"Minister Chen, although this is a conflict between contestants, the methods were too brutal. We should still discipline him a bit!"
Li Chang quickly said, "If we don't stop this now, there might be more victims!"
"What you say has merit! Xiao Liu, call Chen Shu over!"
Chen Qinghai nodded and instructed a nearby assistant.
Half an hour later,
"What is it? You called me after just finishing my meal?"
Chen Shu arrived near the attic, his tone tinged with complaint.
"Chen Pi?"
Just then, Liu Feng happened to arrive at the attic and saw Chen Shu at a glance.
In that instant, a bad premonition stirred within him.
Liu Feng asked, "Have you caused trouble again, you brat?"
"No."
Chen Shu replied with utmost seriousness.
"That's good then."
"Trouble caused me!"
"..."
Liu Feng's breath hitched. Didn't he say yesterday that he would be reassured?
The two of them ascended to the attic together.
"Huh? Old Liu, why are you here?"
Chen Qinghai raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips, completely devoid of the demeanor of a King-level expert.
The primary reason was that the two of them had been roommates in university...
At that time, they were arguably the most prominent figures on campus, both possessing exceptional talent.
Unfortunately, Liu Feng, burdened by inner turmoil, had been slow to reach the King level.
"I'm here with my student,"
Liu Feng smiled, gesturing towards Chen Shu beside him, his eyes conveying a hint.
Chen Shu remained composed, though inwardly he was overjoyed. So, he had powerful backing!
"Hello, sir!"
He said with a smile, presenting himself as a well-behaved and sensible student.
"You are Chen Shu?"
Chen Qinghai's smile vanished. He pointed at Shi Ziming and the others beside him and asked,
"Is it you who hung them on the tree?"
"Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
Chen Shu's heart skipped a beat, but his face was filled with feigned innocence.
Chen Qinghai nodded and said, "Since it wasn't you, you may leave!"
"???"
Li Chang and the others were stunned.
Was it really that hasty? The favoritism was too obvious!
"Minister Chen..."
Li Chang was truly unwilling to accept this.
If Chen Shu were allowed to leave like this, it would make him, a Gold-level expert, seem utterly useless.
He spoke up, "The people involved all say it was Chen Shu. Shouldn't we question him a bit..."
Chen Qinghai frowned and pointed at Shi Ziming, saying,
"They all claim it was you!"
"I am completely unaware of this!"
Chen Shu shook his head resolutely, refusing to admit anything, no matter what.
Li Chang turned to look and asked, "You didn't bag all seven of them and hang them on the tree?"
"I think it might have been Bai Yang!"
Chen Shu smiled slyly and pointed to Bai Yang, who was standing silently nearby.
"Hmm?"
Bai Yang looked surprised and turned to look over, a hint of murderous intent deep in his eyes.
"He has a conflict with Shi Ziming, and yesterday he kept muttering about wanting to be a grandfather."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Everyone looked bewildered, not understanding what he was saying.
Chen Shu explained with a serious expression:
"I suspect the seven of them were hung on the tree like the Calabash Brothers to satisfy his perverted desire of becoming a grandfather!"
"???"
Everyone's mouths hung slightly open, not expecting Chen Shu to explain it this way.
Your imagination is truly something else...
Anger flickered in Bai Yang's eyes. He said, "As a Bronze-level cultivator, how could I dare to take on seven Silver-level experts?"
"Alright, allow me to say a word of fairness!"
Seeing the scene, Liu Feng stepped forward without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yang's heart was instantly filled with a sense of foreboding.
His mentor was at odds with Liu Feng, and he had never shown much respect to Liu Feng in the past. He was likely to face retribution.
Liu Feng said earnestly, "Both Bai Yang and Chen Shu are students of our academy. As their professor, I will not show favoritism to either one!"
"Hmm?"
Bai Yang was slightly taken aback. Had he misunderstood Liu Feng?
"Making mistakes is not terrible, but I hope you can bravely admit them!"
Liu Feng's gaze fixed on Chen Shu, and his tone shifted as he said,
"Bai Yang, just be honest and confess!"
"..."
Bai Yang's mouth twitched. Confess what, for goodness sake!
Chen Qinghai also shook his head and smiled, not expecting Liu Feng to be so outlandish.
He reprimanded, "Alright, all of you, go back! If you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame me for showing no leniency!"
Li Chang and the others, seeing this, could only escort Shi Ziming and the others away from the attic.
"Chen Shu..."
Bai Yang gave Chen Shu a deep look and left with great frustration.
He had been unfairly blamed for something he didn't do. Who could he reason with?
Chen Shu's expression was calm. He watched Bai Yang's retreating figure, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
He could sense the hatred in the other's eyes, clearly not having forgotten their past grievances.
"Teacher Liu, sir, I'll be heading back!"
With that, Chen Shu also departed.
Chen Qinghai smiled and said, "Old Liu, you seem to value him quite a bit? He's just a student, isn't he?"
"Is he just a student? He's my golden path, my highway to success!"
Liu Feng's eyes were filled with anticipation.
"???"
Chen Qinghai was slightly taken aback and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Whether I can become the principal depends on him!"
"How can a single student be a deciding factor?"
"What if he becomes the champion of the national or even world beast taming competition?"
Liu Feng's eyes held confidence. He was completely satisfied with Chen Shu's talent and strength.
"Him? Are you kidding me?"
Chen Qinghai spoke, "This competition is filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Are you preemptively booking the championship for him?"
"Let's just wait and see!"
...
Days passed, and it was June 14th.
The island's facilities were fully equipped, and every match would be broadcast live for the entire nation to witness.
"So boring!"
Chen Shu lay on his bed, idly rubbing the ears of the Spatial Rabbit.
His room was now covered in cameras. As soon as he left, every move would likely be seen.
This was arranged by Liu Feng specifically, who claimed it was to ensure the smooth progression of the competition.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
"Chen Shu, open the door quickly!"
A Liang's voice called out, his tone laced with a hint of panic.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Chen Shu opened the door, and the three of them rushed in, as if afraid of being a moment too late.
"Why the rush? Is someone trying to beat you up?"
Chen Shu calmly closed the door.
"What's your situation? Are you surrounded?"
A Liang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "There are at least four or five infrared beams scanning outside..."
"Infrared beams?"
Chen Shu was slightly startled, then his eyes widened. He exclaimed,
"Old Liu is that ruthless? He wouldn't have set up sniper rifles outside, would he..."
"Look on the bright side!"
A Liang patted his shoulder and said, "Teacher Liu isn't that extreme. It's probably just regular cannons."