These words sent a sudden shiver through Qian Duoduo and Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Spirit Soul Department, who were sitting not far down the long table!
The two were instantly drenched in cold sweat; almost instinctively, they lowered their heads, not daring to meet Mu En's gaze.
After all, the two of them, along with Xuan Lao, had told a massive lie right to Mu En's face!
Of course, this lie was half-truth and half-false.
When they had reported to Mu En previously, saying they were sending Zhang Lexuan on a mission, that part was true.
But the falsehood lay in the specific details of the mission, which were nothing like what they had claimed!
At the time, they had solemnly told Mu En that Zhang Lexuan was taking on a heavy responsibility for the Shrek Inspection Corps, heading to the border of the Star Luo Empire to wipe out a dangerous stronghold of Evil Soul Masters.
But what was the actual situation?!
In reality, they had sent Zhang Lexuan and Ling Luochen to secretly infiltrate that Sky Shrek Academy to steal their enviable technology.
In their original plan, no matter what happened, some information should have been sent back, right?
Yet, in three months, neither of them had sent back a single piece of information, which made the two deans uneasy—especially since both were equipped with the academy's latest communication Spirit Tools.
This led Yan Shaozhe and the other to wonder if Zhang Lexuan and her companion had met with some misfortune.
At the thought of such a terrifying outcome, they sweated even more; if two geniuses from the inner court fell because of their private operation, they would absolutely be held accountable!
Meanwhile, the gazes of the various Sea God Pavilion elders followed Mu En's inquiry and landed on Xuan Zi one after another.
Facing Mu En's scrutiny and the collective gaze of the room, not a hint of panic appeared on Xuan Zi's greasy face.
His gaze was quite frank.
Xuan Zi unhurriedly picked up the large red gourd at his waist, tilted his head back for a swig of strong liquor, and smacked his lips with great satisfaction before slowly speaking to Mu En.
"Mu Lao, are you still worried about that girl Lexuan?"
Xuan Zi's tone carried a sense of nonchalant indifference, even a hint of "it goes without saying."
"Lexuan is now an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo level powerhouse! In this continent, she ranks among the top experts! A few shady Evil Soul Masters are nothing more than rats in a gutter; they couldn't possibly be Lexuan's match! Set your heart at ease! Lexuan is definitely safe!"
Hearing Xuan Zi's evasive answer, Mu En's brow furrowed slightly.
He wasn't fooled by Xuan Zi's perfunctory attitude; his eyes darkened, and his voice grew several degrees sterner as he spoke to Xuan Zi.
"Xuan Zi, I don't want to hear that. I only want to know what kind of mission would keep Lexuan away for three months without returning!"
A trace of anger was already hidden in Mu En's voice.
One must remember that after Mu En's recent setback at that Sky Shrek Academy, his fury had aggravated his old injuries, forcing him to rest for quite a while.
Having only just come out of seclusion, he heard the news that Zhang Lexuan had been gone for three months, and the last person she had seen was reportedly Xuan Zi.
Combined with Xuan Zi's current secretive and evasive attitude, an inexplicably bad premonition immediately rose in Mu En's heart!
Mu En's mood at this moment was extremely heavy.
In Mu En's heart, he had long been grooming Zhang Lexuan to be the true future successor of Shrek Academy!
Especially since he saw that Xuan Zi only cared about eating and drinking, frequently dropping the ball at critical moments, and his own direct disciple Yan Shaozhe, while talented, lacked stability in his conduct—making him just as much of a headache as Xuan Zi.
Thus, Zhang Lexuan had naturally become Mu En's first choice!
Furthermore, despite her young age, Zhang Lexuan had already reached the realm of an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo through her own hard work and talent!
Moreover, her eighth ring was a 100,000-year red Spirit Ring!
It was just a pity... if not for Xuan Zi's negligence years ago, which left Zhang Lexuan with significant injuries and caused her cultivation progress to slow down considerably, her strength would surely be far greater than it was now. Of course, these issues weren't insurmountable; she could still be groomed into a pillar of Shrek Academy.
Mu En now only hoped that Zhang Lexuan was truly alright, otherwise...
"This..."
Seeing Mu En's severe gaze that looked like it could devour someone, Xuan Zi smacked his lips, knowing his previous words wouldn't work anymore.
Xuan Zi's eyes darted around, and he continued without a hint of shame.
"Mu Lao, don't be hasty. Those Evil Soul Masters are extremely cunning. Perhaps Lexuan encountered some tricky business while tracking them and got delayed."
"Speaking of which, that girl Lexuan really is something! Before she left, I gave her a thousand instructions to contact the academy if she ran into trouble and let us know she's safe! The youth of today really give me a lot to worry about!"
Hearing Xuan Zi's shameless complaining.
Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, sitting at the end of the long table, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!
They were ranting wildly in their minds, sighing internally: Xuan Lao's skin is truly thick!
This level of composure, this thickness of skin, is truly a model for our generation!
Just then, Xian Liner, the Dean of the Soul Tool Department sitting across from Qian Duoduo, suddenly frowned and spoke.
Xian Liner's temperament had always been fiery and straightforward; she completely ignored Qian Duoduo's frantic signaling and spoke directly to Mu En.
"Mu Lao, it's not just Zhang Lexuan who hasn't returned to the academy for months. I checked the inner court records recently, and that young girl Ling Luochen, one of the current Shrek Seven Devils, hasn't appeared for a long time either! There's been no word from her at all!"
As soon as Xian Liner said this, the air inside the Sea God Pavilion seemed to drop to the freezing point!
Upon hearing this, Mu En's already grim expression instantly became even worse.
This was definitely no coincidence!
Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo's faces turned deathly pale.
Especially Qian Duoduo! Xian Liner had asked him about Ling Luochen before, and he had answered vaguely. Before the meeting, he had even told Xian Liner not to bring it up to avoid worrying Mu En, since Mu En had only just recovered and shouldn't be burdened.
Upon hearing that Ling Luochen was also missing, Mu En's gaze suddenly shifted, bypassing Xuan Zi and locking onto the cold-sweat-drenched Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo in the corner!
"Yan Shaozhe! Qian Duoduo!"
Mu En's voice was icy, carrying a terrifying pressure.
"Recently, some elders reported to me that you, Qian Duoduo, and you, Yan Shaozhe, have been very close to Xuan Zi in private, acting suspiciously as if you were plotting something!"
Mu En slammed his hand onto the armrest of his chair, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"The two of you must know the inside story and the information!"
Mu En spoke directly to Yan Shaozhe.
"Shaozhe, you tell me! Give me a proper explanation of what exactly is going on here?!"
*Whoosh!*
Being called out by Mu En personally, Yan Shaozhe trembled all over and stood up abruptly, his legs shaking.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall, and his mind went blank.
"Teacher... I... this..."
Yan Shaozhe stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence. He instinctively looked toward Xuan Zi for help, hoping this "leading big brother" would step up and say a few words, even if just to smooth things over!
But!
To Yan Shaozhe's utter disbelief, Xuan Zi suddenly adopted an attitude of "not my problem, not my concern"!
Xuan Zi slowly uncorked his large red gourd and began drinking wine, then pulled a greasy chicken leg from his pocket and started gnawing on it.
Not only did he ignore Yan Shaozhe's pleading gaze, he even deliberately turned his head the other way!
Yan Shaozhe let out a desperate cry in his heart; Xuan Lao had sold out his teammates so cleanly and decisively!
Seeing that his last lifeline was gone, Yan Shaozhe felt utter despair.
By now, Mu En's gaze was incredibly solemn.
"Shaozhe!"
Mu En spoke to Yan Shaozhe, his voice no longer containing the usual warmth between master and disciple, only the authority of the Master of the Sea God Pavilion.
"I want to hear the truth now! I don't want to hear you protecting each other or talking nonsense! You must give me a proper explanation today! Where exactly did Lexuan and Luo Chen go?!"
Yan Shaozhe could clearly feel that Mu En was truly enraged this time!
If he dared to utter another lie, he feared he might be carried out of the Sea God Pavilion today!
Under the immense psychological pressure, and coupled with the fact that he couldn't be sure if Zhang Lexuan and Ling Luochen were still alive, Yan Shaozhe chose to yield.
"Teacher! I was wrong! I'll speak! I'll tell you everything!"
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty.
"Actually... actually, Lexuan and Luo Chen didn't go on any mission for the Inspectors to wipe out Evil Soul Masters..."
"It was us... the three of us took it upon ourselves to... secretly send Lexuan and Luo Chen into that Sky Shrek Academy... to act as undercover spies!"
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.