The man in plain clothes replied:
"I was just about to report to the general; we followed orders and stayed near those three students."
"There was indeed an assassin skilled in the art of concealing their breath. Extremely ruthless, realizing the situation was hopeless, they poisoned themselves to death. Thus, we failed to capture any alive; please punish me, general."
Having said this, he bowed with a fist presented, and Yu Wenze nodded slightly, his tone of voice steady, saying:
"What else did you find?"
The man slightly relaxed and replied, "Reporting to the general, besides us, there were others secretly protecting those three. Some were from the Academy's Masters, while the affiliations of the others are unknown. We haven't clashed yet; I can't discern their intentions, but we nearly captured this assassin thanks to a joint effort by all three parties."
"It must be the power behind the students."
Yu Wenze slightly nodded again, noncommittally and indifferently said:
"People from the Academy can still be trusted. Keep a vigilant eye on the others; the knife should not return to the sheath."
"These three are acquainted with Ni Tianxing and appeared at the Zhao residence. No matter who stands behind this, they will not let them go, intentionally sending a Suicide Squad, crippling themselves to earn trust—a tactic we must guard against."
"Continue to stay hidden near those three students and report back if anything arises."
The man's expression grew stern as he presented his fist and said:
"Yes, I shall follow the order."
Yu Wenze slightly nodded and indifferently said:
The man in black still presented a fist, facing Yu Wenze and walked backwards until he exited the hall. Only then did he turn and quickly depart, wearing heavy armor. The solemn expression of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the States suddenly turned into a cold smirk, saying:
"Causing your own death, yet you even implicated me alongside, forcing me to clean up after you…"
"Ni Tianxing, you are still as arrogant as ever."
With a casual wave, he released a Vigorous Qi, directly pulverizing the proclamation behind him.
With a cold face, he strode away.
Fufeng Academy · Master Hall.
An elderly Master sat cross-legged beside a table, listening to a report from a middle-aged Confucian Scholar, his expression wistful. He waved his student away, and then it was just him alone in the room. The lone old man stared at the chessboard on the table, pondering the changing strategies, his thoughts in disarray. After a long while, he sighed, saying:
"Has the General's Mansion made a move too?"
"Yu Wenze is stern, serious, sparing in speech, skilled in defense. With him there, he would never allow corrupt crooks to recede. However, this is hardly a long-term plan; breaking out of this situation must ultimately be up to them."
"Is this what you imply?"
"You seek your own death, yet you want this old man to compensate for them?"
The elderly Master looked at the chessboard, picked up a black piece, pondered for a moment, then placed it down, frowning and murmuring to himself:
"Qinshuang of the Xue Family, immensely talented, follows her own path, while Baili Feng has already been taken under Zi Ming's wing, taught in martial arts and military strategies."
The old man then placed a white piece, feeling quite troubled.
He had observed this young man for many days, yet he didn't know how to handle him, just like the current game of chess.
The young man had been forcibly concealing his Qi, not as obvious as when he first broke through days ago, but it was still distinctly visible in his eyes.
A Ninth Rank Martial Artist, and moreover, one who followed a forthright and straightforward path.
A solid, step-by-step trained martial artist who had previously demonstrated swordsmanship, and whip and movement techniques far surpassing his peers.
Yet, such a capable Ninth Rank Martial Artist was only cooped up in Wind Character Tower, reading books.
Thinking of the demeanor he had observed during his secret visits, the Master felt a twinge in his teeth.
Was it that their martial arts were not practical, or was sparing with peers and showing off before others too mundane?
Not thinking of seeking a master to learn martial arts, yet reading, always reading.
Reading what nonsense.
And not once troubled in spirit.
Just then, the wooden door was pushed open, creaking softly. An elder in a green robe entered slowly, one hand behind his back, the other still holding a rolled-up scroll, not taking his eyes off the text. He stepped in leisurely, very adeptly walking through the hall and sat across the desk. His lips did not move, yet an aged voice arose:
"You called for me, what is the matter?"
The Master dropped the chess piece in his hand and said, "Must there always be something urgent for you to come here?"
The man in the blue robe glanced at him and replied succinctly,
The Master's expression stiffened slightly, and the old man in front of him once again lifted the scroll in his hand and said,
Helpless, the Master shook his head and said, "This book is newly written. The author is certainly no better than you. Why bother reading it?"
"For the principles of the Confucian Sect, the 'Analects' alone is sufficient."
The man in the blue robe, who was Ren Lao, the perennial guardian of the Wind Character Tower, heard these words but ignored the Master, focusing intently on the scroll in his hand. The latter, feeling snubbed, twirled a black chess piece in his hand and after a long silence, said,
"I summoned you this time because I wanted to ask you something."
"Wang Anfeng, what do you think of him?"
Ren Lao looked up, glanced at him, and nodded, "Passable."
"What would you have me do?"
The Master stroked his beard and said,
"As you know, Ni Tianxing took him to Zhao's residence to expose him to more, thus pulling him into the chess game."
"Such an action might broaden his horizons, but his own strength is still inadequate. I am still investigating the incident that occurred back then, surrounded by thick mists of uncertainty, but one thing I am sure of is that if Wang Anfeng does not advance bravely in martial arts, he might just live his life in the Academy, under its protection."
"Even then, he would still be in danger."
Mentioning this, the old man felt a headache coming on and shook his head,
"Ni Tianxing knows about this, and he knows I can see it. He accurately predicted that out of guilt, I would compensate these children and help them break out of the situation."
"The Xue family's girl and Baili Feng are fine, but Wang Anfeng alone..."
"This lad, he's too good... at hiding."
Thinking of the recent frustration, the Master felt as if he were facing a millennium-old turtle. This feeling, in his nearly a hundred years of life, had only occurred once before, thirty years ago.
"He does not learn martial arts, he just reads."
"He harbors martial skills, yet does not show them, appearing just like a guardian of books in the eyes of ordinary people. Even if I wanted to give him an opportunity, it would be like barking up a tree."
Listening to the Master's complaints, Ren Lao's expression remained unchanged, continuing to read while casually saying,
"I will not take him as a disciple."
The Master's expression stiffened slightly, and stealing a glance at his old friend, who remained calm without a ripple, he sighed deeply and said,
"Alas, I know...it seems I must find another way, but my methods are not suitable for others, nor for other Masters..."
"It's likely that a talented junior will just waste his life in the Academy. Alas, I've already missed once, and now in my old age, I must face this regret in death. How can I close my eyes in peace...How can I close my eyes in peace..."
"It's also my fault; I should have faced this outcome..."
"Just let this old man's reputation be ruined and die with eyes unshut..."
Ren Lao's face twitched slightly, looking at this Master who was so different from others in the eyes of ordinary people, and finally could not bear it, he sighed,
"I won't take him as a disciple, but... I can make him take the initiative to leave the Library Tower."
Then he whispered his thoughts into the Master's ear. The Master was momentarily stunned, his expression quickly returning to normal, and he shook his head in admiration,
"Your heart is still the dirtiest, impressive."
The man in the blue robe darkened his face, abruptly stood up, and was about to leave directly. The Master, realizing his faux pas, quickly got up, chuckled apologetically, and grabbing his friend's sleeve, repeatedly said,
"I was wrong, I was wrong. After so long without seeing each other, how about a game of chess with this old man?"
Ren Lao turned back, looked at the black and white chessboard, and a scornful sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"This old man does not play such trivial games."
"You might as well go find some novices or children!"
With a cold snort, he left, brushing his sleeve.