Chapter 318: Leaving (Fifth Update)

Chu Liuyue raised her eyebrows slightly, appearing somewhat surprised

"Oh? I wonder where Vice General Mu has seen a magical beast similar to Tuanzi? If fate allows a meeting, Tuanzi will surely get along very well with the other one."

Mu Qinghe stared at Chu Liuyue, as if weighing whether these words came from her heart.

"It was the magical beast of an old acquaintance of mine. But it wasn't a blood mink, it was—"

He paused, and a cold, lifeless smile suddenly pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Forget it. It's dead anyway, there's no need to mention it again."

Chu Liuyue's heart wrenched violently!

She heard her own voice

"That is truly a pity. Something similar to Tuanzi must be very cute as well. But why did that magical beast die? Was it killed in battle?"

The smile at the corners of Mu Qinghe's mouth slowly faded, his expression turning as hard as ice.

"Its master died, so it simply followed in funerary sacrifice. However, because that magical beast was quite strong, it likely knew that dying wouldn't be easy, so it chose to self-detonate instead."

Every word was like a sharp knife, stabbing fiercely into the pit of Chu Liuyue's heart!

Even though she had long anticipated this, hearing it with her own ears made it almost unbearable.

"Oh, right. That old acquaintance is the one I mentioned before—the one who is somewhat similar to you."

Mu Qinghe's face held no expression, and his tone was incredibly flat, as if he were merely discussing something utterly ordinary.

Chu Liuyue managed to move her lips, but her limbs were ice-cold, making it nearly impossible to move.

"...Is that so?"

"Cough, cough—cough, cough—"

Beside her, Rong Xiu suddenly began to cough violently.

Chu Liuyue hurriedly looked over

"Prince Rong Li, are you alright?"

Rong Xiu finally managed to stop, smiling with a pale complexion.

"It's nothing... just a bit tired."

Chu Liuyue immediately said

"Then I shall escort you back to the Prince of Li's Manor."

A faint smile appeared on Rong Xiu's face.

"Then I thank you."

Beside them, Chu Ning also felt uneasy

"Yue'er, I will go with you."

With that, the group prepared to leave together.

Mu Qinghe remained standing there, watching Chu Liuyue.

Chu Liuyue took a step, then turned her head to ask

"Does Vice General Mu have something else?"

Mu Qinghe paused, said nothing, and turned to walk away directly.

Watching his retreating back, Chu Ning walked to Chu Liuyue's side and whispered

"Yue'er, did you offend Vice General Mu previously?"

Chu Liuyue curled her lips with indifference.

"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter."

After Emperor Jiawen and the others departed, Rong Xiu's party also quickly returned.

Seeing that the matter had concluded, the crowds that had gathered previously all dispersed to their respective places.

Tianlu Academy became desolate once again.

Ye Zhiting looked at the Nine Nether Tower, which had become a pile of ruins, and rubbed his temples in a headache.

The Imperial Capital had truly been becoming increasingly turbulent lately...

"Elder Ye."

A voice suddenly drifted over.

Ye Zhiting raised his eyes to look, and his brow furrowed quickly.

"Fu Yunshan? Cheng Han?"

"Elder Ye, we truly didn't expect such a thing to happen. We arrived too late and couldn't be of help. We are truly sorry..." Fu Yunshan explained with a face full of regret.

Cheng Han's gaze swept over the ruins, feeling quite smug in his heart, and he couldn't help but tease

"Indeed! Ever since Tianlu Academy existed, it seemed to have this Nine Nether Tower. Now that it's destroyed, Elder Ye must be feeling quite miserable, right? But there's nothing to be done about such things; who told that ferocious beast to be so powerful? As long as the people are safe, that's all that matters! Isn't that right, Elder Ye?"

Ye Zhiting narrowed his eyes at the two of them, and then he also laughed.

"Correct. It was indeed due to our academy's lack of strength this time that things developed to this extent. That ferocious beast was indeed very strong; even if you had stepped in to help back then, it probably wouldn't have made much difference. After all, with your meager strength, haha! This old man has always been blunt; you won't mind, will you?"

Fu Yunshan's expression instantly became extremely awkward.

He secretly shot Cheng Han a look.

—He had said long ago that given Ye Zhiting's cultivation realm, he would definitely be able to sense they were right nearby!

They clearly could have helped, but they took no action; Ye Zhiting must be holding a grudge against them!

Cheng Han's face felt a bit bruised by the sarcasm, but on second thought, it was Tianlu Academy that had suffered the massive loss.

That alone was enough to keep him happy for a long time.

Therefore, he didn't care about Ye Zhiting's words at all.

"Elder Ye, you have been in seclusion for a long time, so you likely don't know much about what has been happening outside. Although our strength cannot compare to yours, it is not as pathetic as you say—"

"Hahaha! This old man was merely joking. Cheng Han, why are you taking it seriously? Just like when you lost to me and said you would send your disciple to defeat my disciple in the future—wasn't that also just talk?"

Cheng Han's face froze.

Ye Zhiting asked with a look of confusion

"Why? Is it not true? I heard that the Original Pill your disciple used to win the Heavenly Physician Competition was refined by my disciple! If you were truly still brooding over the matters of that year, you would never have agreed to let your disciple accept that first place, would you?"

Cheng Han's expression shifted through a spectacular range of colors!

After not seeing him for many years, Ye Zhiting was still not one to show mercy!

That mouth of his was truly loathsome to the extreme!

"I suddenly remembered that our academy is set to depart tomorrow, and there are some matters we haven't had time to attend to. With Tianlu Academy in this state, our continued presence here would only add to the chaos. We shall take our leave."

As Cheng Han spoke, he turned to leave.

Fu Yunshan also felt somewhat embarrassed; he managed to squeeze out a few words of excuse and did not intend to stay any longer either.

After walking a few steps, Cheng Han suddenly felt as if someone was missing by his side—Situ Xingchen.

He looked around the area, but he did not see any sign of Situ Xingchen.

"Have you seen Xingchen?"

He asked a student who looked familiar.

"She seemed to have left just now; she probably went back to the inn."

Cheng Han thought that it made sense.

Having witnessed Rong Xiu and Chu Liuyue being granted their marriage engagement with her own eyes, she must be feeling unwell; it was normal for her to go back.

At a time like this, it was good to let her have some quiet time to herself.

Cheng Han took a deep breath.

"Let's go!"