Chapter 230 - 229: You Are Courting Death
They had visitors.
Tang Baichuan immediately dropped his sycophantic act.
After all, he was the principal of Xingwu University.
His status in the New District was, naturally, self-evident.
Even when visiting the Demon Hunting Bureau, he was a man who looked down on everyone.
Chu Zhengxiong, as a Demon Hunting Squad captain, had always been arrogant and domineering in the Old District.
But in front of Tang Baichuan, he still had to act as low-key as possible.
He quickly stood up, gently brushing off his clothes.
And although Yi Xiaoying held Tang Baichuan in low regard,
and had held a grudge for the several years since their divorce,
when it came to outsiders, they still presented a united front.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, three people walked in from outside the office.
Leading the way was none other than Chen Qisheng of the Shuozhou Chen Family.
Following behind him were an old man and a middle-aged man.
Tang Baichuan glanced back at them out of the corner of his eye.
He didn’t give the three of them a shred of respect.
Aside from Chen Qisheng, he recognized the other two.
The old man was from the Martial Arts Alliance, though he wasn’t one of the seven Defenders.
He still had some status, being the head of the Hengzhou Duan Family.
The middle-aged man was a lieutenant from the troops that guarded the Restricted Area.
Tang Baichuan returned to his desk and sat down.
He chuckled lightly and said, "Qisheng, what brings you here today?"
Chen Qisheng walked into the office.
He first sized up Yi Xiaoying, who was sitting on the sofa.
Although she wore a military uniform and looked heroic and imposing,
Chen Qisheng didn’t recognize her.
Yi Xiaoying worked in the Weapon Workshop year-round, especially after the divorce.
She rarely left her workplace.
It seemed she was using work to numb her pain.
Most importantly, Chen Qisheng wasn’t qualified to meet her.
So, it wasn’t the least bit strange that he didn’t recognize her at a glance.
As for the two who followed him in, they only found Yi Xiaoying somewhat familiar.
They couldn’t recall who she was at the moment.
Yi Xiaoying sat perfectly still, not saying a word.
She had only glanced up at them when they entered.
Then she raised her coffee cup and took a delicate sip.
"Principal Tang, I’ve come unannounced today because I want to ask about something!"
"Why was my son, Chen Hao, taken from Dormitory Zone 1 by the Xingwu Guard and moved to Dormitory Zone 9?"
"Did he violate the school rules? Or did he do something wrong?"
"Even if he did violate the rules, shouldn’t you have informed us, the parents, Principal Tang? To be directly transferred to Dormitory Zone 9, isn’t that a bit excessive?"
Chen Qisheng had come today to call Tang Baichuan to account.
Tang Baichuan had understood this the moment his secretary announced Chen Qisheng’s arrival.
He just hadn’t expected Chen Qisheng to be this bold today.
To dare question him directly to his face?
Clearly, he no longer took Tang Baichuan, the principal, seriously.
Meanwhile, Tang Baichuan glanced out of the corner of his eye at Yi Xiaoying sipping coffee on the sofa.
’Should I let her know about this?’ he wondered.
He knew his ex-wife’s personality all too well.
Besides, Yi Xiaoying had come to the university today specifically for Lin Yi.
Since the divorce, she had rarely ever left the Weapon Workshop.
She even rarely visited Elder Yi.
Today, she had come to the university for Lin Yi, and had even come to see Tang Baichuan, the ’heartless man’ who had wronged her.
This showed how much she valued Lin Yi.
Most importantly, the Yi Family was famous for being fiercely protective of their own.
If she found out that Chen Hao had acted all high and mighty in front of Lin Yi and even threatened him...
he was afraid Chen Qisheng wouldn’t be leaving this place today.
Tang Baichuan mulled over how to handle the situation.
Although the Chen Family was nothing in the eyes of the Yi Family,
to the point that Yi Nanshan probably didn’t even know a family like the Chens existed,
if the Yi Family wished it, they could crush the Chen Family as easily as squashing an ant.
But Tang Baichuan had his concerns.
The Chen Family might be insignificant, but behind them stood the Gu Family, one of the seven great Defender families of the Martial Arts Alliance.
In other words, the Chen Family had only managed to slowly rise over the years by clinging to the Gu Family.
The current situation in the Martial Arts Alliance was murky and complex; the seven Defenders were not united.
The Yao Family and the Yi Family were outright opposed to each other.
The other families, like the Gu Family and the Zhao Family, had not yet chosen a side.
But if this incident were to tip the currently stable scales,
it would definitely not be a good thing for the Yi Family.
Originally, Tang Baichuan hadn’t paid this matter much mind, nor was he worried about Chen Qisheng showing up at his door.
It was just that his timing was terrible.
He was practically courting disaster, happening to barge in while Yi Xiaoying, who never came to the university, was here.
It was hard to say whether he was lucky or just plain doomed...
"Qisheng, does the university need to consult with you parents before making any decisions?"
"Your son, Chen Hao, has been acting arrogant and domineering. Do you know how many students have complained to the university about him?"
"The university decided to give him a minor punishment by transferring him to Dormitory Zone 9. That was already us being lenient!"
"What, did you come here personally to call me to account because you want me to expel Chen Hao outright?"
Tang Baichuan said with a cold expression.
He wanted to use this to scare Chen Qisheng away and make him leave quickly.
However, the moment Tang Baichuan said the words "arrogant and domineering,"
the ever-perceptive Yi Xiaoying had already sensed something was amiss.
She, who had been looking down at her coffee, raised an eyebrow and shot a sideways glance at Tang Baichuan.
Instantly, Tang Baichuan’s heart skipped a beat.
’It’s over,’ he thought. ’Did she figure something out?’
But, Tang Baichuan was a university principal, after all. What kind of scene hadn’t he witnessed?
Though a little worried, he managed to keep his composure and glare angrily at Chen Qisheng.
However... Chen Qisheng didn’t realize he was courting disaster.
When Tang Baichuan finished speaking,
Chen Qisheng grew furious.
"Principal Tang, I really have to ask, who exactly is this Lin Yi to you?
Are you really willing to offend our Chen Family for a mere Martial Arts examinee from the Old District?"
"Could he be your illegitimate son from the Old District? Is that why you’re so protective of him?"
As soon as these words were spoken,
the atmosphere in the office changed completely.
Years ago, Tang Baichuan had been forced to divorce Yi Xiaoying due to a misunderstanding.
And in the years since, Yi Xiaoying had never forgiven him.
Even though he had been wrongly accused in that matter, and she understood she had misjudged him,
she had never been able to get over that hurdle in her heart.
Now, Chen Qisheng’s words had just reopened the old wound in Tang Baichuan’s heart.
An illegitimate son?
Fortunately, Yi Xiaoying knew Lin Yi’s true identity.
If it were anyone else, Tang Baichuan would have found himself unable to explain the situation clearly all over again.
In an instant, a vast and powerful pressure emanated from Tang Baichuan’s body.
This pressure was so intense that Chen Qisheng and the two men behind him found it difficult to withstand.
Their expressions all turned solemn.
None of them had expected Tang Baichuan to actually unleash his primal energy right here in his office.
It was easy to see from Tang Baichuan’s eyes that he had developed killing intent.
CLACK—
At that moment, with a soft clack, Yi Xiaoying, who was sitting on the sofa, placed her coffee cup on the table.
The sound of the cup hitting the table echoed through the office, sounding exceptionally clear.
Instantly, Tang Baichuan, who had been filled with killing intent just a moment ago,
felt the oppressive pressure around him completely dissipate.
His gaze shifted to Yi Xiaoying.
Yi Xiaoying stood up and straightened her military uniform.
Her face was devoid of any emotional change.
Even Tang Baichuan couldn’t tell if she was angry, furious, or simply feeling nothing at all.
CLICK, CLACK...
Her shoes clicked against the floor as she walked toward Chen Qisheng and his men.
When she was close, she looked Chen Qisheng up and down a few times.
"What did you just say? What about Lin Yi?"
Hearing this, Chen Qisheng also glanced at Yi Xiaoying.
Although he didn’t recognize Yi Xiaoying,
her military uniform, the rank on her shoulder, and the fact that she could sit in Principal Tang’s office drinking coffee...
Chen Qisheng naturally understood that her status was anything but simple.
He just didn’t understand what connection she had to Lin Yi.
Before coming to the university to find Tang Baichuan, he had already investigated Lin Yi’s background.
Lin Yi was born into an ordinary family and grew up in the Old District.
He had good Martial Arts talent, enrolling in Xingwu University as the district’s Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar.
But so what? Even if he was the district’s Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar, he was still from the Old District.
That was a status that wouldn’t be erased just by coming to the New District.
That was why he had come to the university in person.
He wanted to pressure Tang Baichuan into retracting the order to move Chen Hao to Dormitory Zone 9.
And to punish Lin Yi.
’There’s no way Tang Baichuan would offend a local prominent family like us for a mere Martial Arts examinee from the Old District,’ he thought.
After all, anyone could figure out the pros and cons of that situation.
That was why he dared to challenge Tang Baichuan.
Offend a Martial Arts examinee from the Old District,
or offend a local prominent family.
Anyone could do that math, let alone someone like Tang Baichuan.
But Yi Xiaoying’s appearance had instantly made him lose some of his confidence.
The moment his eyes met Yi Xiaoying’s,
his heart trembled. ’This woman is obviously connected to Lin Yi,’ he realized.
And it wasn’t a simple connection; he could already see the killing intent in her eyes.
It was growing stronger and clearer by the second.
This made Chen Qisheng start to doubt the intelligence he had gathered.
’Could it be that Lin Yi has a backer in the New District?’
His confidence wavered even more.
"Xiaoying, just let me handle this. You don’t need to..."
Tang Baichuan quickly tried to placate Yi Xiaoying.
After all, her explosive temper was like a volcano.
Once it erupted, the mess would be impossible to clean up.
But before Tang Baichuan could finish, Yi Xiaoying shot him a cold glance.
"Shut up!"
Tang Baichuan: "..."
Seeing this, Chen Qisheng was dumbfounded.
Even a fool could understand what was happening now.
There weren’t many people who could make Tang Baichuan shut up.
And people who could make him obey so instantly, stopping mid-sentence, were even rarer.
This made all three of them—Chen Qisheng and his companions—realize that the woman before them was no simple character.
After a long moment, Chen Qisheng’s attitude changed.
He was no longer as aggressive as he had been when confronting Tang Baichuan.
Instead, he became somewhat humbler, saying, "May I ask who you are...?"
Yi Xiaoying’s eyes grew even colder. "You’re not worthy of knowing who I am. I’ll ask you one more time: what happened to Lin Yi?"
Chen Qisheng: "..."