Chapter 26

Rattling...

The wheels of a carriage rolled, carrying four young people—three boys and a girl—and a wheelchair towards Zhaifeng Academy. Lu Ping and the others had ultimately decided to hire a carriage for the journey. Molin was initially very happy, but after a few words with the taciturn driver, his mood plummeted.

Snap! Snap!

The driver waved his whip, but it only made a sound in the air, being very careful not to hit the black horse.

"How about it, pretty fast, right?" the driver said proudly.

"Pretty fast," Lu Ping nodded.

"I always thought my horse had at least the power of the first level of the Force Spirit. You're students of Zhaifeng Academy, can you check if that's true?" the driver asked.

The Force Spirit was not a secret; everyone on the continent knew of its existence. Many academies had publicly available cultivation manuals. Ordinary people could use these to sense the Force Spirit and even break through to a certain level, but most could only sense one or two types, and reaching the first or second level was already considered good. This was why everyone thought Lu Ping was a failure, as he had not sensed the Force Spirit in three years. Either he was completely unmotivated or utterly talentless; otherwise, even a pig would have sensed it after systematic training at the academy.

Indeed, animals could also sense the Force Spirit, like the driver's beloved horse at that moment.

Lu Ping, Su Tang, and Xifan said nothing, all looking at Molin.

Molin's expression was dark, with a murderous look, and one hand remained in the leather pouch inside his shirt, not coming out.

Even a horse has the Force Spirit, this is... really a blow to one's self-esteem.

Su Tang tried to hold back her laughter. She was at the sixth level of the Force Spirit and was more familiar with it. She then said to the driver, "Uncle, this horse does have some Force Spirit, but not as high as you said. It's not even at the first level."

"Really?" The driver was a bit disappointed. After all, many people could only stay at the first or second level no matter how hard they tried. For a horse, which was not a magical beast, to have any perception was already quite rare.

The driver quickly seemed to understand this and smiled again, "That's still pretty good, better than nothing. Don't you agree?"

"Calm down, calm down!" Lu Ping quickly held Molin down. Molin had taken out a three-sectioned spike from the leather pouch, which, when straightened, was about a foot long. This spike could deliver poison to any part of the body.

"Don't hold me back!" Molin struggled, "Do you think assassins have no temper? I can kill without blinking."

"I know, I know," Lu Ping said repeatedly, but at that moment, the carriage suddenly stopped, causing the four inside to tumble around.

"Are you scared now!" Molin shouted. Su Tang hurried to explain, but when she looked, the carriage had stopped because someone had blocked the way. A row of black-armored soldiers stood in front of the carriage.

The driver quickly jumped down from the carriage, approaching them. The garrison troops of Xiufeng City were not to be offended, even if he had ten lives. He was now terrified, not knowing why he had been stopped. Could it be... they were interested in his horse with the Force Spirit?

The driver felt a sharp pain in his heart, but before he could speak, the leader of the black-armored soldiers quickly walked up, ignoring him and going straight to the carriage.

"Who is Lu Ping?" he asked the four inside.

Their team had been patrolling the city when they suddenly received an order from the city lord's mansion to bring someone back.

Lu Ping, male, 15-16 years old, student of Zhaifeng Academy, traveling with three boys and a girl, in a single-horse carriage, black horse, two wheels, square carriage.

This was the basic information, accurately and quickly conveyed to those who needed it. Everyone knew the city lord valued efficiency, and no one dared to be negligent. Soon, the carriage Lu Ping was in was discovered by the patrolling garrison troops.

"I am," Lu Ping said to the man.

"Get out and come with us," the man said.

"No."

Without asking the man's purpose or where they were going, Lu Ping simply refused: no.

"To the city lord's mansion, the city lord wants to see you," the man frowned. The order only said to bring the boy back, that the city lord wanted to see him, but it did not specify whether it was an invitation or an arrest, leaving him unsure of how to proceed.

So he clarified his intention, one that no one in Xiufeng City, or even the entire Xiufeng region, could refuse.

But Lu Ping seemed not to hear, still saying, "No."

"Disrespectful!" The man was a bit angry. Although the order did not reveal the city lord's exact intentions, it did not sound malicious. Otherwise, would he be talking so much with the other party? But this guy refused so straightforwardly, as if he were someone important?

Hmph, he doesn't even have the Force Spirit, just an ordinary person.

The brief information was only aimed at finding Lu Ping and did not mention his strength. The incident of collapsing the two Force Spirit Towers had not yet spread. The man sensed the four inside the carriage and found the other three to be quite formidable, but Lu Ping was just an ordinary person.

"Turn around, go to the city lord's mansion," the man directly ordered the driver. The driver inwardly cursed his bad luck. He could not afford to offend the garrison troops, but the students of Zhaifeng Academy were also a terrifying presence. Academy students were cultivators with levels, and if they wanted to cause trouble for an ordinary person like him, it would be easy.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the driver could only reluctantly and hesitantly try to see if there was any way out.

The man immediately noticed the driver's hesitation and knew what was troubling him, but he did not care. He was also wary of the academy students. In terms of strength, he could not determine the levels of the other three in the carriage, but they were clearly above him.

The academy represented the highest level of cultivation. Students from the academy, regardless of their final level, were always much higher than ordinary people and had a bright future. Zhaifeng Academy, though just one of the 400 academies on the continent, was far more prestigious than their small garrison troop. The status of academy students was much higher than that of a garrison soldier.

Therefore, he did not want to directly conflict with the Zhaifeng Academy students. Using the driver was his smart move, pushing the inevitable offense onto the driver.

So he ignored the driver's hesitation and repeatedly urged him, hoping the students would be sensible and remain silent.

Their status was higher than that of a garrison soldier, but the symbol of the empire's rule could not be ignored. Even the four great academies with thousands of years of history and tradition had intricate ties with the three great empires of the continent.

Xiufeng Region was located in the southeast of the continent, under the Xuanjun Empire. The city lord of Xiufeng was the highest ruler of the region, and his orders were effective for anyone in the region. He would not issue orders to everyone, but the two deans of Zhaifeng Academy and Xiufeng Academy would receive very courteous treatment from him.

But for a mere student, he had no such need.

Bring him back, and I want to see him within half an hour.

This was his order, and it was being executed, but unexpectedly, it met with resistance.

Lu Ping got off the carriage, still carrying Su Tang. Molin and Xifan also got off, with Xifan in his wheelchair and Molin pushing him.

"Let's go," Lu Ping said to Su Tang, heading towards Zhaifeng Academy.

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