Fleeting Splendor, Gone in an Instant

Neither advancing nor retreating was an option.

It was like a single road had turned into a dead end at both sides.

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

She knew.

The only one who could save Chu Yan might be the Calamity Ancestor before her, if he was willing to let him go.

Otherwise, Chu Yan would likely fall here today.

Seeing that even Zhang Lexuan, their senior sister, was helpless against the method within 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 flickered within them.

They were relieved that they had not offended this man just now.

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

Zhang Lexuan truly deserved to be the senior sister who commanded the wholehearted respect of everyone in the Shrek Inner Academy.

Her mental fortitude was equally beyond reproach.

There was not much panic on her face.

Her gaze fell upon Bai Luo, and she gave a slight bow.

"Chu Yan was disrespectful to you first. On his behalf, Lexuan offers you an apology."

"He merely acted on impulse and offended you, but he did not cause you any real 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 the higher-ups of Shrek Academy held such high hopes for Zhang Lexuan.

It was not merely her talent.

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

She apologized first, then proactively showed her sincerity by offering compensation.

Zhang Lexuan had indeed lowered her stance considerably.

She had not mindlessly invoked Shrek Academy's name to pressure him.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Zhang Lexuan's fair hands were tightly clenched together.

Chu Yan's condition was becoming increasingly grim.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

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

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

"Fine."

Bai Luo's voice shattered the heavy, 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 actual harm.

There was no blood feud between them.

Bai Luo had never resisted killing, but neither was he a bloodthirsty person.

Compared to Chu Yan's worthless life,

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

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

If he used those one million Gold Soul Coins to aid poor commoners struggling at the edge of subsistence,

the benefits Bai Luo could gain would be greater than those from taking the life of a mere Chu Yan.

Moreover, while Bai Luo was not afraid of Shrek Academy,

if those people truly set their sights on him, it would inevitably be troublesome.

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

Upon receiving his answer,

Zhang Lexuan let out a long breath of relief.

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

Bai Luo lightly snapped his fingers.

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

The pained expression on Chu Yan's face disappeared.

With a bang, he collapsed onto the ground.

Although Bai Luo had agreed to spare his life,

Chu Yan had still had quite a bit of his life force absorbed during that process.

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

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 been stabilized.

As the leader of this operation and their senior sister,

she had to consider things comprehensively.

There were other Shrek Inspection Corps members behind her.

Most of their strength was roughly on par with Chu Yan's.

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

he could most likely make them end up like Chu Yan just had.

Zhang Lexuan did not wish to see any further losses.

Cutting one's losses in time was often the wisest course of action.

As for Chu Yan...

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

If he had not been so impulsive and rashly attacked Bai Luo,

he would not have ended up like this.

Being able to preserve his life was already a blessing.

As for everything else, it could be treated as 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 gold card and handed it to Bai Luo.

One million Gold Soul Coins was no small amount.

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 this process,

Zhang Lexuan sharply noticed the hand extending from beneath Bai Luo's loose black robe.

It was slender and fair, with clearly defined knuckles.

There was no sign of loose skin.

It was like an exquisite work of art.

As expected!

Zhang Lexuan became even more certain of the guess in her heart.

This Calamity Ancestor was definitely not old!

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

Bai Luo smiled in satisfaction.

He had not expected such an unexpected gain from this trip.

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

combined with the gold, silver, and treasures he had looted from the count's estate,

had filled up his little treasury considerably.

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

"Mountains and rivers may bring us together again. If fate permits, we shall meet another day."

Putting away the gold card,

Bai Luo waved his hand and turned to leave.

His black-robed figure gradually disappeared into the night, leaving no trace behind.

Zhang Lexuan withdrew her gaze.

Thoughts churned in her eyes, and no one knew what she was pondering.

Only after a moment did she shift her gaze to Chu Yan, who had collapsed on the ground and was still unconscious.

Seeing Bai Luo leave, the other members of the Shrek Academy Inspection Corps finally shifted their attention to Chu Yan in relief.

That single look deepened their fear and awe of Bai Luo.

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

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

His skin was loose and sagging, like withered tree bark.

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

Chu Yan now looked no different from an elderly man in his seventies.

This method was simply too terrifying!

Everyone shuddered and secretly resolved that if they saw Bai Luo again, they would flee immediately.

Fleeting splendor, gone in an instant.

To go from a vigorous 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 Inspection Corps.

"Carry him and return to the academy."

"Yes, Senior Sister."

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

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

As for the mess at the count's estate, the Star Luo Empire would naturally send people to deal with it.