Chapter 46: Mao Qiuyu
When the Heavenly Academy instructor made his move, no one present could stop him except Xu Shiji and the Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Xu Shiji, being a trusted general of Her Majesty the Empress, naturally would not obstruct the Heavenly Academy instructor, while the Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, who had the most reason to intervene, seemed as if he had fallen asleep.
Zhuang Huanyu, though ranked tenth on the Azure Cloud List, was still far from matching the strength of his elders' generation and could do nothing to change this. Watching as that junior sister was about to meet her end, his face turned deathly pale, yet he was powerless to act.
Luoluo watched the finger intent hurtling through the air toward her and felt the shadow of death. Her slender brows lifted slightly, but her expression remained calm as ever, because she knew that unless it was the extreme situation from that night at the National Academy, no one in the capital could kill her.
She was certain of this, though no one else could be. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Suddenly, someone stood before her.
That silhouette was not tall, but it was taller than her, so it shielded her completely.
Luoluo looked at this silhouette and naturally recalled that night, when the same thing seemed to have happened.
She remembered her father's words again: when the sky falls, there will always be a tall person to hold it up for you.
She felt a warmth, and suddenly thought that Heavenly Academy instructor wasn't so detestable after all.
The moment Luoluo's fist landed on Tianhai Yazi's chest, Chen Changsheng had already left the National Academy's seats. He knew Luoluo's origins were mysterious, but he couldn't be sure her clansmen would appear in time. As her teacher, he had to stand before her at a time like this.
He arrived just in time.
When the Heavenly Academy instructor's killing intent struck through the air, he managed to block Luoluo in time.
He held the short sword horizontally in his right hand, somewhat tense.
He didn't know if the short sword could stop the Heavenly Academy instructor's killing intent, and he hadn't considered what to do if it couldn't—because that was something he didn't need to think about.
Well, he had thought about it after all.
His left hand, behind him, held Luoluo's hand.
A big hand holding a small hand, with a button in the palm.
The killing intent spilling from the tip of the Heavenly Academy instructor's finger condensed into a straight line, striking fiercely.
Chen Changsheng thought he would vanish from the stage in the next moment, but to his surprise, he was still standing there.
He glanced back at Luoluo, wondering what was going on.
—If you don't use the Thousand-Mile Button now, we're really going to die.
...
...
Chen Changsheng, of course, did not die, nor did Luoluo. She hadn't used the Thousand-Mile Button because she was certain that in the capital, especially within the Heavenly Academy, no one could kill her. Someone here knew her origins, and that person was the strongest in the Heavenly Academy.
A gentle breeze swept through. That killing intent, condensed into a straight line and seemingly indestructible, was effortlessly scattered like smoke from a farmhouse chimney.
This breeze came from two sleeves.
An old man with white hair appeared on the stage, his sleeves trembling slightly in the night wind.
The entire venue fell into solemn silence. Everyone stood up, including Xu Shiji and the Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal.
Zhuang Huanyu and the other Heavenly Academy students bowed deeply, their reverence indescribable, and their shock immense.
"Greetings, Dean!"
"Teacher!"
Yes, this old man was the Dean of the Heavenly Academy, Mao Qiuyu, known for his two sleeves of pure wind.
Immediately after, Vice Dean Zhuang of the Heavenly Academy also appeared.
Zhuang Huanyu looked at Vice Dean Zhuang, his expression shifting slightly.
A murmur ran through the crowd.
No one had expected that the two most powerful deans of the Heavenly Academy would appear together, especially Dean Mao Qiuyu, a powerhouse known across the continent, whose status was extremely lofty. In principle, the first night of the Ivy Banquet should never have disturbed such a great figure.
The Heavenly Academy instructor's expression changed slightly. He walked before Mao Qiuyu, bowed respectfully, and then explained the situation, intending to set the tone first.
He knew that since Mao Qiuyu had stepped in to protect that girl from the National Academy, tonight's events could no longer proceed according to his plan. But he didn't want the fire to turn back on him, so he prepared to extinguish it.
Sudden assault? Ruthless cruelty? Bullying the weak?
Listening to the Heavenly Academy instructor's report, the faces of those present became extremely interesting.
Was he talking about Tianhai Yazi, or that girl from the National Academy?
Mao Qiuyu suddenly laughed.
The Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal also laughed.
The Heavenly Academy instructor suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
The Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal rose with a smile and walked toward the building's exit, saying weakly, "Old Cao, have some shame."
The Heavenly Academy instructor's surname was Cao. He stood frozen on the spot, feeling that the Cardinal's weak words were like a resounding slap across his face.
Vice Dean Zhuang expressionlessly announced that tonight's Ivy Banquet was over.
The crowd gradually dispersed, but as they left, they couldn't help turning back to look at the stone stage.
Mao Qiuyu looked at Luoluo, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, only smiled.
Chen Changsheng led Luoluo in bowing to him, then walked off the stage, returning to their corner spot to gather the things they had left behind.
Luoluo obediently followed behind him, looking exceptionally well-behaved.
She thought about her performance on stage earlier—had she been too wild, too domineering? Would her teacher dislike her for that?
She tugged at his sleeve, tilted her little face up, and let out two silly giggles.
Chen Changsheng looked at the girl's adorable tiger teeth, smiled, and reached out to ruffle her hair.
...
...
The banquet ended, and the people left. The building fell silent. Mao Qiuyu and Instructor Cao stood facing each other on the stage, engaging in a conversation.
"To suppress the National Academy, you let that little monster from the Ancestral Temple run wild at the Ivy Banquet. This move of yours was too reckless."
"Exactly. I can't stand the National Academy. Many people feel the same. Is that wrong?"
"Hatred? No, that was nearly twenty years ago... Everyone knows what you're after."
"What am I after?"
"His Holiness the Pope sent you to the Heavenly Academy as an instructor, and you've been here for over a decade. Anyone would grow weary; that's understandable."
"Dean, I've always respected you."
"You are the Heavenly Academy instructor. Just one more step up, and you'd be the Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Who wouldn't be tempted?"
Mao Qiuyu looked at him calmly and said, "But you made several mistakes. First, you shouldn't have dragged the National Academy into this. Second, you shouldn't have used people you weren't qualified to use. Finally, you should have understood what kind of opponent you were dealing with."
The Heavenly Academy instructor's face turned extremely ugly, because the Dean had hit the mark.
His position had been arranged by His Holiness the Pope. As an instructor, he was the person the Holy Church used to control these powerful academies. But after so many years, he had indeed grown tired. He wanted to become the Cardinal of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Just one more step upward, and he would see a completely different sky. Who could resist such temptation?
But naturally, he couldn't admit it. He insisted, "There are people within the Holy Church who want to use the National Academy to test the waters. I was trying to relieve His Holiness the Pope and Her Majesty the Empress of their worries. How is that wrong?"
Mao Qiuyu said expressionlessly, "Does His Holiness the Pope and Her Majesty the Empress know about this?"
The Heavenly Academy instructor was silent for a moment, then said, "Tianhai Yazi has been crippled. Can the National Academy... still continue to exist? If something happens to the National Academy, Merisand will naturally have to take responsibility. However you look at it, it's not a bad outcome."
"No one is foolish. Even Tianhai Yazi himself knew you were using him."
Mao Qiuyu said, "Unfortunately, you are foolish."
The Heavenly Academy instructor asked, deeply unwilling, "Who is that female student from the National Academy?"
Mao Qiuyu turned and walked toward the building's exit, saying, "That's not important. What's important is... the Cardinal has presided over the Ecclesiastical Tribunal for decades, longer than His Holiness the Pope has held the staff. Do you think someone like that can be dealt with by schemes and tricks?"
The Heavenly Academy instructor stared at the old man's back, his face ashen, and said, "I only know that Her Majesty's grandnephew has been crippled... Someone has to answer for this. Even if His Holiness the Pope doesn't blame anyone, Her Majesty's wrath still needs a scapegoat, doesn't it?"
Mao Qiuyu didn't turn around. "Don't you know who should take responsibility for tonight?"
The Heavenly Academy instructor felt as if struck by lightning, realizing that tonight might very well be the last night of his life.
...
...
Luoluo didn't want to be surrounded by onlookers, so after discussing with Chen Changsheng, she slipped into the woods under cover of darkness. Familiar with the way, she led him along a small path, pushed open two heavy doors, skirted around a small building, and exited through an obscure back door of the Heavenly Academy into an alley.
Chen Changsheng had heard her mention attending classes at the Heavenly Academy before and asked curiously, "Always through the back door?"
Luoluo said, "If not through the back door, how could I come to the Heavenly Academy for classes?"
Chen Changsheng had some guesses and asked, "The one who taught you back then... was it Heavenly Academy Dean Mao Qiuyu?"
Luoluo hummed in affirmation.
Chen Changsheng sighed, "So this really is going through the back door."
Luoluo said, "Dean Mao's lecturing skills are far inferior to yours, Teacher."
Being compared by Luoluo to the legendary Dean of the Heavenly Academy—this was too absurd.
"Don't say such nonsense. If someone hears, I'll be laughed at."
Chen Changsheng said seriously, but his mood was excellent.
However, when he saw the carriage at the mouth of the alley, his good mood vanished instantly.
A lantern hung beside the carriage, bearing a large character: "Xu."
It was the carriage of the Eastern Divine General's Mansion.