Xiao Hongchen, you absolutely cannot disgrace yourself!

"I... I..."

Wang Chong's lips trembled as he tried to speak several times, but after a fierce internal struggle, he hung his head low. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he said with a voice full of bitterness:

"There... there is no mastermind. We did it all ourselves. I confess to everything!"

"No, why are you like this!"

Watching Wang Chong act like a broken vessel beyond repair, completely oblivious to his good intentions, Xiao Hongchen realized his kindness had been treated like a donkey's liver and lungs, and he grew anxious.

He grabbed Wang Chong by the collar and dragged him in front of the two 'victims'—who had just been released from their chains by Qian Yuhan and were still basking in the joy of their rescue—and shook him violently:

"Can't you see that this young master is trying his best to help you mitigate your crimes for the sake of our school ties!"

"According to the Sun-Moon Code of our Sun Moon Empire, kidnapping is a grave crime that starts with exile, has no upper limit, and is exempt from any amnesty!"

"Without clear evidence of meritorious service, even if these two victims are willing to turn a blind eye in court and not pursue your liability, the best outcome you can hope for is being sent to the northern defense line to repair walls for twenty years against the Sea Soul Beasts."

"Once those twenty years of hard labor are over, your life will be effectively ruined!"

"Only by actively cooperating, becoming a state's witness, and atoning for your crimes—while having these two victims willing to show leniency and the academy stepping in to mediate—can you minimize your sentence to the greatest extent!"

"I know you're trying to help me, Brother Xiao, but... I really have no choice!", Wang Chong choked out, tears and snot streaming down his face uncontrollably.

Looking at his classmate, who appeared so pathetic, miserable, and infuriating all at once, a flash of reluctance crossed Xiao Hongchen's eyes. He slowly turned his head toward Qian Yuhan, his bright eyes flickering with a questioning look that seemed to say:

Brother, what should we do now? He is our schoolmate after all; can we really just drag him off to prison?

"To be honest..."

"I can't bring myself to do it!"

"Sigh~," it seems This Seat must step in personally!

Qian Yuhan let out a long, leisurely sigh. He gestured for Xiao Hongchen to stay calm and walked slowly toward the sobbing Wang Chong. He transmitted his voice so that only Wang Chong could hear:

"Crying? What good does crying do? Do you think that by crying and taking all the blame upon yourself, you can solve the problem, end it all, and sleep soundly?"

"Do you really think those two dogs will have a change of heart just because you took the fall, release your parents' souls, and grant them freedom?!"

"Use that dim-witted brain of yours and think carefully! Once you take the fall and get exiled to the Ice Sea, those two bloodthirsty ogres will only see you as an incompetent piece of trash who couldn't even handle a small task and nearly exposed them."

"So, what do you think they will do next? It's really not hard to guess!"

"Come, I'll give you the two most likely options for you to consider." Qian Yuhan cleared his throat and held up a finger:

"Option 1: They feel that even in exile, you might still sell them out, so they set an ambush on your way to the north to silence you! You and your parents' souls will all be harvested by them to be refined into vengeful spirits."

"Option 2: They don't care if you confessed or not, because once you are taken away, they will abandon this current hideout."

"They will move to a new place to continue their evil deeds. Without you, your parents' souls will be useless and will simply be refined into vengeful spirits."

"By the time you finish your twenty-year sentence in the northern Ice Sea and are released, your life will be over, your parents' souls will likely have long since dissipated, and those two ogres will still be out there, happily committing their crimes."

After hearing the two options Qian Yuhan presented, Wang Chong's sobbing stopped abruptly. His face turned ashen, and he stared blankly at Qian Yuhan, his mind racing through the scenarios.

Truth be told, this was exactly the kind of thing those Evil Soul Masters would do.

"Looking at your reaction, you don't seem to deny my assessment?" Qian Yuhan picked Wang Chong up like a chick and said in a deep voice: "Then, it seems you only have one path left to 'turn the tables'."

"Turn the tables! A path? What path!"

As if clutching at a final straw, a faint, illusory glimmer flashed in Wang Chong's eyes, and his hoarse voice sounded like a broken bellows.

"I can't be bothered to tell you. It's useless anyway. After all, you're a coward who would rather send himself to the north to repair walls for twenty years than take a gamble. I don't have the patience for you. Just wait here to be arrested by the Bright Capital patrol and sent north to dig potatoes and fix walls."

With that, Qian Yuhan turned and pulled Xiao Hongchen to leave. Wang Chong scrambled up from the ground, stumbling, and grabbed the hem of Qian Yuhan's robe: "I am not a coward! Please, tell me what I should do!"

"It's simple." Qian Yuhan yanked his robe from Wang Chong's grip and placed a high-sounding title on Xiao Hongchen:

"Tell your grievances and your story to Young Master Xiao. As the eldest son of the Hongchen Family, grandson of the Dean of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and the head of Mingde Hall, the greatest genius the Sun Moon Empire has seen in a thousand years, and the future leader of the academy, he will surely stand up for you!"

"Am I right, Young Master Xiao?" Qian Yuhan grinned, looking at Xiao Hongchen with 'sincerity'. His eyes, shining even brighter under the sun, seemed to be saying to Xiao Hongchen:

Xiao Hongchen, you are the grandson of Dean Jing Hongchen and the future leader of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Your classmate is seeking help from you, his trusted senior; you absolutely cannot lose face now!

"Ah..."

Xiao Hongchen felt something was off, but because he had been put on such a high pedestal, he couldn't back down without losing face. Enduring the strange sense of dissonance, he awkwardly nodded at Wang Chong and said:

"That's right, Wang Chong. Just speak your mind. As for today's matter, I, your Brother Xiao, will take charge of it for you!"

"Thank you, Brother Xiao."

It must be said that Xiao Hongchen's reputation in the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was indeed powerful.

After receiving Xiao Hongchen's promise, Wang Chong wiped his tears in excitement and pulled the unremarkable, triangular-eyed man over, beginning to recount his tragic past to Qian Yuhan and Xiao Hongchen.