"Teacher, Captain Hu Xiang can testify. Not only that, but he also found Zhou Xian's mole within the City Patrol Guard. The man is currently under strict watch," Su Chen explained.
Yuan Chenyang gave him a long, hard look. 'He'd been looking for the thief's inside man, and now one was just delivered right to his doorstep?'
Hu Xiang snapped out of his daze, moved. 'Su Chen is a really stand-up guy, not forgetting to give me a piece of the credit even now.'
He quickly added, "That's right. Tang Chen is already in my custody. He's the one who was going through Zhou Zhong's corpse on the night he died."
"Oh," Zhang Hongbo said, his tone hard to read. "Bring the man here."
"This is slander! A bald-faced lie!" Zhou Xian roared in fury.
Hu Xiang jogged over, dragging Tang Chen with him. The man was bound securely, his mouth gagged. His eyes filled with terror upon seeing the group of powerful figures.
"L-Lord City Lord..."
As the metal gag was removed, Tang Chen's legs went weak. He wailed, "You have to stand up for me! I don't know what's going on, Captain Hu Xiang..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhang Hongbo walked up and placed a hand on Tang Chen's head.
Tang Chen's eyes rolled back in his head, his expression turning vacant.
"Did you search Zhou Zhong's corpse?" Zhang Hongbo asked.
"Yes," Tang Chen replied in a flat monotone.
A chill ran down Su Chen's spine. 'What kind of twisted Profession is that?'
"Who put you up to it?"
"It was..." Just as Tang Chen was about to speak, his expression suddenly turned savage. Black patterns emerged on his cheeks, his hair seemed to melt away like snow, and on his now-bald head, a black, vertical pupil appeared.
"Black Tuo!"
Zhang Hongbo's face fell, and he retreated abruptly.
BANG! Tang Chen's head exploded, scattering red and white matter everywhere. Gasps of shock erupted from those around them.
"The Deceitful God Sect..." Zhang Hongbo said, his back to the others, his voice grave.
'Black Tuo Followers...' Yuan Chenyang's gaze darkened as it landed on Zhou Xian.
Zhou Xian looked grim as he explained hurriedly, "A frame-up! It must be a frame-up! Zhou Zhong himself certainly didn't know. Otherwise, he would have given the item to that guy long ago. Why would he wait until after he was dead for someone to strip his corpse?"
"Agreed. Zhou Zhong probably didn't know," Yuan Chenyang nodded. Then he added meaningfully, "But that doesn't mean *others* didn't."
Yuan Chenyang's voice was icy. "Hu Xiang, how was Zhou Zhong able to bring the item out? Didn't you check him when you left the school that day?"
Cold sweat beaded on Hu Xiang's forehead as he realized he had stumbled into a huge trap.
He answered carefully, "That day, an Inspector Guard was going to search them, but... we were standing right in front of them the whole time. I thought they were targeting..."
"What about these students?" Yuan Chenyang frowned. 'The grudges between the three major agencies go way back, and it seems to have something to do with Zhang Hongbo. Better not to dig too deep into this.'
"Then Minister Zhou arrived and smoothed things over. The Inspector Guard's check became a mere formality."
"Ah..." Realization dawned on Yuan Chenyang.
"I was just trying to keep the peace. Who knew... Who knew Zhou Zhong was carrying that thing?" Zhou Xian refuted in a deep voice.
Yuan Chenyang bellowed, "Who knew? You knew!"
The theft of the Holy Word Stone had run him ragged; he desperately wanted to subject the mastermind to death by a thousand cuts.
"Let's finish the investigation before we jump to conclusions." Zhang Hongbo didn't press the issue, instead putting a stop to it.
"Furthermore, your team should head back as soon as possible." Zhang Hongbo paused in thought. "We'll return with you."
An Explorer Guard at his side asked, "What about the ruins..."
Zhang Hongbo waved his hand dismissively. "I'll bring another group out. It will only be a few days' delay. That's final."
The students were still dazed, unsure of what had just transpired. Still, one of them plucked up the courage to ask, "P-Principal, what about our City Patrol..."
Zhang Hongbo was surprisingly gentle with the students. "You've endured two attacks, far more intense than any of the other batches. We'll consider your mission complete."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and thanked him profusely.
'Time to head back!'
All told, they had been out for less than three days.
After that, no one brought up the Holy Word Stone or Zhou Zhong's death.
A grief-stricken Zhou Xian opened the Corpse Bag, his trembling hand stroking the cold body within. When his eyes fell on the shoes, which were mangled beyond recognition, his cheeks quivered even more violently.
Tears streamed from his eyes, and his anguished wails echoed throughout the camp, a sound to break any heart.
'He's starting to play the victim card. What a sly old fox, using even his own son's corpse.'
Inside the tent, Yuan Chenyang listened to the wails and scoffed.
His gaze then shifted to the young man before him, his expression turning sour.
"You..." He started to speak, but then it hit him that he didn't even know the young man's name. 'We were out there wrangling for so long, and not a single person mentioned it.'
"What's your name?" he said, annoyed.
"Su Chen," Su Chen replied dutifully.
"Su Chen?" Yuan Chenyang was taken aback. "So you're Su Chen."
He glanced at Bai Fengxi, who was standing to the side. "This is Su Chen?"
"Yes," Bai Fengxi nodded.
Yuan Chenyang was stunned. 'I can't believe my dealings with this kid started so long ago.'
"Of all the..." He couldn't find the words. He frowned, his eyes filled with suspicion and wariness. "You... Aren't you a refugee? How did you know Zhou Xian had the Holy Word Stone? And you're a Professional, too..."
"It's complicated..." Su Chen began, having already prepared his cover story. "The truth is, I've always been one to think things through carefully, even as a child..."
"...My Profession is [Sky Splitter Warrior]. My parents left it for me. For years, I've been carefully working to meet the conditions to acquire it..."
"...A while ago, I was on the cusp of succeeding. My only option was to get in touch with Jiang He to find the resources I needed... Who would have thought..."
Su Chen explained at length and in great detail, attributing his Profession to parents he'd never met. Since he had migrated to the city, his story would be difficult to verify.
He also recounted his dealings with Jiang He, including the assassination attempt that night, in meticulous detail.
"..."
"You actually fought the thief?" Yuan Chenyang was astonished. "And you found the Holy Word Stone then?"
"Why didn't you report it?"
Su Chen shook his head. "I had no proof. And even though the thief was badly injured, he could have easily killed me. I had to leave the item there. But without it, what could I have possibly said to explain myself?"
"That's true..." Yuan Chenyang conceded with a nod, though his gaze on Su Chen remained probing.
"You really want to be my student?" He glanced at Bai Fengxi as he spoke, a peculiar expression flashing across his face for an instant.
"Yes." Su Chen nodded solemnly. 'All this maneuvering was just to latch onto this powerful patron.'
"Since you're so determined, I'll accept you as my student." Yuan Chenyang had already given his word outside, so he wasn't going to back out now. He said after a moment of thought,
"To be able to acquire a profession this quickly, even with years of effort, means your innate physical Talent must be quite good. We'll get you tested when we're back. I'd guess you're at least Brass-level, and you might even have a shot at Canyin."
"By the way, what level of Profession is that [Sky Splitter Warrior] of yours?" he asked casually.
"Tier One Top-level," Su Chen replied.
Yuan Chenyang's smile froze on his face. Bai Fengxi couldn't help but glance over as well, a flicker of astonishment in her eyes.
"Tier One... Top-level?" Yuan Chenyang swallowed hard, his eyes once again filled with heavy suspicion.
"Yes. Would you like to know the requirements? I can tell you." Su Chen seemed to have prepared for this. He had learned the conditions for acquiring the Profession right after his own had devoured it.
Yuan Chenyang gave Su Chen a complicated look and said hesitantly, "But it was your parents' legacy, after all..."
"My parents would have wanted this," Su Chen said without hesitation, his expression earnest.
Yuan Chenyang was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "You clever kid."
"Don't worry, I won't take it from you for free." His tone turned serious. "And remember, don't reveal this to anyone else. If you're forced to say something, just tell them I was the one who gave you the Profession."
'I know he's not telling the whole truth. A Tier One Top-level Profession isn't something you just stumble upon. But for now, I'm not going to press him on it.'
Su Chen breathed an inward sigh of relief. 'I've cleared the first hurdle.' He had originally planned to connect with Yuan Chenyang after a normal return to the city.
'But in this unexpected situation, even with Old Bai vouching for me, it would have been difficult to dispel Yuan Chenyang's suspicion. The [Sky Splitter Warrior] Profession, at least, could serve as a tangible asset to build a foundation of mutual trust.'
The only surprise was that a Tier One Top-level Profession was worth far more than he'd imagined, enough to drastically change Yuan Chenyang's attitude toward him.
Just then, a shadow flickered outside the tent. All three of them immediately fell silent. An Explorer Guard's voice called out from outside:
"Minister Yuan, to check for any latent injuries, the City Lord has ordered a detailed physical examination for all City Patrol Guards and students."
"A physical exam?" Yuan Chenyang asked, slightly surprised. "Right now?"
The Explorer Guard outside replied, "Yes. It was Minister Zhou's proposal."