Translator: Lordbluefire  Editor: Lordbluefire

Xia Qingchen had been in the limelight for far too much recently. Therefore, it could have been some enemies of the Southern Xia Manor who might be afraid of his rise and hence, invited people to kill him before he could mature.

At this moment, Li Weifeng also rushed over with a cold look on his face.

“Hand him over for me to handle. Daring to act against students of our martial pavilion, I will definitely make him pay a price!” Li Weifeng stood at the side and spoke while grabbing the killer.

“Hold on!” Qin Lin frowned. “My student encountered an attack. This matter naturally will be handled by me. Where would be the logic if martial tutor Li handles it?”

If he handed this to other martial tutors to handle, wouldn’t that mean that he, the martial tutor of the D class, wasn’t responsible enough?

Li Weifeng halted, glaring at the killer. “In that case, I suggest we finish him off right now. By doing so, we can give a warning to those puny lowlifes who dare to show disrespect to our martial pavilion.”

Qin Lin had no objections to this.

For those who dared to assassinate a student of the martial pavilion, they as martial tutors did have the authority to decide on the punishment.

“There’s no rush to kill him,” Xia Qingchen calmly spoke. “We should force out the mastermind first before we decide on anything.”

That killer instantly shouted, “I’ve already said there’s no mastermind. I wanted to kill you out of jealousy!”

“Hehe…” Xia Qingchen glanced at his head and could see a faint burnt scar.

“Jealousy? A bandit like you has no connection with me at all. What could you possibly be jealous of?”

That burnt scar was something caused by him when he had saved Zhao Churan back in the Ghostwail Forest. He had swept out his leg against the head of her captor.

This was why Xia Qingchen could recognize this person with a single glance.

“Bandit?” Qin Lin was shocked. “Student Xia, is this true?”

If this person really was a bandit, he would be of a different life circle from Xia Qingchen. Why would there be jealousy?

Clearly, someone must have instructed him to kill Xia Qingchen.

There was a mastermind behind all of this.

“Who is the mastermind? Speak!” Qin Lin slammed a fist into the bandit’s stomach as he forcefully questioned him.

But the bandit gritted his teeth and persisted. “I already said, there’s no mastermind.”

The more he denied, the more everyone was sure that a mastermind was behind all of this.

“You don’t need to say anything now. After I bring you back to the martial pavilion, people in the sky jail would definitely have a way to force the truth out of you!” Qin Lin’s expression turned ashen.

How many years had the martial pavilion existed for? They had countless enemies.

Supposing that they didn’t have methods for interrogation, how would they still exist?

No matter how unwilling a person was to talk, after they entered the sky jail, they would all eventually reveal the truth.

“Let’s not waste time and return to the martial pavilion right away!” Qin Lin spoke.

Li Weifeng suggested, “Now it’s already late in the night. It’s not safe to travel. Let’s speak of this again tomorrow morning.”

Qin Lin cast a glance at Li Weifeng as a strange look appeared in his eyes.

Li Weifeng seemed somewhat strange today.

“Since there are bandits appearing here, it’s naturally not safe. We better evacuate immediately.” Qin Lin was determined. “Students of the D class, instantly commence the return journey!”

The assassination conducted by a bandit caused all the students to be filled with trepidation. Who would still dare to remain here?

Hence, the D class immediately obeyed the instructions.

The A class also mobilized and followed behind the D class.

On their way back, Li Weifeng suggested many times to take turns watching over the bandit, but all his suggestions were rejected by Qin Lin.

This caused Xia Qingchen to look at Qin Lin in a different light.

Although Qin Lin had the pedantic trait of his teacher, Master Pingyang, he was still quite a responsible man and had his own principles.

But for Li Weifeng, Xia Qingchen’s eyes gleamed with a faint coldness.

“Martial tutor Qin, why don’t you let me bring the bandit back to the martial pavilion?” After traveling for three days. Xia Qingchen went to look for Qin Lin to discuss things late at night.

Qin Lin spoke with worry, “How can this be workable? What if the bandit escaped mid-way? It is fine if he escaped, but what if he injured you?”

Xia Qingchen spoke with a meaningful look in his eyes, “I’m worried that with the bandit here, none of us will be able to return to the martial pavilion.”

Mn?

Qin Lin wasn’t a fool. He could tell what Xia Qingchen meant.

During these days, he had been thinking why would the bandit appear at the Ping Lake.

The movement of their D class was a secret, how did the bandit pursue them to the Ping Lake?

Unless… someone in the martial pavilion had leaked their movements.

In other words, there was a traitor in the martial pavilion helping the bandit!

If this was the case, that traitor might do anything to expose their location and attract even more bandits here for the kill.

At that time, not only would they not be able to hold on to their captive, but they would even cause all the students to be in danger.

“Are you confident?”

“Don’t worry!”

Qin Lin then nodded to give his permission after contemplating for a while.

In the middle of the night.

Xia Qingchen silently lifted the bandit up and stealthily left the camp. He used his movement technique and rushed back to the martial pavilion.

The next morning.

Li Weifeng woke up and the first thing he did was to head to the grass hut where Qin Lin was. He smiled. “Martial tutor Qin, did the bandit try anything last night?”

Qin Lin pushed the screen to his door slightly and cast a look with deep meaning at Li Weifeng. He nodded. “Mn, nothing much.”

“Oh, why don’t you rest now? I’ll take over.” Li Weifeng then pushed the rest of the screen open.

And the result was that the grass hut was completely empty.

Li Weifeng’s expression changed. His gaze turned sharp as he asked, “Where is the captive?”

“To prevent any future troubles, I’ve already sent someone last night to rush him back to the martial pavilion. Martial tutor Li, please set your heart at ease. Nothing will happen. Come, why don’t we spar a little to relax?”

Traces of malevolence and anger flashed past Li Weifeng’s face, but they soon vanished. He rejected the request and spoke, “We should rush back.”

Qin Lin smiled. He was trying his best to stall Li Weifeng, not allowing him to leave.

Only until late at night did Li Weifeng manage to send out a messenger pigeon. He tied a note to its foot and secretly released it.

The next morning.

At a location twenty miles away from the A and D classes, there was a certain ravine that they had to pass through on their way back.

A muscular figure with a red face flannel received the messenger pigeon. He took the note and read it. His eyes grew sharp. “The martial pavilion already brought the captive away secretly in the middle of the night. Despicable! That person may not travel via this route. Everyone is to scatter now, we have to catch that person no matter what!”

Behind him, there were over a hundred bandits on horses. They rapidly split up in the wilderness.

Given the original plan, the A and D class would run into an ambush here.

At that time, the casualty rate would be horrendously high.

What a pity that the reactions of the bandits were already slowed by half-a-step.

Xia Qingchen brought the captive and traveled for two nights and a day. He had long since passed that ravine and escaped from their encirclement.

Twelve days later, he successfully returned to the martial pavilion and handed the captive over to them.

And today, Li Weifeng’s heart agonized.

Qin Lin who was standing opposite him smiled. “Given Xia Qingchen’s speed, he should have successfully arrived at the martial pavilion.”

Li Weifeng’s expression sank. His heart felt incomparably heavy.

It’s over!

When he returned, given the sky jail’s method, they would definitely be able to interrogate everything out.

For many years, he had been receiving bribes from the bandits to provide information for them.

This included the incident where the bandits had massacred a town alongside the river several months ago. What made them so successful was because he had divulged the town’s defense diagram to the bandits.

Once this matter was made known, let alone Lone Cloud City, the entire Divinebloom Duchy wouldn’t spare him.

His future was already destroyed.

If he returned to the martial pavilion now, that would only be a path of death for him.

“Martial tutor Qin, I have something on. I will make a move first.” Li Weifeng wanted to find an excuse to leave.

He had to find an excuse to leave.

“Martial tutor Li, where are you going?” Yet, Qin Lin smiled and blocked his way.

Li Weifeng’s gaze turned sharp. “I urge martial tutor Lin not to obstruct me.”

“Oh? What if I want to?”

Qin Lin was long suspicious of Li Weifeng.