Prelude to the Encirclement

Lü Qingjian watched the two of them putting on a show and finally understood.

These two were using him as a scapegoat with their righteous words!

This made him furious. He roared in anger, "You two are going too far! I just went to Sage Scholar Academy to test their intentions."

"That old hag Fang Wanqing from Sage Scholar Academy has no intention of backing down. There's no turning back from this."

"Are you still dreaming? You think everything will be fine if you hand me over?"

"All the students and teachers who could run have already run. Our Taihua Academy is already a shell."

"When the time comes to investigate, everyone will be responsible! No one can escape! Instead of condemning me, you should think about how to face the retaliation from the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction."

Yun Congnan and Qiu Ziqin's expressions soured after hearing Lü Qingjian's words.

They had just emerged from their cultivation, and the intelligence they received was only what the teachers in the academy had stammered out after much difficulty.

They never expected things to escalate so quickly, nor did they expect the people from the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction, whom they had suppressed for years, to still possess such influence.

At this moment, all three fell silent, the sense of powerlessness suffocating them.

Meanwhile, Mo Yunxuan, upon returning to the Wei State Duke Mansion, saw Meng Qianxue and Meng Zhirou seated on either side as soon as he entered the main hall.

However, it was strange that Meng Qianxue's expression was one of unwillingness, while Meng Zhirou seemed to be carried away by her triumph.

The two, who were usually close, seemed to have a rift between them at this moment.

But this was not something Mo Yunxuan could discern. He merely felt that the atmosphere between them was peculiar.

Since he had something to ask Meng Qianxue, he didn't dwell on it.

"Qianxue, you've met Chen Yuanshan who is taking over your position, along with the 24 early Spirit Transmutation Realm guards, right? How long do you think it will take to fully integrate the Right Wei Guard?"

Hearing Mo Yunxuan's question, Meng Qianxue knew he had important matters to discuss. She suppressed her emotions and made an estimate in her mind.

"If it's just preliminary integration, it can be completed by tonight at the earliest."

Mo Yunxuan was quite satisfied with this integration speed.

However, he still had some concerns about her mention of "preliminary integration."

"Will this affect the combat effectiveness of the Right Wei Guard?"

Hearing Mo Yunxuan's concern, Meng Qianxue smiled slightly, "It won't affect it. Unless we're fighting against Void Refinement Realm opponents, we don't need the Commander to lead the battle formation."

"A general military formation led by a Nascent Soul Realm expert is more than enough to deal with Spirit Transmutation Realm enemies."

"And I heard that Commander Chen Yuanshan has already reached the early Body Integration Realm. Even without using the military formation, it won't affect his combat effectiveness."

"Good!" Mo Yunxuan clenched his right fist, applying a little force, then walked to the main seat and suddenly shouted:

"I now issue my command!"

Everyone present stood up and looked at Mo Yunxuan with solemn expressions, even Meng Zhirou.

They said in unison, "Please instruct us, Duke of Wei."

Mo Yunxuan nodded and continued, "Gao Lan, Qiao Heng."

Upon hearing their names called, the two stepped forward half a pace, emerging from the crowd.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Go to the Left and Right Wei Guards shortly and relay my command. At sunrise tomorrow, the two armies will join forces and completely seal off Taihua Academy. Await my further orders."

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"Your subordinate obeys!"

The two stepped back half a pace, returning to their original positions. Mo Yunxuan then shifted his gaze to Li Jin.

"Li Jin, go to the Left and Right Xiao Guards and tell Chen Wei and Zhang Tong to secure the city gates tomorrow and not let anyone from Taihua Academy escape."

"Yes, Duke."

Then Mo Yunxuan looked at Wang Yuan, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Uncle Wang, make the official announcement. My Wei State Duke Mansion Faction has completely severed ties with Taihua Academy. From now on, it's a fight to the death."

"Anyone who doesn't want to be involved in the conflict between the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction and Taihua Academy should leave before sunrise tomorrow."

However, a bloodthirsty glint flickered in Mo Yunxuan's eyes, and he changed his tone.

"I'm actually looking forward to Taihua Academy having some backbone. It will be a good opportunity for our Wei State Duke Mansion Faction to establish our authority."

"Alright, you may all leave."

Everyone quietly withdrew from the main hall upon hearing Mo Yunxuan's dismissal, leaving only Meng Qianxue and Meng Zhirou behind.

Meng Zhirou, familiar with the routine, sat into Mo Yunxuan's embrace, deliberately glancing at Meng Qianxue along the way.

The undisguised triumph in her eyes made Meng Qianxue's veins bulge. She was furious:

Damn vixen, sneaky cat! I shouldn't have told you anything. I even treated you like a good sister, and this is how you repay me?

Why doesn't this dog man know how to refuse? He just hugs her when she comes on to him! Doesn't he have any self-awareness!

Unwilling to be outdone, she stepped forward and yanked Meng Zhirou from Mo Yunxuan's embrace, flinging her lightly into the distance.

However, Meng Zhirou was no weak woman. As the fiancée specially prepared for Mo Yunxuan by the Martial Merit Noble Family, the Wei State Duke Mansion, even though she generally preferred composing poetry and painting, she didn't neglect her cultivation. While she was still quite a bit behind Meng Qianxue's Spirit Transmutation Early Stage, she had still reached Late Golden Core.

The moment she was flung away, she used her spiritual energy to stabilize herself, landing steadily on the ground.

When she looked back at Mo Yunxuan, Meng Qianxue was already offering him some jelly, bouncy and chewy.

Not only she, but even Mo Yunxuan felt as if she had transformed into someone else.

While the three were playfully bickering, the outside world had already erupted into chaos.

Taihua Academy, Teachers and students who had not yet left were packing their bags. Without submitting any resignation or withdrawal letters, a large number of them fled the academy.

Although Vice Dean Lü Qingjian claimed that the Wei State Duke Mansion's announcement was merely to save face and that they wouldn't actually mobilize the Imperial City Imperial Guard to attack the academy, in a moment of life-or-death crisis, no one was so thick-skinned as to truly believe his words.

Nor did anyone dare to gamble their lives against his, betting whether the Wei State Duke would dare to act.

Fleeing the academy might lead to an uncertain future, but not fleeing meant certain death. Everyone knew very well what they should do.

This transformed the once bustling academy into a deserted, ghostly realm, with barely a figure visible as far as the eye could see.

Those who remained were mostly management personnel dispatched by the imperial family or belonging to Lü Qingjian's faction.

They didn't believe Mo Yunxuan would dare to mobilize the Imperial City Imperial Guard to encircle them. The so-called "no quarter given" was just to save the Wei State Duke Mansion's face, not a major issue at all. The only problem now was that the Wei State Duke Mansion's announcement had emptied the entire Taihua Academy through sheer deterrence.

They would inevitably face an inquiry and thorough investigation from the Empress, especially the faction led by Vice Dean Lü Qingjian.