After all, if even their bones couldn't be found, then some Demon Beast must have eaten them.
Zhan Kong had also returned with the rescue team. Judging by the wounds covering his body, he probably hadn't gotten the better of Lu Nian in their one-on-one fight.
Of course, Lu Nian had escaped from Zhan Kong. Zhan Kong hadn't managed to kill him.
When Lan Yu heard the news, he couldn't help sighing.
He'd already worn Lu Nian down so much, yet Zhan Kong still hadn't been able to take him down.
It seemed Zhan Kong really was the good-for-nothing Lu Nian had called him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have committed suicide alongside Qin Yu'er in the Holy City.
Still, Zhan Kong had been sealed off from the Curse Element, which he was best at. He couldn't use the Curse Borrowing Technique. Otherwise, he could've beaten the shit right out of Lu Nian.
Let's leave that topic aside for now and get back to the matter at hand.
Lu Nian's unit wanted to sweep the matter under the rug, but neither academy nor the forces backing the dead students would let it go so easily.
The Lu Family aside, they wanted to wash their hands of the whole affair, claiming that Lu Nian's actions had nothing to do with them.
But did they think they could just walk away by saying they had nothing to do with it? No way!
In the end, the Lu Family had to pay out a huge amount of resources before they could barely appease both academies and the forces behind the students.
Next, it was Song He's turn.
After all, he was the one who had revealed the students' training location to Lu Nian.
Faced with accusations from all those forces, Song He did just as the Lu Family had and paid to make the trouble go away.
Only after they got what they wanted did the various parties finally let the matter drop.
On the third day, the Pearl Institute students finally took the train back to Magic City.
After returning to Magic City, Lan Yu and Mu Nujiao were the first to head back to their apartment.
"We're finally back."
Lan Yu changed his shoes, tossed his backpack aside, then plopped down on the soft sofa, sprawled out like a man in a lazy recliner.
Mu Nujiao sighed. "Could you please stop throwing your stuff around?"
She picked up the backpack Lan Yu had tossed onto the floor and set it beside her own on the rack.
When he didn't answer, Mu Nujiao turned to look and saw that Lan Yu had already fallen asleep on the sofa.
Lan Yu really had been exhausted lately. That month of misery had nearly pushed him to the brink of a breakdown.
Click—
Just then, Ding Yumian opened the door and came in.
"It's good you're back." At last, the tension in Ding Yumian's heart eased.
For the past two days, she'd been feeling uneasy, terrified that something had happened to Lan Yu.
Thankfully, she'd learned from Dean Xiao that he was safe, and the worry weighing on her had finally lifted.
"Where's Xiaoyu?" Ding Yumian asked casually as she changed her shoes.
Mu Nujiao held a finger to her lips and whispered, "He's tired. He's resting on the sofa."
After changing her shoes, Ding Yumian walked over and saw Lan Yu sleeping soundly on the sofa.
"Jiaojiao, do you have a waterproof marker?"
Ding Yumian's sudden question made Mu Nujiao realize something was off.
"Huh?"
After sleeping until evening, Lan Yu first caught the distinctive scent of Ding Yumian.
He opened his eyes and saw that a thick, sky-blue blanket covered him. It was printed with cute cartoon characters—the one Ding Yumian usually used.
Lan Yu took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and at ease.
He sat up and folded the blanket. Just then, he heard Ai Tutu laughing:
"Hahaha..."
Lan Yu was baffled. "Ai Tutu, have you gone crazy? What the hell are you laughing at?"
Ai Tutu was laughing so hard her stomach hurt, and she didn't even hear Lan Yu cursing at her.
Finally, Lan Yu sensed something was wrong. He hurried into the bathroom and looked in the vanity mirror. His face immediately darkened.
"Ding Yumian!!!"
"What the hell is wrong with you? You drew a turtle on my face! Is there something wrong with your head?"
Hearing Lan Yu's furious roar, Ding Yumian, hiding in her room, laughed so hard she doubled over.
Mu Nujiao couldn't help laughing either. She'd tried to talk Ding Yumian out of it, but to no avail.
Mainly, she also wanted to see Lan Yu's face when he was furious but could do nothing about it.
When Ding Yumian first started drawing, Mu Nujiao had worried that Lan Yu might let the "cat" loose on them. But Ding Yumian had promised that Lan Yu would only get mad for a moment.
As soon as she heard that, Mu Nujiao had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
Sure enough, just as Ding Yumian had said, Lan Yu had gotten mad—and then given each of the three of them a knock on the head.
"You're all twenty years old. How come you still act like immature little brats?" Lan Yu sat in an armchair, while Ding Yumian and the other two knelt before him in perfect seiza.
If this were a comedy anime, each of them would already have a giant bump on her head.
"And you two, as accomplices—if we hadn't been classmates for three years, I'd have made you taste a Rider Kick!"
"Sorry, big brother Yu~" Ai Tutu said in a syrupy voice, making Lan Yu break out in goosebumps.
"Enough!" Lan Yu stood up. "I'm hungry. Is there any food?"
"There is, there is." Ding Yumian hurriedly pulled Mu Nujiao to her feet, then took Ai Tutu along with them into the kitchen.
After they went in, bursts of laughter as clear as silver bells drifted out now and then.
Besides being an Advanced Mage, Lan Yu was also a Quasi-Soul Emperor. His physical abilities and five senses were ridiculously strong. How could he possibly fail to hear what they were saying?
But one was his future wife, another was his canary, and the last was a free bonus—bland to eat, but a shame to throw away.
The next day was the twenty-seventh day of the third month on the lunar calendar.
It was Ai Tutu's birthday. She invited Lan Yu and the others to go have fun at an old, well-established club, as a way of celebrating her birthday.
But when Lan Yu learned the club's name, his expression turned strange.
That was because the club was where a group of vampires had hidden themselves in the original story. It was called the Northland Club.
In the original story, a man named Nie Dong set his sights on a pair of twin sisters. The older sister was called Liu Xian, and the younger one was called Liu Ru.
One night, when Liu Xian was taking the subway, Nie Dong drank her blood and killed her.
Liu Ru wanted to avenge her sister, Liu Xian, but ended up becoming a vampire herself.
"Let me tell you, the Northland Club is really interesting. Their drinks are so rare..."
On the way to the Northland Club, Ai Tutu talked nonstop.
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was a lounge bar. Its dim color scheme was lit by dark-red floor lights, making it look as though a glowing red carpet had been spread across the floor.
The entire lounge bar was built in a European style. A deer's head was mounted on a wall covered in religious murals, silver goblets and cutlery were displayed beside the bar, and even the bartender was a handsome Westerner.
"Esteemed guests, how may I serve you?" the bartender asked.
"I booked a private room here..." Ai Tutu took out her phone and showed the bartender her order details.
"Certainly. Please follow me..."
Before you continue