Lin Yan and Jiang Wenzhou looked at Gu Mingyuan, who had removed his disguise, and hurried forward a step.
"Brother Gu, you really are still alive!"
Gu Mingyuan smiled and pointed to the wooden chairs beside him, motioning for them to sit.
"What, has everyone at Shrek Academy been saying I'm dead?"
Lin Yan waved his hands repeatedly and perched on the front half of a chair.
"Not exactly. But the academy's higher-ups have stayed silent. Ever since the incident in the Star Luo Empire, they haven't given any clear explanation. All those rumors outside are just things people have been passing around in private."
Gu Mingyuan picked up the teapot on the table and poured each of them a cup of water. Their words piqued his curiosity.
"That almost sounds like people passing judgment on me after my death. What have they been saying about me in private?"
Jiang Wenzhou held his cup in both hands and took up the explanation.
"All sorts of things. Some say a powerful faction living in seclusion abducted you. After all, your performance in the Soul Master Tournament was so dazzling that it drew covetous eyes. Others swear you were assassinated on the road by suicide operatives sent by the Sun Moon Empire. There are even rumors that you encountered a miracle on the battlefield, and some Deity took a liking to you and brought you away to receive their legacy. Anyway, over tea and after meals, people have been saying just about everything..."
Gu Mingyuan set the teapot back on the table and lightly brushed a finger along the rim of his cup.
"With rumors getting that wild, the academy is just letting them run rampant?"
Lin Yan shook his head and answered honestly.
"We've been watching over the shop in the