The Measure for Measure

The Measure for Measure

Before long, Zhang He heard a noise nearby. Two dark figures had already climbed over the wall.

"How did it go? Did you get the goods?"

"I managed to grab six things in all. Tsk, I almost got caught. Hurry up, it's nearly time for room check. That kid Zhang He should be back soon."

"Smells so good. I wonder which little minx these **panties belong to. Tsk, tsk."

The two snickered, then entered the Male Martial Child Dormitory.

Zhang He saw them clearly. They headed straight for his room. They even opened his door with practiced ease, went inside, and came back out a moment later. Zhang He's face darkened.

He guessed at once that someone was setting him up.

The two stashed the things, locked the door, then sneaked back out.

"When they lock the Dormitory Garden later, that kid should be back. Young Master Zhao's already made the preparations. We just need that kid to take the bait."

"This time, we'll ruin his reputation for good! He won't be able to stay at the Martial Child Academy!"

Young Master Zhao? Zhao Feng's face appeared in Zhang He's mind. His expression turned icy. The other party was clearly trying to destroy him! If the old Zhang He had been in this position, he'd never have been able to stay at the Martial Child Academy after such a scandal.

As soon as the two men left, Zhang He hurried back to his room and found the two bundles hidden beneath his bed.

He opened them. One contained women's underwear; the other held several martial arts manuals, a few bottles of pills, and several money pouches.

"So, it's Zhao Feng. You want to play dirty? Then I'll play along to the bitter end!" Zhang He sneered. He wrapped the bundles back up, opened the rear window, and slipped soundlessly into the shadows.

Just as the bell rang to lock the Dormitory Garden, the Female Martial Child Dormitory across the way erupted into a commotion.

"Thief! Someone's stealing things!"

"You pervert! You dared to steal this old lady's panties? Catch him! I'll make sure you never have children!"

The Female Martial Child Dormitory across the way was in an uproar, voices rising all around.

In an instant, the usually peaceful Martial Child Academy came alive. Lights flickered on in room after room, and the martial children who had been about to sleep scrambled out of bed, eager to see the commotion.

Outside the dormitory, the female martial children had already rushed out.

"Mo Mo, did you see that flower thief running this way just now?" The woman leading them was Zhao Fuping, a bold and fiery girl. She was questioning a timid young woman.

Mo Mo was still shaken. She had been the first to discover someone stealing the girls' clothes. She nodded. "That figure ran this way."

She pointed toward the Male Martial Child Dormitory.

"Damn it. You can guard against thieves by day and by night, but not against one of your own! I never thought there'd be scum like this at our Martial Child Academy. He's a disgrace to the whole lot of us. We have to find him and drive him out of the academy!" Zhao Fuping's face was full of Killing Intent. She waved to the female martial children behind her and called out, "Come on, sisters! We can't let someone like this hide among us. We're going to the men's dorm and dragging him out!"

Led by Zhao Fuping, a large group of female martial children charged toward the men's dormitory.

The male martial children were already up. They stared wide-eyed as a large group of women approached.

"Miss Zhao, what happened? Why have you brought such a force over here?" Zhao Feng stepped out from among the male martial children, feigning surprise.

"A pervert was stealing our clothes, and he ran into your dormitory. We're here to catch the thief," Zhao Fuping said coldly. "Zhao Feng, are you going to stop us?"

"A thief ran in here? We're all martial children. Why would he come here? Big Sister Zhao, could you have seen wrong?" Zhao Feng pretended to be astonished.

"I saw him run this way with my own eyes!" Mo Mo protested.

"So there's a scoundrel among our martial children?" Zhao Feng exclaimed in sudden realization. Then, his face filled with righteous indignation. "If one of the male martial children is a vicious thief, of course we have to catch him. We can't let him get away with it. But this is the Male Martial Child Dormitory. Wouldn't it be inconvenient for you to go in yourselves? If you trust us, we can search the place and bring him out for you!"

"You're all in cahoots. As if we'd trust you! We're going in ourselves!" Zhao Fuping said without mincing words.

With that, a group of female martial children rushed straight inside.

A flash of triumph appeared in Zhao Feng's eyes. Behind the crowd, two martial children made a discreet gesture to him, then followed everyone into the Male Martial Child Dormitory.

Once inside, Zhao Fuping immediately ordered someone to call all the male martial children out. Then they began searching the rooms one by one.

The weather was hot, and some of the male martial children couldn't be bothered to wash their feet. They left their socks and dirty clothes in a heap in their rooms, waiting until they had enough to take them all out to wash. When Zhao Fuping and the others charged into the men's rooms, their faces twisted at once. They forced themselves to endure the nauseating stench as they searched carefully.

They searched so thoroughly that they even checked the corners of the wardrobes and the spaces beneath the beds. But after searching five or six rooms in a row, they found nothing. On the contrary, some of the male martial children couldn't stand it and began muttering sarcastic remarks. They didn't speak loudly enough to be understood, but the mocking, snide tone filled Zhao Fuping and the others with anger.

Still, they could only bear it. If the male martial children had searched their rooms, their reaction would have been far more intense.

"Whose room is this?" They reached Zhang He's room. The doors and windows were shut, and the door was locked. Zhao Fuping looked at it with a slight frown.

"That's Zhang He's room," someone among the martial children said.

"Why hasn't he opened the door yet?" A cold glint flashed in Zhao Fuping's eyes, and her face filled with Killing Intent.

"Maybe he's asleep. Strange, I've never seen him go to bed this early." A martial child muttered quietly. Zhao Fuping heard him, and her expression darkened at once.

"Maybe he's got a guilty conscience and doesn't dare show his face," Zhao Fuping scoffed. "If he won't open the door, we'll break it down!"

As she spoke, Zhao Fuping stepped forward to kick the door in. Zhao Feng remained calm on the surface, but inside, he was delighted. Kid, once that door opens, your reputation will be ruined for good!

"What are you doing?"

A puzzled voice suddenly came from behind them. The martial children turned around and saw Zhang He standing behind the crowd, staring at them in surprise.

Zhao Fuping looked a little embarrassed, but she still asked sternly, "Zhang He, where have you been?"

"I went for a walk. What's going on? Why are you all standing in front of my door?" Zhang He frowned slightly.

"There was a theft just now, so we need to open the room and let them search it. If you're not feeling guilty, hurry up and open the door. Let them check," a martial child blurted out before anyone else could speak.

His words were laced with barbs.

The moment Zhang He heard his voice, he knew this was one of the two martial children who had stolen the clothes earlier. He sneered inwardly, but on the surface he said with obvious displeasure, "Do you have any evidence? How can you search someone else's room just like that? And even if a room needs searching, it's not your place to do it, is it?"

Some of the male martial children in the crowd, who had long been fed up with this, immediately cheered inwardly. Did these women really think they were some big shots? They could search the men's rooms whenever they pleased?

Still, although Zhang He's words sounded perfectly reasonable, they immediately made people suspicious. Why is he making excuses and stalling? Could he really be feeling guilty?

Zhao Fuping said coldly, "If the search turns up nothing, I'll naturally apologize to you. But if you're feeling guilty and trying to stop us, there's no point wasting your breath. Will you open the door yourself, or do we have to break it down?"

Anger surfaced on Zhang He's face. This woman really thought she was something special! What good was her apology anyway?

"He was with me this evening. He couldn't possibly have had time to steal anything." A clear voice suddenly rang out from behind the crowd.

Every martial child turned to look, and their jaws dropped.

The goddess!

Lian Yunbi stood in white. The night breeze stirred her clothes, making her seem like an otherworldly immortal. Every other female martial child paled beside her.

Zhang He was taken aback. Why had Lian Yunbi shown up? Why was she helping him?

The male martial children had no time to admire her breathtaking beauty. They were all stunned by what she had said! What? Zhang He had been with the goddess Lian that evening, and she had admitted it herself?

Every martial child stared at Zhang He in disbelief.

In the crowd, Gan Tian'er was utterly astonished. She had always felt inferior whenever she was around Lian Yunbi. Now, hearing Lian Yunbi herself say that Zhang He had been with her that evening, her first reaction was that it couldn't be true! Then came the shock. She couldn't understand how a swan could be with a toad.

A thousand questions swirled in her mind. Her eyes fell on Zhang He, and she suddenly realized that she couldn't quite figure him out.

Could there be something going on here that no one knew about?

Lian Yunbi's words immediately dispelled everyone's suspicions about Zhang He.

Who was Lian Yunbi? Why would she lie?

Zhao Feng's face turned utterly dark. He was shocked, too. What on earth was going on? Why would a woman as lofty as Lian Yunbi suddenly stand up for Zhang He? He was consumed with envy and hatred!

I'm going to ruin Zhang He today! No one can stop me!

"Since Yunbi herself has vouched for him, that clears Zhang He of suspicion," Zhao Fuping said with a nod. She turned to Zhang He with an apologetic expression. "I'm very sorry. I was out of line just now. Please forgive me."

"No! How can you abandon the investigation based on one person's word? Wouldn't that be unfair to everyone whose room was searched?" Zhao Feng gritted his teeth. "We have to search. Nothing else can prove his innocence!"

Zhao Feng's fierce reaction immediately drew sidelong glances from the other martial children. They weren't fools; they could tell something was off.

Zhang He glanced at Zhao Fuping and smiled faintly. "In that case, I'll open the door and let you search. I, Zhang He, stand upright and have nothing to hide."

Lian Yunbi's face showed a trace of helplessness. What a fool. It's obviously a trap. Why is he practically leaping into it?

The door opened. Zhao Fuping apologized before going inside, and the others followed her. Zhang He's room was very simple. Unlike the other male martial children's rooms, it wasn't filthy or cluttered. Instead, a faint, elegant fragrance filled it, and breathing it in immediately refreshed the spirit.

As soon as Zhao Feng entered, he headed straight for Zhang He's bed and lifted the covers. An incredulous look flashed in his eyes. "How is this possible?!"

There was nothing at all beneath the bedding!

"Zhao Feng, you looked under my covers and found nothing. You seem awfully disappointed," Zhang He said blandly. "There's nothing in my room. But now I suspect you. Everything you've done has seemed aimed at me. Could it be that you're the thief, shouting 'thief' to frame me? Out of all the martial children, you have the worst character. I think you're the one who should be searched!"

Zhao Feng gritted his teeth, his face twisted with fury. Among the crowd, Han Zhao, Xu Le, and two other martial children all wore looks of disbelief.

Fatty Tang had already noticed something was wrong. He immediately jumped in to fan the flames. "That's right! Zhao Feng, now it's your room that should be searched! Don't even think about dodging it!"