booktalesy Chapter 92 The Back-to-School Turmoil: Qin Hao Makes His Move
Chapter 92 The Back-to-School Turmoil: Qin Hao Makes His Move
Chu Fan pressed the groove on the side with his thumb, and the jade slip lit up, projecting a clear image—a stone table in the stone chamber, a man in black robes, a green oil lamp, and a secret letter and token on the table.
The image is three-dimensional, small but very clear. You can see the evil markings on the face of the man in black robes, the crooked characters on the secret letter, and the distorted symbol on the token.
Chu Fan adjusted his glasses, his voice calm and unhurried: "This is my record of the entire layout of the evil clan's stronghold, the contents of the secret letter, and images of all the seized items. The secret letter clearly records information about collusion with personnel within the school. Qin Hao, do you dare to confront us face-to-face and go to the school administration office to verify this?"
His tone was calm, as if he were answering a teacher's question in class. But this calmness was more powerful than any anger—because he was not afraid of scrutiny, confrontation, or anyone's questioning.
Su Muyue stepped out from behind Lin Chen.
She stood on the steps, one step lower than Qin Hao, but her back was very straight, and she looked at Qin Hao with a cold gaze, without any hesitation.
"Young Master Qin, the Black Serpent Assassin of Black Wind Ridge, the evil cultivator—all the evidence points to you. If you have a clear conscience, why gather here to make things difficult for us?" Her voice wasn't loud, but her enunciation was clear, each word like a crystal droplet falling onto a porcelain plate, crisp and clear.
"My Su family is a martial arts family, guarding against evil races for generations. I swear by the bloodline of the Su family that everything we have said is true. If there is even a single lie, I am willing to accept the punishment according to school rules, have my cultivation abolished, and be expelled from Star Martial University."
After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.
The name Su carries significant weight in the martial arts world. As the direct descendants of a family that has guarded the evil race for generations and served as protectors of successive Martial Emperors, they are not easily impersonated. Oaths sworn by blood from such a family are more persuasive than any written document.
The way the surrounding students looked at Qin Hao began to change. Those who were just observing now had their opinions shifting. Some shook their heads, some pursed their lips, and some whispered something to the person next to them, who nodded in agreement.
Qin Hao's face turned pale and then flushed. His lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something. The followers behind him also stopped making a fuss, each of them lowering their heads and pretending to look at the ants on the ground.
He hadn't expected Lin Chen and his group to actually produce evidence. He was even more surprised that Su Muyue would swear an oath by blood—in the martial arts world, a blood oath isn't just a casual gesture; it's a genuine guarantee of the entire family's honor. A lie can't become the truth, and the truth can't become the lie; the fact that she dared to say that meant those things were real.
A steady footstep sound came from outside the crowd.
"What are you all doing here? Gathering in a crowd and causing trouble, violating school rules, do you even have any respect for the rules of Xingwu University?!"
Chen Feng strode over. He was wearing a black officer's uniform, his collar buttoned up neatly, and his hair combed meticulously. He walked with a brisk pace, and the people around him automatically made way for him. He stood in the center of the crowd, his gaze first sweeping over Qin Hao, then over Lin Chen and the other four, and finally landing on the evidence spread out on the ground—tokens, scraps of cloth, and jade slips.
Qin Hao's expression darkened further. He hadn't expected Chen Feng to appear at this time—Chen Feng shouldn't be at school at this hour, and he had deliberately chosen this time to ambush Lin Chen, precisely to avoid being seen by Chen Feng.
"Director Chen," Qin Hao said, trying to appear calm, but his voice lacked its previous confidence, "Lin Chen and the others embezzled the mission treasures, violating school rules. I was just upholding the school's rules."
Chen Feng ignored him. He bent down, picked up the jade slip on the ground, and examined the image inside. He then picked up the token, turned it over, and looked at the back—there was no character "Qin" on it; the Black Serpent Organization's tokens wouldn't have the employer's name engraved, but he could make out the subtle marks on it. He put the token down, then picked up the scraps of cloth, squeezed the fabric, brought it close to his nose, and frowned.
He stood up straight, facing Qin Hao, his eyes cold.
"The school will carefully investigate whether this matter is true or not." His voice was not loud, but every word carried undeniable weight. "You gathered a crowd to surround your classmates and disrupted campus order. You are immediately suspended for three days and all your points for the month will be deducted. If this happens again, you will be severely punished."
"Director Chen, I—"
"You have an objection?" Chen Feng's tone remained unchanged, but his gaze was like a knife.
Qin Hao swallowed the words that were on his throat. He glared fiercely at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with hatred that almost overflowed, as if he wanted to etch Lin Chen's face into his mind. He flicked his sleeve, turned around, and left. His followers followed behind him like a flock of ducks being herded away, muttering curses under their breath, but no one dared to speak loudly.
The crowd slowly dispersed. Before leaving, someone gave Lin Chen a thumbs up, someone came over and patted Leng Feng's uninjured shoulder, and a girl ran over and stuffed a piece of candy into Su Ling'er's hand, whispering, "You guys are amazing," before running away blushing.
Chen Feng returned the jade slip and token to Lin Chen, and also folded the rags and handed them back. His expression wasn't as stern as it had been towards Qin Hao, but it was still very serious.
"You've done well," Chen Feng said. "I will immediately report these things to the Martial Arts Alliance and launch a covert investigation into Qin Cang. But you must understand that this evidence is not enough to directly bring Qin Cang down—he will push everything onto Qin Hao, saying that he was 'lax in discipline and kept in the dark.' The position of vice principal of a prestigious university cannot be shaken by a few tokens."
He looked into Lin Chen's eyes, his tone becoming more serious: "I'll keep an eye on Qin Cang. Qin Hao is narrow-minded, and Qin Cang is even more cunning; they won't let this go easily. The Freshman Secret Realm is approaching, so prepare well. The school can't control what happens inside the secret realm; you'll have to rely on yourselves."
"Protect yourselves, protect your companions." Chen Feng's gaze swept over the five faces one by one, finally stopping on Lin Chen. He patted him on the shoulder, "I trust your strength, but remember, the most dangerous thing in the secret realm is often not the ferocious beasts."
"We will, Director Chen." Lin Chen nodded.
Chen Feng left. His figure disappeared into the twilight as he walked along the tree-lined path of the campus. One by one, the streetlights lit up behind him, their orange glow stretching his shadow long.
Su Ling'er let out a long sigh, deflated like a punctured balloon, and leaned against a nearby stone pillar. "Finally got rid of that annoying guy," Chu Fan pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "It's only a temporary respite. Qin Hao will definitely launch another attack in the secret realm, so we need to be fully prepared."
Leng Feng said in a deep voice, "We'll meet force with force and water with water. With us here, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Lin Chen looked at Su Muyue beside him, took her hand, and said with determination in his eyes, "Don't worry, in the secret realm, I will not only obtain the Star Marrow Liquid, but also expose their conspiracy. No one will be able to harm you."
As the evening breeze swept through the tree-lined paths of Xingwu University and the lights gradually came on, a storm temporarily subsided. However, the undercurrents in the freshman secret realm grew increasingly turbulent. The five of them walked side by side, trusting each other, and had become an undeniable force among the freshmen of Xingwu University.