You're Strong But Now You're Mine

"Stir up the grass to alert the snake? I not only want to stir it up, I want to chase the snake away."

On the seventh floor of the Platinum Tower, in the principal's office, Cha Huan casually said while making tea in response to Le Yin and Yan Yi's questioning, "Unfortunately, that kid Xie Chenyuan arrived too quickly. I only visited three families before having to stop, sigh."

Le Yin and Yan Yi were shocked—just in one afternoon, Cha Huan had single-handedly killed three noble figures in Yanjing, even provoking the Chief Inspector Xie Chenyuan.

Though they had tried hard to overestimate Cha Huan, they still underestimated him. After all, Cha Huan went mad in Yanjing before Le Yin and Yan Yi were even born. As Cha Huan settled down in the Imperial Academy, people gradually forgot his Demon Lord of Chaos persona, thinking that scamming money to build toilets was his lowest point, but it seemed they underestimated how low his limit could go.

Noticing Le Yin and Yan Yi's expressions, Cha Huan smiled, sipped his tea, and said, "Otherwise? Do you expect me to sit still and wait for the enemy to attack?"

Yan Yi tried to speak calmly, "But principal, doesn't doing this suggest you already know their plan?"

"Isn't that even better?" said Cha Huan leisurely. "When they realize they can't achieve their goals, they'll naturally stop. I'm not a bloodthirsty person, if this can prevent an assassination, why not?"

'I'm not a bloodthirsty person'… Principal, there's still the smell of blood on your clothes!

Yan Yi shook her head. "But what if they don't back down and instead increase their efforts, sending more assassins after you?"

"Then that means they're very confident," Cha Huan leaned back in his chair. "Coincidentally, I'm a very confident person too."

"Principal, if you don't want to live, could you at least pass the principal position to me first?" Yan Yi was furious, stood up, and said, "The Three Gun Clan, Curse Hunter, Brotherhood, Weed Eradicators… this is no joke!"

Not knowing before was one thing, but now that Yan Yi knew Cha Huan was about to be assassinated, she was naturally very concerned—even though Cha Huan seldom taught, in the Imperial Academy, as many students wanted to blow up the Platinum Tower, just as many respected Cha Huan.

The faculty and students of the Imperial Academy often mocked Cha Huan's antics, but none denied how rare he was—an old man who could play with students, listen to their opinions, respect their personalities, and had dedicated most of his life to the cause of education.

Yan Yi saw Cha Huan as both a mentor and a father. He was the only one in the Imperial Academy who knew about her relationship with Ning Xinyuan, and he was the one who covered for her. Cha Huan even promised that if they wished, the old principal would be their wedding officiant, guaranteeing that in the Imperial Academy, there wouldn't be a single whisper about them!

Therefore, after learning that the Patriarch Mu Po Luo was part of the assassination against Cha Huan, Yan Yi was only momentarily surprised before continuing to discuss plan details with Le Yin—such a patriarch was better off without.

"I'm not joking either."

Cha Huan restrained his smile and calmly said, "Do you really think I left the Imperial Academy on a whim? Do you think Xie Chenyuan sending me back was him doing me a favor?"

"Last night, there was an urgent military situation; the Ta Bai Army and Storm Army both approached the capital at the same time. By this morning, half of Yanjing's Martial Pillars had left, leaving only Xie Chenyuan and a few to hold the fort."

"Do you believe I could massacre my way back to the Imperial Academy right under Xie Chenyuan's nose, and he couldn't do anything about it? In broad daylight, without three Martial Pillars joining forces, who could stop me from returning?"

"I felt that enough grass had been stirred, so I gave the kid Xie some face and stopped. I'm old, but I'm not afraid of Xie Chenyuan yet!"

Yan Yi sat down, crossed her arms and said with a pout, "You're always right. After all, I've never won a debate against you, principal."

"That's because I'm reasonable," Cha Huan continued sipping his tea.

"So what are you planning to do, principal?" Le Yin furrowed his brows and said, "They're unlikely to give up because of your actions, which will more likely prompt them to intensify their assassination attempts."

"If they actually get scared away, that's the best outcome, avoid risks if possible," Cha Huan said. "If not, then forcing them to bring out more experts to assassinate me would be even better—only a thousand days being a thief, but not a thousand days guarding against one."

Yan Yi was stunned, then slammed the table in anger, "Honestly, why don't you just pass the principalship to me already!"

"Quick thinker, huh, girl," Cha Huan laughed, explaining to Le Yin, "Those assassins you saw that night were mostly 'unrelated' Martial Artists from Outer Districts. Even if they died in Yanjing, you couldn't link them to Yanjing's forces. Even if I killed them all, that's where it would end, and I'd have no one to lash out at."

"But if they want to send more assassins, they'd have to use their own loyalists. If they can't kill me and I catch a slip, guess what would happen?"

Cha Huan's tone was still relaxed, but there was an indescribable expectation and coldness in his words: "If they choose to act tomorrow again, and send even more people as I expect… as long as I'm not dead by tomorrow night, there will be many who won't see the sunrise the following day."

Yan Yi exclaimed, "The premise is that you aren't dead!"

"There are always risks in doing things." Cha Huan laughed unconcernedly. "See, by doing this, I can not only remove all Outer District assassins but also root out the inner traitors in Yanjing colluding with them."

"By piling all the troublesome matters together, everything becomes a lot simpler."

Le Yin found it odd, "Why are you acting with such a big-picture perspective, principal? Not that you didn't have it before, but your approach this time is extremely self-sacrificing for a greater cause, quite unexpected."

"Because Yanjing is mine, of course, I have a duty to defend it."

"How is Yanjing yours? Even if it belongs to someone, it belongs to the Glorious Imperial Family... huh?"

Le Yin blinked, suddenly understanding the logical chain: Cha Huan is the Empress Dowager's lover → The Empress Dowager's Imperial Family currently calls the shots → Yanjing is the Empress Dowager's → Yanjing is Cha Huan's.

Could this even work!?

Le Yin and Yan Yi exchanged glances, instinctively understanding each other's thought: Could the principal be getting used by his old lover?

Yet seeing Cha Huan so happily playing the fool, they didn't know what to say.

"But principal, can you really just kill people like this?" Yan Yi questioned. "Even if it's you, you can't just kill a few patriarchs and act like nothing happened, can you? What if they cause a scene at the Imperial Academy—"

"Are you saying they need a verdict?" Cha Huan said, "When we returned, that Xie kid told me that he would list their crimes and make them public as soon as possible. He assured me that I could kill without concern, without worry—after all, Yanjing is directly under the Imperial Family."

Can you kill and have the government clean up the mess?

This bootlicker position sure is worth it!

Seeing Cha Huan flattering the Empress Dowager so well, Le Yin couldn't help but feel a bit envious, thinking he might as well join Ming Shuiyun... But he quickly brushed off such treasonous thoughts, and asked, "So the plan remains unchanged?"

"The plan remains unchanged." Cha Huan glanced at Le Yin, "However, Teacher Qin, are you really ready?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you really going to let Yanjing into the Platinum Tower to help with defense? Although I have a good relationship with Yanjing, that's all it is—Don't be fooled by Xie Chenyuan's respect for me, if push comes to shove, at most, he'll refrain from striking me while I'm down; he won't lift a finger to help me out of a crisis."

"Allowing Yanjing into the Platinum Tower is practically handing over your life to them. If they back out then, they can just blame it on the assassins afterward, and I will have no way to seek the truth—Yanjing is an expert at covering tracks."

Cha Huan lightly pushed his teacup, sending it in front of Le Yin.

"Can you really trust Yanjing?"

...

...

Bang bang!

Hearing the knocking on the car window, Raccoon Slave tilted his hat up, his young face full of the grumpiness of waking up: "Who is it?!"

Zhao Yebai, sitting in the driver's seat, lowered the window and turned to say, "Inspector, it's a delivery of pastries."

"Pastries?" Raccoon Slave rubbed his face a bit and, after clearing his head, looked at the person outside the car and asked, "Who sent you?"

"I was sent by the second shop on Longfeng Alley." The young man outside bent his head respectfully, handing a delicately packaged box of pastries into the car, "I've already delivered a share to number three, Qilin Alley, and now I'm bringing this to Inspector Xianchan."

Number three, Qilin Alley, is the residence of Director Xie. Raccoon Slave raised an eyebrow and accepted the box of pastries, noticing that it was quite heavy—as if there were hundreds of gold coins inside.

He weighed it a bit, then passed it to Zhao Yebai, casually asking, "How much was delivered to Qilin Alley?"

"It was triple your share." The young man replied cautiously.

"Not enough, send at least five times that amount, or else I won't dare to accept it." Xianchan Dust said carelessly.

"Yes, yes, I will report back right away and deliver another share to Qilin Alley shortly."

"That's more like it." Raccoon Slave lay back down, "Is there anything else? If not, don't disturb me on duty."

"There's this as well, the chairman instructed me to make sure Inspector Xianchan receives it."

The young man took out a small box, opening it to reveal a delicate ruby ring inside.

Zhao Yebai took it and passed it to Xianchan Dust, who took it out and put it on, his expression changing instantly: "This is..."

"This is the divine weapon 'Death's Finger', losing its effects after one use."

The young man said respectfully, "It can directly attack the Spirit, instantly killing those below the Entry Hall level Martial Artists. Even those at the Integration and Mastery level will suffer a severe mental blow and intense dizziness, though it has minimal effect on those at the Peak of Perfection level."

"With this tool, Inspector Xianchan should have more confidence in accomplishing the task."

Raccoon Slave was silent for a moment, nodding, "You have been considerate. Anything else?"

"One last thing," the young man spoke quietly, "Everyone is eager to witness the brilliance of the Holy Sword's glory, hoping Inspector Xianchan will give it your all."

"Who does 'everyone' refer to?"

"Not only the people at number three, Qilin Alley but also our National Relief Association, along with numerous like-minded individuals eager for the change of this era."

"I can't guarantee that."

Xianchan Dust wore the ruby ring on his index finger, fitting perfectly, neither too big nor too small.

"Go back and tell your chairman, and also pass a message to the director for me. I, Xianchan Dust, can only assure one thing..."

"Don't spare the hounds, leave no heads!"