Chapter 289: I Think This Makes Perfect Sense

  "How do we change it?"

  Bing Di asked immediately.

  Even though she had become Qin Xiao’s martial soul and spirit ring, she was still the ruler of the Extreme North.

  She remained concerned about the survival of spirit beasts.

  So when she heard Qin Xiao’s words, she instantly inquired further.

  "It’s simple. As long as the ambition of spirit beasts isn’t too great, I think the situation can be changed.

  The human world isn’t a monolithic force. The various factions have intricate and complicated retionships.

  If spirit beasts ally with certain humans to defeat others, wouldn’t the problem be solved?

  The enemy of my enemy is my friend. With the strength of the spirit beast race, shouldn’t they at least be able to cim half of the Douluo Continent?"

  Bing Di was momentarily stunned.

  "Can it really be done?"

  As the ruler of the Extreme North, she had her own pride.

  Her pride did not allow her to mingle with humans.

  "Why not?"

  "Think it over."

  Qin Xiao responded impatiently before withdrawing his consciousness from the mental realm.

  The Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was already in sight.

  Qin Xiao took out the token given to him by Xuan Ziwen and headed straight for the boratory.

  However, just as he reached the b’s entrance, he suddenly heard a voice crying out.

  "Teacher, I really don’t know where Qin Xiao went!"

  "I’ve said everything I know, even what I shouldn’t have said…"

  "Please, have mercy! Let me go! I swear, if I get out of here, I will turn over a new leaf and become a better person…"

  "Ouch!"

  "It’s useless even if you beat me to death!"

  "It’s been a whole month! If I knew where Qin Xiao was, I would have told you long ago!"

  Wang Shaojie’s anguished screams pierced through the thick boratory door, reaching Qin Xiao’s ears.

  Qin Xiao’s face turned strange.

  What’s going on?

  Has he been beaten for a whole month?

  This Wang Shaojie… to have held out this long, he’s really something.

  Knock knock knock.

  Inside the room, Xuan Ziwen frowned, his expression displeased.

  "Didn’t I already say that no one is allowed in this building?"

  His voice carried through the door.

  The knocking continued.

  "Juzi, go see who it is and drive them away."

  Xuan Ziwen said without turning around.

  Juzi nodded silently and walked to the door.

  A whole month had passed.

  She looked visibly more haggard.

  Her figure was thinner.

  Qin Xiao’s disappearance had left a knot in her heart.

  She had bmed herself more than once.

  If not for her, Qin Xiao wouldn’t have risked himself and gone missing.

  This past month had been unbearably long and painful.

  She had even started seeing illusions multiple times.

  Creak.

  The boratory door opened.

  Juzi looked outside.

  She froze instantly.

  Her eyes widened.

  "Sh-sh…"

  Juzi stammered.

  She couldn’t form a complete sentence.

  She was too shocked.

  She thought she was hallucinating again.

  "What are you saying?"

  Xuan Ziwen looked at Juzi in confusion.

  "Teacher, come here quickly!"

  "See if I’m hallucinating again!"

  Juzi called out while rubbing her eyes.

  "What’s going on?"

  Feeling perplexed, Xuan Ziwen reluctantly put down the whip in his hand and walked to the door.

  Standing next to Juzi, he looked outside.

  The next moment, his eyes froze.

  Then, he did exactly what Juzi did—he rubbed his eyes with both hands.

  Even after rubbing them red, he refused to stop.

  Only when he was sure did he lower his hands.

  Then, his entire body began to tremble with excitement.

  Who’s here?

  Could it be… someone has come to save me?

  Hanging from the beam, Wang Shaojie couldn’t help but wonder.

  The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

  He almost cried.

  Heaven and earth, do you know what I’ve been through this past month?

  Finally, someone has come to save me!

  However…

  Xuan Ziwen’s next words shattered all of Wang Shaojie’s hopes.

  "Brother Qin…"

  "You’re finally back!"

  Xuan Ziwen stepped forward and gave Qin Xiao a tight embrace.

  "Shishu…"

  Juzi, standing to the side, burst into tears of joy.

  Tears streamed down her face as she frantically wiped them away.

  "What’s with this reaction?"

  Qin Xiao shrugged helplessly.

  "Come, let’s talk inside."

  Xuan Ziwen wasted no time in pulling Qin Xiao into the boratory.

  As he stepped inside, Qin Xiao finally saw Wang Shaojie, hanging from the beam.

  A single word instantly surfaced in his mind.

  Miserable.

  Truly miserable.

  Large patches of skin had been beaten raw, his flesh torn open, and his blood had long since soaked through his clothes, turning them a dark red from being left too long.

  Normally…

  Not even a Titled Douluo could withstand such a brutal beating.

  But Qin Xiao also noticed the scattered bottles and jars on the ground—all of them high-grade healing medicines.

  Clearly, the only reason Wang Shaojie was still alive was because of these potions.

  Beaten and healed, beaten and healed.

  They made sure both happened simultaneously.

  "Qin Xiao! Qin Xiao, you’re finally here!"

  "Where have you been?! I’ve been thinking about you day and night! Finally, you’re back!"

  Who was the most excited to see Qin Xiao?

  Not Juzi.

  Not even Xuan Ziwen.

  It was the one who had been beaten for a whole month—Wang Shaojie.

  Qin Xiao suspected that Wang Shaojie was probably more excited to see him than even his own father.

  But… are we even that close?

  "Heh."

  Qin Xiao chuckled and asked, "I heard his screams from outside. He said he’s been locked up here for a month?"

  "That’s right."

  "No one came looking for him?"

  "Dean Jing Hongchen personally issued an order stating that Wang Shaojie was to enter closed-door training with me for a month. Isn’t that completely normal? When soul engineers study soul tools, it’s not unusual to go unseen for three to five months."

  Qin Xiao was momentarily stunned.

  Jing Hongchen was involved in this too?

  Wang Shaojie grew anxious.

  "Teacher! Qin Xiao is back now! Can you let me go already?"

  "Why would I let you go? What does his return have to do with you?"

  Xuan Ziwen frowned.

  "How does it have nothing to do with me?! Doesn’t this prove I didn’t harm him?"

  Wang Shaojie desperately tried to expin.

  But no one cared to listen.

  Juzi couldn’t hold back any longer.

  "Shishu, after you told me to leave that day, what exactly happened?"

  "Why couldn’t we find you? Where have you been all this time?"

  Her question was on everyone’s mind.

  Qin Xiao didn’t answer immediately.

  Instead, he gnced at Wang Shaojie.

  Kid, looks like you’re going to suffer today.

  He had already decided—he’d pin everything on Wang Shaojie.

  It wasn’t like the guy was going to get out of this intact anyway.

  A little more suffering wouldn’t hurt.

  After letting out a sigh, Qin Xiao slowly spoke.

  "It’s a long story…"

  "After saving you that day, right before we parted, I sensed an ambush. That’s why I told you to leave first."

  "As it turns out, I was right. The real target was me—a Soul Emperor-level expert was lying in wait."

  "With no other choice, I had to flee."

  "It was a tough journey. I escaped all the way from Mingdu to the Extreme North before I finally got a chance to breathe and kill my pursuer. After that, I spent some time recovering before making my way back…"

  Qin Xiao wove his tale smoothly.

  It was the perfect cover for his trip to the Extreme North.

  However…

  Wang Shaojie was dumbfounded.

  What the hell was this guy talking about?!

  I only sent a Soul Emperor to help that idiot Zimu—when did I ever send someone to hunt down Qin Xiao?!

  Completely dumbfounded.

  Qin Xiao’s story was way off from the script he had.

  Wu wu wu wu…

  Juzi couldn’t hold back her tears.

  She imagined a battered, bloodied young man running across the nd.

  Behind him, a powerful Soul Emperor chased relentlessly.

  Death loomed over him at every turn.

  Yet, he refused to give in.

  He gritted his teeth.

  If he fell, he got back up and kept running.

  Even when he bled, he didn’t stop to check his wounds—he just kept moving forward.

  "Shishu… you’ve suffered so much…"

  The Extreme North… such a distant pce.

  Who knew how much he had endured?

  Who could truly understand?

  Xuan Ziwen, on the other hand, turned to Wang Shaojie with rage.

  "What else do you have to say?!"

  "Teacher! I do have something to say!"

  "I really didn’t send anyone to hunt Qin Xiao down!"

  Wang Shaojie argued with all his might.

  "Think about it! Does Qin Xiao’s story even make sense?!"

  "He isn’t even a Grand Soul Master—what right does he have to escape from a Soul Emperor?"

  "And even more absurd—he managed to kill his pursuer?!"

  "Does that even sound possible?! Even the novels in our empire wouldn’t dare to write something so ridiculous!"

  He saw nothing but gring holes in Qin Xiao’s story.

  Juzi and the others had simply taken his words at face value.

  But he wasn’t fooled.

  He had to expose the inconsistencies in Qin Xiao’s cims.

  At the same time, he was growing more and more resentful.

  Damn it.

  So, they’re trying to pin everything on me now?

  That’s too much.

  But luckily, I’m not easy to deal with either.

  If they think they can outsmart me, they should try again in a few years.

  Wang Shaojie felt smug inside.

  In his mind, Qin Xiao had overpyed his hand. Not everything could be bmed on him.

  However…

  Something completely unexpected happened.

  Instead of reacting with anger at being deceived, Xuan Ziwen and Juzi nodded seriously.

  "We believe him."

  "What’s so unbelievable about Qin Shishu killing a Soul Emperor?"

  "As far as I see it, this is perfectly normal."

  Both of them, either directly or indirectly, had witnessed Qin Xiao’s combat abilities.

  Or rather, they had seen the power of the sniper rifle.

  If the enemy wasn’t prepared, wasn’t killing a Soul Emperor just a simple matter?

  Honestly, forget a Soul Emperor—even a Soul Sage caught off guard would be done for.

  Wang Shaojie froze for a moment before bursting into near-hysterical ughter.

  "You’re all insane. You’ve completely lost your minds!"

  "Even if he’s a Grand Soul Master, there’s no way he could kill a Soul Emperor!"

  "This has never happened in the history of the Sun-Moon Empire. Even in the entire Douluo Continent, nothing like this has ever been recorded!"

  "And yet, you’re all just nodding along?! This is beyond ridiculous!"

  "Are you all just mocking my ignorance?"

  Wait a minute…

  I get it now.

  You’re all in on it! You’ve teamed up with Qin Xiao to frame me!

  Suddenly, Wang Shaojie came to a realization.

  These bastards were truly trying to destroy him.

  Even if he wasn’t guilty, they were determined to make him look guilty.

  "Heh, Wang Shaojie, a man should take responsibility for his actions."

  "The eyes of the people are clear. Your little schemes have been exposed for what they are."

  "Aren’t you disappointed that I’m not dead?"

  Qin Xiao looked at Wang Shaojie and chuckled.

  He was genuinely enjoying this.

  After all, given his current position, getting rid of Wang Shaojie outright would cause unnecessary trouble.

  Besides…

  He hadn’t yet gotten everything he wanted from the Sun-Moon Empire.

  He couldn’t leave just yet.

  But keeping Wang Shaojie around wasn’t an option either.

  Fortunately, Xuan Ziwen was here.

  As one of the most respected figures in the empire, who would question him for getting rid of a useless royal family member?

  Who would dare object?

  No one.

  "Where’s Qin Xiao?"

  "I heard he’s back?"

  At that moment, a voice rang out from outside the boratory door.

  A disheveled figure burst in without hesitation.

  It was none other than Jing Hongchen, the Dean of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

  He strode into the b, his eyes darting around in search.

  It didn’t take him long to spot Qin Xiao.

  A subtle sigh of relief escaped him.

  As long as he was safe.

  The moment he heard that Qin Xiao had returned, he had rushed over immediately.

  Now that he saw him, he felt reassured.

  No missing limbs, no severe injuries.

  At least he was in one piece.

  "You brat, where have you been? You still remember to come back?"

  Jing Hongchen’s words sounded like a scolding, but they carried an unmistakable warmth.

  After all, Qin Xiao was the disciple he had set his sights on.

  He couldn’t afford to lose him.

  "Dean, you can’t bme Shishu for this!"

  "It’s all Wang Shaojie’s fault! He set him up, and Shishu was forced to risk his life to save me!"

  Juzi mustered her courage to defend Qin Xiao.

  "Oh? What exactly happened? Tell me everything."

  Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in hearing the full story.

  "Shishu just returned and must be exhausted. I already heard his expnation, so let me recount the details instead."

  Juzi, being considerate, stepped forward.

  Jing Hongchen nodded lightly.

  "That’s fine."

  Juzi then repeated Qin Xiao’s fabricated story in full detail.

  Creak.

  Creak.

  As he listened, Jing Hongchen clenched his fists tighter and tighter.

  His gaze turned toward Wang Shaojie, filled with a cold, murderous intent.

  "Boy, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

  "Dean, I’m innocent!"

  "Think carefully! Does their story even make sense? A Soul Master killing a Soul Emperor—does that sound reasonable?! Even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t dare imagine something that absurd!"

  Wang Shaojie wailed.

  "Juzi and the others have been deceived by Qin Xiao! You have the keenest judgment! You should know how to make the right decision!"

  He cried.

  Truly cried.

  Being falsely accused like this was beyond frustrating.

  Juzi and Xuan Ziwen were one thing.

  They were just blindly siding with Qin Xiao.

  But Jing Hongchen was the Academy Dean.

  Surely, he would be rational.

  Surely, he would uphold fairness and justice.

  Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

  "I think… a Soul Master killing a Soul Emperor makes perfect sense."

  (End of Chapter)

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