East Hua Academy, Medical Ward.
Lin Xiao, now awake, was staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes filled with a hint of numbness and lifelessness.
His injuries, thanks to the academy's medical staff, had mostly healed.
However, compared to the physical wounds, the spiritual and the damage to his self-respect were the reasons for his silence.
In front of all the East Hua students, he had been forced to kneel and bark like a dog.
He had even been stepped on, his head ground into the dirt, and thoroughly humiliated.
This wasn't just his dignity being crushed.
Even his reputation was largely ruined.
No matter how great his future achievements, people would clearly remember the dark deeds of him being treated like a dog and trampled underfoot.
This humiliation was destined to follow him for life.
At this moment, he still clearly remembered the strange and eerie gazes of the doctors and nurses around him during the time he had been awake. That feeling was like a poisonous thorn, deeply piercing his flesh, taking root and spreading wildly.
"Chen Beiyuan, the humiliation of today, I will repay a hundredfold in the future!"
"I, Lin Xiao, hereby swear a great oath on my Dao path, that one day, when I reach the peak, I will slaughter the East Hua Chen Clan, leaving none alive."
"Chen Beiyuan, not only must you die, but your family behind you, and all the Chen Clan branches, must also die. They all have to pay for your wrongdoings and pay a painful price."
Lin Xiao issued a low, venomous curse, his facial expression becoming twisted and ferocious. At this moment, he no longer had the righteous appearance of before, but was like a demon from the abyss of hell.
From childhood until now, he'd never suffered such a great loss!
He could endure, but that didn't mean he was a turtle, content to endure for a lifetime.
Even a snapping turtle bites when it's pushed too far!
Just as Lin Xiao began to rage ineffectually, a fit of violent coughing erupted beside him, abruptly startling him back to reality.
"Godfather!"
Lin Xiao quickly stood and went to the bed across from him.
He saw a gaunt old man, wearing loose hospital clothes with sleeves that draped to the floor. His face was covered in age spots, and his complexion was ashen. The old man woke with a start, coughing violently as if something had choked him.
Lin Xiao was alarmed. He quickly helped Elder Qiong sit up, supporting him against the bed. He gave him warm water and then used a special technique to pat the pressure points on his back, alleviating the situation.
Pfft!
Perhaps it was the effect of Lin Xiao's methods. Elder Qiong, who had suddenly woken up and was coughing violently, gradually calmed down. His clouded eyes stared at his empty sleeves in a daze for a long time. It wasn't until he saw Lin Xiao in front of him that he became a little more clear-headed.
"Lin...Xiao..."
"Godfather, it's me. I'm Xiao'er. Don't worry, old man. Even if I do my best, Xiao'er will find the treasure to restore your arms for you!"
Lin Xiao looked at his godfather, who was dejected and spiritless, and quickly spoke to comfort him.
At this moment, Elder Qiong was no longer as high-spirited and arrogant as before. He looked like an old dog with a broken spine and useless arms. Not only had he lost his spirit, but he also faintly had thoughts of death.
Lin Xiao naturally couldn't sit idly by and quickly used words and promises to encourage his desire to live.
Not to mention anything else, he hadn't had a chance to repay his godfather's kindness, how could he die?
More importantly, even if his godfather was crippled, he was still one of the high-ranking officials in charge of the academy's logistics resources. He hadn't lost his power, and could still provide him with further resources.
Under normal circumstances, East Hua Academy wouldn't strip his godfather of his rights for no reason.
This meant that he could still... no, he should still be able to show filial piety to his godfather.
Perhaps Lin Xiao had moved him, or perhaps the promises made had hit home, Elder Qiong's emotions had stabilized significantly, and the will to die in his eyes had largely dissipated.
Just as Lin Xiao couldn't help but want to breathe a sigh of relief.
Several loud voices, filled with intense malice and resentment, came from outside:
"I, Wang Shoude, am making a formal complaint against the academy's high-ranking official, Qiong Baicang, for maliciously embezzling cultivation resources and substituting inferior goods for superior ones. I spent a year completing academy tasks and accumulated eight thousand credits, intending to exchange them for a fourth-grade spiritual item to assist in awakening my battle spirit. But this old dog actually exchanged a defective fourth-grade spiritual item for me. Such behavior is simply outrageous! Old geezer, you're blocking my path, may you not die a good death!"
"I, Xiao Baihe, am making a formal complaint against Qiong Baicang, this old geezer, for corruption. My brother was originally at the peak of a second-grade battle master. He only needed a third-grade spiritual item to assist him in drawing spirit into his body and becoming a third-grade battle spirit, allowing him to continue his studies at the academy. But it was because of this old dog's greed that the third-grade spiritual item he exchanged had only half its effectiveness, ultimately leading to failure in his breakthrough, and he was expelled from the academy..."
"I, Wang Baichuan, am making a real-name report. I personally witnessed this old dog secretly giving Lin Xiao preferential treatment, sneaking into the academy's treasure vault to take public property. This old dog is simply devoid of conscience..."
"Lin Xiao, you truly have skills. You've recognized an old dog as your godfather. Just a few kowtows, and you can soar to the top, taking treasures that don't belong to you and using them for yourself..."
Those loud voices echoed throughout the entire East Hua Academy, nearly exposing Lin Xiao and Elder Qiong's misdeeds completely, revealing them in front of everyone.
In an instant, the entire East Hua Academy fell silent, everyone staring in disbelief.
Soon, the academy leaders, quick to react, ordered people to arrest the "troublemakers."
However, the words spoken had already silently detonated a bomb within the academy, stirring up a storm.
The entire East Hua Academy was plunged into an inexplicable silence.
Inside the Medical Ward,
Lin Xiao looked at the scene with disbelief. He never expected his relationship with his adoptive father to be exposed.
What was even more important was that even the things he and his adoptive father had secretly done were also dug up.
It was as if there was a pair of eyes hidden in the dark, watching everything that happened.
For some reason, the first person Lin Xiao thought of suspecting was Chen Beiyuan.
Bang!
The door was suddenly pushed open.
A middle-aged man, followed by several members of the enforcement team, barged in directly.
The middle-aged man leading the group was none other than the Vice Principal Liu Wenhui.
"Qiong Baicang, several East Hua Academy students have formally reported you for corruption. The East Hua Academy is temporarily removing you from your position as Director of Logistics and will conduct an internal investigation."
"Given your special circumstances, with your injuries, you don't need to go to the interrogation room. For the time being, you will stay in the Medical Ward and are not allowed to leave while awaiting investigation."
The moment Liu Wenhui spoke, he directly stripped Lin Xiao of his biggest support, removing Elder Qiong from his position.
Perhaps considering Elder Qiong's special relationship with the principal, Liu Wenhui thankfully didn't go too far. Taking him to the interrogation room would have been too much, so he left some room for maneuver.
Even so, Lin Xiao was still anxious.
"Principal Liu, Elder Qiong is innocent. This is all Chen Beiyuan's doing..."
"Lin Xiao, shut your mouth! Do you have any evidence? Slandering a classmate for no reason, where do you get your nerve!"
Liu Wenhui sternly rebuked.
"Considering your involvement in this case, East Hua Academy is temporarily suspending your studies. Once the matter is investigated thoroughly, the academy will make a final decision."
"If the allegations are confirmed, the academy will not only revoke your student status but also hand you over to the Court of Justice for imperial trial."
Lin Xiao's face paled. He was actually suspended by East Hua Academy.
This meant he would no longer be able to obtain resources from East Hua Academy,
nor would he receive any protection from them.
Pfft!
Seeing the situation deteriorate so badly,
Elder Qiong couldn't contain his old blood. He spat it out on the spot and fainted again.
"Godfather! Godfather!"
Just as Lin Xiao and his father were in dire straits.
The female lead, Leng Ruobing, wasn't faring any better.
The sudden change in attitude and the cold ridicule from those around her plunged the icy school belle into deep confusion and bewilderment.
Before she could even react, she received more bad news from the Leng Family.
"Ruobing, it's bad! The family's listed company has been maliciously targeted. The stock has plummeted like scrap paper. The Leng Family has lost at least several billion..."
"Ruobing, have you gone mad? How did you provoke Young Master Chen into cutting ties with the Leng Family? Now, the Li Family, the Yuan Family, and the Yu Family have all stopped cooperating with us..."
"Leng Ruobing, you bitch! What have you done? My son was perfectly fine, how could he be beaten half to death in a bar? Don't drag the family down because of your mistakes..."
"Ruobing, I beg you, go apologize to Young Master Chen. Otherwise, everyone in the Leng Family will die..."
"Ruobing, it's bad! The family head was ambushed by a mysterious 'beast' and is severely injured. He's been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment..."
With one phone call after another, the scolding, pleading, and bad news kept coming from her family.
Leng Ruobing felt her mind go blank, and she stood there, stunned.
She didn't even react when her phone fell to the ground.
At this moment,
She felt like the sky was falling.