produced two glasses.

"Care for a drink?"

????

Qin Zhe wore a face full of question marks.

"Strictly speaking, students are not allowed to drink alcohol on campus, but this time counts as an exception," Wang Chongguo said leisurely, pouring two glasses of red wine, standing up, and handing one over. "Thanks to you, the academy won countless resources in the exchange tournament and conveniently secured a large-scale spiritual vein. This occasion definitely calls for a proper celebration."

"..."

Qin Zhe was left speechless, a wry smile plastered across his face.

He had wondered why Wang Chongguo suddenly wanted to drink with him, only to find out it was purely to celebrate.

He had to admit that this Dean truly had a remarkably large heart.

The Cold Moon Mystic Realm had been turned upside down, the academy had suffered from both a traitor and internal infiltration, and yet, even now, he was still in the mood to celebrate.

Seeming to read what was on Qin Zhe's mind, Wang Chongguo took a sip of his wine and said, "Qin Zhe, you're young and might not understand. Many things in this world aren't our responsibility to worry about, so there's no need to stress over them. Regardless of the Eagle Nation people or the Underworld, their ultimate target is the Abyss Mystic Realm anyway. The mystic realm is a hot potato; since the Dragon Country authorities have taken charge, let the bigwigs worry about it. The initial clues appeared at our academy—do you really think we won't end up getting our share of the benefits in the end?"

Faced with such an outright lazy and detached attitude, Qin Zhe smiled faintly and said, "Dean, I more or less understand what you're saying. But I have a question: Zhou Wu has escaped. Are you just going to let that go?"

"I'd love to handle it, but I received word earlier that Zhou Wu fled the country overnight taking James with him. Judging by the time, they should be arriving in the Eagle Nation around now. There's no way to intervene," Wang Chongguo said with a shrug.

"One dispensable board member fewer—it doesn't matter anymore."

As he spoke, he tilted his head back and swallowed the red wine in his glass in one gulp, saying with absolute confidence, "Rest assured, even if he fled to the Eagle Nation, Zhou Wu won't have an easy time of it. In this day and age, who doesn't plant a few informants abroad? Anyway, let's leave that aside. The world of adults is still too early for you."

Hearing this, Qin Zhe blinked. Reflecting on it, he realized he truly didn't understand all the political maneuvering and scheming, so he asked, "Did you keep me here purely to celebrate with me?"

"What else?" Wang Chongguo said matter-of-factly, before suddenly seeming to recall something and letting out a strange laugh. "Oh, right. After Tang Xiaoyou went missing, I investigated her background and heard you used to pursue her. Now that she's heavily injured, do you need me to help arrange anything for you afterward..."

"No need!"

Black lines crisscrossed Qin Zhe's forehead.

The Dean before him genuinely felt less and less reliable the better he got to know him.

"True enough! You already have a confidante like Qingzhi, and you've been getting so close to Yao Jing as well—if another one were to enter the mix, you might not be able to handle it!" Wang Chongguo laughed mischievously, before his smile faded and he spoke in a flat tone.

"Regardless of what you're thinking inside, I'll give you a heads-up beforehand: once Li Zongheng brings Tang Xiaoyou back, you'd better not get too close to her. This young girl might not be as simple as she appears on the surface."

"How so?" Qin Zhe raised an eyebrow, catching a hint of underlying meaning.

Liu Qingzhi had previously expressed doubts about Tang Xiaoyou, and he hadn't been completely oblivious to them.

After all, there were too many suspicious points surrounding Tang Xiaoyou, and no one could say for sure what role she had played in this incident.

Just the question of why she had aligned herself with the Eagle Nation people was already intriguing: was she coerced, exploited, or acting of her own free will?

Perhaps once Li Zongheng brought her back for treatment, some of these questions would be answered, but by then, any answers would merely be her own unilateral account.

"I have my own arrangements for this. You're a student, so just focus on doing your own job properly," Wang Chongguo shook his head, seeming unwilling to dwell on it further. "In short, remember my words: keep your distance from her. To be honest, even I can't be truly certain about certain things right now. Suspicion is suspicion, but she is still a student of our academy after all; we can't just take action against her based purely on suspicion."

...