Chapter Fifty-Three: Hidden Truths

Tang Ze watched as Li Chun stormed out in anger and burst into hearty laughter.

“Peng Lei, be honest with me—did you get the Earthheart Lotus?”

“Vice Dean, mission accomplished! Heh heh!”

“Haha! Excellent! This trip was well worth it—not only did we foil the demons’ plot, but we also secured the Heart Lotus!” Tang Ze laughed aloud once more.

All the while, Liu Xin seemed distracted, frowning and bowing to Tang Ze.

“Vice Dean, I’ll go tend to Yao Ye now.”

“Liu Xin, don’t worry. Yao Ye’s injuries are grave. Since we thwarted the demons’ plan, they won’t let this go easily. I’ve already sent Ling Yun ahead with Yao Ye, back to the academy!”

Zhao Mu lowered his head in thought. Recalling how Yao Ye had revealed his true form in the Myriad Monster Den, he grew anxious and hurriedly reminded them:

“Vice Dean, we must return quickly! Yao Ye is from the Celestial Demon Wolf clan. This time, to buy time for our senior brother and to save everyone, he reverted to his original form. The Demon Wolf clan has been confirmed wiped out, and the new Demon Emperor is Xiong Batian of the Bear tribe. His youngest son, Xiong Chen, was present on this trip—and he died at Yao Ye’s hand. I fear they’ll come after Yao Ye!”

Tang Ze paced back and forth, casting his spiritual sense around the area. “Hong Tao, come here at once!”

Receiving Tang Ze’s telepathic summons, Hong Tao hurried in. “Dean, you called for me?”

“Yes! Go back to the academy immediately! Use the academy’s secret methods to inform Dean Liu that trouble is coming to Yao Ye and the academy—he must return at once! Also, tell Elder Fu to secretly protect Yao Ye. Notify all faculty and students, both inner and outer courtyard: the academy is now under lockdown. No one is to enter or leave until our return. Go!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hong Tao bowed and departed, soaring into the sky.

Just then, the sounds of battle outside interrupted Tang Ze’s thoughts. He looked up in surprise, then rushed out the door.

The others hurried after him. Outside the tent, they saw two figures clashing fiercely in the sky.

“Don’t go over there. Wait here—I’ll take a look,” Tang Ze said, then shot into the air toward the combatants.

“Hmph! Xing Kai, do you really think our Martial Academy is so easily bullied? If you won’t hand over those two disciples, I swear this won’t end here!”

“Li Chun, have you lost your mind? Don’t assume your disciples’ deaths were our doing. Some of Fire Dance Academy’s disciples are dead too—who should I blame for that?”

“Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know you’re just covering for them! You won’t hand them over, will you? Fine! Hah!” Li Chun roared and lunged at Xing Kai once more.

Tang Ze flew between them and quickly separated the two before the fight could escalate.

“That’s enough, both of you! The demons are still watching from the mountain across the way. If we fight ourselves to exhaustion now, wouldn’t we be playing right into their hands?”

The two paused their attacks. Tang Ze quickly tried to calm them.

“Enough! This isn’t the time for internal strife. We should unite against the enemy and settle our differences when we return.”

At the same time, Tang Ze sent a secret message to Li Chun, who looked at him in astonishment, then glanced at Xing Kai.

“Hmph! I’ll let you have your way today, Tang Ze, you old dog. Xing Kai, remember this—we’re not done. We’ll settle this back home.”

Tang Ze and Xing Kai watched as Li Chun flew back toward Martial Academy’s camp, Xing Kai looking at Tang Ze with curiosity.

“What did you say to that old fox Li Chun? Aren’t your two academies rivals? Why did he listen to you?”

“Nothing much. I told him I’d received secret word that the demons are planning something big. If the three academies don’t work together, none of us will survive. Come on, let’s head back first.”

After returning to his tent, Li Chun hurried up and pointed at Tang Ze.

“Were you telling the truth just now? What’s really going on?”

Tang Ze pressed Li Chun into a chair. “Don’t be hasty. Let me explain. If I hadn’t stopped you just now, neither of our academies might have made it back alive. Before we left, Dean Liu warned me that trouble was brewing at the border and summoned the three deans for support. It felt like a setup—a possible conspiracy.”

Tang Ze sat for a while in thought, then stood and cast a simple barrier. He turned and continued.

“When our top experts left three days ago, I had Ling Yun stay behind to secretly protect Peng Lei and the others. Only the three of us knew. Ling Yun later reported that someone was spying on us and plotting against our disciples. This matter isn’t simple.”

Tang Ze looked up at Li Chun. “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s withdraw together to a safe location, and then I’ll give you all the details.”

Li Chun, seeing Tang Ze so serious and finding no reason for him to lie, thought it over and agreed.

“Alright! I’ll make the arrangements. See you soon.”