"Outrageous, truly outrageous!"

Crane Tears cursed as he sat in the back seat of the 'Silver Blood Citroën' car, angrily wiping his mouth with a handkerchief—As the dignified Silver Bell Marquis, he usually dined on delicacies and exquisite dishes, not this damned Cha Huan who actually forced him, forced him...

...to go and eat at the cafeteria!

Moreover, since the students nearby were watching, in order not to ruin his image as a pillar of pacifism, Crane Tears had to grit his teeth and swallow a whole bowl of beef noodle in black bean sauce, finishing the accompanying soup entirely and had to part with a gold coin—Cha Huan initially said he would treat him, but then claimed he didn't have a meal card, while Crane Tears didn't have change, so he had no choice but to give a gold coin.

Thinking of being forced to eat a dish meant for commoners, thinking how he was scammed by Cha Huan for a gold coin, thinking how he had to flee from the Imperial Academy, Crane Tears trembled with rage, his limbs cold, his aged handsome face wrinkled further, and his vision blurred.

"Cha Huan! If I don't avenge this, I swear I'm not human, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west..."

Beside him, Zhong Shujun glanced at the white-haired Crane Tears, thinking that the Silver Bell Marquis seemed optimistic about his own lifespan, casually remarked, "No hurry, Silver Bell Marquis, we anticipated this before coming, didn't we? Cha Huan just made the choice we all knew he would."

With a couple of hums, the car started, and the Silver Bell Marquis gritted his teeth saying, "But I came personally, yet he wouldn't make even the slightest concession, not even a tiny bit of face for me! He may lose his temper, but doesn't Su Canjian also get angry? Does he really think the Imperial Academy is his kingdom within a kingdom!? If Su Canjian wants to grind to death with him—"

"But Smoke Cloud Marquis won't grind to death with him," Zhong Shujun said calmly, "You know, I know, Cha Huan also knows. Smoke Cloud Marquis will be angry, will retaliate, will cause trouble for Cha Huan, but absolutely not now, because—"

"He's a gentleman."

"A gentleman can be deceived with reason. Compared to the life and death of his young son, the major affairs of Yanjing's vicinity are of paramount importance. Cha Huan is aware that Smoke Cloud Marquis will prioritize the bigger picture, so he dares disregard the larger implications."

Zhong Shujun's somber face twisted into a peculiar smile, "Everyone always said Principal Cha isn't suited for court politics, but in my view, the achievements Cha Huan could have in officialdom are definitely not mediocre—beneath his reckless fiery temperament lies cunning veiled by a thick face and a ruthless heart."

"Then does it mean a gentleman deserves to be taken advantage of!?" Crane Tears shouted, "How can we let this scoundrel Cha Huan succeed!?"

Zhong Shujun replied, "Due to some specific reasons, Smoke Cloud Marquis actually has a poor relationship with Su Qian of the Five Sons, but this doesn't mean Smoke Cloud Marquis will sit idly by... However, Smoke Cloud Marquis is not participating in this game, Su Qian merely represents himself, not the Su family, so we can't ascertain Smoke Cloud Marquis' specific thoughts, whether he thinks Su Qian 'reaps what he sows' or 'after all, he is my son'."

"But no matter what, the feud between Smoke Cloud Marquis and Cha Huan is a matter for the future, they will both want to turn big issues into small ones, not giving us a chance to exploit."

Crane Tears heavily slammed the car door, causing the entire vehicle to tremble, "So are we just going to let Qin Le Yin off the hook like this!? If it continues like this, Qin Le Yin and Shuiyun Palace will—"

"Initially, we were just testing the waters, succeeding is naturally good, failing doesn't matter. We are merely bettors, not Executors," Zhong Shujun said faintly, "Rest assured, other Sword Holders are already in action."

"Let's just consider it a wasted trip."

Crane Tears snorted, suddenly said, "Do we have a way to win over Qin Le Yin? Having offended Su Canjian, even with Cha Huan's protection, he must feel uneasy inside, as long as we—"

"I've already tried just now," Zhong Shujun shook his head, "His reaction, how to say... very interesting, very intriguing."

"He's not afraid?"

"Not only is he not afraid, he's confident and fearless."

"Does he believe Cha Huan can protect him for a lifetime? Or does he think as long as Shuiyun Palace ascends the throne, he can remain safe?"

"No, no, no," Zhong Shujun said, "In the meeting room, I laid out the Su family's influence and Cha Huan's weaknesses for him, analyzed Shuiyun Palace's current odds, even took out his family estate, his siblings, everything he has now to threaten him, yet..."

Zhong Shujun couldn't help but squint, recalling Qin Le Yin's tranquil gaze, "...he wasn't just unafraid, he even showed a kind of frenzied eagerness."

Crane Tears doubted, "Is Qin Le Yin pretending to be calm?"

"Silver Bell Marquis, I am the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice," Zhong Shujun smiled.

Among the six ministries, although most officials have decent Combat Technique prowess, the only two requiring agents to have Combat Technique prowess are the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice—the Ministry of War agents often serve as commanding generals in the military, naturally their Combat Technique prowess isn't lacking; whereas Ministry of Justice agents require Combat Technique prowess due to business needs.

The Eighteen Combat Techniques are indeed the strongest Combat Techniques in the world, but some specific variants within them are not circulated in civilian circles, these variant Combat Techniques aren't immensely powerful, but serve specific purposes. And the 'Soul Capturing Combat Technique' that Ministry of Justice agents must learn, which blends various Combat Techniques, enables them to discern intent, judge truth from falsehood, and grasp spirit and soul.

Simply put, it's a psychological warfare Combat Technique, a vocational skill used by the Ministry of Justice to interrogate suspects.

During Zhong Shujun's questioning of Qin Le Yin earlier, throughout the process, he sensed no negative emotions from Qin Le Yin, only a resolute determination.

But subtly, that determination was not an epiphany of 'no regrets even in death', but more akin to a fearless attitude of 'if you won't let me play properly, I'll flip the table so no one else can play'.

"National Relief Association, Cha Huan, Sword Holder, Qin Le Yin... all have many secrets."

Zhong Shujun finished the first half of the sentence, leaving the latter half unspoken in his mind.

It's truly a case of a nation doomed by its own demons.

...

...

As Le Yin walked into the seventh floor of the Platinum Tower, he was greeted by a call:

"This is the seventh time I've seen you, Le Yin. Why don't you believe me?"

A vibrantly colored parrot flew to the edge of its cage, greeting Le Yin without any emotion. Le Yin nodded at it, realizing that there was still no second chair in the principal's office. He had no choice but to stand and say, "Does the Vice Principal not deserve a chair to sit on?"

"Actually, you could sit on the floor; I don't mind looking down on you while speaking." Cha Huan raised an eyebrow. "Helping you this time means I'll be offending that Su Canjian guy, so how do you plan to repay me?"

"I didn't ask you; you're the one who insisted on appointing me as vice principal. Only because you're old did I reluctantly agree to it." Le Yin pouted.

"Oh, should I then go and call that old coot Crane Tears to come take you away?"

"Go ahead, go ahead. If you don't go, you're a puppy."

Cha Huan looked at him unexpectedly for a moment and sipped his tea. "The Radiant Guardians might not be willing to protect you."

Le Yin wasn't surprised that Cha Huan knew about his hidden profession, "My trump card isn't the Radiant Guardians."

"Oh?" Cha Huan became genuinely curious. "Can your trump card solve the current trouble?"

"My trump card can solve all troubles."

"Can you tell me?"

"No."

"Sigh," Cha Huan sighed. "Keeping secrets from such a charming old man, today's young people really don't know how to respect their elders..."

Sometimes Le Yin felt sorry for Cha Huan's peers. Having someone like him, whom you can't hit enough but is so punchable, really shortens one's lifespan.

But Le Yin was indeed full of confidence. After knowing he'd killed Wuzhu's son, he was well-prepared—with a plan to change roles.

The worst case, he could quit the Sword Holder succession competition, return to Qing Lan to settle down and research how to make air conditioning; or if truly enraged, Le Yin could repeat his old trick like Zhengwei toppling the Silver Blood Association. He could do it again, correcting the world's wrongs in his way.

He just dared not change roles too frequently in a short time, but if provoked, he could certainly flip the table in extreme anger.

As for how to handle things after flipping the table, that was another matter. That's also why Le Yin sought Cha Huan's protection: following the rules to achieve his goals was still the best option for now.

"So, Principal, what do you plan to do?" Le Yin asked, "Interested in using Immortal Blood to become an Immortal?"

The experiences in the basement Li Ying had naturally informed Le Yin of, which he didn't intend to keep secret and directly shared with Cha Huan.

Cha Huan: "To say I'm not interested would be a lie, but it's merely an interest."

"As for the execution, it's naturally up to the Vice Principal."

Le Yin was somewhat surprised, "You're not going to meddle?"

"This isn't your game," Cha Huan shook his head. "Moreover, you haven't even grabbed his tail. Even if I wanted to pick the fruit, I'd have to wait until you achieved great success before stepping in. Intervening now would be inefficient, and I have to guard the Imperial Court at night."

Can't you just skip a night of fooling around?

"In conclusion, as long as you don't endanger the students of the Imperial Academy, feel free to mess around with this game," Cha Huan said, "Just don't cause trouble for me; your level of mischief is almost on par with mine back in the day."

Oh, so you know how much trouble you caused back then... Le Yin said, "Even if we don't cause trouble, the National Relief Association won't listen to you."

"What are you trying to say?"

"They plan to assault the Platinum Tower, ambush you, the Spirit Condensing Pill, the Immortal Palace plan, everything's happening in a whirlwind." Le Yin said, "If I'm not mistaken, the National Relief Association's next move is already in the works."