Chapter 81

Xia Lan did not rush to meet Tielante after suddenly disappearing. Instead, he stopped at the burial site of the nobles. Walking among the blood and corpses, Xia Lan’s eyes scanned the differently dressed dead bodies. Academy students, royal guards, and nobles. Three types of dead bodies, no, more accurately, four. He knew that the academy students’ martial strength was absolutely unable to resist the sudden attack of the royal guards. If there had been no external intervention, the number of academy student corpses on the scene would not have been just a few, let alone their ability to kill all the nobles. Approaching the body of an academy student who had died fighting the royal guards, Xia Lan squatted down, turned over the pale face of the academy student, and observed for a moment before reaching out to grab his hand. This was a hand covered in thick calluses. He stood up because he already knew who the deceased was. He was not an academy student. A face without any signs of youth or age, hands that had held a sword for years. If his guess was correct, he belonged to the black-robed people. Looking around, he seemed to have made an unexpected discovery. Entering the dark forest by the road, Xia Lan frowned slightly at the messy grass. His released senses faintly detected the chaotic fluctuations of air currents, a familiar feeling that made him realize a battle no less intense than the one he had witnessed had taken place here not long ago. A battle between peak upper-class swordsmen. Only peak upper-class swordsmen could interfere with the air currents to such an extent. When the royal guards launched their surprise attack, the academy students, disguised as black-robed people, counterattacked. During this time, the nobles were brutally killed by the academy students... Xia Lan was certain that among the royal guards, there must have been a peak upper-class swordsman capable of changing the course of the battle. He knew the importance of these nobles, but why did that person not have the ability to change everything at that time? Two possibilities. One, another peak upper-class swordsman among the black-robed people intervened, but the destruction of the battle scene did not match a battle between two peak upper-class swordsmen. Two, the black-robed people used some means to restrain the peak upper-class swordsman on the royal guards' side, which could explain the current situation. Based on the observable clues, a complete picture gradually formed in his mind. If things were as he suspected, the strength of the black-robed people was far beyond his imagination. A preemptive counterattack, a sudden ambush. Such a meticulous and successful operation told Xia Lan that the fourth prince, Volans, the mastermind behind it, had plans far more complex than this. Thinking of the meeting place with Tielante, Xia Lan quickly left the area. The mystery would eventually find its thread. ... Following the road straight ahead to the end, he stopped just before the end. Because he saw Tielante, and... a ground full of corpses. What was going on today? Xia Lan shook off his confusion and walked forward. He saw Tielante kneeling on the ground, holding a pale-faced corpse motionless. "What happened?" Xia Lan asked, his eyes scanning the surrounding corpses. These corpses were all academy students! "I found the person I was looking for," Tielante's voice came hollow and low. Sensing something, Xia Lan's face turned serious as he carefully examined a corpse for a moment and said, "The wounds are very neat. They were killed by a group of experts." "Can you tell who killed them?" Tielante looked up, as if regaining some vitality. "If there were any corpses of the killers, perhaps." Xia Lan walked around each corpse, his eyes constantly scanning. Finally, he saw something interesting. "I think the ones who killed them might be your collaborators." "What?" Tielante was startled by Xia Lan's words. "If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself." Xia Lan pointed to several corpses on the ground. Tielante gently placed the corpse he was holding and walked over to the academy student's corpse, saying, "What's wrong with them?" He didn't understand what Xia Lan meant, but he would find out. Xia Lan grabbed the sheathed longsword and straightened the face of a corpse, saying, "Do you see anything?" Tielante shook his head, looking at the unfamiliar face, "I don't recognize him." Xia Lan sighed, "I'm not talking about that. I mean, don't you find his face completely inconsistent with the age of the academy students here?" Prompted by Xia Lan, Tielante carefully examined the pale, dead face, saying, "Now that you mention it, he's not a student at the academy?" "No." Xia Lan squatted down, grabbed the corpse's hand, and under the moonlight and lamplight, said, "Before I arrived, I found the bodies of the nobles and many of your people and the royal guards. Based on the scene, it was probably when the royal guards launched a surprise attack to rescue them. What puzzled me was that with your strength, you couldn't possibly resist the royal guards. So, out of curiosity, I carefully examined some strange corpses and found that they were your collaborators... See these hands? Only hands that have held a sword for years would have such hard calluses." "When I asked Waldorf to help them leave safely, I did indeed request his assistance..." Tielante stared at the hands, his voice hollow. "It seems my guess was correct." Xia Lan let go of the hands and began to examine other black-robed corpses, because he had discovered something that shocked him. These black-robed corpses had no wounds at all! The more corpses he found, the more shocked he became. If his guess was correct, there was another person or force present at the time, not just the academy students and the black-robed people. "When you let them leave, was there anyone else?" Xia Lan suddenly asked Tielante. "No, it was only our people... if they count." Tielante pointed to the black-robed corpses on the ground, "But when I left, I asked Angelo to protect the dean..." "The dean?" Xia Lan seized on the key point. "Yes, he is the dean of our Royal Central Academy. With him, saving the kingdom would be much easier, but... now..." Tielante clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes, his voice choked. "Is the dean you mentioned a powerful person?" For some reason, Xia Lan suddenly thought of Mauren in Shaburo Province. Because he was also a dean, though of the lesser-known Pablo Dina Academy. But his hidden strength was enough to make Xia Lan wary. "Before becoming the dean of the Royal Central Academy, the dean was one of the key figures in stabilizing and governing the kingdom. Without him, the kingdom would have likely fallen apart..." Tielante said in a low, suppressed voice. "Is the dean among these corpses?" Xia Lan looked around. Tielante came to his senses, as if reminded by Xia Lan, and hurriedly began searching each body. After a long time, he said, almost disbelievingly, "The dean's body is not here." Xia Lan frowned, "Did he die along the way with the nobles?" "No!" Tielante said with rare certainty, "As long as Angelo is here, the dean would not have died with the nobles!" "Why?" "Because he values the dean's life more than his own." "The Angelo you mentioned, is he the one you were holding?" Xia Lan pointed to the distant corpse. "Yes..." Xia Lan's words instantly brought Tielante back to his dazed state. He watched as Xia Lan walked back to the corpse named Angelo and stood silently beside it. "He was my best friend, my only friend." After a while, Tielante spoke slowly. "But he's dead now, he died before me..." Watching Tielante mutter incomprehensibly, Xia Lan did not interrupt. For him, this day felt like a long life, with great ups and downs, great joys and sorrows. The fact that he hadn't collapsed already showed his strength. The cruelty of life, when it happens to others, is just a spectator's relief, but when it happens to oneself, it feels like losing direction and being at a loss. The pressure of bearing it alone erodes the spirit and will, and the powerlessness of desperate resistance often leads to giving up. When all the hardships end, a new chapter of life will be revealed. "I want revenge!" "What?" "I want revenge! Will you help me?" Tielante looked at Xia Lan, and in his eyes, Xia Lan saw an incredibly determined gaze. "I seem to remember that your ideal was to save this kingdom." Xia Lan smiled. "Yes, that is my reason for living. I want to achieve this ideal for everyone who died because of me!" Tielante stood up, his clenched fists pressed to his chest, "But to achieve this ideal, I need to avenge their blood first!" "A collaboration with a tiger, you can't blame all the mistakes on others. This time, you lost!" Xia Lan said. "I am well aware of the unfavorable outcome of collaborating with the fourth prince, and I understand his purpose in sending people to kill Angelo and the others. They needed to keep the secret." Tielante laughed coldly, "If you hadn't saved me at that time, I'm sure Waldorf would have killed me... This time, I lost, but no one says the loser can't take revenge on the winner!" "What can you offer?" Xia Lan asked. "What do you need?" Tielante asked. "I want—" Xia Lan leaned close to Tielante's ear and whispered softly. "Ha ha ha—so you..." As if hearing a significant secret, Tielante suddenly laughed, pointing at Xia Lan, "No matter what your purpose is, as long as you are willing to help me take revenge, I can definitely bring you unexpected help." "Then, let's cooperate." Xia Lan smiled. ... The next morning. Everything that happened inside the Royal Central Academy was fully exposed to the light. When a large number of Silver Wing Legion soldiers began to head towards the academy to seal everything, the entire royal capital's police force mobilized to search the city, causing widespread panic, like the prelude to a storm. Before people knew the true outcome of the Royal Central Academy, another shocking piece of news overshadowed the current attention. The fourth prince, Volans, was summoned to the palace and placed under house arrest. --- Finally, it's wrapped up. This school festival took up too many chapters, my mistake, I admit it. When I realized it, I found it had gone out of control, and I had to keep writing, which made it quite difficult and seriously affected the normal reading experience. Fortunately, this turning point is now complete, and I can finally proceed with the original story rhythm. Thank you all for your support these days. As a newcomer, I will make many mistakes, but I will learn from them. Growing always comes at a cost. I'm so tired after writing all night, good night everyone. Flip to the next page for ads. Flip to the next page for ads.