Five Elements Spirit Gu

Gao Yunqi and Zhou Yi drank heartily across from each other, tacitly choosing not to mention the matter again.

For this unexpected incident, no one was to blame.

The only person at fault was Ximen Xuri—but Ximen Xuri was already dead.

Fang Che had been ambushed and had killed his attacker in haste. Could Fang Che be blamed? Was he supposed to stick out his neck and let himself be killed before he could be considered blameless? Under those circumstances, even if the headmaster had personally served as judge, he might not have been able to stop it!

Naturally, Gao Yunqi and Zhou Yi could not be blamed either.

Who could have imagined that Ximen Xuri had still been hiding a concealed weapon in his sleeve—and that it was a living Demon Beast! But once someone died, someone had to bear responsibility. And to a Martial Academy, reputation was the weightiest thing of all.

No matter what, they had to show some kind of stance.

Thus, the two chose to bear everything themselves. They would not wait for the Martial Academy to punish them; they would punish themselves.

That way, they could preserve the Martial Academy's dignity.

Just as the two made up their minds, a clear, bright voice rang out. "The two of you really are enjoying yourselves."

The two looked up.

A young man stood at the doorway, dressed in black with dark-gold patterns on his cloak. He carried two jars of wine in his hands and stood there with a beaming smile.

"Teachers, may I come in?"

"Fang Che?"

Both men froze for a moment. "What brings you here?"

"I happened to have two jars of good wine on hand, so I thought I'd find somewhere to enjoy them."

Fang Che smiled as he placed the wine on the table.

"Iron Blood Stage? Fifty-year Iron Blood Stage?"

Their eyes lit up.

Iron Blood Stage was ranked as the finest wine in the world. And fifty-year Iron Blood Stage was even harder to find than a needle in a haystack.

Then the two lowered their faces and said, "Righteous Fang Gongzi truly brings out fine wine whenever he reaches into his sleeve."

Fang Che smiled faintly.

He had never intended to leave everyone in the world utterly in the dark about what he had done.

But none of that mattered.

What was a reputation worth in this life?

Perhaps others cared about it, but the path Fang Che had chosen from the beginning was different from everyone else's. The world's praise and condemnation were, to Fang Che, no more than a fart!

"Because of my affair, the two of you were dragged into this. Of course, saying that now is meaningless."

Fang Che said indifferently, "As for my own character, I know it well enough. Let the world judge me as it will."

He slowly sat down opposite the two instructors and said, "I came today because I have a few heartfelt words I wish to share with you. Once I've said them, I'll leave. I ask that you do me the kindness of letting me finish."

"Go ahead."

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat puzzled.

They also felt a little warmth in their hearts.

Because of their student's affair, the two teachers had been dragged into it—those words gave them both a measure of comfort.

Although the matter had begun because of you, you could not be blamed for it.

The fact that you had come here and said those words was itself a stance.

"The Martial Academy is different from a battlefield. People dying on battlefields or in the martial world is utterly commonplace, but the Martial Academy recruits students from across the world. A student's death is naturally a major event. Regardless of who was right or wrong, a death is a death—it is an accident! That much is certain."

"Since it was an accident, someone has to take the blame."

"And the two of you are the obvious choices."

"You've surely already made up your minds about this. I have no place to comment on that, but I do have a few words to say."

"On this battlefield, two warriors who haven't reached the peak would hardly be missed. But teachers with rich teaching experience, upright character, a strong sense of responsibility, and an unyielding spirit are desperately needed!"

"Those two warriors could go to the front lines, kill a few foot soldiers, slay a few enemies of equal or lower cultivation, and ultimately die on the battlefield, leaving behind a glorious name."

"But the two of you, as responsible teachers in the Martial Academy, can continue cultivating the strength of the future. Year after year, generation after generation—among your students there may be those with mediocre talent in martial arts, yet you can still teach them a heart full of fervor. And when your students include geniuses, proper guidance can turn them into pillars that hold up the sky!"

"Ten years to raise a tree, a hundred years to nurture people!"

"The battle against the Sole True Sect cannot be completed by a single generation."

"Only when talents for the future continue to pour forth, and everyone's thoughts remain on the right path, will there be even the slightest hope for the future."

"The Martial Academy has stood for a thousand years. A little pressure is merely a fleeting moment amid a thousand years of wind and rain. But the Martial Academy's fame throughout the world was achieved because the talents it nurtured over countless years shone brilliantly in every land! Only by piling up grains of sand into a tower, gathering fox fur into a robe, and bringing the waters of a hundred rivers together can such a thing be accomplished."

"Perhaps the two of you will say that the Martial Academy is teeming with talent and does not lack two teachers. Once you leave, more formidable teachers will naturally come to replace you."

"But I would also like to ask: with so many faculty members in the Martial Academy, are they truly all members of the Guardians?"

"Are there really no spies from the Sole True Sect among them?"

"Is the whole place truly one solid block?"

"Once you leave, is your successor certain to be one of us?"

"Could someone use this opportunity to plant their own people?"

"For the sake of this error that was not truly an error, would you abandon the students you are teaching now, as well as the batches of students waiting to be taught in the future? Could your consciences truly accept that?"

"To shoulder the blame, be exiled to the battlefield, and spill your blood there—of course that would make you heroes!"

"But to brazenly endure a few days, weather this difficult stretch, continue fulfilling your duties, and truly maximize your usefulness—that is what makes a true great man!"

"For the foundation of ten thousand generations, for the thousands upon thousands of students you will have for the rest of your lives, why not endure a little longer?"

Fang Che finished speaking.

With two sharp slaps, he knocked open the clay seals on the Iron Blood Stage.

As the fragrance of wine drifted out, he rose with a smile and said, "That is all the student has to say. I shall take my leave."

He glanced at the two men, who were still sitting there as if struck dumb.

Fang Che bowed, turned, walked out, and gently pulled the door shut.

The sound of his footsteps receded, then vanished in an instant.

After a long while,

Gao Yunqi let out a long breath. "I never expected Righteous Fang Gongzi to be this kind of person."

Zhou Yi smiled bitterly and sighed as well. "I taught students for half my life, yet today I was given a lesson by my own student. This feeling... tsk tsk... it's truly something special."

The two exchanged a smile, both feeling that the other's spirit seemed different from before.

"You... are you still leaving?"

"A little empty fame... I, Gao, can still withstand a few curses. I won't leave. What about you?"

"My skin is thicker than yours!"

"Hahahaha..."

After sighing over the matter for a while, they looked at the two jars of wine beside the table.

"This kid really is... cautious. Afraid we wouldn't drink, he actually opened them himself."

"Then... shall we drink?"

"Since our skins are already this thick, drinking two jars of wine from our student shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Then let's drink?"

"Drink!"

"After I finish drinking and return to the Martial Academy, I'll hold in a mouthful of wine fumes and spit it in Headmaster Huang's face, to test him on how many years old this Iron Blood Stage is."

"Right, and while we're at it, tell him that we're not leaving. He has to shoulder this matter!"

"Hahahahaha..."

"Hahaha..."

Fang Che returned to his courtyard, deep in thought all the way.

It seemed that Ximen Xuri's matter still needed to be dealt with afterward. Otherwise, this affair would still have loose ends. If he pulled them out now, would that be a waste? After a moment, he made up his mind: So be it, even if it is a waste. They're only a few little shrimp, anyway.

Sun Yuan was waiting as usual.

"How did it go?"

"I defeated Ding Ziran, but I didn't kill or cripple him... After all, I had just killed Ximen Xuri yesterday. If I took out another one today, I would probably be expelled."

Fang Che said, "So I didn't use lethal force."

"That goes without saying. If you killed all three, how would you continue living in this Martial Academy? Defeating them was already the greatest victory."

Sun Yuan's loyalties had naturally long since shifted to his own disciple.

"Remember, at all times, preserving yourself is the most important thing. What do you think of the last one?"

Fang Che smiled faintly. "As easy as turning over my hand. There won't be any problems!"

Sun Yuan's spirits rose. "Good. I'll report to the sect master tonight. The sect master will surely be delighted."

Fang Che asked, "Master, there is something I don't know whether I should ask."

Sun Yuan said, "Go ahead. Even if it's a little inappropriate before me, could I really sell you out? I'll just lecture you and pretend I never heard it."

Fang Che smiled sheepishly, then asked, "Master, how does this communication of yours with the sect master work? I've noticed that your communications seem extremely convenient."

This had also been Fang Che's greatest question in his previous life.

The people of the Sole True Sect communicated far too quickly.

Before the Guardians developed soul Jade Pendant communications, the Sole True Sect had already accomplished it for who knew how many years.

Moreover, it had never changed, yet it was even faster and more convenient than soul Jade Pendant communication.

That was because the Guardians' soul Jade Pendant required at least an Imperial-level cultivation before one could activate the Communication Jade.

The Sole True Sect clearly had no such restriction on cultivation.

There had to be something strange about it.

"This matter is very simple."

Sun Yuan said, "I thought it was something important. It's only a Communication Jade."

"Please enlighten me, Master."

"The Communication Jade is issued by headquarters. As long as there is a need, you basically don't have to worry about shortages."

Sun Yuan said, "We don't know how it's made, but using it is very simple."

"As long as anyone becomes a member of the sect, there is something inside their body. It is called the Five Elements Spirit Gu."

When Sun Yuan said this, his tone became meaningful. "You have one inside your body too. It was in the pill your good Brother Su gave you."

Fang Che's heart stirred.

The Five Elements Spirit Gu—it was actually the Five Elements Spirit Gu!

He had long known that the Five Elements Spirit Gu concealed immense problems and far too many secrets, but he had never imagined that the wondrous Gu could actually be used for communication.

How does it work? Yet aloud, he sounded delighted. "Brother Su really is a good person. He actually gave me something so precious."

Sun Yuan's eyes stiffened for a moment.

H-How could you interpret it that way?

Considering that Su Yue had probably already died until not even bone fragments remained, he decided not to explain.

Think whatever you want. In any case, your good Brother Su is already a ghost.

Fang Che was thinking the same thing.

Think whatever you want. In any case, my good Brother Su... isn't even a ghost anymore.