Chen Ying couldn't quite remember how things had turned out this way.
When they returned, they originally planned to give a verbal explanation first, and that Bi Ru would capture the real culprit within seven days at most to give the Northern Wolf Kingdom an explanation. During this period, they would also send more people to protect the safety of all the students.
But halfway through the conversation, a problem arose.
Can Dean Chen really guarantee our safety?
Chen Ying couldn't remember who said that, because that one sentence instantly caused chaos.
"Yes, will sending more people guarantee safety?"
"Yes, the one who died was a representative of the Northern Wolf Kingdom. Weren't they given special protection beforehand?"
The questions erupted very quickly, making Chen Ying feel extremely uncomfortable.
Initially, those who raised doubts were mostly from wealthy families outside the area; the local youths mostly remained in a wait-and-see attitude, but Chen Ying still felt that something was amiss.
The aristocratic families of the capital and the northern families have always been at odds, but this time their attitudes were surprisingly consistent, forming an alliance in a short period of time. Their various questioning tones were coordinated as if they were one family, making Chen Ying suspect that the Murong from the Northern Wolf Kingdom had been killed by them in a joint effort.
Then something strange happened.
"If Dean Chen can't even guarantee the safety of visiting envoys, how can he guarantee the safety of the other students in the academy? Dean Chen said the murderer is on the run, doesn't that mean the murderer can not only kill but also escape? There are so many Battle God under the Stargazing Tower, but they haven't been of any use, have they?"
"Yes, the Stargazing Tower has so many Battle God Guard, yet we haven't even caught a glimpse of the murderer. We can't find the source of the problem. What's the use of adding another layer of guards?"
They got more and more excited as they talked, and then even the students from Jiangnan started to discuss it. Chen Ying had excellent eyesight and hearing, and soon noticed that the students from Jiangnan who had passed the exam all seemed a little frightened.
"How about we go back and talk about it after things have calmed down?"
"But someone just said it's the work of demons. What's the point of going back? What if they follow us home?"
How is that possible?
"Why not?"
"Isn't it said that the door gods can identify demons? Why are demons still able to enter Liuzhou City?"
"Are the door gods no longer in use? Or were they never used at all?"
What nonsense are you spouting?
"That's true. I've heard there have been several sudden deaths in Liuzhou recently. Did they really die suddenly? Maybe those door gods were never actually working?"
"But many people saw that the door gods could identify demons and slay them right outside the door."
"Could it be an act? Look, every time a demon appears, it's in full view of everyone. My dad suspected it might be an act from the start."
"You can act like this?"
Hearing these increasingly outrageous sounds, Chen Ying felt completely numb!
She sensed something was wrong, something very wrong.
There was an atmosphere in the venue that spread rapidly, like a plague. Everyone began to panic and become suspicious. If these doubts came from outside aristocratic families, it would be understandable, but those people came with doubts in the first place.
But Jiangnan is different. These people have enjoyed two years of peace and happiness under Chen Qing's rule, and they have a strong sense of belonging to Jiangnan. Especially these students, who are trained in science, are clear-headed, good at discernment, and have an extreme admiration for the academy. Why are they so easily provoked today?
Even if someone did die due to the academy's mistake, how could the prestige and sense of security built up over so long simply collapse?
Chen Ying felt something was wrong.
Then she gradually noticed that the more the people below spoke, the more agitated they became. From the initial unease and fear, they gradually became more agitated, and the ferocity in their eyes grew stronger!
Chen Ying sensed something was wrong and turned to ask the soldiers to maintain order, but then she suddenly realized that the Battle God Army were also acting strangely.
Many volunteers also complained, saying they worked day and night in shifts to ensure the safety of these so-called students, and what did they get in return? Now that something has happened, they're being treated like dirt?
Chen Ying suddenly felt a chill run through her body!
Under Xu Hu's tutelage, the Battle God Army was extremely disciplined. With generous pay and various benefits, the soldiers were willing to accept Xu Hu's strict discipline. In Chen Ying's view, the overall atmosphere of the army was much better than that of the elite families' soldiers in the north.
How could such soldiers have become so disorganized in just a few dozen breaths?
Moreover, judging from this trend, like the other children of academy students, he seems to have fallen into a state of agitation!
She clearly saw that several soldiers' eyes were filled with hostility, and when they looked at the students, their eyes were filled with obvious ill intent.
At that moment, she knew that she absolutely could not let the Fighter Army maintain order anymore, otherwise the consequences might be more serious than she imagined. The hall was like a powder keg, and it could explode instantly if she gave the order!
What exactly happened?
Chen Ying looked around, secretly activated her spells, and even secretly manipulated the academy's formations.
But she dared not make any rash moves. She was certain that something had infiltrated this place. She didn't know what it was, but everything in front of her was definitely not normal!
what to do?
Chen Ying was completely stunned. She had never encountered such a strange situation before. She knew there was an enemy, but she didn't know who the enemy was. She couldn't see anything, but her own people had fallen into chaos first, and everyone seemed to have been poisoned.
She dared not give the order, but she knew that even if she didn't, it was only a matter of time before the powder keg exploded!
really
The next moment, someone couldn't hold back any longer.
"Shut up, all of you!!"
The sound was like thunder, and hundreds of disciples' ears were ringing. Clearly, the person who spoke out angrily had used his own vital energy!
Chen Ying looked over and saw that the one who roared was a hundred-man captain-level fighter. At this moment, his face was ferocious and his eyes were bloodshot. If she hadn't been sure that there was no demonic aura of Ancient Insect on him, Chen Ying would have subconsciously thought that he was a mutated living corpse!
What is that guy going to do?
"Could he be the one who killed that guy from the Murong Family?"
"There's definitely something wrong with Jiangnan."
The whispers, like chants of scripture, resounded once again among the outsider princes' circle. Soon, this sense of panic spread rapidly, and within a few breaths, the Jiangnan youths looked at the Fighter Army, whom they usually held in the highest esteem, with fear and suspicion.
The more this happened, the more displeased the Fighter Army became, and they all walked up behind the captain who had just roared with hostility.
"Can't you understand me?" The captain's face hardened, and he drew his knife. "I'll tell you to shut up!!"
boom!!
Faced with such a threat, the scions of noble families in the capital and the north quickly formed hand seals, and the spells on their bodies instantly erupted!
"Oh, you want to fight?" The Fighter Army grinned maliciously, as if they had finally found an excuse.
Chen Ying's face was icy cold; she could clearly see the murderous intent in the eyes of these Fighter Army!
Are these guys really planning to kill?
"Brothers, let's teach these immature brats a lesson, let them know what true uselessness really means!"
"Alright!" All the Fighter Army grinned like tigers and wolves, and charged forward.
Meanwhile, the scions of noble families who witnessed this scene did not hesitate to activate their spells in preparation for a counterattack.
In an instant, this once harmonious meeting hall was about to turn into a battlefield, and those Fighter Army were originally loyal to Chen Qing were about to become butchers, wielding their knives against those teenagers!
seal up!!
Without hesitation, Chen Ying activated the magic array. Almost instantly, the Fighter Army charged forward like tigers and leopards were frozen in mid-air, turning into ice sculptures and falling to the ground.
Those scions of noble families who hadn't yet unleashed their spells were all covered in frost, frozen in place, their spells frozen in place as well.
The entire hall was completely frozen; from the outside, the whole restaurant looked like a giant ice sculpture!
"Phew," Chen Ying exhaled sharply.
The defensive array in Liuzhou allows her to unleash the power of Above First Rank sorcerer, even surpassing the activation time of ordinary sorcerers. This was Chen Qing's trump card for her, but she never imagined that she would use this power on her students and Fighter Army!
"What is that thing?! Show yourself!!" Chen Ying's temper flared up.
Shouting like that won't work.
A familiar voice rang out, and Chen Ying quickly looked over, because she knew from the voice that Wei Gongcheng arrived.
"Senior, it's me."
"I saw it." Wei Gongcheng looked at everyone around him who were frozen in ice, and nodded slightly. "You did very well. If you had been any slower, most of those foreign princes would have been killed by the Fighter Army. If that had happened, the reputation of the Jiangnan Academy would have been truly ruined!"
"Could that monster be among this crowd?" Chen Ying asked, calming herself down as she looked at Human Dao frozen in place.
"I don't think so," Wei Gongcheng shook his head, sighed, walked to the top of the restaurant, pointed down and said, "Look outside."
Chen Ying quickly followed and looked down, and immediately saw that, at some point, a large group of people had gathered around the entire restaurant, pointing and whispering outside.
That's understandable, though; freezing the entire restaurant would surely attract attention.
But something even stranger happened!
The people below were pointing and whispering, their opinions almost identical to those of the students who had spoken earlier—a uniform chorus of doubt, suspicion, and even conspiracies.
Chen Ying felt completely numb. She was very familiar with this feeling. Yes, just like before, that inexplicable fear was spreading like a plague. This time, however, she was facing the people of Liuzhou City outside the restaurant!
Oops, I'm late! I still owe you one last update, hehe. I'm so sorry for the delay, I've been really busy lately.