The Aggrieved Party: How Did Everything Change So Fast?!

"I understand. I'll have them come over immediately," Yuan Chenyang said thoughtfully.

Only after the figures had gone far away did he say, "That old fox Zhang Hongbo—who knows what he's plotting again."

So they really are going to search us, Su Chen thought.

The two had established a preliminary foundation of trust, and Su Chen took the opportunity to say, "Teacher, there's clearly something wrong with Zhou Xian. When we were leaving the school gates, he was obviously trying to cover something up."

"You're that impatient?" Yuan Chenyang said irritably. "Who do you think he is? Some ordinary foot soldier? He won't be that easy to deal with."

Even though his little scheme had been seen through, Su Chen did not feel embarrassed. He continued, "Doesn't the City Lord have some kind of hypnotic ability?"

"The City Lord's ability can't be used casually. It causes severe mental damage unless there's solid evidence. Besides, Zhou Xian is the head of the Internal Affairs Hall appointed by Ying Feng..." Yuan Chenyang shook his head, then suddenly froze and eyed the pensive Su Chen suspiciously.

Where did this little devil come from?

He changed the subject. "Don't worry. You're my student now, so he can't use it on you casually either."

As soon as he said that, Yuan Chenyang clearly saw the surprise in Su Chen's eyes. He could not help but slap the table. "Do you take me for an idiot?"

"How could I? Your discerning eyes are heaven-given," Su Chen hurriedly said.

"Enough..." Yuan Chenyang snorted and rose to his feet. "I'll go over there. You two can get yourselves checked later."

Only after watching Yuan Chenyang leave did Su Chen turn and say, "You're looking at me like that again."

Meeting Su Chen's gaze, Bai Fengxi looked away and said calmly, "He's a good person. You don't need to be so tense around him."

"We're not the same." Su Chen shook his head. He had approached Yuan Chenyang of his own accord, so naturally he had to keep a lower profile.

"You finally got what you wanted." There was a hint of emotion in Bai Fengxi's voice. The current Su Chen was completely different from the one she remembered.

But on second thought, who wasn't wearing a mask? Well... except Little Pigeon.

"Surviving in the cracks, finding life amid death..." Su Chen spoke evenly before asking, "By the way, Old Bai, what were Black Tuo and the Weird God Cult that the City Lord mentioned earlier?"

Bai Fengxi considered it briefly before explaining, "Black Tuo is one kind of Weird God."

Before Su Chen could ask what a "Weird God" was, she continued, "Weird Gods are powerful beings with unimaginable strength. Through sacrifices, one can gain strange abilities."

"But they also gradually drive those who come into contact with them insane, until they no longer recognize even their own kin."

Su Chen understood. So it's basically an evil cult.

"Also, you shouldn't call me Old Bai anymore." There was a teasing glint in Bai Fengxi's eyes.

"Uh..." Su Chen was not embarrassed in the slightest. He immediately called out, "Senior Sister."

For the first time, Bai Fengxi's usually impassive face wore an indescribably strange smile. "Who told you I was Yuan Chenyang's student?"

"You... aren't his student?" Su Chen was genuinely stunned.

Bai Fengxi said reservedly, "Yuan Chenyang is more like my senior brother. He accepted me as a student on our teacher's behalf."

"Huh?" Su Chen was truly shocked.

Watching his reaction, Bai Fengxi's lips curved upward soundlessly. "This is a secret. Apart from you, only the City Lord knows."

"...Killed in a single strike..." Zhang Hongbo bent over and examined the wounds on the lion's body.

It had not yet been dismembered, and the tiny wound on its head was clearly visible.

"Y-yes." Hu Xiang, standing behind him, was somewhat nervous. "Brother Su Chen's method must have been extraordinary, so he'd been charging up ever since the attack began."

"Extraordinary..." Zhang Hongbo rose to his feet, a half-smile on his face. "Charging up?"

Hu Xiang lowered his head, only to hear a question that made his scalp crawl.

"During the battle, you said you would give Su Chen an explanation. What kind of explanation?" Zhang Hongbo's tone was calm, but Hu Xiang felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Old Zhao standing nearby.

Colluding with outsiders to harm a student of the academy was one of the City Lord's taboos.

"This..." Hu Xiang's scalp went numb, and his whole body turned cold.

"You protected him well, and Su Chen spoke up for you. You also spoke up for him. No matter what, your merits and faults cancel each other out. This matter is over." Zhang Hongbo spoke indifferently.

With a splash, Hu Xiang dropped to one knee, like a drowning man struggling ashore. The relief of surviving the ordeal made even his voice tremble. "Th-thank you, City Lord."

"Thank yourself." Zhang Hongbo walked past him and went to meet Yuan Chenyang.

"Your student is no simple matter..." He pointed at the corpses of the lion pack and praised, "Twelve first-rank mutated creatures and fifteen ordinary mutated creatures, all killed in one strike. The entire battle took less than ten minutes."

He was that strong?

Yuan Chenyang was shocked as well. He still did not know the specifics of the battle.

He had assumed Su Chen had worked with the City Patrol Guard to kill them with difficulty. He had not expected it to be Su Chen's one-man show. Was that profession really so powerful?

"Su Chen has decent talent. I've deliberately focused on nurturing him." His expression did not change.

Zhang Hongbo seemed to ask casually, "He appears to be a physical combat profession. What grade is his talent? Bronze? Or Brilliant Silver?"

Yuan Chenyang's expression remained unchanged. "Brilliant Silver."

"A pillar of Southwind City..." Zhang Hongbo's eyes flickered slightly as he sighed.

Yuan Chenyang did not wish to continue probing into the matter of Su Chen, so he asked, "City Lord, how should Zhou Xian be dealt with?"

"Dealt with?" Zhang Hongbo frowned. "Have you found evidence?"

"No." Yuan Chenyang shook his head.

Zhang Hongbo said unhappily, "Even the son isn't implicated, so why are you so certain his father is? What father would use his own son to transport something so important?"

"I understand." Yuan Chenyang nodded as though he had expected this already.

Zhang Hongbo sighed. "Ying Feng's people will be arriving soon. We're colleagues, so we should help each other."

Yuan Chenyang said nothing and instead asked, "Why did you suddenly order body searches? Did you discover something else?"

"Zhou Xian believes that since there was Tang Chen, there may be other believers in the group. Search them thoroughly." Zhang Hongbo gave a simple explanation.

"That's all?" Yuan Chenyang frowned.

Zhang Hongbo glanced at him. "Four months ago, Cloudwave sent out a notice requesting joint investigation. Three Spatial Crystals were lost, and there were leads suggesting they ended up here."

"Wasn't that already investigated?" Yuan Chenyang knew about the matter.

Zhang Hongbo looked over the camp, where everyone was carrying out their duties. "Just in case. Since the Holy Word Stone was sent out, the Spatial Crystals might have been as well."

A long line formed in the camp, with men and women separated. The Exploration Guard conducted detailed "inspections," while others moved soundlessly through the tents.

They simply had to remove their clothes and be scanned by some kind of device. Soon, it was Su Chen's turn, and nothing unusual was found.

"No abnormalities at all?" Zhou Xian's cheek twitched faintly as he listened to the Exploration Guard's report.

Zhang Hongbo shook his head in disappointment. "Let's head back."

They had mostly finished packing, and everyone set off for the return journey. With a major figure from Southwind City accompanying them, naturally nothing unexpected happened on the way.

Three days later

"We're finally back." Su Chen looked at the majestic city walls ahead as cheers rose and fell around him.

The group had grown much more bloated. In order to accommodate these students, the journey had taken several extra days.

Still, he had not been idle. With Yuan Chenyang backing him, he had continued training throughout the return trip, and the Blackflame Potion had been completely used up.

[Molten Stone Training Method—Proficient: 10%]

[Sky-Rending Warrior: 36%]

Zhang Hongbo granted them three days off. The other students naturally cheered and scattered in different directions.

Hu Xiang spoke with him and said he would go back to assess the value of the Azure-Scaled Lions. Once the procedures were complete, he would send Su Chen the money.

News of the students' return immediately caused quite a stir. This city patrol mission had been far too short, and the City Lord had even accompanied them back.

Many well-informed people immediately began making inquiries, trying to find out what exactly had happened.

"What the hell are you good for?!"

Inside the room, Zhou Xian's eyes were bloodshot. Zhou Zong's corpse lay on a metal platform, the missing half of his head especially conspicuous.

"Su Chen is a refugee!?"

Qi Chuan, kneeling on the ground, was drenched in sweat. He still had no idea what had happened. The moment he was summoned, he saw Zhou Zong's corpse and Zhou Xian's furious face.

Zhou Xian's voice was hoarse. "Qi Chuan, you've disappointed me greatly this time."

"Hm?" Qi Chuan's heart skipped a beat. He carefully asked, "Could you tell me what exactly happened?"

"Su Chen killed twelve first-rank Azure-Scaled Lions in ten minutes."

"How is that possible?!" Qi Chuan cried out, his expression changing drastically. "He was clearly just a refugee. How could he possibly—"

"And you still call him a refugee?!" Zhou Xian interrupted furiously. Crackling arcs of electricity filled the air. "He—he is Yuan Chenyang's student!"

"That old bastard must have noticed something somewhere and had Su Chen quietly lie low within the city patrol team."

"Zhou Zong's death must be connected to him!"

Su Chen was also Yuan Chenyang's student?

Qi Chuan was dumbfounded. He had not expected that after merely leaving the city, everything would have changed by the time Su Chen returned.

Zhou Xian looked down at Qi Chuan coldly. "I want to know everything about him. Everything. This is your last chance."

Shadows enveloped Qi Chuan. He gritted his teeth and accepted the order. "Please rest assured. I will definitely give you an explanation!"