Outside the martial academy's gates.
Cao Bin lay on the ground, his fate unknown.
Wang Desheng, the head constable who had accompanied him, huddled beside the academy's perimeter wall without a word, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Wang Jin remained poised as though facing a formidable enemy, not daring to let his guard down.
Cao Rong's sudden halt left him utterly puzzled.
But he had no time to dwell on it now. He hurriedly gave Jiang Ning a meaningful look.
Jiang Ning understood at once. With a quick movement, he slipped behind the perimeter wall.
Judging by the direction Cao Rong had appeared from, his current position was in Cao Rong's blind spot.
Unless Cao Rong vaulted the academy's wall, there was no chance he would discover him.
Hidden behind the wall, Jiang Ning clenched his fists, seething with frustration.
He had inexplicably arrived in this world, only to be caught like a fish in the wake of someone else's disaster.
Over these past days, the Cao Family had pressed him step by step until he could barely breathe.
That pressure had driven him to practice his fist techniques and martial arts day and night, all so he could protect himself and stand tall with dignity.
As his strength steadily improved, he had thought that day was no longer far away.
He only needed a little more time to enter the ranked tiers of the Martial Dao, hold an apprenticeship banquet, and become Wang Jin's personal disciple.
Then, he had felt, he would finally escape this plight that left him no room to breathe.
But now, with Cao Rong's appearance, Jiang Ning knew it would not be so simple.
Things had come this far, and the Cao Family would not simply sit by and watch him grow.