343: Chapter 343 A Sudden Turn in Attitude

"What if I insist on taking Wang Feng away?"

"You can try," Xiao Weiqing said with a smile.

Wang Lu slowly stood up. "I'll do just that."

Xiao Weiqing also stood up and said slowly, "Then try it."

He then turned his head to look at Xie Zhiyuan.

"Old Headmaster, it's your turn to act."

Xie Zhiyuan: "?"

Wang Lu: "?"

"Old Headmaster?"

Wang Lu was stunned and looked at Xie Zhiyuan.

After a long while.

"Are you Xie Zhiyuan?"

As one of the people in power in the Wang Family, Wang Lu had naturally heard of Xie Zhiyuan; the Principal of Luo Jiang Academy had disappeared into the Demon Realm over ten years ago.

Xie Zhiyuan finally spoke, "Indeed. I didn't expect anyone to still remember me after more than ten years."

"Weren't you dead in the Demon Realm?" Wang Yihui exclaimed in surprise.

Xie Zhiyuan: "..."

"There's a reason Martial Cultivators are so disliked," Xie Zhiyuan thought to himself.

"Yihui, don't speak recklessly."

"Principal Xie, I have long heard of your great name," Wang Lu said, his mind beginning to race.

Xie Zhiyuan had disappeared in the Demon Realm for over a decade without any harm; Wang Lu didn't believe he lacked strength. Judging from their previous confrontation, it seemed his power had even improved.

He had tested Xie Zhiyuan earlier, but Xie Zhiyuan had remained as steady as a mountain, showing no sign of distress.

This made Wang Lu even more confident in his judgment. Thinking of this, he was suddenly startled. "This man survived in the Demon Realm for over ten years and returned safely to Blue Star. Perhaps he has already touched the Ninth Realm. If he's like Big Brother..."

"This is going to be difficult."

Wang Lu had thought that bringing Wang Yihui and Xu Man today would be enough. They had scouted before coming; currently, Luo Jiang Academy only had three Eighth Realm Experts, and Ning Xing was not at the academy.

Three against two, they could have easily taken Wang Feng away.

Taking a step back.

There was no need to cause a major scene over a matter between Trainees. Wang Feng's severed arm had long been preserved through special means; with the Wang Family's resources, it could be easily reattached.

The three from the Wang Family had tried to intimidate Luo Jiang Academy as soon as they arrived to showcase the Wang Family's power.

However, he didn't expect...

Even Xiao Weiqing, a Seventh Realm, was not afraid of their intimidation, and his Mental Energy was no weaker than his own.

Now that Xie Zhiyuan had appeared, they had completely lost the initiative.

Xie Zhiyuan was a Peak Eighth Realm Spirit Cultivator over a decade ago; Wang Lu did not believe he was his match.

These thoughts passed in just a moment.

Wang Lu remembered what his elder brother had said before coming to Luo Jiang Academy, and then he spoke:

"Principal Xie, Wang Feng's actions in this matter were somewhat inappropriate. The young are immature; I hope Principal Xie can be merciful."

With one sentence, Wang Lu defined the nature of Wang Feng's incident and backed down.

Then.

Wang Lu continued, "I hope Principal Xie can let me take Wang Feng away. As for the two geniuses, Li Wei and Zhang Xing, I will be responsible for the divine charm treasures they need for their Second Awakening in the future. Ten thousand units of divine charm treasures for each of them will be my compensation for Wang Feng's actions, as his grandfather."

"What do you think?"

Xie Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes at Wang Lu, then glanced at Xu Man and Wang Yihui. Neither showed any abnormality, completely obeying Wang Lu without a trace of their previous arrogance.

"Very well,"

Xie Zhiyuan said.

"Then, Dean Xiao's video..."

"It won't be leaked."

"Good, my thanks to Principal Xie," Wang Lu said. "If possible, I would like to hold a separate friendly Exchange Competition between Qingyu Academy and Luo Jiang Academy to foster goodwill between the Trainees of both sides and resolve any unnecessary misunderstandings."

Xie Zhiyuan said, "I have only recently returned to Blue Star and haven't dealt with academy affairs for a long time. You can discuss it with Principal Jiang."

Wang Lu turned to Jiang Cheng. "Principal Jiang, what do you think?"

Jiang Cheng thought for a few seconds and replied, "Forget it. The national National Supernatural University Exchange is about to be held, so there's no need for a separate friendly Exchange Competition now. Besides, if you want to spar, you can go to the Heavenly Ladder."

The entrance to the Luo River Demon Realm had just been anchored, and Luo Jiang Academy had many things to attend to, such as whether the academy should be relocated. Luo Jiang Academy didn't have the time or energy to hold another friendly Exchange Competition.

"Fair enough."

Wang Lu didn't persist, only saying, "The divine charm treasures will be transferred to Luo Jiang Academy's account this afternoon."

"Dean Pang."

Xie Zhiyuan called out to the door.

Tap, tap, tap...

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

Pang Zhen opened the conference room door. Seeing the room full of wood debris, he suppressed his shock. "Principal Xie."

"Take them to see Wang Feng, and then see them out of the academy," Xie Zhiyuan instructed.

"Wang Feng is being released?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Understood."

Pang Zhen nodded in response. "Gentlemen, ma'am, please follow me."

The three stood up, and Wang Lu cupped his hands. "Principal Xie, Principal Jiang, Dean Xiao, we shall take our leave."

The group left.

Only Xie Zhiyuan, Jiang Cheng, and Xiao Weiqing remained in the conference room, each with a different expression, their thoughts unknown.

After a while.

Xie Zhiyuan asked, "Weiqing, what do you think?"

Hearing Xie Zhiyuan ask him, Xiao Weiqing chuckled, "Hehe... I'm looking at them while sitting, how else can I watch?"

"Don't be a smart aleck. Tell me your thoughts on these people, or the Wang Family."

Xiao Weiqing stopped smiling and replied seriously, "They can both bend and stretch; they have an agenda."

Jiang Cheng added, "Indeed. Before Dean Xiao brought out the video, they adamantly denied Wang Feng's collusion with the enemy and were very aggressive."

"After seeing the video, they immediately changed their stance and didn't lie through their teeth. Not only did they admit their mistake, but they also offered compensation. Such a 180-degree turn in attitude is something ordinary people certainly couldn't do."

In fact.

Even without the video, if the Wang Family hadn't backed down, the final result would have simply been Luo Jiang Academy handing Wang Feng over to the relevant authorities in Luo Jiang Prefecture, and the Wang Family would have taken advantage of the situation to take him from there.

The Wang Family and Luo Jiang Academy wouldn't actually go to war over someone like Wang Feng.

Wang Lu's backing down still surprised the three of them somewhat.

Admitting the mistake, offering compensation, and backing down to Luo Jiang Academy all happened in an instant.

But.

Precisely because of this, Xiao Weiqing felt that Wang Lu, or the Wang Family, was not simple.

If the Wang Family had truly made a scene, he wouldn't be as worried.

Xie Zhiyuan nodded. "It seems the high-level officials of Great Xia have reasons for their concerns."

If a normal Family handled things this way, the outcome might even be praised. However, the Wang Family is different. They are the sole dominant power in Qingyu Academy, controlling it and extending their reach into the Demon Suppressing Army.

The Qingyu Wang Family is now so powerful that they have become difficult to control.

"Let's leave it at that. I'll go communicate the outcome with the high-level officials."

The three dispersed... Xiao Weiqing didn't return to the Ziwei Courtyard but instead headed to Qian Yi's small courtyard.

Following a familiar path, he arrived at Qian Yi's room.

"So you finally remembered to come?"

As soon as they met.

Qian Yi gave Xiao Weiqing a flirtatious glare.

"Ah? What's wrong?"

"Hmph... You've been back for over half a month, and besides seeing you the day you returned, I haven't seen hide nor hair of you all these days."

"Uh..."

Xiao Weiqing felt ashamed; he had been so focused on cultivating lately that he had indeed forgotten about Qian Yi.

"Well, I'm here now. I've been busy with things these past few days—serious business."

Qian Yi chuckled, "What? I didn't say anything."

"Why did you have to specifically explain it was 'serious business'? Do you usually have 'not-so-serious' business?"

Xiao Weiqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How could that be? It's all serious business."

"Is it?"

"I'll have to check and see if it's really 'serious' or not."

Qian Yi tied up her long hair and swayed her hips as she pressed close to Xiao Weiqing..."}],