"Lou Yinhai's mother is suspected to be suffering from withering, and Lou Yinhai has already hurried home overnight."
"Zhu Yan's younger sister's husband is suspected of cheating. After the two got into a violent fight, they were both sent to the Medical Officer Department for treatment. Zhu Yan already took leave this afternoon and left the Imperial Academy to deal with the matter."
"Several other teachers left the Imperial Academy one after another a few days ago. There's no way they'll make it back tonight..."
The metal badge emitted that mechanical "beep" from "Yin," reporting the changes in the Imperial Academy's personnel over the past two days. Although everyone had an unavoidable reason to leave, the fact that all their departures had suddenly converged on these few days—even today—was enough for anyone who noticed to sense the calm before the storm.
That was why Cha Huan's early midterm examinations had gone so smoothly. The teachers had already arranged to use the exams as a transition before leaving, which happened to fit perfectly with Cha Huan's, the attackers', and the teachers' plans. It was just tough on the students.
Although Le Yu had anticipated this, he still couldn't help being surprised. "Lou Yinhai and Zhu Yan left too?"
"Family is their final weak point," "Yin" said.
Withering meant dying when one's life was exhausted. It was a peaceful yet helpless death, but it could happen repeatedly. Even if someone truly withered to death, they might still return briefly to life when called by their loved ones. Situations like I'm dead—oh, I'm not dead yet were extremely common. Thus, Lou Yinhai had to return and look after his mother.
Zhu Yan was an old bachelor. He might even be the sort of hapless single man who could accidentally die without leaving any