Chapter 9: Attitude!

All of this took longer to describe than to happen. From Jiang Wang rushing straight to the inner academy to Dong A’s decisive move, everything occurred within an extremely short span of time.

Just before the vine snakes completely closed together in midair, a pale figure found a gap and shot into the sky at incredible speed, seemingly about to escape.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless wooden spikes shot out violently, piercing straight through him in an instant!

His body jerked again and again in midair. Only after those violent wooden spikes stopped did he fall helplessly from the sky. From his head to his calves, he was covered in densely packed bloody holes. He was dead beyond any doubt.

The entire Dao Academy fell silent. Whether outer disciples or inner academy disciples, all of them were deeply shaken by this scene.

Jiang Wang’s eyelids twitched as he watched.

“That strange unorthodox evil practitioner… died just like that?”

Dong A did not even glance at the corpse. He said indifferently, “The remaining one is still hiding?”

“Ridiculous.”

He walked leisurely through the air, step by step.

“Everything within the Jade Cage is under my control. Everything is full of vitality. Only your scent is disgusting.”

He extended his right hand and gently clenched it.

A room door grew a large hand and grabbed a nearby person dressed as an outer disciple. The five fingers of the wooden hand spread apart and instantly traveled over the person’s whole body, locking him firmly in place.

At the same time, the wooden arm rapidly stretched, raising the person all the way to Dong A in the air.

“Speak. Who sent you? How dare you commit murder in the Dao Academy?”

With the starry sky behind him, Dong A looked down from above at this reckless assassin.

Even the wind seemed to fall still, quietly waiting for this person’s answer.

The ordinary-looking assassin suddenly grinned.

His entire head abruptly exploded!

Dong A tightened his fist, and a layer of water membrane instantly wrapped around all those red and white fragments, forming a swollen water ball.

He glanced again at the earlier corpse. A seed broke through the earth, grew rapidly, and bloomed. The flower bud opened into a huge mouth that swallowed the corpse in one bite. Dong A casually tossed the water ball into it as well. The flower’s huge mouth closed, then shrank back into the ground.

The two corpses were cleaned up just like that, yet the anger on Dong A’s face grew even more obvious.

“A cultivation seed of my Zhuang Country was actually murdered inside the Dao Academy! These unorthodox evil practitioners are truly bold! This matter must be investigated to the end! The city lord’s manor must give this academy an explanation. No matter who the mastermind behind this is, they must be executed!”

The cultivation of a fifth-grade expert fully unfolded. His voice was like rolling thunder, shaking the entire city.

Many people throughout Maple Forest City changed expression upon hearing it.

Soon after, another loud voice also spread across the whole city. It belonged to Wei Quji, the city lord of Maple Forest City.

“Academy Master Dong, rest assured. This manor will definitely give an explanation! No matter who or what is involved, once they are found, they will be killed without mercy!”

Jiang Wang watched this scene unfold and vaguely felt that he had touched some intense whirlpool hidden beneath the surface of the sea.

The Dao Academy was where the nation cultivated talent. It was tied to the fate of the state. To commit murder in the Dao Academy had already crossed Dong A’s bottom line.

The mighty Qin borrowing territory to ambush an enemy had already torn a harsh layer from Zhuang Country’s face. Now an unorthodox practitioner had committed murder in the Dao Academy. Though the purpose was unknown, it was hard to say there was no intention to test the official reaction.

Before today, everyone knew that Dong A and Wei Quji did not get along. The former belonged to the faction of Prime Minister Du Ruhui, while the latter was an old subordinate of Great General Huangfu Duanming.

With Dong A’s strength, there was no need for him to make such a grand display just to capture the evil practitioners. His use of a dao technique to cover the entire academy, followed by his distant exchange with Wei Quji, seemed more like a way to display strength and make his attitude clear, intimidating those restless figures hidden in the shadows.

Zhuang Country was not peaceful.

“Disperse,” Dong A said expressionlessly, turning and walking down from the sky.

The door panels jumped back into place. The vine snakes returned to the walls…

In an instant, the entire Dao Academy returned to its original state.

The night seemed as if it had always been this quiet.

Everything felt like a dream.

But the wound that had not yet healed told Jiang Wang that it was real.

This was the strength of a fifth-grade expert.

And it was also the scenery he would one day climb toward!

By the time Zhao Rucheng arrived at the Dao Academy after hearing the news, everything had already settled. Only the outer academy disciples were still gathered in twos and threes, excitedly discussing the academy master’s might.

He saw Jiang Wang in the dormitory. At that time, this fellow was carefully wiping his sword with a handkerchief embroidered with golden thread.

The handkerchief naturally belonged to Zhao Rucheng. There would not be a second person in the entire dormitory who used such a thing.

Zhao Rucheng first noticed the wound on Jiang Wang’s foot, which had been carefully rebandaged, and mocked him.

“Oh? Injured again? Your title as number one in outer academy swordsmanship doesn’t have some water mixed into it, does it?”

“It’s all right.”

Jiang Wang continued wiping his blade.

“Even after squeezing out the water, it’s still enough to teach you a lesson.”

Only then did he raise his head and look at Zhao Rucheng with a smile.

“Little brother.”

“It’s just that you’re one year older than me and practiced the sword one year longer.”

Zhao Rucheng curled his lips.

“Even one day older still counts as older. Little brother.”

Zhao Rucheng clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Can you stop wiping? Do you know how many of those broken swords in your hand my handkerchief could buy?”

Jiang Wang laughed rather arrogantly.

“Then do you know how many of your handkerchiefs the sword used by me, Jiang Wang, will be worth in the future?”

But the moment those words left his mouth, he and Zhao Rucheng both fell silent.

Because words like that had always been Fang Pengju’s style. Using Zhao Rucheng’s gold-embroidered handkerchief to wipe swords was also the “bad habit” he had started. In his words: “Our brothers’ swords will all be passed down through the ages in the future. How can we not take good care of them? Such a fine handkerchief would be wasted wiping a face! Rucheng may be good-looking, but can that face of his be passed down through the ages?”

Some people had already vanished, yet the traces they left behind would continue to exist for a very long time…

It was Zhao Rucheng who spoke first, changing the subject.

“Third Brother, what do you think these evil practitioners were after by attacking the Dao Academy this time? Could you being caught up in it… not have been an accident?”

“The Fang family probably does not have that kind of courage.”

Jiang Wang shook his head.

“But it’s hard to say. By the way, have you seen Big Brother?”

Ling He had gone to the Fang family at noon to return the corpse, yet he had still not come back. Jiang Wang could not help worrying.

Zhao Rucheng raised his sword-like brows slightly.

“I heard he was driven out of the Fang residence. Where he went afterward, I don’t know.”

Jiang Wang was silent for a while.

“Let’s go. We’ll look for him.”

“If you want to look, look yourself. I’m not going to accompany a rotten good person doing rotten good deeds.”

Zhao Rucheng curled his lips.

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who made him eat a closed door. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jiang Wang simply stared at him without speaking.

Zhao Rucheng had no choice but to surrender.

“All right, all right. But it’s so late. Where are we supposed to look?”

“First,” Jiang Wang analyzed, “he definitely would not throw him into the mass graveyard.”

“But he has no money,” Zhao Rucheng continued.

“And he is also someone who values feelings deeply…”

Jiang Wang got up and walked outside.

“I know where he went.”

“I even know what he’s doing!”

Zhao Rucheng followed behind him and wrinkled his handsome nose.

“He’s definitely crying.”

[End of Chapter]