The three men calmed the enraged Big-Bearded Lu down. After learning what had happened, surprise and amusement flashed through all their eyes.
Fatty Zhou and Xu Asi desperately stifled their laughter. They had never imagined that the mighty King Realm cultivator Big-Bearded Lu would be toyed with so badly by some little Innate Realm brat. It was simply too ironic-and too funny.
Hong Futian shook his head helplessly and patted him on the shoulder. "You! You're just too impatient. It's hardly a big deal. Why get so worked up? That little thief was merely playing clever tricks with a special treasure. Next time we run into him, I'll help you kill him. That's all there is to it."
Just then, an Innate Realm squad captain from Red Skull approached Hong Futian and handed him a letter.
"Chief, the second chief ordered me to deliver this urgent report to you as quickly as possible!"
"An urgent report?" Hong Futian frowned and opened the letter. He had barely read halfway through when he spat out a mouthful of blood, followed by a second, then a third. It was quite the spectacle, downright magnificent.
"Boss Hong! What's wrong?" Fatty Zhou and the others jumped at the sudden sight. It was only a letter! Just how much shocking information did it contain to make a King Realm powerhouse spit three jets of blood over a meter high in succession?
Hong Futian shoved away the two men who tried to support him. With blood still in his mouth and fury blazing in his eyes, he cursed, "That unfilial son! That unfilial son of mine!"
Sitting nearby, Lu Luxiu glanced at Hong Futian, who seemed even angrier than he was, and inexplicably felt a little better.
He laughed. "Boss Hong, you were just saying I was too impatient, but you don't seem any better! What happened to get you this angry?"
Hong Futian drew a deep breath and snarled, "That unfilial son not only failed to capture South Sand Fortress, he even got Red Skull's Four-Armed Demon Maggot killed!"
Though furious, he had not lost his sense of judgment. He did not mention the ruins at all.
The three men were equally shocked. If their own sons had done something so outrageous, they would probably have spat out three mouthfuls of blood too.
They had heard of the Four-Armed Demon Maggot. It was a precious young demon Hong Futian had obtained by chance during a training journey. Apparently, he had painstakingly raised it for ten years before finally bringing it to the Grandmaster Realm. Now it had died under unclear circumstances. Who could possibly accept that?
Meanwhile, Yun Che climbed out of a river on the outskirts of the Wuxia Mountains, pulling Ye Qingshuang along with him. He sat on the bank and gasped for breath.
"Ding! Successfully rescued Ye Qingshuang. Righteousness +10." "Ding! Successfully rescued the teachers and students of Falling Moon Academy. Righteousness +30."
Ye Qingshuang reclined nearby, still shaken. She had never expected the underground river to be so long.
Had she stayed in it another two minutes, she might have become the first King Realm powerhouse to drown in a river.
Once he had mostly recovered, Yun Che said, "We're less than ten li from Falling Moon City. Let's hurry back to the academy!"
Ye Qingshuang nodded lightly. With the aid of pills, her injuries had improved somewhat, and she no longer needed to ride on Yun Che's back.
Before long, they returned to Falling Moon Academy. Ye Qingshuang thanked Yun Che solemnly. "Instructor Yun, thank you so much for this. If you ever run into trouble, feel free to ask me for help."
After a brief pause, she added, "Although I don't know how you also learned Thunder Shadow Divine Movement, you should avoid using it in public until you reach the Grandmaster Realm. Even King Realm powerhouses would covet this movement technique."
Yun Che naturally understood that possessing a treasure could make an innocent man a target. He nodded and smiled. "Thank you for the warning. Please focus on healing, Dean. I'm worried they might seize this chance to attack the academy."
Ye Qingshuang nodded. "I'll write to King Qin shortly and ask him to send more people to the academy. With the Vice Dean away, I really would struggle to hold them off in my current condition."
"There's no need. I'm already here." Qin Xiao approached from the corridor, followed by several instructors who had taken part in the training expedition, along with Qin Yelan.
Wei Hong and Qin Yelan looked astonished to see Yun Che. It was not that they had wanted him dead, but the situation at the time had truly left little room for hope, especially since Yun Che was only an academic instructor.
However, when they saw Ye Qingshuang beside him, understanding immediately flashed in their eyes. They inwardly marveled at Yun Che's luck.
"Instructor Yun, you really are blessed with good fortune. Thanks to you luring the Four-Armed Demon Maggot away, we suffered no casualties this time," Wei Hong said gratefully.
"Indeed! You acted nobly, Instructor Yun, but you should still think things through before taking action in the future. If the Dean hadn't saved you this time, you probably wouldn't have made it back," Fan Chong added.
Surprise flickered in Ye Qingshuang's eyes. She had not expected Instructor Yun to have done something so heroic before rescuing her.
But everyone seemed to have mistakenly assumed that he had survived because she had saved him.
She had intended to offer a brief explanation, but on second thought, she decided against it. Explaining would be rather troublesome. Thunder Shadow Divine Movement alone would probably be impossible for Instructor Yun to explain.
King Qin glanced at the son-in-law he had acquired so cheaply. Qin Yelan had already told him about Yun Che's heroic intervention. Although he disliked this son-in-law's poor combat ability, Yun Che had done well this time and had not disgraced the Qin Prince's Residence.
"Yun Che, well done. Ke Yi was right to choose you."
Yun Che cupped his hands without saying much and took the opportunity to use Divine Hand on him.
"Ding! Acquisition successful. Congratulations on obtaining the storybook, Her That Night."
Yun Che swayed slightly. He had never imagined that the ever-serious King Qin also enjoyed little storybooks. He wondered how the artwork in Her That Night compared with Director Ding's Three Orioles.
Ye Qingshuang said, "Now that you're here, King Qin, I can heal with peace of mind. Please protect the academy in my stead for seven days."
Qin Xiao frowned slightly and said with concern, "I'm afraid seven days won't be possible. I can stay at the academy for three days at most. But there's no need to worry, Dean. I brought a fourth-grade Mystic Spirit Pill. With its help, you should be fully recovered within three days."
Ye Qingshuang brightened. She did not refuse. Although fourth-grade pills were precious, this was exactly what she needed most right now.
Afterward, Ye Qingshuang returned to her room to heal, while King Qin led the instructors onward to the meeting room, intending to hold a brief meeting.
Citing his injuries, Yun Che declined to attend this pointless meeting.
King Qin did not suspect anything. He handed Yun Che a second-grade Healing Pill and told him to rest well.
As Qin Yelan passed Yun Che, she noticed the black sword in his hand. As a fellow sword lover, she instinctively sensed that it was extraordinary.
"That's a fine sword. Take good care of it."
Yun Che smiled faintly and said, seemingly in jest, "If you like it, I'll give you one when I have the means."
Having swiped his sister-in-law's Middle-Grade armor twice, he felt a little embarrassed. Even the Qin Prince's Residence probably did not have that many pieces of Middle-Grade armor, especially soft, close-fitting garments, which were comparatively difficult to make.
Yun Che had guessed correctly. Qin Yelan still had not gotten over losing those two pieces of Middle-Grade close-fitting armor. What she wore now was merely low-grade close-fitting armor.
Although it was considerably better than what most people wore, it fell far short of those two Ice-Silk Brocade Garments.
As for why he did not give her the reforged Ice-Silk Brocade Garment, that was naturally out of the question.
Leaving aside whether he could even give it away, it would be improper in the first place. Given Qin Yelan's temperament, she would most likely raise her sword and slash at her slovenly brother-in-law.
"Then I'll wait for my brother-in-law to give me a fine sword!"
Qin Yelan rarely addressed Yun Che as her brother-in-law. Her tone was teasing, and she clearly had not taken his words seriously.
Although that black sword was fine, it could not possibly compare to the Nightcry Sword in her hand.
The Nightcry Sword was only low-grade, but it was a treasure infinitely close to Middle-Grade and far stronger than other low-grade treasures.
Before you continue