The East Window Incident

Morning.

Vice Dean's office.

Seven little gourds... no, seven junior class Warriors stood in a line, heads bowed, facing the desk.

"Spill it! Confess and be forgiven, resist and be punished!" Vice Dean Ye Sheng slammed the table, his white beard trembling.

After two days of investigation, they had finally found the suspects responsible for the extinction of the Horned Sheep in the Trial Grounds.

Actually, causing the Horned Sheep's extinction wasn't the main reason they were being apprehended.

The main reason was that these scoundrels had dug pits all over the Trial Grounds. Nearly half of Sacred Orchid Academy's students had fallen into them, and the complaint letters had nearly filled the mailbox.

Xian Wu and Vice Dean Ye Sheng had a bit of a connection, so he stepped forward to take all the blame. "Reporting to the Dean, I dug the pits, I killed the sheep. Punish me as you see fit; it has nothing to do with them."

Although Ye Sheng was the Vice Dean, calling him Dean wasn't wrong, and "Dean" sounded much better than "Vice Dean."

"Nonsense!" Ye Sheng knew Xian Wu was taking responsibility for the others, but could he handle something this big alone? He might even be expelled.

"Could you have dug so many pits by yourself? Come on, let's go to the training grounds, and show me how you dug them!" Ye Sheng stood up.

At this moment, Nie Li stepped forward and quietly tugged on Xian Wu's sleeve.

Nie Li cupped his hands towards Vice Dean Ye Sheng and said, "Reporting to Vice Dean Ye Sheng, we dug the pits together. If there's punishment, punish all of us together."

As the eldest brother in the team and Xian Wu's godfather, he couldn't let Xian Wu take all the blame alone. That would be too disloyal.

"That's right, we dug them together," Lu Piao chimed in.

"That's right, Lord Ye Sheng."

"Indeed."

"We dug them together."

The other companions chimed in.

Ye Sheng's brow twitched. These kids are quite loyal, he thought.

"Fine!" Ye Sheng sat back down, picked up the Ram Horn Pen, and said as he wrote, "The Alchemist Guild is short-handed right now. I'll fine all seven of you to work there for four days. Any objections?"

"No!" Nie Li replied.

The others nodded in unison.

"Very well." Ye Sheng finished writing, folded the paper, put it in an envelope, and handed it to Xian Wu.

"Take this letter to the Alchemist Guild and find Director Yang Xin. Off you go!" Ye Sheng patted Xian Wu's shoulder and showed them out.

On the way, Wei Nan, who was usually quiet, spoke up.

"Don't worry, everyone. I've been helping my family pick herbs and working at the pharmacy since before school started. Going to the Alchemist Guild will just be sorting herbs and grinding powders. I'm good at that, so ask me if you need help."

"Thank you, Wei Nan," Xian Wu said gratefully.

Who would have thought that the short, quiet Wei Nan would have such a skill? You can't judge a book by its cover.

"You're welcome, no need to thank me," Wei Nan said with a simple smile, scratching his head.

The Alchemist Guild was a sprawling complex of buildings. In front was a grand hall where alchemists in various colored robes entered and exited. Behind it were courtyards and pavilions, where alchemists practiced their craft.

"Hello, little ones. What can I do for you?" A young girl in a grey robe approached them. She was a receptionist at the Alchemist Guild's main hall.

Little ones? Xian Wu and Nie Li exchanged strange looks.

The former was five or six years older than her, and the latter was old enough to be her great-great-grandfather.

Xian Wu took out the letter Vice Dean Ye Sheng had given him and handed it over.

Lu Piao asked with a lecherous grin, "May I know your name, young lady? And how old are you?"

"You can call me Xiao Lan. As for my age, that's a secret. It's very impolite to ask a girl her age, you know~" Miss Xiao Lan said in a lecturing tone.

Xiao Lan? I'm Emperor New One! Xian Wu grumbled inwardly.

To be honest, Xiao Lan wasn't his type. Her chest was as flat as a pancake, and he felt no interest whatsoever.

Xiao Lan didn't open the envelope. She flipped it over and back before saying, "Please wait in the hall for a moment. I'll go find Director Yang. Don't wander off; I'll be right back, okay?"

"Sister?" Zhang Ming blinked his large eyes, raised his hand to stroke his chin, and stared at Xiao Lan's retreating back, lost in some wild thoughts.

Zhu Jun Xiang knew Zhang Ming quite well. Zhang Ming liked older women, and he also liked... flat-chested ones.

A very peculiar preference.

"Godfather, what are you thinking about?" Xian Wu whispered to Nie Li. Nie Li had been silent all the way, seemingly lost in thought.

Nie Li didn't answer directly. "You'll know soon enough."

Not long after, Director Yang Xin of the Alchemist Guild appeared.

All seven companions were stunned. Director Yang Xin was incredibly beautiful. In her early twenties, in her prime, she exuded the charm of a mature woman with every gesture. Especially the pair on her chest... they were the largest Xian Wu had ever seen.

Gulp. Xian Wu swallowed hard.

I'm going to marry Yang Xin. Not even Jesus can stop me; I've said it!

Xian Wu vowed inwardly.

Perhaps due to the tempering of his body by Soul Force, he was now only half a head shorter than Yang Xin, giving him a standout presence among his seven companions. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked like their father if he grew a beard.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nie Li pinched Xian Wu and quietly reprimanded him, "One Xiao Ning'er isn't enough, and you want to provoke Yang Xin too? Don't be too much of a playboy!"

Xian Wu pouted dismissively, "Playboy? Please watch your wording, I call it universal love. Besides, a man having multiple wives is normal in the City of Brilliance. Even the City Lord has two wives."

He wanted to marry any woman he found pleasing.

"You're talking nonsense!" Nie Li became agitated upon hearing Xian Wu mention Ye Ziyun's father, "Ye Zong only remarried after Ziyun's mother passed away. It's not the same as your situation."

In his past life, Ye Zong had shed blood and sweat for the City of Brilliance, ultimately sacrificing himself during an attack by a Demonic Beast tide.

He had dedicated his life to the City of Brilliance. He was a great man, a pure man, a man detached from vulgar interests. Nie Li would not allow Xian Wu to slander Ye Zong, his future father-in-law, in such a way.

"What's different about it?" Xian Wu sneered. "Which emperor in history didn't have numerous wives and concubines? It's a fact that the City Lord took two wives."

"Unreasonable!" Nie Li huffed and flicked his sleeve indignantly.

Regardless of what others did, he was a man who would be faithful to one woman. In his past life and this one, he loved only Ye Ziyun.

For some reason, after hearing Xian Wu's perspective, Nie Li felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.

He had to protect his precious Ziyun well and couldn't let this stallion, Xian Wu, steal her away.

If Xian Wu knew Nie Li's thoughts, he would surely scoff. He wouldn't want Ye Ziyun even if she were given to him for free.