Chapter 12: Night Visit

Everything that happened during Zhang Wen’s first class quickly spread throughout every corner of Almirex Academy through the students under Idelte’s guidance. Both male students and male teachers at Almirex Academy became nearly green with jealousy upon hearing the details of the wager between Zhang Wen and Idelte. However, this time, the center of everyone’s gossip was not Zhang Wen, but Idelte.

Privately, they cursed: “Damn Idelte, how can he have such good luck? He’s going to have private time with Ms. Lynora every night, for a whole month! A whole month! For crying out loud! How could Ms. Lynora agree to such a shameless condition?”

From any perspective, the bet between Zhang Wen and Idelte seemed like a blatant opportunity for the lucky bastard Idelte to take advantage of Lynora! What? Could Zhang Wen actually have a chance to win against Thymes Academy with his students? Come on! Are you even awake?

As for the gossip swirling around him, Idelte himself became increasingly smug. Especially when meeting with several familiar physical arts instructors, when he saw the unmistakable jealousy in their eyes, Idelte could barely contain his urge to burst into laughter.

Could it be that Ms. Lynora agreed to such a bet because she already has feelings for me? Sometimes, Idelte couldn’t help but flatter himself with such thoughts.

Of course, even though Idelte was 99% confident in his victory, he hadn’t forgotten that there was still a 1% chance of failure. To eliminate even that 1%, the very next day after making the bet with Zhang Wen, Idelte found the most clever student he could and tasked him with monitoring Zhang Wen’s physical arts classes daily, to see exactly what Zhang Wen and his students were up to.

Idelte had heard before of a strange technique rumored to exist in the Empire, one that could dramatically increase a warrior’s combat energy in a short period of time. However, using this technique would bring severe side effects to the warrior’s body. After the effects of the increased combat energy wore off, the warrior might even die! Therefore, this technique was classified as a forbidden art in the Empire. No one was allowed to use it unless by the direct order of the Emperor.

Idelte strongly suspected that Zhang Wen’s boldness in making such a bet with his own hand was because he had somehow acquired this technique! However, Idelte believed that with the clever student monitoring Zhang Wen, there was no way Zhang could pull off any tricks. If he found out that Zhang Wen actually dared to use the forbidden art of the Empire, all he had to do was report him to Instructor Xin, and he could easily destroy that kid…

No! He should destroy Zhang Wen himself, preferably by showing up suddenly just as Zhang Wen was about to use the forbidden art on Ms. Lynora! That way, wouldn’t he become Ms. Lynora’s savior? And then…

Ideltete, wearing a silly grin, fell into an endless daydream.

On the other side, after Zhang Wen and Idelte made their bet, Zhang Wen’s students had already voluntarily dropped most of their other classes, devoting most of their daily time to Zhang Wen’s martial arts lessons. Even Lynora, a level-three psychic arts instructor, tried her best to spare time outside of class to practice the “techniques” Zhang Wen taught with Zhang Wen’s other students.

Regarding this, Xin, the head of the physical arts department, was almost furious enough to storm over and confront Zhang Wen. But Fox talked him out of it.

After all, even if they gave Zhang Wen those ten-odd days, he couldn’t make any difference. Now, we’ll just let him have his way. As long as he loses the match against Thymes Academy, we can settle old scores together. Then we can kick him out of the physical arts department, and the principal won’t have anything to say either!

After listening to Fox’s advice, Instructor Xin thought for a moment and found it quite reasonable, so he temporarily swallowed his anger. However, just like Idelte, he was somewhat resentful and also found a clever student to send and see what Zhang Wen was up to!

In fact, besides Idelte and Instructor Xin, many other teachers at Almirex Academy who were curious about Zhang Wen had also sent out their “spies.” Therefore, every time Zhang Wen’s martial arts class was held, one could see many shadows hiding nearby, peeking into the training ground.

As for these sneaky individuals, Zhang Wen’s students quickly felt quite uncomfortable. Especially Carlet, the governor’s daughter, whose patience soon reached its limit. However, Zhang Wen remained indifferent to those sneaks. Without Zhang Wen’s permission, Carlet couldn’t conveniently take action against those peeping bastards.

Thus, the training situation of Zhang Wen and his five students was reported in detail every day to the ears of those teachers with ulterior motives. Then, through the mouths of certain gossipy individuals, it spread throughout the entire Almirex Academy.

A few days later, the people of Almirex Academy were puzzled by Zhang Wen’s actions. Because from the mouths of those “spies,” they soon discovered that Zhang Wen had never used any “forbidden techniques” or similar methods on his students.

In the words of those spies, Zhang Wen’s martial arts class didn’t even look like a physical training session; it was more like a dance class held in noble households! Every day, he only had those five students repeatedly practicing some dance-like movements, and that was all.

“What exactly is he doing?” The teachers who were watching Zhang Wen all secretly speculated about his intentions. Many also suspected that Zhang Wen might be deliberately putting on a show during the day, and then secretly taking his students home for extra training at night. However, after assigning people to watch Zhang Wen’s residence for several nights, this suspicion quickly dissipated.

Not long after, the teachers of Almirex Academy reached a consensus: Zhang Wen must have realized he had no hope of getting out of the bet and had simply given up. This conclusion greatly disappointed those students and teachers who had previously placed high hopes on Zhang Wen, while those who had always wanted to see Zhang Wen fail, like Fox and Idelte, secretly rejoiced every day.

As for the five students in Zhang Wen’s class, their thoughts varied. Among them, the one who was most confused and dissatisfied with Zhang Wen’s actions was undoubtedly Miss Carlet, the governor’s daughter.

As soon as Zhang Wen finished his first class, Carlet questioned Zhang Wen about what use those messy things he taught could possibly have. However, as soon as Carlet finished speaking, she was left speechless with anger after Zhang Wen simply replied, “You just need to trust in my abilities.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Zhang Wen was her teacher, the proud and haughty Miss Carlet would have had thoughts of killing him on the spot. In her entire life, Miss Carlet had never endured so much humiliation from anyone!

Since Zhang Wen was treating her goodwill like donkey liver, Miss Carlet naturally wouldn’t go out of her way to warm up to his cold shoulder. If you won’t come to me for help, just go ahead and suffer the consequences yourself! Thinking in a huff, Miss Carlet simply decided to ignore Zhang Wen completely.

Besides Carlet, the other four students in Zhang Wen’s class were also somewhat puzzled, though for various reasons, they all temporarily kept their doubts to themselves.

Thus, Zhang Wen’s five students remained silent, and the spies monitoring Zhang Wen also consistently came up empty. The teachers at Almirex Academy who were watching Zhang Wen could only wait anxiously or gleefully.

However, no one could have imagined that the one who would finally break the delicate situation within Almirex Academy would be an unexpected figure—the planetary governor, Termiso.

Just three days before the Thymes Academy delegation was set to arrive on the planet Casares, as soon as Carlet stepped through her home’s front door, she was summoned to Termiso’s study by the governor’s personal secretary.

“Father, what is it? The Thymes Academy delegation will be here in a few days,” Carlet said, sitting down at Termiso’s desk with a hint of impatience and dissatisfaction. From past experience, when the governor summoned her to his study, it was always to discuss boring official matters—nothing more than having her attend dull banquets or participate in tedious ceremonies.

However, this time, the governor did not bring up the boring topics Carlet had expected. Instead, he nodded and said, “Yes! I called you here today precisely to talk about the Thymes Academy delegation.”

“Oh?” Carlet raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“The Thymes Academy will arrive in two days. Carlet, how is your Almirex Academy preparing this year?” Governor Termiso, hands behind his back, seemed somewhat hesitant as he furrowed his brow.

“Well… it’s pretty much the same as usual,” Carlet replied after a moment’s thought.

She had long given up on expecting anything from Zhang Wen’s performance. After all, in previous years, Almirex Academy’s physical arts department had always suffered a crushing defeat. Another loss this year would be perfectly normal. Carlet’s omission of Zhang Wen’s name from her report to Governor Termiso even carried a hint of wanting to cover for Zhang Wen.

“Is that so?” Governor Termiso stood up restlessly, slowly pacing around the study.

“Did something happen?” Carlet asked, puzzled by why the governor suddenly seemed so concerned about Almirex Academy’s victory or defeat. In previous years, when the two schools exchanged visits, Governor Termiso hadn’t even bothered to ask.

“Nothing,” Governor Termiso shook his head at Carlet, then suddenly asked again, “I heard that you’ve recently been learning some strange martial arts from that Zhang Wen. Is that true?”

“How did you find out?” Carlet raised her eyebrows in surprise again.

“I’ve recently sent people to investigate many things at Almirex Academy. This is just one of them,” Governor Termiso chuckled, trying to gloss over Carlet’s question.

But Carlet clearly wasn’t going to let her father off the hook so easily. “Then why did you send people to Almirex Academy?” she quickly asked, fixing her gaze on Governor Termiso again.

“This…” Governor Termiso looked a bit embarrassed when questioned by Carlet. If it had been one of his subordinates asking, the governor would probably have coldly replied with a “You don’t need to know,” but when it came to his beloved daughter, of course the governor couldn’t deal with her the way he dealt with his subordinates.

After hesitating for a moment, Governor Termiso coughed and spoke again somewhat reluctantly, “Alright, since you want to know, I’ll tell you. Actually, it wasn’t me who sent people to Almirex Academy, but the Imperial Hawks.”

“The Hawks?” Carlet was startled.

As a top student at Almirex Academy, Carlet naturally knew about the Imperial Hawks. They were the Emperor’s elite guards, the most loyal hounds of the royal family. Their only loyalty was to the Emperor himself. Their greatest duty was to eliminate all threats to the Emperor—including rebellions, assassinations, etc. In the history of the Empire, wherever the Imperial Hawks appeared, there was almost always an immediate bloodbath.

What could such a terrifying group be investigating at Almirex Academy? Carlet once again turned her questioning gaze toward Governor Termiso.

“Don’t worry, the Hawks aren’t investigating rebellion at Almirex Academy this time. They’re just here to provide the Emperor with a detailed internal report,” Governor Termiso quickly reassured his beloved daughter.

“Why does the Emperor want to know about Almirex Academy?” Carlet became even more curious.

“Because the Emperor’s younger sister, Princess Sophia, turned eighteen this year. According to imperial law, she must enroll in a school, either physical or psychic arts, and at least obtain an ‘elite’ title at level eight in one of them. But for some reason, our princess insisted on requesting the Emperor not to send her to the Imperial Military Academy or the Royal Elite Academy, but instead to come to one of the academies in our Southwestern Star Region. So…” Governor Termiso paused here, lightly shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh! So the reason the Hawks are investigating Almirex Academy is to confirm whether Almirex has the qualifications to admit Princess Sophia.”

“That’s one way to put it. But it’s not only Almirex Academy being investigated by the Hawks. All the academies in the entire Southwestern Star Region have been thoroughly checked by the Hawks. In the end, the Emperor decided on only two: Almirex Academy and Thymes Academy.”

“I see!” At this point, Carlet finally understood.

No wonder Governor Termiso was so concerned about the outcome of the competition between Almirex Academy and Thymes Academy this year. If only these two academies were qualified to accept Princess Sophia, then according to imperial tradition, the outcome of this year’s Thymes Academy visit would directly determine the princess’s choice! The benefits of having the beloved Princess Sophia study on the administrative planet under his management could be imagined even with one’s toes!

“In short, I only learned about this today,” Governor Termiso said, having explained the general background, as he rubbed his aching temples and finally got to the point. “Carlet, there’s a banquet at the governor’s mansion tomorrow night to cheer on the teachers and students from Almirex Academy who are going to compete. It’s an old tradition, and you should know about it. These invitations, help me send them out.” Saying this, Governor Termiso took out a stack of exquisite cards from his drawer.

“Okay!” Carrie took the card and agreed.

“Oh, and remember! You must keep everything I’ve told you a secret until the competition between the two academies is over. Also, this year, during the academy competition, Governor Karajan from the planet Fira will be present. You must perform exceptionally well.” Just as Carrie was about to leave, Governor Temiso suddenly looked up and added.

“…I understand.” Carrie nodded, then carefully closed the study door behind the governor before returning to her room.

Back in her room, Carrie couldn’t stop thinking about what Governor Temiso had said, especially the part about Governor Karajan attending the event, which left her feeling uneasy.

Of course, Carrie wasn’t worried about embarrassing herself during the competition in two days. Within Almiceus Academy, Carrie’s psionic abilities ranked second among students, surpassed only by Luther, a senior two grades above her, who was widely recognized as a “psionic genius once in thirty years.”

Due to class rankings, Carrie would only be facing the third or even fourth-tier competitors from Themis Academy. Winning the psionic competition was practically effortless for her.

What truly unsettled Carrie was Wen Zhang’s martial arts division. If this exhibition match didn’t involve Governor Karajan, Carrie wouldn’t have worried about Wen Zhang at all. Without Karajan’s presence, even if the martial arts division’s outcome affected the princess’s fate, Governor Temiso wouldn’t overreact to their defeat. After all, it was common knowledge that Almiceus Academy’s martial arts division was notoriously weak. Governor Temiso wasn’t petty enough to blame others for every setback.

In fact, Carrie might even have secretly hoped Wen Zhang would suffer a humiliating loss, just so that annoying guy could learn a lesson about humility!

However, once Governor Karajan personally attended the match, everything changed completely. As the governor’s daughter, Carrie knew better than anyone how much Temiso valued appearances! And Governor Karajan from the planet Lafey happened to be Temiso’s long-standing rival! Their feud had lasted decades, and this competition was undoubtedly a battleground where both wanted nothing more than to humiliate each other.

If Wen Zhang’s martial arts team were utterly defeated in front of Governor Karajan, and Karajan added some sarcastic remarks, Governor Temiso would be furious and definitely wouldn’t spare Wen Zhang—the so-called “culprit.”

Although Wen Zhang was quite annoying, and Carrie wished she could secretly find an excuse to have someone beat him up, he was still somewhat capable and personally promoted by Governor Temiso as a “talent.” This time, he was clearly being framed by Instructor Xin and Fox. How could Carrie watch him walk into a trap without doing anything?

“You saved me once before; I’ll consider that repayment enough!” Carrie paced back and forth in her room, frustrated, but finally made up her mind. Soon, the two guards at the governor’s mansion were surprised to see Miss Carrie leaving in a hurry again.

When Carrie arrived at the quiet little house in a secluded corner of the academy, Wen Zhang was just finishing his Spring Water Technique training. From afar, Wen Zhang heard the footsteps in the quiet night.

Wen Zhang smiled slightly and ended his training for the day. He had expected that one of his five students would eventually become impatient and come to ask him about the techniques he had been teaching them without revealing their purpose. However, Wen Zhang hadn’t anticipated that the first visitor would be the governor’s daughter, Carrie.

“Come in.” The expression of surprise barely flickered across Wen Zhang’s face before he smiled and invited the frowning Miss Carrie inside.

“Master Zhang, I’m here on my father’s orders to invite you and the other members of the martial arts division to a banquet at the governor’s mansion tomorrow night.” Carrie sat down at the table and calmly placed an invitation card in front of him. Although she had hurried all the way, she still put on a show of “I’m definitely not here by choice” in front of Wen Zhang.

“Oh? Thank you.” Wen Zhang smiled and sat down opposite Carrie, glancing curiously at the card she had brought.

Wen Zhang didn’t doubt that the card was indeed an invitation to a banquet at the governor’s mansion, but he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that Carrie had come all this way just to deliver an invitation.

First of all, if it were merely about delivering an invitation, Carrie could have simply handed it to him during class the next day. Why go out of her way to visit his home so late?

Secondly, every year before the competition between Almiceus Academy and Themis Academy, the governor’s mansion would host a banquet for the participating students and teachers. At these banquets, the governor would also invite imperial nobles and foreign diplomats from the planet Casares, introducing them to the elite representatives of Casares in preparation for the upcoming competition. This was indeed a tradition shared by both planets.

However, considering the disastrous record of Almiceus Academy’s martial arts division, the planetary governor’s mansion had almost stopped inviting martial arts competitors to banquets for nearly ten years to avoid embarrassment in front of the nobility.

Wen Zhang couldn’t possibly believe that Governor Temiso, who was so concerned about appearances, would make an exception just because Wen Zhang had saved his life.

Sure enough, Carrie couldn’t help but speak up again soon. However, this time she still used Governor Temiso’s name as a cover: “Master Zhang, whether you attend this banquet or not is up to you, but I need to ask you a question from my father. What are your plans for the match against Themis Academy?”

“What plans could I have? Just deal with whatever comes my way!” Wen Zhang smiled. He could sense that Carrie was worried about him. What intrigued Wen Zhang was why the governor’s daughter suddenly seemed to care about his success or failure.

However, Wen Zhang’s casual attitude didn’t make Carrie think he was confident. Instead, it made her even more disappointed. She stared into Wen Zhang’s eyes and asked loudly, “You don’t have any plans at all, do you?”

“Oh? How do you know I don’t have any plans?” Wen Zhang looked at Carrie strangely.

“Hmph! Do I even need to ask? If what you’re teaching is actually effective, why aren’t you worried at all? You only have five students! And Teacher Lynora definitely won’t be participating. I also have to compete in the psionic division and can’t represent the martial arts division. When you add it all up, you only have Zack and Cloud available. You can’t even field three players needed for a best-of-five series. How can you even compete?” Finally getting the chance to confront Wen Zhang, Carrie immediately vented all the frustration she had been holding back.

“Only Zack and Cloud? Carrie, have you forgotten someone? What about Amelie? She doesn’t need to represent the psionic division, right?” Wen Zhang countered with a smile.

“Amelie? Are you joking? Her martial arts skills are only at level four! Do you really think she can compete and defeat the carefully selected experts from Themis Academy? That’s absolutely crazy! Wen Zhang, you really disappoint me!” Carrie shouted at Wen Zhang.

As soon as the last sentence came out, Carrie realized she had spoken out of desperation and regretted it deeply. She had originally come to warn Wen Zhang not to fall into a trap, not to vent her dissatisfaction at him!

“Hehe, what plans I have will naturally become clear in time. Miss Carrie, if you have nothing else, please feel free to leave.” Wen Zhang didn’t argue with Carrie but simply and politely dismissed her.

“You… Hmph!” Although Carrie knew she was in the wrong, Wen Zhang’s blunt dismissal angered her so much that she felt like her lungs would burst. She angrily huffed and stormed out without looking back.

But just as Carrie opened the door and was about to leave, she came face to face with Amelie, who had somehow arrived outside Wen Zhang’s house. Both girls were momentarily stunned in shock before Amelie quietly stepped aside.

Seeing Amelie’s expression, Carrie knew her earlier words had probably been overheard. This made her even more regretful. However, in her pride as the governor’s daughter, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

“Master Zhang, I’d advise you to withdraw from the match against Themis Academy as soon as possible. If you back out now, you’ll only be laughed at a bit. But if you ignore my advice and insist on competing, once you lose, it won’t just be a matter of losing a little face! Governor Karajan from the planet Lafey will be attending this match along with my father! You’d better think carefully about your actions! Also, I won’t be attending your classes anymore! Goodbye!” Standing outside Wen Zhang’s house, Carrie said in the most sarcastic and bitter tone she could muster before striding away.

Amelie, who had been caught off guard by Carrie, hesitated for a moment outside the door but didn’t enter Wen Zhang’s house. Instead, she also lowered her head and hurried away.