Hu Zhongyuan stiffened all over and abruptly turned to look.
At the entrance to the grove, a woman in a silver-white embroidered robe walked slowly toward them.
She stood tall, her face breathtakingly beautiful, her brows and eyes cool, and carried the stern, lethal presence of someone long accustomed to authority.
It was Jiang Qingyuan.
She had been waiting at a distant tea stall. Her plan had been to stay out of sight if Chen Fan could handle things himself.
But when she saw Hu Zhongyuan unleash his Body Integration pressure, she could not help coming over.
It was not anyone else's place to bully one of her people like this.
Jiang Qingyuan walked to Chen Fan's side. Her gaze swept indifferently over Hu Zhongyuan before settling on Chen Fan, her voice softening a little. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Chen Fan smiled. "Vice Principal Hu was throwing so much weight around that he nearly crushed me flat. Luckily, the jade talisman you gave me worked well."
Hearing his slightly teasing tone, Jiang Qingyuan's lips curved almost imperceptibly. Then she looked back at Hu Zhongyuan, her eyes instantly turning cold.
"Vice Principal Hu," Jiang Qingyuan began, her voice level yet carrying a bone-piercing chill. "What impressive authority. You unleashed Body Integration pressure on a probationary law enforcer in the Qi Refining Realm, and even tried to set up your own private court and detain him on the spot."
"A vice principal of Mysterious Spirit Academy certainly has considerable power. Such impressive authority-you've truly opened my eyes!"
Hu Zhongyuan's heart hammered as he looked at Jiang Qingyuan.
This woman... what a powerful presence!
Despite his Body Integration Realm cultivation, he could not fathom her strength at all.
And those clothes... a standard-issue robe of the Law Enforcement Immortal Hall?
Silver-white, embroidered with gold...
Hu Zhongyuan's pupils contracted sharply as an unbelievable thought rose in his mind.
Heaven-rank?!
Impossible!
There were only a handful of Heaven-Rank Law Enforcement Envoys in the entire Nine Provinces. Why would one come somewhere like Xuzhou? And over such a trivial matter?
Forcing himself to remain composed, he cupped his hands. "My lady, might I ask who you are...?"
"You aren't qualified to ask who I am." Jiang Qingyuan could not be bothered to waste words on him. She took out her Micro Message, channeled spiritual power through her fingertips, and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly. Jiang Qingyuan's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly:
"Is this the Jingzhou City Law Enforcement Hall? This is Jiang Qingyuan from the Central Continent."
"Tell your Law Enforcement Envoy Lin to come see me."
"I'll be waiting at Mysterious Spirit Academy. Give him ten minutes. At the double!"
With that, she hung up and put away the jade talisman.
Her tone had remained level throughout, without a single harsh threat, yet it carried unquestionable authority.
Dead silence fell.
Hu Zhongyuan froze as though struck by lightning, his face instantly turning deathly pale, drained of every trace of color.
Chief Prosecutor Jiang Qingyuan?!
That name rang in his ears like thunder!
A peerless genius who had reached Mahayana in fifty years! A grade-four professor at Jing Prefecture Academy! A Heaven-Rank Law Enforcement Envoy of the Immortal Palace's Law Enforcement Immortal Hall! Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecution Hall...
That legendary god of slaughter!
How could this be...
How could it be her?!
She had actually come in person over such a tiny case?!
Hu Zhongyuan's legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.
Of all the people he could have offended, he had offended someone under Jiang Qingyuan's protection?
Was that not courting death!
Leon had yet to grasp what was happening. Seeing Hu Zhongyuan's expression change, he asked quietly, "Vice Principal Hu, who is this woman? Is she really that powerful?"
Hu Zhongyuan snapped back to his senses and turned to glare viciously at him, his eyes filled with venom.
It was all this useless fool's fault!
Of all the people to provoke, he had provoked Jiang Qingyuan!
Wonderful. Now he was going to drag him down with him!
Leon shrank back beneath his glare, beginning to panic a little himself.
If even Vice Principal Hu was this terrified, just who was this woman?
The surrounding students were stunned too.
Although they did not know exactly who Jiang Qingyuan was, Hu Zhongyuan's terror told them she was someone very important.
And judging by what she had said on the phone, a single call from her could bring the highest-ranking law enforcement official in Jingzhou City scrambling over.
What an imposing display!
"Heaven... Heaven-Rank Envoy Jiang..." Even Hu Zhongyuan's voice trembled. He forced out a smile uglier than tears. "A misunderstanding... it was all a misunderstanding... I didn't know he was one of your people... If I'd known, I wouldn't have dared even with a hundred times the courage..."
He regretted it so bitterly his guts were turning green.
Had he known this brat had such powerful backing, he would have tied Leon up and delivered him himself. Why would he have stood up for him?
Now, anything he said was too late.
"A misunderstanding?" Jiang Qingyuan raised her eyes, her gaze icy. "Coercing more than a dozen female students was a misunderstanding? Shielding criminals and suppressing students was a misunderstanding? Unleashing Body Integration pressure and attempting to detain law enforcement personnel was also a misunderstanding?"
"Hu Zhongyuan, do you think the Law Enforcement Immortal Hall is just for show, or do you think I, Jiang Qingyuan, am easy to fool?"
"Do any of you still respect the Immortal Palace's laws? Have you lived up to the oath you swore, the clothes you wear, or all those students?"
"The Immortal Palace's educational endeavors are being ruined by people like you! Its reputation in education is being destroyed in your hands!"
With each question, Hu Zhongyuan's face grew a shade paler.
By the end, his whole body was shaking, and he did not dare utter a single word in rebuttal.
He knew very well that this Heaven-Rank Envoy truly had the authority to remove him from office, or even arrest him and take him to the Law Enforcement Immortal Hall to answer for his crimes.
Reporting with one hand and investigating with the other-even taking direct enforcement action was no problem!
Never mind a mere vice principal like him; even Mysterious Spirit Academy's principal would not dare put on airs before Jiang Qingyuan.
"Please forgive me, Heaven-Rank Envoy Jiang..." Hu Zhongyuan lowered his head, cold sweat streaming down him. "I failed in my oversight. I was foolish... I will deal with this matter seriously and give the victimized students an answer..."
"That won't be necessary," Jiang Qingyuan interrupted coldly. "A Law Enforcement Immortal Hall case is not yours to handle."
No sooner had she spoken than a sharp rush through the air came from the distance.
Several figures approached at speed. Leading them was a middle-aged cultivator in black robes with a steady presence: Lin Feng, Law Enforcement Envoy of the Jingzhou Law Enforcement Hall.
A squad of black-armored enforcement guards followed him, each radiating a fierce presence.
Lin Feng had practically sprinted the whole way. Jiang Qingyuan's call had nearly scared his soul out of his body.
What was this venerable terror doing at Mysterious Spirit Academy? And she wanted him to get over there within ten minutes?
He had not dared delay even a quarter of an hour, immediately gathering his men and rushing over.
"Heaven-Rank Envoy Jiang!" The moment Lin Feng landed, he bowed to Jiang Qingyuan with the utmost respect. "Your subordinate, Lin Feng, arrived late. Please forgive me, Heaven-Rank Envoy Jiang!"
"You're not late." Jiang Qingyuan nodded faintly and pointed at Hu Zhongyuan and Leon's group of three. "Everyone involved in the case is here. Hu Zhongyuan is suspected of dereliction of duty, shielding offenders, abusing his authority, and obstructing law enforcement. Leon and the other two foreign exchange students are suspected of provoking trouble, coercion, and harming others."
"Take them all away and interrogate them thoroughly. Also, seal the relevant files at Mysterious Spirit Academy, investigate every victimized student's circumstances individually, and ensure they receive support and compensation. Do not let a single faculty or staff member involved escape."
"Yes! Understood!" Lin Feng immediately bowed and accepted the orders, then turned and waved his hand. "Guards! Take them away!"
The black-armored enforcement guards immediately stepped forward and produced specially made spirit-locking shackles. With several clicks, they cuffed Hu Zhongyuan and Leon's group of three.
"Let me go! I'm with the Holy See! You can't arrest me! My uncle is a cardinal! The Freedom Divine Domain won't let you get away with this!" Leon struggled wildly, shouting without pause.
Even now, he had not accepted reality, believing his Holy See connections could save him.
"Noisy." Jiang Qingyuan frowned.
Without another word, an enforcement guard beside him slapped him across the mouth.
Smack!
After the crisp crack, Leon spun around from the slap, half his face swelling up. He spat bloody foam from his mouth, along with two teeth.
The enforcement batons behind him swung down again and again, truly putting firm enforcement and decisive punishment into practice.
Throughout it all, Hu Zhongyuan's face remained ashen. He let them shackle his hands without saying a word.
He knew he was completely finished.
He would lose his vice principal's position, and whether he could even retain his cultivation was uncertain.
One wrong step had led to another.
He should never have indulged these foreign students for the sake of a little improvement in rankings and a few benefits.
"One more thing," Jiang Qingyuan added, looking at Lin Feng. "Keep all the victimized students' information confidential and provide psychological counseling. Arrange for someone to take temporary charge of the academy. Teaching must not be disrupted."
"Yes! I'll arrange it immediately!" Lin Feng nodded repeatedly.
Only after handling all this did Jiang Qingyuan turn to Chen Fan, her tone considerably gentler. "Go over the case details with Lin Feng later. Organize all the witness testimony and physical evidence. You'll receive a share of the merit."
"All right." Chen Fan nodded.
Watching Jiang Qingyuan's swift, decisive conduct, he had only one thought: She really was cool.
This was the confidence of a Heaven-Rank Law Enforcement Envoy.
Lin Feng glanced at Chen Fan and quietly made a mental note.
A young man whom Heaven-Rank Law Enforcement Envoy Jiang protected like this was certainly no ordinary person. He would have to treat him courteously in the future.
Soon, the enforcement squad escorted the prisoners away.
Before leaving, Lin Feng even made a point of greeting Chen Fan and exchanging contact details with him, his manner exceedingly courteous.
Only Jiang Qingyuan, Chen Fan, and the crowd of student onlookers remained in the grove.
Looking at what had just happened, the students still felt as though they were dreaming.
The overbearing Vice Principal Hu and those arrogant foreign students had simply been arrested, just like that?
The dark clouds that had hung over their heads for so long had simply dispersed?
No one knew who started clapping first.
Then the applause grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the grove.
Everyone looked at Chen Fan and Jiang Qingyuan, their eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.
Chen Fan nodded slightly to everyone without saying much, then turned and walked out with Jiang Qingyuan.
The first battle of the case was won. The merit needed to become a full-fledged law enforcer was in the bag.
Only after they walked out through the academy gates did Chen Fan ask curiously, "Professor Jiang, do you think the Holy See and the Freedom Divine Domain will react?"
"They certainly will," Jiang Qingyuan said indifferently. "At most, their diplomatic department will submit a note and make a few formal remarks. What else can they do? Would they really dare fall out with the Immortal Palace's Law Enforcement Immortal Hall over a few minor figures? They don't have the nerve."
"The Immortal Palace's Nine Provinces are no place for them to run wild. If this really escalates, they'll be the ones to suffer. Never mind a few exchange students-even if their official clergy break the law in the Immortal Palace, we'll arrest them when they should be arrested and sentence them when they should be sentenced."
Chen Fan nodded in complete agreement.
Strength determined who had a voice. The Immortal Palace was strong enough, so its rules had teeth.
That was reality.