Chapter 344: Arrival (First Update)

It was the voice of a young man, deep and indifferent, yet faintly carrying a terrifying, bone-chilling frost.

Mu Qinghe endured the agonizing pain in his heart, gritting his teeth as he spoke

"Please rest assured, Master. Your subordinate will certainly do it as quickly as possible!"

"You don't have much time left."

The seawater within the bronze mirror seemed to surge with waves, and a thick, suffocating scent of blood nearly choked the air.

"Everyone else thinks you went to find the original vein of the Earth Scripture, but that excuse cannot be dragged out for too long. If you cannot get the job done quickly, then there will be no need to come back in the future, do you understand?"

Because of the pain, Mu Qinghe's lips grew even paler.

"...Your subordinate understands."

That expanse of crimson seawater gradually dissipated, and another flash of white light enveloped it.

After a moment, the bronze mirror returned to normal.

Only then did Mu Qinghe feel as though the pain within his body had eased slightly.

He closed his eyes, put away the bronze mirror, and then leaned back into his chair in a state of dejection.

The Red Demon, which had been perched on the windowsill, suddenly flew over and landed on his shoulder.

Mu Qinghe opened his eyes and glanced at it.

The Red Demon leaned closer and nuzzled against his face.

Mu Qinghe remained silent for a long time before whispering

"Don't worry, it won't be long."

***

Chu Liuyue returned to the academy and told Ye Zhi Ting of her intention to go to Taiyan Academy.

Although Ye Zhi Ting was very reluctant to let her go, he knew this was an excellent opportunity; it would be a true pity to pass it up.

Thus, in the end, he decided to personally escort Chu Liuyue to Taiyan Academy.

If it weren't for the fact that the academy still had to deal with the matters of the Nine Nether Tower, he would have even considered following her directly to stay by her side there before bringing her back.

Only after Chu Liuyue repeatedly stated that she would only stay there for ten days and would return soon did Ye Zhi Ting finally feel somewhat relieved.

The master and disciple packed their things simply and set off together.

***

Star Luo Kingdom, Taiyan Academy.

After the Qingjiao Assembly concluded, Cheng Han and the various elders had already returned with the students.

Because they had failed to achieve good results, the atmosphere of the entire academy was somewhat heavy and oppressive.

Furthermore, because Heng Jingchuo had used the Blood-Red Gu during the Qingjiao Assembly, the other two great academies had each sent elders to Taiyan Academy to conduct a joint investigation.

Everyone who had any dealings with Heng Jingchuo and the others began to be investigated one by one.

Taiyan Academy had never encountered such an incident before; naturally, they felt it was extremely disgraceful, and the people were in a state of panic.

Who knew what other people Heng Jingchuo might have poisoned during his lifetime?

Even if it wasn't the Blood-Red Gu, it could have been other poisons!

In short, the entire academy was in a state of chaos, and Cheng Han was overwhelmed with work.

Even the Medicinal Mountain, which he had always personally and meticulously maintained, was handed over to Situ Xingchen to manage.

The so-called Medicinal Mountain was actually one of the many peaks in the back mountains of Taiyan Academy.

It was called the Medicinal Mountain only because various precious heavenly and earthly medicinal herbs were cultivated upon it.

However, although the Medicinal Mountain was within Taiyan Academy, it was the personal property of Cheng Han. Therefore, let alone students, even the elders of the academy generally had no right to approach it.

Situ Xingchen stayed on the Medicinal Mountain for two days, and upon discovering that she was missing a few items, she thought to go back and fetch them.

As she made her way down the mountain and had just reached the foot, she saw several familiar figures not far away.

They were several youths, and although they were all wearing academy uniforms, Situ Xingchen recognized them at a glance because she had always been on good terms with them and interacted with them frequently.

Just as she was planning to step forward to greet them, she heard her name.

"Why haven't we seen Xingchen these past two days?" one of the youths asked.

Situ Xingchen's lips moved slightly, but before she could speak, she heard another girl laugh.

"How does she have the face to come out now?"

Situ Xingchen's body suddenly froze, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.

Almost instinctively, she took two steps back, hiding her figure behind a tree.

"Xiaoyun, isn't that a bit too much? Xingchen didn't do anything wrong, why are you talking about her like that?" The youth seemed somewhat angry.

"Heh, too much? Doesn't everyone know now that her being the number one Divine Physician at the Qingjiao Assembly was won by relying on the pills refined by Chu Liuyue? Luckily I didn't go this time, otherwise it would have been mortifying! I really don't know how she has the nerve to come back to the academy?" Another girl spoke with a cold sneer, her face full of mockery.

"Exactly! I heard that at the time, Chu Liuyue didn't even touch her; it was because her own strength was insufficient that the pill formation failed! In the end, she actually pushed all the blame onto Chu Liuyue, who would have thought the other girl actually succeeded in forming the pill! She even directly helped her win first place! If it were me, I wouldn't dare accept that first place!"

The youth's face flushed red with anger.

"But... but Xingchen's own talent and strength are also excellent! You're all talking behind her back, but who can actually compare to her?"

"Of course we can't compare, which is why we've always listened to her in everything. But this time, she has disgraced the entire academy! Are we not allowed to feel some dissatisfaction? Zhang Ling, we know you like her, but think about it—has she ever even given you a second glance?"

The youth was choked up and unable to speak.

"Situ Xingchen's standards are very high. So many talented young men have sought her hand in marriage, and she hasn't taken an interest in a single one of them."

"Well, now her reputation is half-ruined. Let's see if there are still so many people who like her."

Situ Xingchen trembled with rage, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Had the humiliations she had endured during this period not been enough?!

She hadn't expected that these people would be discussing her like this!

Taiyan Academy, and perhaps even the entire Star Luo Kingdom, likely had countless people thinking the same thing!

Just as she was wondering how to deal with these people, she heard one of the girls say

"By the way, I heard that Chu Liuyue arrived at our academy today?"

After taking the medicine, she felt a bit better, but she didn't know if it was a side effect of the drug, but she had been feeling nauseous all morning.

(End of Chapter)