The Matter of Retribution

"Give it back!"

The Fatty used his spiritual sense to communicate with Bai Ze.

To his surprise, Bai Ze shut off their spiritual link and refused to answer.

Right now, nothing mattered more to it than taking the Beast King Pill.

Seeing that Bai Ze wasn't responding, the Fatty felt a little embarrassed.

He said, "Brother Chen, I'm sorry. My Contract Beast doesn't know any better. Whatever you gave it, I'll repay you tenfold."

Jiang Chen said sternly, "If you put it that way, then you don't consider me a friend!"

The Fatty waved his hands repeatedly. "No, that's not what I meant."

"I just can't accept things from you, Brother Chen."

"You've already looked after me so much. If I took more of your things, I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you."

Afraid Jiang Chen might misunderstand, the Fatty hurried to explain.

Jiang Chen wasn't bothered by the Fatty's way of thinking. "I can't use this thing, and your Contract Beast likes it. It's a perfect gift for it."

After Jiang Chen put it that way, the Fatty couldn't say anything more. He could only reply, "Then, thanks, Brother Chen!"

"Here. This is my gift!"

Seeing that Jiang Chen had given a gift, Zhang Banxian felt he couldn't be the only friend who didn't give one, so he took out the item he'd been saving.

"What's this?"

The Fatty saw that Zhang Banxian had given him a very strange flower.

He'd never seen a flower like it before.

So he asked.

"This is a Black Mandara. I thought your Contract Beast might like it."

Bai Ze had shut off its conversation with the Fatty.

But it could still see what was happening outside through its contract with him.

When it saw Zhang Banxian take out the Black Mandara, it shot out of Pet Space at once and waved its little paws. "I want it! I want it!"

"Can you stop making things difficult for me?"

The Fatty felt awkward accepting something from his friend.

The three of them had been together for three years, and he was the best off financially.

So when it came to rare treasures, he really could get his hands on them.

It wouldn't be difficult for him.

But Bai Ze seemed determined to go against him, insisting on taking things from his friends.

"If you want something, tell me and I'll get it for you. They're my friends, so don't do this!"

With no other choice, the Fatty had to spell it out.

Bai Ze smacked him in the face with a paw and said, "What do you know? This is a ten-thousand-year-old Black Mandara. Absorbing its essence will help me a lot."

What...

This was a ten-thousand-year-old Mandara?

Even with the Fatty's resources, he honestly might not have been able to get a spirit herb of such high quality.

He hadn't expected Zhang Banxian to give him something so precious.

"If it weren't so rare, I wouldn't even want it!"

Bai Ze gave a proud snort, then seized the chance to snatch the flower and disappear.

"Zhang Banxian, I'm always teasing you, but you still gave me something this valuable. I..."

"I'll make Bai Ze spit it back out right now."

The Fatty hadn't expected Zhang Banxian to give him something so precious.

It was beyond anything that could be measured in money.

"If I gave it to you, then keep it. Your Contract Beast should get stronger after eating it. That'll help you improve, too."

Zhang Banxian pretended not to care as he spoke.

In truth, his heart was breaking.

But Uncle-Master Jiang had given a gift. How could he not give one, too?

His words deeply moved the Fatty.

"Zhang Banxian, you're too good to me. I've decided—I'll tease you a little less from now on!"

"Alright, alright. I can't stand this kind of thing."

"What's there to thank me for? Friends shouldn't talk like that. It just makes things awkward."

Zhang Banxian replied with a smile.

That was right. Friends didn't need to thank each other.

Saying thanks just made things awkward.

The Fatty was happy. He was lucky to have met them in this life.

They could trust each other with their lives and stand by each other through thick and thin.

"What are we having for lunch? My treat!"

The Fatty patted his stomach and asked.

Jiang Chen checked the time. It was about time to eat.

There didn't seem to be anything else for him to do at the school, so he thought they should get something hearty. He was a little hungry, too.

But just as he was about to speak, he heard General Pagoda's voice behind him.

"What happened here? How did the building collapse? What exactly went on?"

General Pagoda had brought the Law Enforcement Team to the school.

He pointed at the collapsed building and asked.

Song Yiyi knew the situation was complicated, but she didn't know how to explain it.

After all, it involved her grandfather.

The school hadn't yet been told that her grandfather had fallen and become a demon. Apart from Jiang Chen and the others, no one knew.

She was afraid of what would happen if people found out.

How would they look at her grandfather? How would they see her?

Before she could figure out how to answer, Jiang Chen spoke up. "We don't know either, but when the building collapsed, I seemed to sense a demon's presence."

A demon...

The moment they heard the word, everyone on the field panicked.

General Pagoda noticed the commotion and addressed the crowd. "The school is surrounded by a powerful Guardian Barrier. If a demon invades, it will trigger an alert immediately."

"The barrier hasn't activated, which proves there are no demons!"

"Don't panic!"

"The building must have collapsed for some other reason. I'll have people investigate!"

"For now, please go to the laboratory building across the way and wait for further instructions."

With General Pagoda there, the students who had begun to panic gradually calmed down.

Following his instructions, they went to the laboratory building across the way to wait.

Jiang Chen was about to head to the laboratory building with the Fatty and Zhang Banxian when General Pagoda stopped him. "Jiang Chen, stay behind. Song Yiyi, you too."

"I need to understand what happened."

General Pagoda led the four of them to a secluded spot.

He looked at Song Yiyi, who was clearly troubled, and Jiang Chen, who seemed calm, then said directly, "Tell me what happened."

Song Yiyi glanced at Jiang Chen.

After he gave her a subtle nod, she explained.

"I didn't expect the building to collapse in the end."

"Reckless! Destroying a super demon's physical body is extremely dangerous. Why didn't you inform me right away?"

General Pagoda was clearly furious. "Do you realize how dangerous it was to act on your own like that?"

"I..."

Song Yiyi had considered that, too.

But apart from Jiang Chen, she didn't know who else could handle the situation.

Seeing that none of them said anything, General Pagoda was still angry, but it seemed there wasn't a better solution.

"Fortunately, the matter was resolved without any accidents or casualties."

"I'll report what happened to my superiors."

"Still, the crisis facing this city has been averted."

"Jiang Chen, you've made a tremendous contribution."

When Song Yiyi heard that General Pagoda was going to report what had happened, she grew anxious. "As for my grandfather, could you..."

"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to preserve your grandfather's reputation."

After receiving General Pagoda's assurance, Song Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Also, Jiang Chen, would you be interested in joining the Law Enforcement Team?"

Jiang Chen rejected General Pagoda's invitation without a second thought. "I like being free. I don't like being tied down."

General Pagoda thought highly of Jiang Chen, but everyone had their own path. Since Jiang Chen had no interest in joining, General Pagoda couldn't force him.

All he could say was, "If you ever need help, you can come to me anytime."

"Sure!"

Their conversation ended, and Jiang Chen walked with Song Yiyi toward the laboratory building.

Jiang Chen didn't say a word the whole way. Song Yiyi tried to find something to talk about. "Jiang Chen, do you think the school will appoint a new principal?"

"This school is privately owned by your family, so choosing the principal is your Song family's business."

"But the school is also under the Empire's authority. The Song family is only a shareholder. If the Empire appoints a new principal, even I'll have to accept it."

"That's not something I'm concerned about."

Song Yiyi had no answer to that, so she dropped the subject and followed behind Jiang Chen with her head lowered.

At some point, a letter had appeared in Jiang Chen's hand.

Curious, he opened it.

It read:

Would you be interested in taking part in the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts?

I feel like this wasn't written well. I'll revise it.