Fleeting Glory, Gone in an Instant

Neither advancing nor retreating was an option.

She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

This was the first time Zhang Lexuan had encountered such a troublesome method.

She knew it.

The only way to save Chu Yan was likely for the Calamity Ancestor before her to be willing to let him go.

Otherwise, Chu Yan would probably fall here today.

Seeing that even Zhang Lexuan, their senior sister, had no way of dealing with the method inside Chu Yan's body,

the faces of the other Shrek Inspection Corps members turned pale.

Their eyes were filled with fear, though a trace of relief also flashed through them.

They were thankful that they had not spoken up to offend this man just now.

Otherwise, they would likely be in the same predicament as Chu Yan.

Zhang Lexuan truly deserved to be the senior sister whom everyone at the Shrek Inner Academy sincerely respected.

Her mental fortitude was impeccable as well.

She did not show much panic on her face.

Her gaze fell upon Bai Luo, and she bowed slightly.

"Chu Yan was disrespectful to you first. Lexuan apologizes to you on his behalf."

"He acted only on impulse and thus offended you, but he did not cause you any substantive harm. I hope you can show mercy and spare his life."

"Shrek Academy is willing to offer one million Gold Soul Coins as compensation."

Bai Luo withdrew his gaze from Zhang Lexuan.

He now somewhat understood why Shrek Academy's higher-ups held such high hopes for Zhang Lexuan.

It was not merely her talent.

This woman's conduct and way of handling matters truly left nothing to criticize.

She apologized first, then proactively offered sincere compensation.

Zhang Lexuan had indeed lowered her stance considerably.

She had not mindlessly invoked Shrek Academy's name to throw her weight around.

Silence hung in the air.

Zhang Lexuan's fair hands were tightly clenched together.

Chu Yan's condition was growing increasingly dire.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

She could only quietly wait for Bai Luo's answer.

Chu Yan's life now rested on a single thought from him.

"Fine."

Bai Luo's voice broke the oppressive silence.

He agreed to Zhang Lexuan's request.

Although Chu Yan had provoked him, as Zhang Lexuan had said, he had not caused Bai Luo any substantive harm.

There was no blood feud between them, either.

Though Bai Luo had never shied away from killing, he was not a bloodthirsty person.

Compared to Chu Yan's worthless life,

the one million Gold Soul Coins Zhang Lexuan offered clearly held greater practical value for Bai Luo.

He did not lack money, but who would ever complain about having too much of it?

Using those one million Gold Soul Coins to aid impoverished commoners struggling at the edge of survival

would bring Bai Luo greater benefit than the life of a mere Chu Yan.

Moreover, although Bai Luo did not fear Shrek Academy,

being targeted by these people would inevitably bring some trouble.

After briefly weighing the pros and cons, Bai Luo's choice was naturally clear.

Upon receiving his answer,

Zhang Lexuan let out a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this Calamity Ancestor was not as difficult to reason with as she had imagined.

Bai Luo lightly snapped his fingers.

The sprouts that had already emerged from Chu Yan's throat abruptly turned into faint golden light and vanished.

The pained expression on Chu Yan's face disappeared.

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

Although Bai Luo had agreed to spare his life,

Chu Yan had still had a considerable amount of life force absorbed during the process just now.

He could preserve his life, but his future path was most likely completely ruined.

His lifespan would clearly be greatly reduced as well.

"Thank you for showing mercy."

Zhang Lexuan naturally noticed the aged changes in Chu Yan's body.

She knew Bai Luo had done it deliberately.

But she did not say anything more.

It was already rare enough that Bai Luo was willing to spare Chu Yan's life.

If she asked for more, she would likely worsen the situation that had only just stabilized.

As the leader of this operation and the senior sister,

she had to consider everything thoroughly.

There were other Shrek Inspection Corps members behind her.

Most of their strength was comparable to Chu Yan's.

Since Bai Luo could silently place that method inside Chu Yan's body,

he could most likely make them suffer the same fate Chu Yan had just endured.

Zhang Lexuan did not wish to see any further losses.

Cutting their losses in time was often the wisest choice.

As for Chu Yan...

Though she sympathized with what had happened to him, there was nothing she could do.

If he had not been so impulsive and attacked Bai Luo without authorization, he would not have ended up like this.

Being able to keep his life was already fortunate.

As for everything else, it could be considered punishment.

People had to pay for their actions.

"This is what I promised. There are one million Gold Soul Coins inside."

Zhang Lexuan took out a golden card and handed it to Bai Luo.

One million Gold Soul Coins was no small sum.

But as a genius in whom Shrek Academy had placed great hopes, Zhang Lexuan could barely afford it.

Bai Luo reached out and accepted it.

During that process,

Zhang Lexuan keenly noticed the hand extending from beneath Bai Luo's wide black robe.

It was slender and fair, with distinct joints.

There was not the slightest sign of loose skin.

It was like a finely crafted work of art.

As expected!

Zhang Lexuan became even more certain of her speculation.

This Calamity Ancestor was definitely not old!

After taking the golden card, Bai Luo lightly flicked it with a finger, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.

Bai Luo smiled in satisfaction.

He had not expected this trip to bring such an unexpected windfall.

The one million Gold Soul Coins Zhang Lexuan had paid to buy Chu Yan's life,

along with the gold, silver, and treasures he had looted from the Earl's manor,

had filled up his little treasury considerably.

"Thank you, Miss Zhang, for the Gold Soul Coins."

"Our paths will cross again someday. If fate permits, we shall meet again."

Putting away the golden card,

Bai Luo waved his hand and turned to leave.

His black-robed figure gradually disappeared into the night, vanishing without a trace.

Zhang Lexuan withdrew her gaze.

Thoughts swirled in her eyes as she pondered something unknown.

After a moment, she finally shifted her gaze to Chu Yan, who had collapsed on the ground and was still unconscious.

Only after seeing Bai Luo leave did the others from Shrek Academy's Monitoring Corps finally shift their attention to Chu Yan in relief.

That single glance made their fear and reverence for Bai Luo deepen even further.

Chu Yan, lying unconscious on the ground, no longer resembled his former self at all.

Two-thirds of his black hair had already turned white.

His skin hung loose and sagged like withered tree bark.

It was hard to imagine that this was a young man barely in his twenties.

Chu Yan now looked little different from an elderly man nearing seventy.

This method was simply too terrifying!

Everyone shuddered and secretly resolved that if they saw Bai Luo again, they would flee at the first possible moment.

Fleeting glory, gone in an instant.

To go from a strong young man to a decrepit old man in the blink of an eye—who could withstand that?

Zhang Lexuan came back to her senses.

She softly instructed two male members of the Monitoring Corps.

"Carry him and return to the academy."

"Yes, Senior Sister."

The two boys answered and carefully hoisted Chu Yan from the ground.

Under Zhang Lexuan's lead, everyone flew toward Shrek Academy.

As for the mess left behind at the Earl's manor, people from the Star Luo Empire would naturally handle it.