Qin Si glanced at Mu Xing, offering no comment.
He released his pressure on Yun Ying.
"Scram!"
Finally able to breathe fresh air, Yun Ying, having narrowly escaped death, propped herself up with one hand on the ground, head bowed, gasping for air. Yet, she did not leave immediately.
Qin Si ignored her and took the jade pendant from Mu Xing, playing with it in his hand.
The cool, penetrating touch felt similar to Bai Shengyi's, but he knew with certainty that this was not something Bai Shengyi had dropped.
"Find out whose jade pendant this is."
Although he had a guess, he still needed confirmation.
"Yes," Mu Xing replied.
Having dealt with this situation, Qin Si intended to return to continue watching over Bai Shengyi. His mind was preoccupied with this matter, causing him to quicken his pace.
However, as he reached the doorway, he heard Yun Ying say, "Among our candidates, only Bai Shengyi has the character 'Yi' in her name and has a grievance with Sun Mingyu of the Great Ning Dynasty. Since the Vice Dean is impartial, why not directly deal with Bai Shengyi?"
Yun Ying defiantly jutted her chin, looking at Qin Si.
She had previously heard from her young disciple that during their recent training expedition, they had crossed paths with this Bai Shengyi. It was possible that their so-called intersection had led to a conflict, and that Bai Shengyi had devised this "kill two birds with one stone" scheme.
"Junior Sister Yun Ying, your logic is flawed and purely your conjecture, with no basis whatsoever. Do we handle matters in our academy based on mere speculation?" Wen Jiuyin frowned, weary of Yun Ying's unreasonable behavior.
"What kind of student is she? Just a brat who didn't even pass an assessment..."
"Junior Sister Yun Ying!" Wen Jiuyin was truly angered. Pointing at Yun Ying, he said, "You... you've truly been spoiled by Senior Brother Xilou! What kind of nonsense are you speaking? As a teacher, as an elder, can't you be magnanimous and consider others' good points?"
Yun Ying, however, felt more wronged and angry than Wen Jiuyin. She didn't understand why no one understood her when all she wanted was to seek justice for her disciple and prevent her lineage from being looked down upon.
The Vice Dean was oppressing her, trying to kill her, and even Senior Brother Wen blamed her.
She was so angry her eyes turned red!
"If you won't uphold justice for me, I'll do it myself!" Enraged, Yun Ying suddenly stood up, covered her face, and rushed out.
Qin Si was angered by Yun Ying's attitude, his brow furrowing. He reached out to sweep her away with a palm strike to teach her a lesson, but Wen Jiuyin stepped between them.
Wen Jiuyin was also quite annoyed by Yun Ying, but he was more concerned that the Vice Dean might lose control and truly kill Yun Ying, causing chaos within the academy.
After all, Senior Brother Xilou doted on Junior Sister Yun Ying, and he might do something for her.
"Vice Dean, please calm your anger! Junior Sister Yun Ying is just heartbroken for her disciple and has a hasty temper. She's just speaking out of anger. I'll go persuade her."
To make Qin Si believe him, Wen Jiuyin repeated, "Vice Dean, I'll go now."
With that, he prepared to chase after her.
"Wait a moment."
Qin Si hadn't paid much attention to Yun Ying. Now that someone else was handling this trouble, he was more than happy.
He wasn't worried about Yun Ying causing trouble for Bai Shengyi, as Bai Shengyi was still on his territory. However, if Yun Ying couldn't find Bai Shengyi, with her stubbornness, she might assume Bai Shengyi had fled to avoid punishment.
"Does the Vice Dean have any other instructions?"
"Bai Shengyi is at the Xunzhen Auction House. You can tell Yun Ying the truth."
Qin Si ignored Wen Jiuyin's surprised expression, paused, and continued, "If Yun Ying is still displeased, tell her to go back to the academy. If there are any problems, let the Dean come find me."
This was the first time the Vice Dean had spoken so much to him. While feeling apprehensive, Wen Jiuyin's attention was inevitably drawn to the first point.
"That... may I ask why young friend Bai is at the auction house?"
Anyone with a modicum of information would know that the auction house was the Vice Dean's personal property, and usually, even the academy's teachers dared not frequent it unless attending a regular auction.
So, why was Bai Shengyi, a candidate, there?
Wen Jiuyin was a bit worried.
Qin Si said lightly, "Participating in the auction."
Wen Jiuyin wanted to hear more, but since the Vice Dean was unwilling to elaborate, he dared not press further. He only confirmed, "Is she alright then?"
Qin Si's expression immediately darkened. He cast a cold glance at Wen Jiuyin and vanished from the spot in an instant.
Wen Jiuyin, in a daze, asked the silent Hua Ye, "What does the Vice Dean mean?"
"How would I know?" Hua Ye silently picked up the shattered porcelain bottles and other items from the ground. Half of his face was obscured by his hair, making him appear somber in the light and shadow.
Seeing Wen Jiuyin still frozen in place, he sighed and reminded him, "Aren't you going to persuade Yun Ying? If you don't hurry, she might cause another uproar."
"Ah!" Wen Jiuyin slapped his forehead and quickly ran out.
This Yun Ying, oh Yun Ying, she was truly troublesome.
While Wen Jiuyin was struggling to calm Yun Ying, Qin Si was also frowning.
"Still not awake?"
Qin Si asked Cui Ming.
Cui Ming felt immense pressure under his gaze, thinking, what could she do if the young lady was unwilling to wake up? Perhaps she was hurt by this scoundrel and was escaping reality?
Their contractual relationship allowed Qin Si to hear Cui Ming's thoughts clearly.
"Cui Ming!" Qin Si glared coldly at his contracted beast, a warning in his eyes. This ill-tempered contracted beast was useless; it was even cursing him in its mind.
Cui Ming was startled. After realizing what happened, she let out an irritable "Ow-wuu" and retorted unhappily, "Master, I didn't say anything wrong, and glaring at me is useless. The young lady is simply not awake."
"Go find Elder Feng..."
"Master, Elder Feng has already left Qianlian City," Cui Ming reminded him. "And he also said that the young lady is physically fine."
She's just not awake.
The usually spirited and lively stars had suddenly lost all their brilliance, silent and obtrusive.
And frightening.
Qin Si fell silent, his brow furrowed, pacing irritably in the room.
Cui Ming coiled herself on Bai Shengyi's bed, lazily flicking her tail as she watched Qin Si. Gradually, her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.
Qin Si: ...
"Get up. Go find Elder Mo and ask him to come to Qianlian City." Qin Si coldly ordered, waking her up.
"Old..." Cui Ming swallowed the curse she was about to utter and reminded him, "Are you sure? Disturbing that alchemy madman at this time, aren't you afraid of being scolded to death?"
"Just go when I tell you to. Don't talk so much," Qin Si urged.
He felt Cui Ming was becoming less and less lovable. She had been a good little tiger when she was young, but after giving birth to Little Yu'er, she had changed like a different tiger.
Cui Ming grumbled as she transformed into human form. With a spatial fluctuation, she vanished from the room.
"Mmm..."
Bai Shengyi on the bed suddenly made a faint sound.
Although it was very quiet, Qin Si, who had been watching her closely, noticed it. He walked to the bedside in a few steps.
"Bai Shengyi? Bai Shengyi?" Qin Si called out several times.
"...Scoundrel..."
Although Bai Shengyi was still not awake, she suddenly uttered three words from her mouth.
Her voice was hoarse and slurred, not very clear, but Qin Si, damn it, understood it instantly.
His eyebrows shot up, and he stared coldly at the woman, "Bai Shengyi, who are you insulting?"
Bai Shengyi mumbled two more words.