Chapter 62

"Thief!"

The shrill cry suddenly rang out, tearing through the long night and spreading across the entire Wanhe Garden. The shout echoed in all directions, immediately drawing the attention of countless students, some of whom, having identified the direction of the voice, were already rushing over.

In no time, the entrance to Taoranju was filled with a large number of students. A team of students responsible for patrol rushed through the crowd and saw Tang Jie standing at the door.

"What's going on? Shouting so loudly!" one of the patrollers demanded angrily.

Tang Jie replied to him, "Senior Brother, a thief broke into my room just now, intending to steal."

At these words, the crowd immediately erupted in a clamor.

As the highest-level academy in Wenxin, the Xiyue Academy was governed by Immortal Masters, and it was truly impossible for even a rat to enter without permission. It had been a long time since there had been any incidents of theft, and it was unexpected that such an event would occur today, leading to much discussion.

The several students responsible for patrol were also taken aback. One of them asked, "Did you see who it was?"

Tang Jie answered, "It was too dark, and I just got back, so I didn't see who it was."

"Did anything get stolen?"

"No, everything in the room is intact."

"Then why did you shout 'thief'?" the student was angry.

Tang Jie, unperturbed, pointed to a pile of flour on the ground, "If there were no thieves, where did these footprints come from?"

Compared to the footprints Tang Jie had seen earlier, the ones he was pointing to now were much "clearer."

The student was immediately stunned.

The rules of the Xiyue Academy were strict. Without permission, even patrollers were not allowed to enter others' residences. Entering without invitation, even if not a thief, would result in being apprehended and interrogated.

Since Tang Jie had "evidence," it was impossible not to investigate.

The lead student immediately lit a communication talisman, and in a short while, someone appeared in front of Taoranju.

It was Xin Yue and Si Yue'er.

As soon as Xin Yue arrived, he snorted, "The Xiyue Academy hasn't had any theft incidents for a long time, and today it's quite lively."

He then strode into Tang Jie's room, looked around, and asked, "Who is the owner of this room?"

Tang Jie stepped forward and bowed, "Xiyue student Tang Jie greets Senior Master Xin and Senior Master Si."

"Ah, it's you." Xin Yue looked at Tang Jie and, unusually, a smile appeared on his face.

As a top student, Tang Jie had a good impression among the senior masters. Xin Yue even remembered that in the first class, Tang Jie was the only one who diligently took notes of everything he said.

Although Xin Yue himself didn't take his lectures seriously, it was always pleasant to know that someone valued his lessons.

At this moment, Xin Yue nodded, "Tell me what you discovered."

Tang Jie recounted how he had returned from a club meeting and "accidentally" found someone else's footprints in the flour he had scattered.

He pointed to the footprints on the ground, "Senior Master, please look. The size of these shoe prints is much larger than mine. It's impossible for them to be mine, and the shoe prints don't match."

Xin Yue took a look and continued, "Was anything stolen?"

"No, not only was nothing stolen, but everything looks untouched."

"Really? They sneaked in while you were away but did nothing?" Xin Yue raised an eyebrow, carefully examined the room, and suddenly made a series of hand gestures, casting a wave of spiritual energy over the items in the room. His expression then changed, "All the items in here have been enchanted..."

The nature of the incident had clearly changed. If someone had planted a malicious spell on these ordinary objects, it could be a matter of life and death.

Si Yue'er asked, "Can you determine what kind of spell it is?"

Unlike Xin Yue, who, in addition to teaching, was also responsible for investigation and was skilled at uncovering hidden traces, Si Yue'er was not as experienced.

Xin Yue shook his head, "It doesn't seem to be a curse or a malicious spell, but I don't know its purpose. Let me investigate further."

Just as he was about to continue, a voice came from behind, "No need to investigate, it's the Return to Origin Spell."

Everyone turned around in surprise to see a middle-aged man in a green robe standing at the door.

The man had a dignified appearance and a commanding presence. He walked straight in with his hands behind his back, and Xin and Si bowed simultaneously, "Greetings, Hall Master Xie."

Hearing this title, Tang Jie immediately knew who had arrived.

Xie Fengtang, the Deputy Head of the Xiyue Academy!

The Xiyue Sect had eight inner halls and eight outer halls, and the Xiyue Academy was actually just a part of the Training Hall, one of the inner halls, responsible for training disciples.

Due to the importance of the Xiyue Academy, the headmaster was usually also the head of the Training Hall. The current headmaster, Feng Hongluan, was often away, and the students only knew her by name. Most of the academy's affairs were handled by the deputy headmaster, Xie Fengtang, who was also one of the two deputy heads of the Training Hall.

Therefore, the senior masters sometimes referred to the headmaster and deputy headmaster as Hall Masters, as they were part of the Training Hall. However, this was not a title the students were qualified to use.

Seeing Xie Fengtang suddenly appear, Tang Jie hurriedly bowed, "Greetings, Headmaster."

"Stand up." Xie Fengtang waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted Tang Jie to his feet.

At this point, Xin Yue said, "Hall Master, you mentioned the Return to Origin Spell? But that's a spell only those at the Transcendent Realm can use. Could it be that a Transcendent Realm student from our academy broke in here?"

Why would a Transcendent Realm student, who was already quite advanced, come to a freshman's residence?

Was there anything worth stealing here?

Thinking about this, Xin Yue looked at Tang Jie with suspicion.

Tang Jie, however, remained indifferent, as if he didn't understand anything.

Xie Fengtang said, "It's not yet clear if the intruder is a Xiyue student, but the Return to Origin Spell returns all objects to their original state. This suggests that the intruder did not want their presence to be discovered..."

Hearing this, Xin and Si's eyes lit up, "That's right. Could it be that the intruder wasn't here to steal?"

As senior masters, they didn't want such incidents to occur, as it would be embarrassing if word got out.

When one reaches a high position, reputation becomes paramount, and one must be especially cautious.

Xie Fengtang, however, said calmly, "It's also possible that they just didn't find what they were looking for."

Si Yue'er said, "Regardless of their intentions, now that we know the intruder used the Return to Origin Spell, we can investigate which students in the academy have learned this spell and where they were at this time. We should be able to find out who did it. Hmph, anyone who dares to do such a sneaky thing in the academy will be caught, severely punished, and expelled!"

She was particularly enthusiastic about expelling students.

Xie Fengtang, however, replied, "There's no need to investigate. Among the over ten thousand students in the Xiyue Academy, no more than five have learned this spell. Even if there are a few, I guarantee that you will find them all innocent."

"Ah?" Si Yue'er was taken aback, "Why is that?"

Xie Fengtang sighed, "Yue'er, don't always think about expelling students. Use your head. Think about what kind of spell the Return to Origin Spell is and who would learn it."

Si Yue'er was startled.

The Return to Origin Spell was a spell that returned objects to their original state. Because it had no combat value, and most students were focused on advancing their realms, few would learn such a spell.

Those who did learn it were usually people who carried out special missions in secret, who preferred not to be discovered. Learning this spell was quite useful for such tasks. If Tang Jie hadn't discovered the footprints, the residual spiritual energy on the objects would have dissipated over time, and even a god wouldn't have noticed.

In the Xiyue Academy, very few students made such a choice.

No, not none!

Si Yue'er's eyes lit up, "Could it be the...?"

Xie Fengtang raised his hand to stop her, "Without evidence, don't make wild guesses."

Si Yue'er took a deep breath, "Yes, but I don't understand. If it's them, why would they do this?"

"Ask them." Xie Fengtang looked at Tang Jie, "What's your name?"

Tang Jie immediately answered, "My name is Tang Jie!"

Xie Fengtang, who had asked casually, was surprised to hear Tang Jie's name.

His expression changed, "What did you say your name is?"

"Student Tang Jie greets the Headmaster!" Tang Jie loudly answered, holding up his积分牌高高举起。

看到那积分牌上的字样，谢枫棠面色稍霁：“原来是唐劫……”

他回头看了一眼，已有一名男子拱手递上一本名册，谢枫棠翻了几下，皱起眉头：“怎的没有此子的资料？”

那男子回道：“资料不全，应当是有人有意压下来了。”

这边唐劫已回道：“弟子唐劫，琼州人士，因野谷原马贼屠戮而落难，三年前入的卫府。”

谢枫棠微愕：“琼州？野谷原来？三年前入卫府，三年前……原来如此。”

他连连点头，原本不怒自威的脸上竟是现出了一丝微笑。

辛越和司月儿不明所以，一起看向谢枫棠：“堂主，有什么问题吗？”

谢枫棠摇了摇头：“没什么，呵呵，真没想到……”

他重新看唐劫，也不说话，目光转动，表情不断变化，也不知在想什么。

唐劫被他那目光看得有些害怕，缩了缩脖子：“院……院主，小的做错什么了吗？”

谢枫棠脸上风云变幻了片刻，终于摇头道：“不，你什么都没做错，恰恰相反，你做得很好……非常好！”

唐劫这才松了口气，喏喏道：“我刚一回来，就看到有陌生人脚印，有些吓坏了，所以就喊了一声，却没想到惊动了院主，以后我不会再这样大惊小怪了。”

“没有关系。”谢枫棠拍拍唐劫的肩头：“不管怎么说，你这里的确有人闯进来了，此事是我洗月学院管理不严所致，我这个做副院主的也有责任。”

“啊？”辛越和司月儿同时震惊地看谢枫棠。

谢枫棠已经继续道：“既然让你受了惊吓，学院自然也应补偿你。”

“真的？”听到这话，唐劫欣喜抬头。

“当然，我堂堂学院副院主，还能骗你不成？”谢枫棠呵呵笑道：“说，你想要什么？”

“那……那我想要灵药用来修炼可不可以？”唐劫已快速道。

“没问题。”谢枫棠直接点头：“我这就为你手书一封，你可以自去五方亭，按你所需领十瓶下品灵药，另外我再给你一千灵钱，聊做压惊，你看可好？”

“好，好！多谢院主！”大概是被这突如其来的好处惊呆了，唐劫激动得全身颤抖，已是一躬到底。

十瓶下品灵药？一千灵钱？

辛越和司月儿已是面面相觑，什么时候谢枫棠变得那么大方了？

这边安抚好了唐劫，谢枫棠已转身出门。

就在他走出去的时候，唐劫喊了一声：“院主，你说那些贼人还会不会再来？”

谢枫棠停下脚步，想了想，回头对唐劫笑道：“有这个可能，那些贼人不知看中了你什么，突然找上你。既然能来第一次，就能来第二次。不过你不用担心……”

说着他转头对辛越和司月儿道：“你们去把赵希良叫来，让他在这里布个阵，守好此地。”

“布阵？”辛越和司月儿的眼珠子都快瞪出来了。

“对，布阵！”谢枫棠正色说道：“既然我们的学子受到了惊吓，被人闯入，那自然是要好好保护的。此贼来意叵测，很有可能以后还会再来，我们自然是要防微杜渐的，以后你们有事没事，也要注意这里，避免再发生今日之事。我洗月学院以人为本，以德服人，不如此又如何让天下门派归心？就这样吧。”

说完一闪身已消失不见。

司月儿简直不敢相信地耳朵，回头看看辛越道：“以人为本？以德服人？这还是谢老抠吗？”

辛越表情沉重地摇了摇头。

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束

积分牌 high, revealing his name.

Seeing the name on the积分牌, Xie Fengtang's expression eased, "So it's Tang Jie..."

He glanced back, and a man bowed and handed him a register. Xie Fengtang flipped through it a few times and frowned, "Why is there no information on this student?"

The man replied, "The information is incomplete, and it seems someone intentionally suppressed it."

Tang Jie responded, "I am Tang Jie, from Qiongzhou. I fell into hardship due to the massacre by the Wild Valley bandits and entered the Wei Mansion three years ago."

Xie Fengtang was slightly surprised, "Qiongzhou? Wild Valley? Three years ago, you entered the Wei Mansion three years ago... I see."

He nodded repeatedly, and a smile appeared on his usually stern face.

Xin Yue and Si Yue'er were puzzled and looked at Xie Fengtang, "Hall Master, is there a problem?"

Xie Fengtang shook his head, "No, nothing, hehe, I really didn't expect it..."

He looked at Tang Jie again, silent, his eyes moving and his expression changing, as if deep in thought.

Tang Jie, feeling uneasy under his gaze, shrank back, "Head... Headmaster, did I do something wrong?"

Xie Fengtang's expression changed for a moment before he finally shook his head, "No, you did nothing wrong. On the contrary, you did very well... very well indeed!"

Tang Jie let out a sigh of relief and stammered, "I just got back and saw the stranger's footprints, which scared me, so I shouted. I didn't mean to disturb the Headmaster. I won't overreact like this in the future."

"It's fine," Xie Fengtang patted Tang Jie's shoulder, "Regardless, someone did break into your room, and this is due to the academy's lax management. As the deputy headmaster, I am also responsible."

"Ah?" Xin Yue and Si Yue'er were shocked and looked at Xie Fengtang.

Xie Fengtang continued, "Since you were frightened, the academy should compensate you."

"Really?" Tang Jie looked up, delighted.

"Of course, as the deputy headmaster of the academy, would I lie to you?" Xie Fengtang chuckled, "What do you want?"

"Can I have some spirit medicines for cultivation?" Tang Jie quickly asked.

"No problem," Xie Fengtang nodded, "I will write you a note. You can go to the Five Directions Pavilion and collect ten bottles of low-grade spirit medicines. Additionally, I will give you a thousand spirit coins as compensation. How does that sound?"

"Good, good! Thank you, Headmaster!" Tang Jie, stunned by the unexpected reward, bowed deeply, trembling with excitement.

Ten bottles of low-grade spirit medicines? A thousand spirit coins?

Xin Yue and Si Yue'er exchanged glances, wondering when Xie Fengtang had become so generous.

After comforting Tang Jie, Xie Fengtang turned and left.

Just as he was about to go, Tang Jie called out, "Headmaster, do you think those thieves will come back?"

Xie Fengtang stopped, thought for a moment, and smiled at Tang Jie, "It's possible. They must have seen something in you and decided to target you. If they came once, they can come again. But don't worry..."

He turned to Xin Yue and Si Yue'er, "Call Zhao Xiliang and have him set up an array here to protect the area."

"Set up an array?" Xin Yue and Si Yue'er's eyes nearly popped out.

"Yes, set up an array!" Xie Fengtang said seriously, "Since our student has been frightened and someone broke in, we must protect him. The intruder's intentions are unclear, and they might come back. We must be vigilant and prevent such incidents from happening again. The Xiyue Academy values its students and leads by example. How else can we win the hearts of the world's sects? That's all."

With that, he vanished in a flash.

Si Yue'er, hardly believing her ears, turned to Xin Yue, "Value the students? Lead by example? Is this still the frugal Xie?"

Xin Yue shook his head solemnly.

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends