Taking Care of the Aftermath: Call Me Brother Qinghe
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
"Lin Xuan! Are you inside?"
The visitor was Yin Shu, the college's Director of Education.
Lin Xuan stopped his stance, the jade color in his palm faded, and he quickly walked over and opened the courtyard gate.
"Teacher Yin Shu, what's wrong?"
Yin Shu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
"Come with me quickly, a very important person has arrived at the Reception Room ahead! They specifically requested to see you!"
Lin Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly:
Who's here?
Your Highness!
Yin Shu took a breath, looked around, and then pulled Lin Xuan toward the Main Building.
"His Highness Xue Qinghe came lightly, with only two guards. Dean Flender and the others haven't returned from the Battle Arena yet, so I'll have to hold them off for now. Be careful on the road and don't be impolite."
Lin Xuan responded and followed Yin Shu through the bluestone path.
The Crown Prince, played by Qian Renxue, is quite well-informed.
No sooner had he returned Shi Nian's body to the academy than the other person caught up with him.
Lin Xuan was so certain because he knew that Qian Renxue wouldn't come looking for him for no reason.
The two walked through the corridor and arrived at the door of the quiet VIP Reception Room.
Two elite guards dressed in dark silver armor stood outside the door. When they saw Lin Xuan approaching, they stepped aside to make way for him.
Yin Shu pushed open the wooden door and bowed in greeting:
"Your Highness, Lin Xuan has arrived."
Inside the Reception Room, Xue Qinghe, dressed in a simple white Swan Brocade Robe, stood by the window looking at the flowers and plants in the courtyard.
Hearing the noise, Xue Qinghe turned around, a gentle smile on his face, showing no airs of Crown Prince whatsoever.
"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Yin Shu. Brother Lin Xuan and I have some private matters to discuss. You can go ahead and attend to your work."
"Yes, Your Highness, please summon me at any time if you have any orders."
Yin Shu performed a standard aristocratic bow and tactfully withdrew.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
Xue Qinghe looked Lin Xuan up and down a few times, then stepped forward and said half-jokingly:
"Brother Lin, you look quite well these past few days. I hope my unauthorized visit hasn't disturbed your cultivation?"
Lin Xuan clasped his hands in a fist salute:
"Greetings, Your Highness. Your presence is an honor for the Blue Tyrant Academy; there is no question of disturbing you."
Xue Qinghe waved his hand.
"There's no need to be so formal in private."
"Spending all day in the palace reviewing official documents is making my head throb. I've heard that Dean Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy is lush and tranquil. Why don't you accompany me for a walk around and clear my head?"
Lin Xuan stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.
"If Your Highness is interested, I will lead the way."
The two left the Reception Room and strolled along the gravel path through the woods.
The latter half of the Blue Tyrant Academy is nestled against the mountains, with ancient trees reaching for the sky. At this hour, most students are either in class or watching the competition, and the area around the forest is extremely open.
Xue Qinghe walked at a leisurely pace, occasionally chatting about the Qualifying Tournament rounds in a calm tone.
Reaching a small pavilion by the stream, Xue Qinghe stopped and brushed the fallen leaves from her clothes.
"I just came from the Heaven Dou City and happened to pass by the area near the Great Soul Arena."
"There was a minor commotion in that dead-end alley. When the patrolling City Defense Army arrived, the entire street had been shattered by lightning, thick ice had piled up half a foot high, and there was still a trace of poison present."
Lin Xuan remained calm, listening quietly without responding.
Xue Qinghe took out a flat piece of iron fragment from his sleeve, and twirled it between his fingers for a moment.
"The dead were completely burned to ashes, not even a bone remained. The City Defense Army found this little thing in the cracks between the bricks; it contained a poisoned Steel Needles."
Lin Xuan glanced at the broken piece of iron.
Those were fragments of the outer shell of the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb.
"This decisive and ruthless method, which simultaneously mobilizes Lightning, Frost, and poison, is something I can't find anywhere else in the entire Heaven Dou City, no matter how hard I try."
Xue Qinghe casually tossed the piece of iron into the stream, creating a small ripple.
"If this case is reported to the Martial Soul Saint Hall, Bishop Salas will probably use it as an excuse to disqualify certain teams from the competition."
Lin Xuan looked up, meeting Xue Qinghe's eyes, his tone calm:
"So, what does Your Highness intend to do?"
Xue Qinghe chuckled and waved his hand:
"I have already given the order to seal the files in the city defense military's confidential vault, and to announce to the public that it was an underground fire vein disturbance mixed with a lightning strike, so no one will investigate further."
Lin Xuan looked at the Spirit Hall's young master, whose disguise was flawless.
They made a special trip and even personally cleaned up the mess; it's obvious they're here to do a favor.
Moreover, this favor was given in a completely aboveboard manner, leaving you with absolutely no room for complaint.
Lin Xuan bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for informing me, Your Highness."
"I will remember this kindness."
Xue Qinghe reached out and helped Lin Xuan up, then said, going along with the flow,
"Hey, I told you there's no need to stand on ceremony in private."
"It's too formal to keep calling me 'Your Highness' all the time. I'm a few years older than you, so if you don't mind, please just call me Brother Qinghe from now on. It sounds more intimate."
Lin Xuan nodded and said:
"Brother Qinghe."
Xue Qinghe patted him on the shoulder, looking very happy.
"Good, Brother Lin, you're a man of principle!"
"Now that everything is settled, I won't stay any longer. Blue Tyrant Academy has won every match in the Qualifying Tournament, and I look forward to your performance in the Promotion Tournament."
"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Qinghe."
Xue Qinghe didn't say anything more, turned around and led two guards straight towards the academy gate.
Lin Xuan stood by the pavilion, watching the white-robed figure walk away into the distance.
Brother Qinghe?
They call each other so affectionately; this little vixen certainly knows how to win people over.
However, being able to completely quell this troublesome matter of Shi Nian and avoid the risk of being investigated by the Spirit Hall is not a bad deal.
Lin Xuan turned around and slowly walked towards the Back Hill.
As soon as I returned to the entrance of the Side Courtyard, I could hear Xiao Wu's chattering voice from afar.
"Lin Xuan! We're back!"
The courtyard gate was pushed open with a bang.
Xiao Wu skipped and hopped in, carrying two packets of hot Soy-Braised Beef wrapped in oil paper.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Tai Long, and Jiangzhu followed closely behind.
Tang San just pushed open the door, stretched, and rubbed his slightly sore wrists as he walked out.
Xiao Wu moved closer to Lin Xuan, waving the oil paper package in her hand like a treasure.
"Lin Xuan, it's such a pity you didn't go this afternoon!"
"Tai Long and his Reserve Team of the Balak Kingdom today, and they knocked down the opponent's turtle Martial Soul with just two punches! The match ended as soon as the referee finished counting, and the whole arena is chanting Blue Tyrant Academy's name!"
Tai Long scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.
"The main problem was that his defense was too lax. When I threw a powerful punch, he couldn't withstand it."
Ning Rongrong sat down at the stone table and poured herself a glass of cold water.
"But the Heaven Dou Royal Team Two had a terrible day."
Lin Xuan slightly raised his eyelids and asked, feigning ignorance:
What happened to Heaven Dou Royal Team Two?
Ning Rongrong took a sip of water, pouted, and complained.
"They are playing against the Blazing Fire Academy today."
Blazing Fire Academy was furious after losing to us yesterday, and today they unleashed all their anger on Heaven Dou Royal Team Two.
Huo Wushuang, accompanied by Huo Wu, launched a direct attack from the start, and in less than two minutes, they had burned all seven members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team Two to a crisp and knocked them off the stage in a terrible state.