Douluo Continent: The Peerless Tang Sect, Angels and Rakshasa Return

Chapter 356 401402—Hypocritical Huo Zhongxian

In a laboratory in Mingde Hall, Qian Lingyun and the others were watching Huo Zhongxian's every move through the button-shaped soul tool on Tuoba Xi's collar.

"Your Majesty, what do you think is the best course of action?" Jing Hongchen asked angrily, pointing at the footage on the camera.

"Princess is still at Shrek Academy, so we can't kill him, but it wouldn't hurt to take this opportunity to disgust them!" Qian Lingyun sighed, closing her eyes, and used her mental detection to notify Tuoba Xi: "Push him a little, make sure he makes a choice!"

"So, have you made your choice? Is it Ye Xiaosheng, or Wang Li, or perhaps..." Tuoba Xi paused, tapping the table lightly with his index finger. His dark eyes were full of laughter. He sighed leisurely and said:

"I remember a phrase, right? 'Sacrifice the pawns to save the king!' Use their lives to save yours!"

"You think about it first. I'm going out for a smoke. Hopefully, you'll give me an answer when I get back!"

After speaking, Tuoba Xi took the storage soul tool, got up and left the room, and considerately closed the door for Huo Zhongxian!

"Your Majesty, you mean to..." Lin Jiayi stared dumbfounded at the video recording, not knowing what to say.

"Even if we catch them red-handed, the worst we can do is deport that unfortunate guy! Since we're going to deport him anyway, we might as well let them start fighting and distrusting each other. After all... nobody likes to take the blame for someone else!"

Taking a sip of her tea, Qian Lingyun said softly, "Now, let's see who the unlucky one is who suffered this injustice!"

Time passed second by second. Tuoba Xi lit cigarettes one after another outside the door until a large pile of cigarette butts had accumulated in front of him. Only then did he calmly push open the door.

"Have you made up your mind? Don't worry, 'I' will absolutely not reveal our secret!" (Important: this 'I'!)

After much deliberation, Huo Zhongxian, his eyes filled with struggle, uttered the name of a stranger with whom he had never met before.

"Are you sure it's him? You're not going to change it?" Tuoba Xi asked, somewhat surprised.

As members of the Internal Affairs Inspection Department, they had already thoroughly examined the family trees of all ten exchange students on their first day at Shrek Academy.

Whether by coincidence or not, the "abandoned child" exposed by Huo Zhongxian happened to be the poorest of the ten people.

"Excellent! Thank you for your cooperation with the Internal Affairs Inspection Department. I'll head back to report now!"

Having received the order to retreat, Tuoba Xi glanced at Huo Zhongxian with a half-smile. Although his attitude remained calm, Huo Zhongxian, who was inherently insecure, always felt that this guy seemed to be mocking him.

Seeing Tuoba Xi finish work and return home, he raised his hand to stop the other person who had just stepped out of the door, and asked, "What will he do?"

"How about that? Infiltrating the restricted area under the guise of a student to steal top-secret information and technology—that's... espionage. And espionage here at Sun Moon is punishable by hanging! And immediately!" Tuoba Xi chuckled, then turned and sat down opposite Huo Zhongxian, coldly mocking him.

"Feeling sorry for him? What are you wailing about? Didn't you personally send him to the gallows? If you have time, you can go collect his body after lunch!"

"Oh! I get it! You're not feeling sorry for him, you're afraid he'll confess while he's alive!" Tuoba Xi guessed Huo Zhongxian's thoughts with a hint of malice, but seeing Huo Zhongxian remain silent, he was disappointed and could only shake his head and leave.

On the other side, the scapegoat exposed by Huo Zhongxian was dragged from the room into a small dark room by four or five burly men wearing soul-guided armor and black hoods.

Just as he was panicking and shouting for help, his hood was ripped off from behind. He looked at the pile of torture instruments in front of him and the mottled bloodstains on the wall, and subconsciously swallowed.

After a long while, he came to his senses and protested tremblingly:

"I'm an exchange student from Shrek Academy, and I will report your behavior to the teacher in charge..."

"Boy, wake up! You stole my Sun and Moon's confidential blueprints and files. According to our laws, you will be hanged in the busiest street right now!"

The burly man from the Internal Affairs Inspection Department punched him in the stomach, placed the storage soul tool that Tuoba Xi had handed over on the table, and sneered:

"This was found in your room; you could say you were caught red-handed! I advise you to be pragmatic! Otherwise, I'm sure the torture instruments here will be more than happy to pry your mouth open!"

"I have no idea what this is... Hahahaha!"

The moment the scapegoat opened his mouth, he was met with a barrage of lashes!

This painful but not fatal beating lasted for more than three hours. Judging from his lifeless appearance, he seemed about to give up and confess under torture!

Qian Lingyun kicked open the door, strode into the small dark room, dismissed the group of burly men, and personally removed the handcuffs from the scapegoat.

"Oh! Why are you doing this to yourself! Shrek Academy doesn't want you anymore, why are you still sticking with them?!" Qian Lingyun pretended to be heartbroken and recounted how Huo Zhongxian had chosen him as a scapegoat.

At first, the scapegoat was somewhat incredulous, but when Qian Lingyun released the real video recording, the scapegoat fell silent!

He couldn't believe that all his hard work for the development of Shrek Academy had ultimately led to him being used as a scapegoat by Huo Zhongxian and handed over to the Sun Moon Empire.

In an instant, the belief he had held onto for so long collapsed!

He looked at Qian Lingyun with a deathly pale face, and asked in confusion, "Why did you tell me this? Wouldn't it have been better to just let me die a confused ghost?"

"You think I did all that just to let you die knowing the truth?! You underestimate yourself!" Qian Lingyun smiled with her eyes closed, her voice softly seductive.

"They just abandoned you like that, don't you hate them? Don't you want revenge? Or are you saying that you'd be content to just die and end it all?"

"Hate? Of course I hate! How could I not be resentful? I must make that bastard Huo Yuhao suffer a fate worse than death, utterly disgraced!" The scapegoat, his eyes bloodshot and glaring at the ground with murderous rage, clenched his fists and growled:

"Even if he wants me dead, I'll drag him down with me!"

"Excellent! That's what I've been waiting for! Guards! Drag him away! Give him a good dressing down!" Qian Lingyun smiled and nodded at the blood-soaked 'scapegoat,' clapping her hands encouragingly, "Don't worry, I'll help you with this little favor!"

Several Soul Masters gathered around and expertly put the black hood back on Yang Lin, then dragged him somewhere else.

……

When someone delivered the news to Fan Yu that Yang Lin had been taken away by the Sun Moon government, Fan Yu was completely stunned.

What's going on? Why are the people from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy suddenly abandoning their martial ethics?

Although he hadn't figured it out yet, he rushed to Jing Hongchen's temporary office like a gust of wind.

"Teacher Fanyu, please calm down. Let's sit down and have dinner together. Jiayi, go get Teacher Fanyu a bowl of rice, I'll explain the situation to him."

Seemingly having guessed Fan Yu's purpose, Jing Hongchen spoke gently.

Fan Yu's eyes blazed with anger as she rudely interrupted, "No need for explanations. Where did the students I brought go?!"

"Huh? You should know more about this than I do!" Jing Hongchen said with a puzzled look, then added mischievously, "What's the use of asking me! You should go ask your good disciple Huo Yuhao first! He knows perfectly well what happened!"

Hmm! Why did Huo Yuhao suddenly get involved?

Even though she had a hundred questions in her mind, seeing Jing Hongchen's innocent and seemingly genuine expression, Fan Yu had no choice but to give up.

Watching Fan Yu leave the office, Lin Jiayi stood there with a bowl of rice in his hand.

"Xiao Lin, he's gone, that's fine. You've had a tough time lately, sit down and eat with us!" Jing Hongchen gestured towards the chair opposite her, indicating that Lin Jiayi should sit down and eat with her.

After leaving Jing Hongchen's office, Fan Yu immediately went to find Huo Yuhao.

The first thing Fan Yu said as she walked in was, "Yuhao! Do you know where Yang Lin went?!"

Huo Zhongxian's face stiffened, and he remained silent for a long time. He thought to himself, "I can't possibly say something like this in front of my teacher, can I?"

Seeing that Fan Yu seemed determined to get to the bottom of things, he didn't know what to say.

After pondering for a while, Huo Zhongxian finally raised his head, met Fan Yu's suspicious gaze, and said righteously, "He sacrificed himself for the future of Shrek Academy!"

"Huh!?" Fan Yu looked at Huo Zhongxian with a blank expression, seemingly not understanding what the necessary connection was between the two things.

Then, Huo Zhongxian embellished his secret deal with Tuoba Xi and told others about it.

In his words, he shifted all the blame to Tuoba Xi and Yang Lin, who was hanged at noon and can be considered dead.

Yang Lin was hanged at noon, so there was no way to verify the facts. Tuoba Xi was in the same boat as him, so he couldn't possibly harm him!

After all, he did all this for the glory of Shrek Academy!

Upon hearing this, Fan Yu's expression also changed. No wonder Jing Hongchen asked him to ask Huo Yuhao!

If this got out, it would completely embarrass Shrek Academy! But this scandal was caused by their own apprentice.

No matter what, he could only swallow his pride and suffer the pain.

I just hope Yang Lin can be more resolute, and that the executioners on the Sun and Moon side can be more decisive, so that he doesn't disgrace Shrek Academy!

When he returns, he must tell the deans that Yang Lin died unexpectedly while fighting for the development of Shrek Academy, and that they should go and offer their condolences to his family!

Seemingly sensing Fan Yu's worries, Huo Zhongxian pondered for a moment and told Fan Yu about Yang Lin's execution.

That night, Huo Zhongxian tossed and turned in bed for a long time, unable to calm down. He suddenly got out of bed and ran back to his dormitory.

As expected, Tuoba Xi stayed in the dormitory after get off work, but he looked calm and didn't seem surprised that she would come back to see him.

Tuoba Xi, who was reviewing her lessons at her desk, glanced at Huo Yuhao standing by the door and smiled, "I know what you're worried about! Don't worry, my superiors took this matter very seriously, and it seems they've already 'dealt with' him! You should go back and get some rest!"

"Your suspicions have been cleared, and all surveillance will be lifted starting tomorrow at noon!"

"..."

Huo Zhongxian said nothing and quickly disappeared through the doorway…

……

After a week passed uneventfully, Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Academy tacitly ignored the topic of Yang Lin, until…

"Little Huo! Come here for a second!" Jing Hongchen waved to Huo Zhongxian, who was heading back to his dormitory after finishing his shift, with a forced smile.

"Master, what's the matter?" Huo Zhongxian was slightly taken aback, but he braced himself and walked over.

"Look! Your Shrek Academy is the number one Soul Master Academy in the world, and our Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is the number one Soul Master Academy in the world! Right!"

Huo Zhongxian felt a chill run down his spine at Jing Hongchen's strange smile, but given his strength, he couldn't beat her or run away, so he could only awkwardly agree a few times!

"Therefore, I'd like to organize a sparring match between Soul Masters and Soul Instructors within the academy, with you as the lead. This will also allow our academy's Soul Instructor students to witness the fighting style of Soul Masters. Don't worry, I'll select students from those around your age. What do you think?"

Huo Yuhao immediately shook his head and said, "It's not good. I don't want to."

"Alright! Tell me your conditions!" Although Jing Hongchen's expression was somewhat unpleasant, she wasn't too panicked when she thought that the Empress would back her up!

After all, Qian Lingyun's original words were: If he makes any demands, as long as they are not too outrageous, we can meet them. Anyway, we are not short of money!

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sect Leader, how about this?"

"During the contest, I will never seriously injure or kill my opponent. If I win, I only want a small prize. You can strengthen my opponents, anyone under twenty years old is fine. For every match I win, you give me one kilogram of rare metal, the type of which I can choose. What do you say?"

Winning a game yields a kilogram of rare metal?

This condition doesn't seem too difficult to accept.

It's important to know that most rare metals have a very high density; some can weigh a kilogram in just a small piece.

After a moment's thought, Jing Hongchen said, "Alright. We'll do it your way. But I'm making this clear: the reward will be paid out every ten matches. If you lose the tenth match, you won't get the rewards from the previous nine!"

"Sure!" Huo Zhongxian readily agreed to the request.

"Then you go ahead and do your thing! I just ate too much, I'm going for a walk!" Jing Hongchen waved to Huo Zhongxian and slowly left with her hands behind her back.

The announcement about the competition was published in the school newspaper the following afternoon.

Moreover, the number of participants was even greater than expected.

Soul Masters spend most of their time studying and learning with metal, so they naturally take this rare and novel experience very seriously.

In addition, in the previous Continental Youth Soul Master Competition, their Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy defeated Shrek Academy for the first time.

These young people are full of confidence and can't wait to replicate their recent classic victory.

In less than a day, the number of people who signed up for the competition exceeded 300, which kept Lin Jiayi and his teaching staff extremely busy.

After reporting to Jing Hongchen, it was decided to raise the registration requirement to Soul King level or above, which reduced the number of applicants.

In fact, Qian Lingyun didn't care about that rare metal at all. If she lost, she lost. How much was it worth?

What she cared about was whether the big surprise she prepared for Huo Zhongxian could amaze everyone!

Three days later, at dawn.

"Yang Lin, are you ready?" Qian Lingyun, accompanied by a group of attendants, knocked on a pavilion within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Yang Lin, who should have been hanged, was dressed in a Mingdetang robe. He knelt on one knee before Qian Lingyun, his voice trembling, and said excitedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me a chance for revenge. Today, I will make sure he is utterly disgraced!"

"Great! Just wait here. When the time is right, someone will come and take you to the competition!" Qian Lingyun nodded slightly and gave a wink to the attendant beside her.

Here's a joke for you all: when someone else uses a soul tool they made themselves, it's considered breaking the rules, but when we cheat, it's all for Shrek Academy's glory.

Original text: In the rest area, all the Tang Sect members except Huo Yuhao stood up, their hands clenched into fists. At this moment, they seemed to be transported back to the scene five years ago when they defeated the Sun Moon Team. Yes, Shrek Academy won! Shrek Academy's glory was once again upheld.

"This is indeed an unfair competition," Huo Yuhao thought to himself as he sat there. "But so what? For the glory of Shrek Academy, what does it matter if it's unfair? Is it fair that the Sun Moon Team uses the soul tool specially made for them by Mingde Hall? There is no absolute fairness in this world."

Look, the soul tools they use are of good quality, but they all meet the regulations. He, on the other hand, just cheats.

And this part:

Original text: But even if it's just a needle, it should be considered a fixed soul tool! This was Xiao Ping's last thought. Then he saw a cluster of golden-red light instantly engulf the thin needle, the needle vanished, and he himself clearly felt that he had lost something.

They used things that were explicitly prohibited, but not things related to the sun and moon. What kind of beasts are they!

(End of this chapter)