As several people flew on their swords toward the disciples’ quarters, the small courtyard where Li Fei resided was already packed with people. The disciples surrounded Master Zuoqiu, passionately complaining, their voices overlapping and growing more agitated with each word.
Master Zuoqiu’s expression remained unchanged, lost in thought, while Hu Jiaping felt somewhat embarrassed. Master Zuoqiu had entrusted him to take care of the academy’s affairs during his absence, but now the disciples were impeaching a teacher, which was quite ridiculous. He felt partly responsible for this situation.
Miao Lanxin sighed, “Teaching the Ice Condensing Technique for two months? What is she doing?”
The teachers usually worked independently, especially since their courses were completely different. They rarely inquired about each other’s progress. No one could have imagined that after two months, Lin You had not taught any proper Water Immortal Techniques.
Master Zuoqiu suddenly spoke, “Jiaping, please invite Teacher Lin You for a discussion.”
Things had escalated… Hu Jiaping had no choice but to go find her. Disciples impeaching an academy teacher was unheard of. For these elite disciples from immortal sects, teaching at the academy was also an excellent cultivation opportunity. The vigor of new disciples could always rekindle their past enthusiasm, and it wasn’t impossible to break through long-standing bottlenecks. Which of the chosen elite disciples didn’t feel honored? No matter how mischievous their personalities, they would undoubtedly give their all in teaching, without any reservations. For things to escalate to the point of being impeached by disciples, Teacher Lin You was truly unique.
Li Fei noticed that everyone was in the courtyard except for Zhenyun Zi. She looked around curiously, asking, “Where’s Zhenyun Zi?”
Bai Li Changyue tilted his head, listening for a moment, “He’s in Lei Xiyuan’s room. He and Mo Yanfan seem to be asking Lei Xiyuan about some Nightmare Technique.”
Li Fei suddenly remembered what Ri Yan had said about the Heavenly Sound Spirit Language Technique and the Word Spirit Nightmare Technique being unique skills of Xingzheng Hall. Could it be that the person who wanted to kill Lei Xiyuan was from Xingzheng Hall? No wonder Mo Yanfan’s expression changed when he saw that letter, saying he would give them an explanation. So he took leave to go back and ask someone, and the person he brought turned out to be Zhenyun Zi.
Soon after, Lin You was brought by Hu Jiaping. Her expression was calm, showing no signs of abnormality. When the children saw her, they felt a mix of hatred and guilt. The bolder ones continued to complain, and the rest immediately followed suit. Once again, the courtyard was filled with noise.
Master Zuoqiu raised his hand, and the children’s voices instinctively lowered. He spoke, “Teacher Lin, the disciples have been in the academy for over two months. Their sword riding and furnace cultivation have been completed. You, along with Teachers Luo and Miao, are responsible for teaching the basic Five Elements Immortal Techniques. May I ask if there has been any deviation in your teaching?”
Lin You gave a cold laugh, showing no respect even towards Master Zuoqiu, “These little brats are all fools, unable to learn anything! With such rotten wood, how can I carve out a phoenix?!”
The children immediately became furious, glaring at her.
Master Zuoqiu turned to Miao Lanxin and Luo Chengji, asking gently, “How do Teacher Luo and Teacher Miao view this year’s new disciples?”
The two hadn’t expected things to escalate like this and felt somewhat embarrassed. Being older, Miao Lanxin spoke first, “This year’s disciples can all be considered fine talents, and their cultivation is diligent and hardworking. As a teacher, I cannot agree with Teacher Lin You’s assessment.”
Luo Chengji also nodded, “Indeed, there are even several extraordinary talents among them. Given time, they will surely become pillars of their sects.”
Master Zuoqiu smiled at Lin You, “Teacher Lin, don’t you think your view might be a bit biased?”
Lin You replied coldly, “If that’s the case, I’ll resign from this teaching position. I’m grateful that Master Zuoqiu thought highly of me, but I’m not up to such a great responsibility. I’ll leave the academy now. Farewell.”
She turned to leave immediately, taking only a few steps before reaching the courtyard’s exit.
Suddenly, Lei Xiyuan’s door opened, and Zhenyun Zi’s voice, cold as a deep spring, came from the doorway, “Teacher Lin, please wait. I have something to ask you.”
Lin You stopped, replying coldly, “What guidance does Master Zhenyu have?”
Zhenyun Zi slowly walked forward a few steps, with Mo Yanfan following behind, his face expressionless, showing neither joy nor sorrow. Li Fei’s sharp eyes noticed Lei Xiyuan following behind Mo Yanfan, his expression calm, head slightly lowered, seeming in better spirits than when he was ill.
“Teacher Lin You, you claim to be the third disciple under Dragon Void Immortal Lord of the Fire Lotus Pavilion. Then let me ask you, why do you know how to use our Xingzheng Hall’s Heavenly Sound Spirit Language Technique and Word Spirit Nightmare Technique?”
Lin You turned around, her expression somewhat shocked, “How do you know? Well… naturally, someone taught me!”
She glanced at Mo Yanfan, but this Teacher Mo remained motionless, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Zhenyun Zi gently pulled Lei Xiyuan to his side and said sternly, “Then why did you use our Xingzheng Hall’s immortal techniques against this academy disciple?”
Lin You showed a moment of bewilderment, “What are you talking about?! How dare you slander me! I only learned a bit of the superficial skills, how could I possibly use them against him?!”
Zhenyun Zi continued, “Master Zuoqiu, I came to the academy unannounced today for this very matter. My junior Mo happened to meet me on his way back to our sect and told me about this child being afflicted by the Word Spirit Nightmare Technique. The academy has always been a place of tranquility, so how could Xingzheng Hall’s Word Spirit Nightmare Technique appear here? If I don’t clarify this matter, it will be difficult to clear Xingzheng Hall’s name. Lin You, there’s no need to pretend anymore. I know who you are.”
Lin You took a few steps back, laughing coldly, “Zhenyu Zi, you want to frame me using the Spirit Language Technique? Don’t even think about it!”
Before she could finish speaking, Zhenyu Zi suddenly shouted sternly, “Who are you? Confess immediately!”
Though his voice wasn’t loud, it sounded like a thunderclap to the disciples’ ears. The Spirit Language Technique, infused with spiritual energy, resonated throughout the courtyard. The unprepared disciples fell unconscious one after another. Even Li Fei felt a severe bout of dizziness, almost falling to her knees.
Although Lin You was prepared, she still couldn’t resist his sudden attack. Blood flowed from her nose and mouth, and her gaze became unfocused for a moment. She muttered, “I… I am from the East Sea Ten Thousand…”
Her words suddenly cut off as if she had broken free from the Spirit Language’s constraint. Without another word, her body suddenly transformed into a fierce wind, howling away. How could Zhenyu Zi let her escape? A white light shot out from his sleeve, instantly transforming into thousands of thin, transparent blades, surrounding that whirlwind.
A cry of pain was heard from within the wind. As the gale dissipated, Lin You appeared, her body covered in blood. Her lotus-colored clothes suddenly changed into a purple long dress, and her neatly pinned hair became loose and flowing. The illusion dispelled, she had suddenly transformed into a different appearance.
She cast a hateful glance at Mo Yanfan and said fiercely, “You… Hmph! I won’t let you go even as a ghost!”
The ice blades surrounded her, seemingly about to restrain her. She gave a cold snort, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ice blades, raised her long sleeve to cover her face, and with her last bit of strength, crashed through the ice blade barrier. The purple figure fell off the cliff like a broken string.
This sudden turn of events left Li Fei dumbfounded. How did Lin You suddenly change her appearance? She seemed to harbor intense hatred towards Mo Yanfan, did they know each other before? She recalled the inexplicable conversation between Lin You and Mo Yanfan that night. Combining it with what just happened, could it be that this Lin You was an impostor? She disguised herself as Lin You to enter the academy, was it because of Mo Yanfan? No wonder her teaching was chaotic, absent-minded, and moody – she wasn’t a real teacher at all! But then, where was the real Lin You?
Zhenyu Zi hurriedly rushed to the edge of the cliff, looked down, and frowned, “That demoness has escaped — Master Zuoqiu, if I remember correctly, isn’t the area below a forbidden zone of the academy?”
Since the incident began, Master Zuoqiu has remained silent without any action. Now being asked, he calmly replied, “That’s correct, it’s a forbidden area below. Master Zhenyu, thank you for exposing the impostor teacher, but this matter is an internal affair of the academy. We wouldn’t dare to trouble you further. Amu.”
He called out, and the next moment, the black-veiled woman appeared before everyone like a wisp of smoke, bowing her head, “What are your orders, Master?”
“Go to the forbidden area and investigate.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhenyu Zi, having been politely but firmly dismissed by Master Zuoqiu, took a step back and said no more. Mo Yanfan suddenly stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Master Zuoqiu, this woman has harmed people using Xingzheng Hall’s techniques. To clear our sect’s name, please allow me to join the investigation.”
Master Zuoqiu walked back to the courtyard, his voice indifferent, “Then I’ll trouble Young Master Mo.”
The impeachment of the teacher had suddenly turned into uncovering the culprit’s identity. This enormous twist left Li Fei stunned for a long time. Bai Li Gelin had fainted from Zhenyu Zi’s Heavenly Sound Spirit Language Technique earlier and still hadn’t woken up. She wasn’t the only one; most of the disciples couldn’t withstand the powerful Spirit Language, and now a large number lay unconscious on the ground.
Fortunately, Ye Ye and Bai Li Changyue were still barely standing. Li Fei hugged Bai Li Gelin and went over to them. Ye Ye touched Gelin’s face and said softly, “It’s alright, she’s just fainted. She’ll wake up soon… Hmm, that Zhenyu Zi must have held back for our sake, otherwise it wouldn’t have been as simple as just fainting.”
Master Zuoqiu and the other teachers were infusing spiritual energy into the unconscious children, stabilizing their affected furnaces. Zhenyu Zi seemed somewhat apologetic and stepped forward to bow, “I was rash. Please forgive me, Master Zuoqiu.”
Master Zuoqiu smiled faintly, “Master Zhenyu helped our academy catch the impostor teacher. We should be thanking you, how could we blame you? However, the disciples are still unconscious. Please wait a moment, Master Zhenyu. Once they wake up, we’ll see you off.”
Zhenyu Zi hadn’t mentioned leaving, yet Master Zuoqiu spoke of “seeing him off” – it was an obvious dismissal. Zhenyu Zi looked somewhat embarrassed, cupped his hands, and turned to leave. As he passed by Li Fei, he nodded at her, his voice unusually gentle, “Young lady, cultivate well. The immortal sects need rare talents like you.”
It seemed… it seemed he wasn’t so bad after all… Li Fei nodded silently.
Zhenyu Zi looked at Bai Li Changyue, who involuntarily shuddered upon meeting his gaze and took two steps back.
Ye Ye stepped forward and bowed to Zhenyu Zi, “Senior Zhenyu, one of our friends is still unconscious. Could you please help?”
Zhenyu Zi generously placed his hand on Bai Li Gelin’s head, gently stroking it once. The next moment, she woke up, looking confused, as if still in a dream.
“Farewell,” Zhenyu Zi glanced at Bai Li Changyue once more, said nothing else, and soon left.
After he left, Ye Ye immediately asked, “Are you alright? Did you hear something?”
Bai Li Changyue shook his head, looking puzzled, and said softly, “I can’t remember his heart sound… It seems I heard something, but I just can’t recall. When that person looked at me, I felt inexplicably afraid… How strange.”
Ye Ye smiled, “After all, he’s a high-ranking figure from Xingzheng Hall. How could he let you eavesdrop so easily?”
Bai Li Changyue still looked confused and didn’t speak for a long time.