When Yelena heard Enkai mention Zhang Wen’s apology, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. She could sense that if Zhang Wen truly apologized, it would be a humiliation for Almace Academy. However, the thought of teaching Zhang Wen a lesson eventually prevailed in Yelena’s heart. Her lips barely moved, but she made no sound.
Nonetheless, Yelena had no intention of defending Zhang Wen. Xia Xi, who had just been glared at by Zhang Wen, felt her anger rekindled by Enkai’s words.
“Make him apologize? Have you gone mad?” Xia Xi’s pretty face flushed crimson as she gritted her teeth and shouted at Enkai. The red-haired girl was genuinely furious. She had never encountered such a humiliating situation in her life. Zhang Wen had come to save them, yet he was expected to apologize to the “kidnappers.” Where in the world did such logic exist?
“Right! When that waste of space suddenly showed up and claimed he wanted to take us three away, I was curious to see how capable he really was, so I deliberately didn’t resist. But who could have guessed those fools would be so despicable as to let him seal his battle energy! If I had known beforehand… Hmph! Even without mentioning that, you idiots from Themis Academy couldn’t even defeat someone who sealed his own battle energy. You’re clearly the useless ones! How dare you demand an apology from him?”
In her rage, Xia Xi instinctively resorted to her favorite sentence structure. In her speech, she referred to the Themis students as “those fools” and Zhang Wen as “that guy.”
“Self-sealed battle energy? Haha! Little girl, I understand your desire to defend Teacher Zhang Wen. However, next time you lie, please think carefully before speaking, alright? What you just said isn’t believable even to a three-year-old.”
Enkai burst into laughter as if he had heard an amusing joke. Gelt wore a look of disdain, while Yelena even displayed an expression of apparent discomfort.
“You don’t have to believe it, but that’s how it is!”
“I can also testify!”
The distrustful expressions of the three teachers further provoked the three girls. Amelis and Jaret exchanged glances and stepped forward without hesitation.
If only Xia Xi and Amelis supported Zhang Wen’s account, perhaps Gelt and others could have easily dismissed it. However, with Jaret’s testimony added, the weight of the statement became entirely different. Regardless of how ridiculous Enkai thought the “lies” of the three girls were, he still had to ask Griffiths a question.
“Fine! If you insist on saying that! Griffiths, was there really such a thing?” Enkai said in a perfunctory manner. A mocking smile hung on his face as his head slightly turned in Griffiths’ direction, but his gaze never left the three girls and Zhang Wen.
Enkai was merely waiting for Griffiths to deny the three girls’ “ridiculous” testimony before immediately shifting the blame onto Zhang Wen.
Look at him, the martial arts team leader who, to cover up his mistake, actually had his students lie for him! How irresponsible for a teacher! Enkai had even prepared sarcastic lines to mock Zhang Wen in advance.
“Er… Well… This…”
However, contrary to Enkai’s expectations, instead of immediately refuting the three girls’ absurd testimony, Griffiths hesitated and stammered.
“Griffiths!” Enkai angrily turned his head.
He couldn’t fathom why Griffiths would hesitate! A person who sealed their battle energy defeating more than twenty martial artists of fifth rank or higher—did he think this was a fairy tale world? No! Even fairy tales wouldn’t dare to concoct such nonsense!
“Well… That… He didn’t seem to use battle energy during the fight with us. We don’t know what happened, but we ended up like this,” Griffiths, who had personally witnessed the battle with Zhang Wen, could not bring himself to lie. He could only lower his head and mumble a quiet explanation.
“Griffiths, do you know what you’re saying?” Enkai’s anger erupted the moment Griffiths finished speaking.
“Well… Teacher Enkai, the situation is indeed like this,” no matter how much Gelt feared Enkai’s anger, at this point, he could only persevere.
“Enough!” An enraged Gelt shouted his two-word catchphrase once again. “Teacher Zhang Wen, I don’t know what method you used to deceive our students. However, you can’t really expect me to believe that you defeated more than twenty martial arts students while sealing your battle energy, can you?”
“Haha! What a ridiculous guy! Hey, has your idiot brain gone wrong? What reason would this guy have to make you useless people believe in his abilities? After all, who do you think you are?” Before Zhang Wen could speak, Xia Xi seized the opportunity to launch into a scathing verbal attack on Gelt, whom she had disliked the most from the beginning.
Perhaps Amelis and Jaret would still be cautious about Gelt’s strength and authority, but who was Xia Xi? Don’t forget, this cute girl wearing the Almace Academy uniform and appearing harmless was actually the younger sister of “Flame Demon” Agate!
She had seen countless powerful underworld bosses and formidable high-level fighters in her daily life! Her biological older brother, “Flame Demon” Agate, was a genius among geniuses, a supreme-level powerhouse who reached that level at the young age of twenty-two.
Gelt, merely the chief instructor of Themis Academy, past forty years old yet still unable to break through to the Saint level, naturally received nothing but disdainful labels from the red-haired girl—words like “idiot,” “useless,” and “who do you think you are?”
However, Enkai, of course, couldn’t understand how justified Xia Xi’s contempt for Gelt was. An Almace Academy martial arts student insulting the chief instructor of Themis Academy immediately enraged Enkai even further.
“You… you dare to insult Gelt, the chief instructor! Little girl, don’t be too arrogant!” Enkai shouted furiously at Xia Xi with a flushed face.
“Zhang Wen, how exactly do you teach your students? Talking nonsense and disrespecting everyone. Even if this little girl is a secret weapon prepared by your martial arts department, spoiling your students to this extent is going too far! Teacher Zhang Wen, I advise you to apologize immediately! Otherwise, I will definitely report this incident to your martial arts department’s instructor Xin,” Yelena also frowned with dissatisfaction, scolding Zhang Wen.
“Tsk! All of you, just save it! Stop pretending to be so high and mighty. Don’t think that just because you’re the chief instructor of Themis Academy, you can boss me around. What right do you have to criticize me and my students?” Zhang Wen coldly scanned the three teachers’ livid faces. “As for you, if you want to report me, go ahead. We’ll see who ends up looking foolish in the end. Alright! I’m really tired now, no time to waste arguing with you here.”
With that, Zhang Wen pushed past Enkai, who was blocking his way, without even looking back, and headed straight for the training hall’s entrance.
“Teacher Zhang Wen, you’re too arrogant! Even though you’re the martial arts representative of the Almace Academy delegation and not under my jurisdiction, if you’re too arrogant, aren’t you afraid of causing disputes between the two academies?” Gelt still coldly stared at Zhang Wen with an iron expression.
“Arrogant?” Zhang Wen coldly laughed and stopped walking, slowly turning around. “Chief Instructor Gelt, you’ve never even seen what real arrogance looks like from me!”
“Oh? Then I’d really like to see it!”
“Haha! Since you said that, I guess I should give you a demonstration so you won’t give up easily.” Zhang Wen smirked without backing down. Facing the icy stares of the three men, he extended his thumb and slowly pointed it downward.
“Let me tell you why I’m not worried about causing any disputes between the academies. Because just now, I’ve already seen the so-called elite students of your Themis Academy. I’m very confident that this year, right here at your Themis Academy, I can completely crush your martial arts department. I’ll prove to the entire empire that your Themis students are good for nothing! They’re not even worthy of competing against Almace Academy in the exchange match!”
After Zhang Wen finished speaking, Gelt’s face had turned as dark as a soot-covered pot, while the others were all stunned.
Amelis and Jaret exchanged glances and quickly followed him. Xia Xi proudly lifted her head, and before leaving, she even remembered to stick her tongue out at Enkai.
“Stop… I told you to stop!” Unable to contain his anger any longer, Enkai finally lost his temper. He impulsively drew a crystal energy sword, instantly unleashing his battle energy, and charged at Zhang Wen. Gelt, equally furious, made no attempt to stop him.
“Watch out!” Xia Xi, who was at the back, noticed Enkai’s movement and hurriedly shouted a warning.
As Zhang Wen approached the entrance of the training hall, Enkai reached his side. Without hesitation, he swung the crystal energy sword toward Zhang Wen’s right arm.
Yelena, witnessing this scene, was also greatly shocked. From the brightness of the crystal energy sword in Enkai’s hand, Yelena could tell that driven by anger, Enkai had no intention of holding back at all! If he truly struck Zhang Wen, he would definitely sever Zhang Wen’s right arm!
Yelena naturally understood how significant Zhang Wen’s existence was for Almace Academy’s martial arts department. However, at this moment, Yelena was still four or five steps away from Zhang Wen. Even if she wanted to stop Enkai’s attack, she was powerless to do so!
And just as the horrified Yelena watched helplessly as Enkai’s crystal energy sword slashed toward Zhang Wen, Zhang Wen himself also sensed the danger approaching from behind.
However, facing Enkai’s furious strike, Zhang Wen showed no sign of tension. After all, Enkai’s strength was merely at the seventh rank, not even reaching the elite level. Although Enkai’s battle energy was slightly higher than Griffiths’, reaching the peak of the seventh rank, with the rich experience of dealing with Griffiths just moments ago, Zhang Wen now found it extremely easy to handle Enkai’s attack.
Zhang Wen didn’t even need to think; his body had already taken action instinctively. As Enkai thrust his crystal energy sword, the steel in Zhang Wen’s hand instantly transformed into a three-foot-long sword. Then, Zhang Wen’s movements flowed seamlessly like drifting clouds and running water.
When Irina heard Enclair mention Zhang Wen’s apology, her brow furrowed slightly. She could sense that if Zhang Wen were to apologize, it would seem like a humiliation for the Almicus Academy as well. However, the thought of teaching Zhang Wen a lesson still prevailed in her mind, and her lips merely twitched without uttering a sound.
Nevertheless, Irina had no intention of speaking up for Zhang Wen. The anger that had just been ignited in Xiao Xi by Zhang Wen’s glare was once again stoked by Enclair’s words.
“Make him apologize? Have you lost your mind?” Xiao Xi’s face flushed red as she glared at Enclair and shouted. The red-haired girl was truly furious this time; she had never encountered such a humiliating situation in her life. Zhang Wen had clearly come to rescue them, yet he was being forced to apologize to the “kidnappers.” What kind of logic was that?
“Yes! When that waste over there suddenly jumped out and said he was going to take the three of us away, I was curious to see what he was capable of, so I deliberately didn’t resist. But who knew those scumbags would be so despicable as to make him seal his combat energy! If I had known earlier… Hmph! Even if we don’t talk about that, you idiots from the Themis Academy couldn’t even defeat someone who sealed his combat energy. Clearly, you’re the real waste! What right do you have to make him apologize?”
In her anger, Xiao Xi instinctively used her most familiar way of phrasing things. In her words, anyone from the Themis Academy was referred to as “those scumbags,” while Zhang Wen was simply “this guy.”
“Sealed his combat energy? Haha! Little girl, I understand you want to defend Teacher Zhang Wen, but next time you lie, please think it through first, okay? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe what you just said.”
Enclair burst into laughter as if he had heard a hilarious joke. Gelt, on the other hand, wore a look of disdain. Irina’s expression was one of discomfort, as if she had a headache.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe it; that’s the truth!”
“I can also testify!”
The skeptical expressions of the three teachers only further provoked the three girls. Amilis and Jalit exchanged glances and, without hesitation, stepped forward.
If only Xiao Xi and Amilis had supported Zhang Wen, Gelt and the others might have dismissed their testimony. But with Jalit joining in, the weight of their words became entirely different. No matter how ridiculous Enclair found the “lies” the girls were telling, he had no choice but to turn to Griffith for confirmation.
“Alright! If you’re really going to insist on this, Griffith, is there any truth to it?” Enclair said dismissively. A mocking smile hung on his face as he slightly tilted his head toward Griffith, his gaze still fixed on the three girls and Zhang Wen.
Enclair was waiting for Griffith to deny the girls’ “ridiculous” testimony so he could immediately turn the blame on Zhang Wen.
Look, as the lead instructor of the martial arts department, he’s even having his students lie to cover up his own mistakes! What a dereliction of duty for a teacher! Enclair had even prepared his sarcastic remarks in advance.
“Uh… this… this…”
But to Enclair’s surprise, Griffith didn’t immediately refute the girls’ absurd testimony. Instead, he hesitated, stammering.
“Griffith!” Enclair turned his head in annoyance.
He couldn’t understand why Griffith was hesitating! A person who sealed his combat energy defeating over twenty martial artists above the fifth rank? Do you think this is some fairy tale world? No! Even in fairy tales, no idiot would dare to make up such a story!
“Well… that… when he fought us, it seemed like he didn’t use his combat energy. We don’t know how it happened, but… it just turned out this way.” Too many Themis Academy students had witnessed the fight with Zhang Wen, and Griffith didn’t have the courage to lie. He could only lower his head and mumble a quiet explanation.
“Griffith, do you realize what you’re saying?” Enclair’s anger erupted the moment Griffith finished speaking.
“Well… Teacher Enclair, that’s really how it was.” No matter how much Griffith feared Enclair’s anger, he had no choice but to stand his ground now.
“Enough!” Gelt, unable to tolerate it any longer, once again shouted his two-word mantra, “Teacher Zhang Wen, I don’t know what method you used to deceive our students. But you can’t seriously expect me to believe that you defeated over twenty martial arts students while sealing your combat energy, can you?”
“Ha! What a laughable guy! Hey! Has your idiot brain gone haywire? Why should this guy need to prove his abilities to a waste like you? In the end, who do you think you are?” Before Zhang Wen could respond, Xiao Xi, seizing the opportunity, immediately unleashed her tongue, thoroughly berating Gelt, whom she had disliked from the start.
Perhaps Amilis and Jalit would still be wary of Gelt’s strength and authority, but who was Xiao Xi? Don’t forget, this seemingly harmless, cute girl wearing the Almicus Academy uniform was the sister of “Inferno” Agate!
Whether it was a dominant underworld boss or a transcendent super-strong individual, Xiao Xi had seen plenty in her time. Her own brother, “Inferno” Agate, was a genius among geniuses, reaching transcendent strength at the age of twenty-two.
As for Gelt, the chief instructor of the Themis Academy, who was over forty and still hadn’t broken through to the saint rank, the red-haired girl’s assessment of him could only be one of infinite disdain: “idiot,” “waste,” “who do you think you are?”
However, Enclair, of course, couldn’t understand how natural Xiao Xi’s contempt for Gelt was. An Almicus Academy martial arts student insulting the chief instructor of the Themis Academy instantly enraged Enclair even more.
“You… you dare insult Chief Instructor Gelt! Little girl, don’t get too arrogant!” Enclair growled at Xiao Xi, his neck bulging.
“Zhang Wen, how exactly are you teaching your students? Spouting nonsense, daring to look down on anyone. Even if this little girl is your martial arts department’s secret weapon, spoiling a student like this is too much! Teacher Zhang Wen, I suggest you apologize immediately! Otherwise, I will definitely report this matter to your martial arts department’s Instructor Xin.” Irina also frowned in dissatisfaction, scolding Zhang Wen.
“Tch! Save it! Stop acting all high and mighty. Don’t think that just because you’re the chief instructor of the Themis Academy, you can boss me around. What right do you have to criticize me and my students?” Zhang Wen sneered as he scanned the three teachers’ livid faces. “As for you, if you want to report me, go ahead. We’ll see who ends up looking foolish. Alright! I’m tired now and don’t have time to waste here with you.”
With that, Zhang Wen pushed past Enclair, who was blocking his way, and headed straight for the training hall’s exit.
“Teacher Zhang Wen, you’re too arrogant! Even if you’re the martial arts representative of the Almicus Academy delegation, which is not under my jurisdiction, being this arrogant, aren’t you afraid of causing a conflict between the two academies?” Gelt, still with a face like iron, coldly watched Zhang Wen.
“Arrogant?” Zhang Wen sneered, stopping in his tracks and slowly turning around. “Chief Instructor Gelt, you haven’t even seen what real arrogance looks like!”
“Oh? Then I’d really like to see it!”
“Ha! Since you’ve said so, I guess I’ll have to demonstrate, or you’ll never give up.” Zhang Wen sneered without backing down. Facing the frosty expressions of Gelt and the others, he extended his thumb and slowly pointed it downward.
“Let me tell you why I’m not worried about causing any damn conflict between the academies. Because just now, I’ve already seen the so-called elite students of your Themis Academy. I’m confident that this year, right here in your Themis Academy, I will completely crush your martial arts department. I’ll prove to the entire empire that your Themis students are nothing! Not! Even! Worthy of competing with the Almicus Academy.”
After Zhang Wen finished speaking, Gelt’s face turned as black as a pot, while everyone else was stunned.
Jalit and Amilis exchanged glances and quickly followed. Xiao Xi, on the other hand, proudly raised her head and, before leaving, didn’t forget to stick her tongue out at Enclair.
“Stop… I said stop!” Enclair, whose anger had reached its limit, finally couldn’t hold back. He impulsively drew a crystal energy sword, his combat energy bursting forth as he charged at Zhang Wen. Gelt, equally furious, made no move to stop him.
“Watch out!” Xiao Xi, walking at the back, saw Enclair’s movement and urgently shouted.
As Zhang Wen reached the training hall’s exit, Enclair had just caught up to him. Without hesitation, Enclair swung his crystal energy sword, aiming to slash Zhang Wen’s right arm.
Seeing this, Irina was also shocked. From the brightness of the crystal energy sword in Enclair’s hand, Irina could tell that, driven by anger, Enclair had no intention of holding back! If he actually hit Zhang Wen, he would surely cut off Zhang Wen’s right arm!
Irina, of course, understood how important Zhang Wen was to the Almicus Academy’s martial arts department. However, Irina was still four or five steps away from Zhang Wen, and even if she wanted to stop Enclair’s attack, she was powerless to do so!
Just as the horrified Irina watched Enclair’s crystal energy sword slash toward Zhang Wen, Zhang Wen himself sensed the danger approaching from behind.
However, faced with Enclair’s furious strike, Zhang Wen showed no sign of nervousness, as Enclair’s strength was only at the seventh rank, not even reaching the elite level. Although Enclair’s combat energy was slightly higher than Griffith’s, reaching the peak of the seventh rank, with his previous experience dealing with Griffith, Zhang Wen now found it extremely easy to handle Enclair’s attack.
Zhang Wen didn’t even need to think; his body naturally took action. The Nian steel in his hand instantly transformed into a three-foot-long sword the moment Enclair thrust his crystal energy sword. Following that, Zhang Wen’s movements flowed seamlessly.
As Enclair completed his lunge, Zhang Wen suddenly sidestepped, his wrist turning lightly. As the sword made contact with Enclair’s crystal energy sword, Zhang Wen pulled forward, causing the off-balance Enclair to stumble forward as if pushed from behind. At the same time, Zhang Wen extended his leg slightly, placing it in Enclair’s path.
Though Enclair tried to regain control, his unbalanced body left him helpless. He could only watch as he stumbled forward, tripped over Zhang Wen’s leg, and fell even more awkwardly. To Enclair’s dismay, he realized as he fell that he was heading straight for the steps in front of the training hall! As a result, he tumbled down the steps.
Protected by his peak seventh-rank combat energy, Enclair’s body wasn’t injured. What truly hurt him was the fact that his failed sneak attack on Zhang Wen had resulted in him stumbling and rolling out of the training hall, ending up in an embarrassing faceplant. When Enclair had attacked Zhang Wen, he had drawn everyone’s attention. This meant that his entire humiliating display had been witnessed by over twenty Themis Academy students!
However, while Enclair was disheartened by his disgrace, Gelt and Irina were filled with shock and disbelief. From the moment Enclair attacked Zhang Wen to his clumsy roll down the steps, neither of them had sensed any combat energy from Zhang Wen.
Gelt couldn’t understand why Enclair’s strike from behind had gone so wrong! If it was because Enclair had made a mistake in his attack, leading to his fall down the steps, then that explanation itself was already bizarre. After all, Enclair was a seasoned martial arts instructor with over five years of experience at the Themis Academy. If someone said he could make such a laughable mistake, Gelt would be the first to disbelieve it!
The only possible explanation was that Zhang Wen could indeed surpass the strength of a seventh-rank martial artist without using combat energy? No! That couldn’t be it! It must be that this Zhang Wen from the Almicus Academy had used some method to conceal his combat energy from my senses!
Gelt self-righteously came to this conclusion.
However, even though Gelt didn’t believe Zhang Wen had defeated Enclair while sealing his combat energy, he had to admit that he couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s combat energy during the fight. In other words, he had no solid evidence to prove that Zhang Wen had injured the Themis Academy students while using combat energy.
Although Enkai desperately tried to regain control, his unbalanced body left him in tears of frustration. He could only watch helplessly as he stumbled forward, tripped over Zhang Wen’s leg, and fell even more disgracefully. To make matters worse for Enkai, when he fell, he discovered to his dismay that the direction he was falling was exactly toward the row of steps in front of the training hall! As a result, he rolled all the way down the steps.
Protected by his battle energy at the peak of the seventh rank, Enkai’s body wasn’t seriously injured. What truly hurt Enkai was that his failed ambush on Zhang Wen resulted in him stumbling and rolling out of the training ground, finally landing in a humiliating face-plant. When Enkai attacked Zhang Wen, he had almost drawn everyone’s attention. In other words, his entire embarrassing performance was clearly witnessed by more than twenty Themis Academy students present!
However, as Enkai felt disheartened by his humiliating display, Gelt and Yelena’s faces were filled with shock and disbelief. From the moment Enkai attacked Zhang Wen until he tumbled down the steps disgracefully, neither of them detected any battle energy from Zhang Wen.
Gelt couldn’t understand at all how Enkai’s strike from behind, aimed at Zhang Wen, had eventually gone out of control! If it was because Enkai himself made a mistake in his attack, accidentally tumbling down the steps, then such an explanation would already sound extremely implausible. After all, regardless of anything else, Enkai was an experienced martial arts instructor who had been teaching at Themis Academy for over five years. If someone claimed he committed such a ridiculous mistake, Gelt would be the first to disbelieve it!
Therefore, the only possible explanation was that Zhang Wen indeed possessed the ability to surpass seventh-rank martial artists without using battle energy? No! Not like that! It must be that this Almace Academy officer named Zhang Wen used some method to deceive his perception while using battle energy!
Gelt arrogantly came to this conclusion.
However, even though Gelt didn’t believe that Zhang Wen defeated Enkai while sealing his battle energy, he had to admit that he indeed couldn’t detect any battle energy from Zhang Wen during the fight. In other words, he had no sufficient evidence to prove that Zhang Wen injured Themis Academy’s students while using battle energy.
“What else is there to see?” Gelt’s face turned dark with anger as he gave a cold snort, decisively leading the Temis Academy students out of the training hall before Zhang Wen could leave.
Soon, the training hall was left with only the group from Almiceus Academy.
At this moment, Irena’s face turned alternately red and pale, feeling extremely embarrassed.
As a member of the Almiceus Academy delegation, Irena had just sided with the Temis Academy and scolded Zhang Wen without bothering to distinguish right from wrong. If, in the end, the facts did prove that Zhang Wen was indeed wrong, Irena would have had some explanation. However, she never could have imagined that Zhang Wen actually proved he had the strength to defeat a seventh-stage warrior without using battle energy! Recalling her actions just now, even Irena herself felt that she had acted like a complete fool!
Even more humiliating for Irena was the joy displayed by Garret and the other two girls.
During Zhang Wen’s earlier fight with over twenty Temis students, the three girls had their eyes covered with cloth, so they saw nothing and had no direct impression of Zhang Wen’s ability to defeat a seventh-stage warrior purely through skill. However, they had clearly seen the handsome scene where Zhang Wen just now dodged Enklay’s attack and tripped him into a face-plant. If Garret and the others could still suppress their curiosity at this point, they wouldn’t be girls anymore!
Among the three girls, naturally it was Xiao Xi who was most curious about Zhang Wen’s martial arts skills. Compared to Garret and Amyless, who were both from the spell-casting discipline, Xiao Xi, a classically trained prodigy martial artist, naturally had a much deeper understanding of physical techniques. And this naturally allowed her to better appreciate how incredible it was for a martial artist with zero battle energy to defeat a seventh-stage warrior!
Unfortunately, before the curious Xiao Xi could even get a chance to pester Zhang Wen with questions, he had already walked away in silence, his face cold.
Staring blankly at Zhang Wen’s retreating figure for a while, the three stunned girls couldn’t help but huddle together again. “Oh… that guy seems really angry,” Xiao Xi helplessly shook her head at the other two girls.
“Sigh! I knew it would end up like this…” Garret sighed deeply. Among the three girls, Garret was the last to agree to play the prank on Zhang Wen, and now she was also the most anxious.
“Flat-chested girl, it’s useless to say stuff like that now!”
“What should we do?” Garret fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, looking pitifully lost.
“Who knows? Maybe in a couple of days that guy will calm down. He doesn’t seem like someone who holds grudges,” Xiao Xi nodded solemnly, chin resting on her hand.
The idea to give up resistance and allow the Temis students to use them as hostages to lure Zhang Wen had come from Amyless. However, compared to Amyless’s half-joking attitude, Xiao Xi’s enthusiastic support afterward was the most important reason their plan was finally carried out. To avoid complaints from her companions, Xiao Xi felt she should downplay the trouble as much as possible.
“Mm… really?” Garret was still very uneasy, nervously raising her head again to seek confirmation from Xiao Xi.
“Of… course…” Xiao Xi really wanted to slap her chest and loudly tell Garret, “No problem!” But the red-haired girl was extremely frustrated and shocked to discover, just as the words “no problem” were about to leave her mouth, a strong sense of weakness mercilessly attacked her. The pitiful girl immediately went limp and fell into Garret’s arms.
“Xiao… Xiao Xi?” Startled, Garret hurriedly embraced Xiao Xi, looking at her anxiously.
“It’s… nothing. The ‘antidote’ that guy gave me at noon has worn off, and he’s walked out of my sensing range. So I feel weak…” Xiao Xi really wanted to try to act like it was “no big deal,” but the discouragement in her eyes and the soft red hair drooping on her head told a different story.
Zhang Wen had walked out of her sensing range without even considering Xiao Xi’s physical condition, clearly showing just how angry he was at the foolish thing Xiao Xi and the others had done!
“Um…” Garret’s lips curved into a pitiful frown again. The girl’s anxious and ashamed expression was so adorable it made one want to tease her.
“No matter what… let’s take Xiao Xi back first and then figure something out. I also think Master Zhang isn’t the kind of person who holds grudges. He was angry because he was worried about our safety,” Amyless finally comforted Garret a bit.
“Okay…” Garret agreed. The three girls then supported each other and followed closely behind Zhang Wen, returning to the hotel where the Almiceus Academy delegation was staying.
Before the three girls returned to the hotel, Zhang Wen had already returned to his room and closed the door. Xiao Xi and Amyless’s actions had indeed enraged Zhang Wen to the utmost. This wasn’t simply because the three girls had caused him so much trouble themselves, but more because their behavior made Zhang Wen feel terrified even when recalling it!
To be honest, Xiao Xi and the others had really been very lucky this time! The “kidnappers” they encountered were not from Phoenix’s gang, but real Temis students. But what if they weren’t so lucky next time? Or, if they met someone from Phoenix’s group disguised as Temis students, and still naively played their pranks, giving up resistance and allowing the captors to take them away? What would the situation be like that night?
Even if Zhang Wen, after sealing his battle energy, could still fight with all his might and defeat the opponent, what if the opponent held a knife to the three girls’ necks and threatened him with their lives? Zhang Wen couldn’t even bear to think about what choice he would make when facing such a terrifying situation.
Sigh! Although these three little girls had gone a bit too far this time, without the matter involving Phoenix, I wouldn’t have to worry so much, right? Ultimately, it was my own fault for causing so much trouble, dragging my students into anxiety and fear.
Lying on the hotel sofa, Zhang Wen sighed deeply. Although Zhang Wen couldn’t be like the gentlemen of ancient times who would “reflect thrice daily,” when faced with trouble, he hadn’t fallen to the point of blaming all the responsibility on his students.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Just as Zhang Wen was staring at the white ceiling, reflecting on his recent experiences, his door was knocked on.
Zhang Wen didn’t need to open the door to know that the person outside was definitely Garret and the other two girls. However, determined to let the three mischievous girls properly reflect on their actions, Zhang Wen had no intention of getting up to answer the door. He let the knocking continue for over ten times until the three girls, helpless, gave up knocking, at which point he curled his lips into a satisfied smile.
Under Zhang Wen’s deliberately displayed “anger,” the three girls seemed to have indeed reflected sufficiently. After returning to their rooms, the three girls quickly quieted down. Even when other delegation students invited them to join a spell-network battle game, they all received clean, straightforward refusals. After all, on the spaceship, Garret and the others had been the most enthusiastic and addicted to spell-network games!
In short, after going through various troubles and finally bringing the three girls back to the hotel safely, Zhang Wen finally got to enjoy long-awaited peace. However, this peace only lasted for half the night…
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