"I understand. I'll have them come over immediately," Yuan Chenyang said thoughtfully.
After the figures had gone far away, he said, "That old fox Zhang Hongbo... who knows what he's plotting again."
So they really were going to search us, Su Chen thought.
The two had established a preliminary foundation of trust. Taking the chance, Su Chen said, "Teacher, there's obviously something wrong with Zhou Xian. When we were leaving the school gates, he was clearly trying to cover something up."
"So impatient?" Yuan Chenyang said irritably. "Who do you think he is? Some ordinary grunt? He won't be that easy to deal with."
Seeing through Su Chen's little scheme, Yuan Chenyang was not embarrassed. He continued, "Doesn't the City Lord have some kind of hypnosis-like method?"
"The City Lord's ability can't be used casually. It causes immense mental damage unless there is solid evidence. Besides, Zhou Xian is the head of the Internal Affairs Hall appointed by Yingfeng..." Yuan Chenyang shook his head, then abruptly froze and looked suspiciously at the pensive Su Chen.
Where did this little schemer come from?
He changed the subject. "Don't worry. You're my student now, so he can't use it on you whenever he wants."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Chenyang clearly saw the surprise in Su Chen's eyes. Unable to resist, he slapped the table. "Do you take me for an idiot?"
"How could I? Your insight is heaven-sent," Su Chen hurriedly said.
"Enough..." Yuan Chenyang snorted and rose to his feet. "I'll go over there. You two can go get checked later."
Watching Yuan Chenyang leave, Su Chen turned and said, "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."
"We're different." Su Chen shook his head. He had taken the initiative to come to them, so naturally he had to keep a lower profile.
"You finally got what you wanted." There was a sighing undertone 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? Mm... except Little Pigeon.
"Surviving in the cracks, finding life amid death..." Su Chen spoke calmly, then asked, "By the way, Old Bai, what were Black Pagoda and the Cult of the Strange Gods that the City Lord mentioned earlier?"
Bai Fengxi considered for a moment before explaining, "Black Pagoda is one kind of Strange God."
Before Su Chen could ask what a "Strange God" was, she explained, "Strange Gods are powerful beings with unimaginable strength. Through sacrifice, one can obtain unusual abilities."
"But they also gradually drive those who come into contact with them insane, until they no longer recognize even their closest family."
Su Chen understood. So it was basically an evil cult.
"Also, you shouldn't be calling me Old Bai now." Bai Fengxi's eyes held a teasing glint.
"Uh..." Su Chen was not embarrassed in the slightest. He immediately called out, "Senior Sister."
For the first time, Bai Fengxi's usually expressionless face showed 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 or less my senior brother. He accepted me as a student on our teacher's behalf."
"Huh?" Su Chen was truly shocked.
Seeing Su Chen's reaction, the corners of Bai Fengxi's lips silently curled upward. "This is a secret. Other than you, only the City Lord knows."
"...Killed with a single strike..." Zhang Hongbo bent over to inspect the wounds on the lion's body.
There had not yet been time to dismember it, and the tiny wounds on its head were clearly visible.
"Y-yes." Hu Xiang behind him was somewhat nervous. "Brother Su Chen's method must have been extraordinary, so he had been charging up from the very start of the attack."
"Extraordinary..." Zhang Hongbo rose to his feet, smiling without really smiling. "Charging up?"
Hu Xiang lowered his head, but then heard a question that made his scalp tingle.
"You said during the battle that you would give Su Chen an explanation. What explanation?" Zhang Hongbo's tone was calm, but Hu Xiang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. From the corner of his eye, he saw Old Zhao standing nearby.
Colluding with outsiders to harm an academy student was one of the City Lord's taboos.
"This..." Hu Xiang's scalp went numb. He felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"You rendered meritorious service in protecting him. Su Chen spoke up to excuse you, and you also spoke up for him. No matter what, your merits and faults cancel each other out. This matter ends here." Zhang Hongbo spoke indifferently.
Crash—
Hu Xiang immediately dropped to one knee, like a drowning man struggling ashore. The relief of surviving a calamity made even his voice tremble. "Th-thank you, City Lord."
"Thank yourself." Zhang Hongbo walked past him and met Yuan Chenyang.
"Your student is no simple man..." He pointed at the lion corpses and praised, "Twelve first-tier mutants and fifteen ordinary mutants, all killed with one strike. The entire battle took less than ten minutes."
He was that formidable?
Yuan Chenyang was also startled. He still did not know the details of the battle.
He had thought Su Chen had struggled to kill them alongside the City Patrol Guard. He had not expected it to be Su Chen's show alone. Was that profession really that powerful?
"Su Chen has decent talent. I've been deliberately focusing on training him." He kept his expression neutral.
Zhang Hongbo seemed to ask casually, "It seems to be a physical combat profession. What grade is his talent? Bronze? Or Brilliant Silver?"
Yuan Chenyang's expression did not change. "Brilliant Silver."
"A pillar of Southwind City..." Zhang Hongbo's eyes flickered as he sighed.
Yuan Chenyang did not want to continue probing into Su Chen's affairs, so he asked, "City Lord, how should Zhou Xian be handled?"
"Handled?" Zhang Hongbo frowned. "Did you find evidence?"
"No." Yuan Chenyang shook his head.
Zhang Hongbo said unhappily, "Even the son isn't involved, so why are you so certain his father is? What father would use his own son to transport something that important?"
"I understand." Yuan Chenyang nodded as though he had expected this answer.
Zhang Hongbo sighed. "People from Yingfeng will be arriving soon. We're colleagues, so we should help each other."
Yuan Chenyang remained silent, then asked, "Why did you suddenly order a body search? Did you find 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 cooperation notice. Three Spatial Crystals were lost, and clues suggested they had made their way here."
"Wasn't that already investigated?" Yuan Chenyang knew about the matter.
Zhang Hongbo looked at the camp, where everyone was carrying out their duties. "Just in case. Since the Holy Word Stone could be smuggled 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 some others moved silently through the tents.
They simply had to remove their clothes and be scanned by some instrument. 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 nearly finished packing. Everyone set out for the return journey, and with Southwind City's higher-ups accompanying them, nothing unexpected happened along the way.
Three days later
"Finally, we're back." Su Chen looked at the magnificent city walls before him as cheers rose and fell around him.
The group had become much more bloated. Taking care of these students had instead cost them several extra days.
However, he had not been idle either. With Yuan Chenyang backing him, he had trained constantly on the way back, 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 went their separate ways.
Hu Xiang spoke with him and said he would go back to calculate the value of the Azure-Scaled Lions. Once the procedures were completed, he would send Su Chen the money.
News of the students' return immediately caused quite a stir. This City Patrol outing had been far too short, and the City Lord had even accompanied them back.
Many well-informed people immediately began making inquiries, trying to figure out what exactly had happened.
"What the hell have you been doing?!"
In 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 had no idea what had happened. The moment he was summoned, he saw Zhou Zong's corpse and Zhou Xian's fury.
Zhou Xian's voice was hoarse. "Qi Chuan, you have deeply disappointed me this time."
"Hm?" Qi Chuan's heart jolted. He cautiously asked, "Could you tell me what exactly happened?"
"Su Chen killed twelve first-tier 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 say he's a refugee?!" Zhou Xian furiously cut him off. Electric arcs crackled through 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 have something to do with him!"
Su Chen was Yuan Chenyang's student too?
Qi Chuan was dumbfounded. He had not expected that after the other man merely left the city, everything would have changed by the time he returned.
Zhou Xian looked down coldly at Qi Chuan. "I want to know everything about him. Everything. This is your last chance."
The shadows enveloped Qi Chuan. He gritted his teeth and accepted the order. "Please rest assured. I will definitely give you an explanation!"
Before you continue