Chapter 134 - 136: The Trap
Jian Yu was about to ask Ling Yanzhi what was going on.
The next second, a message from the Dean popped up on her own Star Brain.
Four messages arrived in quick succession while she was in a daze.
Dean Mom: I have the Dean. Avoid everyone and come to the entrance immediately.
Dean Mom: If you don’t want the Dean to die, you’d best keep them in the dark and sneak out.
Dean Mom: My people are right outside the venue. Follow them once you get out.
Dean Mom: Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you want to see your Dean Mom again, you’d better behave. No one can know about this.
A video was sent over, accompanied by several photos of nasty injuries.
The competition began. Contestants entered the arena and were making their way into the Exotic Beast Circle.
The thunderous roar of the crowd made Jian Yu’s already chaotic heart ache even more.
Jian Yu turned her head and looked at the man beside her.
The more panicked she became, the calmer she forced herself to be.
Not sure if there was a mole nearby, she cast a meaningful glance at her Star Brain.
Jian Yu said tactfully, "I need to go to the restroom."
Ling Yanzhi frowned.
He uncrossed his legs.
He suppressed his irritation, not wanting to play along. "I’ll have someone escort you."
Jian Yu flared up. "Can you stop having people follow me all the time! Don’t I deserve any freedom? What do you take me for?"
’I didn’t mess up the lines, did I? Why is this so embarrassing?’
Jian Yu’s expression was tense. She picked at her fingers awkwardly, her eyes darting about.
She was terrified something would happen to the Dean.
The Dean was her safety net, one of the few people who was genuinely good to her.
Ling Yanzhi gazed at her cool, delicate face, his tone softening.
He didn’t believe anyone in his circle was a traitor, but since Jian Yu was uneasy, he wouldn’t force the issue.
Ling Yanzhi stood up and brushed a stray lock of hair from Jian Yu’s forehead.
"I’m just worried about you."
A slender snake slithered from his finger into Jian Yu’s hair, clinging to the strands.
Red Snake’s tail curled up and tapped Jian Yu’s earlobe.
Jian Yu touched Red Snake’s pointed tail. Realizing it was the actual creature, she glanced up at Ling Yanzhi.
Fearing he wouldn’t understand her look, Jian Yu repeatedly glanced at her Star Brain.
"I don’t need your concern."
She pushed Ling Yanzhi’s hand away, got up, and ran off.
Ling Yanzhi looked up, stopping his men. "Why are you chasing her? Didn’t you hear what she said?"
The dozen or so people stopped in their tracks, their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.
The Chief was being that reasonable? They found it a little hard to believe.
When the first round of Beast Taming was over, Xi Yu found a free moment and hurried over.
His tentacles rummaged around everywhere. "Where’s my darling?"
He’d been hoping to hold her little hand and cuddle for a while to get his fix.
In just a few minutes, Yang Zhang’s tentacles had turned the pristine chief’s platform into a complete mess.
"..." For the sake of Xi Yu having saved him in childhood and teaching him how to control his Soul Beast, Ling Yanzhi couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
Dealing with Xi Yu was frustrating; the man only heard what he wanted to hear and believed what he wanted to believe.
He did whatever he wanted with frantic energy, completely without restraint.
Xi Yu had been a prodigy since childhood, mastering his Soul Beast without any training.
He didn’t understand the concept of friendship, but he knew that if someone he considered a friend was being bullied, he had to help.
Ling Yanzhi was indebted to him, so as soon as he had the power, he helped Xi Yu secure his position in his family.
His relationship with Xi Yu was more complicated than with Sheng Yue and the others.
If Xi Yu had returned just a few months later, Ling Yanzhi would have actually imprisoned Jian Yu and would never have let Pei Yin even get a seat at the table.
It was so annoying, yet the act had to go on.
Ling Yanzhi sat down and hacked into Jian Yu’s Star Brain. "Stop looking. You’re too late. Your darling went to the restroom."
He gave Xi Yu a look, beckoning him over.
The messages sent to Jian Yu from the Dean’s account appeared on the screen.
"Who is it?" Xi Yu’s knuckles cracked.
Ling Yanzhi shot him a look. "You think I know who it is?"
Xi Yu’s face was cold and merciless. "You’re useless."
He checked his own Star Brain.
No messages.
Xi Yu’s voice was chilling. "My people are even more useless than yours."
They couldn’t even send a timely message; they probably still hadn’t noticed the Dean was missing.
Xi Yu’s eyelids drooped. "Utterly useless. I’m going to find my darling. You watch arena seven for me."
Ling Yanzhi put a hand on his shoulder. "Red Snake is with her. Relax."
He could sense that Jian Yu was still at the academy, and could even feel her trying to soothe him.
A tingling numbness spread through his head, waist, and ears.
Xi Yu wouldn’t listen. He crouched down, a small octopus nestled in his palm.
His eyes were obsessive, his tone halting. "Go. You go too."
...
Jian Yu took the exclusive F6 hover-lift, heading out of the venue.
She didn’t dare to stop along the way, afraid of running into people who would be difficult to get rid of.
"Jian Yu."
Following the voice, Jian Yu saw Xu Sheng.
Thinking he was the one who sent the messages, she walked straight toward him.
His expression was grim, and his eyes darted about.
After making sure no one was following Jian Yu, Xu Sheng grabbed her and yanked her to the side.
Red Snake shot out, but Jian Yu’s reflexes were lightning fast. She caught it and held it still.
Red Snake went still, seemingly dumbfounded.
It was so fast that a normal person could never have seen its trajectory, let alone plucked it from its path.
The hover-lift continued to move through the long, pitch-black tunnel.
Jian Yu loosened her fingers slightly, letting Red Snake coil around them.
"She’s only eighteen! Her life was just beginning!" Xu Sheng’s voice was frantic.
Jian Yu knew he was talking about Xu Shaoqing. "I’m eighteen, too. My life is also just beginning."
"What right do you have to compare yourself to her? What are you?"
Xu Sheng lost control and shoved Jian Yu.
"You’re just a specially admitted student! Out there, anyone can step all over you. If she wanted you dead, what could you do? If she wanted you to die, then you should just go and die!"
Jian Yu grabbed the handrail to steady herself.
She didn’t want to waste any more time with this lunatic. "Where is she?"
Xu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged.
He had his suspicions, but they hadn’t been confirmed.
"Come with me. I’ll let you see her before you die."
Xu Sheng didn’t know who the person was, but he could tell they were important to Jian Yu.
It was as if fate itself was on his side.
The sound of Xu Shaoqing’s laughter from when she was alive seemed to echo in his ears. As Xu Sheng looked at Jian Yu’s frail form, his disgust grew.
Why? Why could she just stand there, do nothing, and still steal Sheng Yue away from her?
Why did they all love her? Why was everyone on her side?
Xu Sheng let out a laugh.
"Yes, you didn’t do anything wrong. But it was because of you that she got jealous and lost her mind. And it was because of you that they killed her."
"The group Beast Taming Competition is just ahead. There are thirty A-level Alien Beasts in there. I won’t kill you—provided you can make it out of the ensuing stampede alive."
"The stampeding beasts will charge at you the moment they see you. What do you think? With that much distance, and the stampede starting the second you enter the arena... do you really think they can save you in time?"
There was no way forward.
The roars of Alien Beasts filled her ears.
Jian Yu soothingly stroked Red Snake’s head, the pad of her finger gliding over its body.
’So this was her payback for the dramatic scene she’d missed this morning.’