Chapter 130
Chapter 130
He wouldn’t fight back?
He was letting her attack?
She had never seen anyone so arrogant!
Frost covered Song Lingyan’s lovely face as the curse energy around her shifted once more.
The terrifying white tiger phantom dispersed, replaced by a crimson bird of prey soaring into the air.
The spread of its wings stirred rolling waves of heat. Leaping flames radiated such astonishing temperatures that even those far away felt a searing pain.
“I hope your strength is as tough as your mouth…”
Song Lingyan’s voice was icy, and the flames wreathing the Vermilion Bird phantom surged higher.
Her Curse Core operated at full power. Strand after strand of curse energy poured into the Vermilion Bird phantom, making the formerly illusory shadow increasingly solid until it nearly merged with her body.
Those nearby could faintly hear an ethereal cry, dreamlike and distant, as though it came from the far shore of another world.
The students drawn over by the commotion stared in shock.
Sparring matches happened at the academy from time to time, but never had they witnessed such a terrifying spectacle.
“My god… What is that? A phoenix?”
“You’ve never heard of the She-Devil’s Four Symbols Spirit Transformation? Do you even go here? That’s a Vermilion Bird!”
“Who provoked her this time? Do they have a death wish?!”
Some gloated, casting pitying looks toward Qin Lan beneath the Vermilion Bird phantom as they waited to see its flames roast him into charcoal.
Even Su Xiaoyue couldn’t hide her concern before that dreadful heat.
But seeing Qin Lan remain perfectly composed, she suppressed the urge to intervene and chose to trust his judgment.
Qin Lan stood calmly in place, looking up at Song Lingyan as she continued gathering power. He couldn’t help feeling speechless.
“With a windup this long, it’s obviously one hell of a finishing move… but is this really necessary?”
“It’s not like we have some blood feud. You’re actually trying to kill me…”
With his wealth of experience, Qin Lan could naturally tell how much curse energy Song Lingyan had poured into the skill.
Anyone but him would be dreaming if they hoped to withstand it head-on.
“Burn–to ash!”
Madness and a trace of delight flashed in Song Lingyan’s eyes.
The thought that this male who dared defile the woman of her dreams was about to be burned into charcoal filled her with satisfaction.
Then…
Then…
Then she remembered nothing at all.
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in a bed in the infirmary.
Su Xiaoyue sat beside her, looking worried, while Qin Lan took enormous bites out of an apple.
“Yo, you’re awake.”
Qin Lan swallowed his mouthful of apple, adopted a grave expression, and spoke in a deep voice.
“Do you know how long you were unconscious?”
“A whole ten years!”
Song Lingyan hadn’t even worked out where she was. His words instantly left her aghast.
“What?!”
“Say that again?!”
Su Xiaoyue smacked Qin Lan in annoyance, then said apologetically, “Don’t listen to his nonsense…”
“You were only asleep for half a day.”
Su Xiaoyue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued helplessly.
“During your fight, Qin Lan used a mental attack… That interrupted your Talent, and the resulting backlash from the out-of-control curse energy knocked you to the ground.”
“We brought you straight here.”
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Faced with Su Xiaoyue’s concerned gaze, Song Lingyan was overwhelmed with delight. “Xiaoyue, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, I’m fine… Wait, no. Something does feel wrong.”
She had intended to brush it off politely, but on closer inspection, her head truly did ache faintly and she felt somewhat dizzy all over.
Qin Lan took another bite of his apple and spoke indistinctly through the mouthful.
“It’s nothing serious. You’ll be fine after two days of rest… Your worst injury came from falling out of the air and hitting the ground.”
“I even caught you a little before you landed. At worst, you’ll have a few bruises.”
Hearing Qin Lan’s voice, Song Lingyan finally came fully to her senses and erupted in fury.
“You lying bastard!”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t fight back and would let me attack?!”
“Why did you use such a dirty mental attack?!”
She ground her teeth, deeply irritated after losing face in front of Su Xiaoyue.
“Despicable! Shameless!”
Qin Lan looked entirely unconcerned.
“Why did I fight back?”
“Because the author was too lazy to write the special-effects scene, obviously… Text effects might be free, but they’re still a pain. Might as well save the effort where possible.”
“Sorry, I made that up… The truth is, someone ordered me to stop the fight.”
Qin Lan yawned and pointed outside the ward.
The door opened, and an old man who looked as though he had escaped from a psychiatric hospital strode inside. On his upper body, he wore a backless suit–yes, a backless suit.
His age-spotted back was casually left hanging out, and he even reached around to give it a scratch.
On his lower body, he wore a pair of beach shorts.
Xu Minghu’s fashion sense was as cutting-edge as ever.
“Professor Xu.” Su Xiaoyue hurriedly rose and bowed to the old man.
Song Lingyan also froze, then quickly sat upright. “Professor Xu, why are you here?”
As Clear Spring Academy’s most distinguished professor, Xu Minghu wasn’t only Su Xiaoyue’s mentor. He had also mentored Song Lingyan in the past.
The two women were therefore fellow disciples under the same teacher.
Xu Minghu swaggered in while picking his nose and shot her a contemptuous look.
“You’re asking me?”
“Do you have any idea how much trouble you would’ve caused if I hadn’t arrived in time?”
“How long have you even had control over the Vermilion Bird phantom? You already dare overload it with curse energy? Weren’t you afraid you’d lose control and blow yourself out of existence?”
Song Lingyan, who had been so vicious earlier, became as meek as a lamb before Professor Xu. She lowered her head submissively and didn’t dare speak.
Xu Minghu snorted in displeasure.
“Besides… Of all the people you could’ve picked a fight with, you chose him?”
“Were you so full from lunch that you needed to find yourself some suffering?”
As he spoke, Xu Minghu pointed irritably at Qin Lan.
“You should be grateful he used a mental skill instead of a close-combat attack, or you wouldn’t be getting out of bed for ten days to half a month!”
Qin Lan helpfully reminded him, “I could leave her in bed for ten days to half a month with a mental attack too…”
The moment he finished, Xu Minghu turned and glared at him.
“You think you’re off the hook because I was talking to her?”
“Why is someone from the Anomaly Hunter Bureau coming here to bully our students?”
“You knocked Qian Yang unconscious too, didn’t you? Every Elite Program student is a precious asset to our academy. Tell me how you plan to compensate us.”
Qin Lan was aghast.
“What the hell! Old man, have a conscience!”
“Your students caused trouble for me from beginning to end. All I did was defend myself! Everyone saw it!”
Xu Minghu’s eyes bulged.
“Oh, really! You even dare pleasure yourself in the street? Utterly indecent! That’s another charge!”
At that moment, Qin Lan suddenly wondered whether this old bastard was clinically insane.
“You say they started the trouble. Were you injured?”
Xu Minghu looked Qin Lan up and down.
“Uh… no,” Qin Lan admitted honestly.
Xu Minghu nodded. “And after you fought back, were they injured?”
Qin Lan had nothing to say.
Fair point.
“Let’s see. Grounds repair, medical expenses, emotional damages for the students, personal accident insurance, and the gas for my commute… Put all those miscellaneous fees together, and you couldn’t pay them off even if you pole-danced at a bar.”
Xu Minghu stroked his beard and revealed a sinister smile. “But that’s all right. You can pay with your body.”
“What?!”
Qin Lan recoiled in horror. “Never mind what the hell half those charges even are… What do you mean, pay with my body?!”
“Watch your mouth, you nasty old man!”
“Keep saying weird things and I won’t respect my elders anymore!”
To his surprise, Xu Minghu slung an arm around Qin Lan like some street thug.
He dragged Qin Lan out of the ward and lowered his voice.
“Enough nonsense. Even the dean calls me Elder Xu. Whatever compensation figure I tell him to write down, that’s what he writes…”
“Don’t think being with the Anomaly Hunter Bureau means you don’t have to pay. We’re a public academy backed by the United Government!”
Qin Lan refused without hesitation. “Still no! I’ll sell my talents, not my body!”
Then he hesitated. “…If I absolutely have to sell it, I can only accept young women.”
Xu Minghu chuckled. “Easy, young man… You’ve misunderstood. I’m not asking you to sell your looks.”
“I just want you to work as a sparring partner for free for two days.”
Qin Lan paused.
“You mean…” Understanding dawned, and Qin Lan looked at him strangely. “You want me to spar with the Elite Program students? Why?”
“You do realize the gap between them and me is enormous, right?”
Xu Minghu’s grin turned even sleazier.
“That’s precisely why I want you.”
“Those brats are too confident. Before the tournament, I need someone to crush them once and stabilize their mindset.”
Now Qin Lan understood.
“You want me to smurf?”
“Exactly. I want you to smurf.”
Without even half a second of hesitation, Qin Lan nodded decisively.
“Debts must be repaid. I suppose I have no choice but to reluctantly accept.”
“When do we start?”
“I’m getting impatient.”