Chapter 115

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Chapter 115: I Told You, You Will Regret It

Seeing that Minister Professor Zhou was so familiar with Yi Qianmo, everyone present began to doubt whether this was truly the aloof third-grade Pill Master.

It was no wonder—Minister Professor Zhou had stormed into the Punishment Hall without even acknowledging the hall master, yet he seemed so close with Yi Qianmo. How could they reconcile such a stark contrast?

Minister Professor Yu was sweating profusely. He couldn’t understand how Yi Qianmo had managed to build a relationship with Minister Professor Zhou, but he knew one thing—if Yi Qianmo intended to use Zhou’s influence against him, he would be in deep trouble.

“What did he do wrong?” Zhou Yumei suddenly asked.

“Reporting to the hall master, a disciple of the Tao School gathered people to fight privately; he… is the troublemaker,” Minister Professor Yu finally realized.

“Gathering people for a private fight?”

Zhou Yumei frowned, glanced at everyone, and said, “Minister Professor Zhou, I don’t mind if you want to take him away, but if you only take him, that might not be fair.”

“Are you saying that I cannot take him today?” Minister Professor Zhou replied coldly.

“If there is punishment, then everyone should be punished together. If you want to take someone, take them all,” Zhou Yumei stated. “That way, I can explain to the Mansion Master and His Majesty.”

“Don’t use the Mansion Master and His Majesty to pressure me,” Minister Professor Zhou snapped.

Though Zhou had a strange temper, he was not unreasonable. He understood the implication—if he wanted to save Yi Qianmo, he had to save all the students involved. If only a select few were punished, the Punishment Hall would lose credibility. But if all were spared, the issue would escalate into a conflict between the Pill Pavilion and the Punishment Hall, which would provide a formal explanation for the Punishment Hall’s decision.

At Tianyuan Academy, the Pill Pavilion held special status. It made sense that the Punishment Hall couldn’t openly oppose it, and outsiders wouldn’t blame them for stepping aside.

Yet, Minister Professor Zhou was stubborn. He glanced at them and said, “I will only take him. The rest of you have nothing to do with me.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yumei’s expression grew cold, but she knew Zhou had always been like this. What piqued her curiosity was the young man before her. What kind of relationship did Yi Qianmo have with Minister Professor Zhou to warrant such protection?

Just when the situation seemed at a standstill, Yi Qianmo suddenly spoke up.

“This matter started because of me, so it should end with me as well.”

Zhou Yumei immediately looked at him. Facing the masked woman’s gaze, Yi Qianmo felt a bit intimidated. This woman was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

But he did not back down.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sparring with my fellow students,” he continued. “Instead, it was this Deputy Hall Master, Minister Professor Yu of the Punishment Hall, who rushed to the Tao School right after my sparring session and unjustly detained us without asking for the truth!”

“Hmph!”

Zhou Yumei’s gaze turned cold and stern.

“I saw you fighting privately, and you still dare to twist the facts? If it wasn’t a private fight, then how did they get those injuries?” Minister Professor Yu retorted.

Originally, after Minister Professor Zhou’s intervention, Yu had intended to step back. However, realizing the implications, he decided to fight back. If he stayed silent now, it would imply he had falsely accused them—something that could get him impeached as Deputy Hall Master.

“Blades do not have eyes; when friends spar, injuries are bound to happen,” Yi Qianmo replied with a smile.

A gentleman does not leave a grudge unsettled. Yi Qianmo had no intention of simply walking away.

“You call it sparring, so it is sparring? What do the academy’s rules mean to you?” Minister Professor Yu shouted angrily.

“You say it’s a private fight, so it is a private fight? What do the academy’s rules mean to you?” Yi Qianmo shot back.

“You!!!” Minister Professor Yu’s face trembled in anger.

“What do you mean?”

Yi Qianmo stared directly at him.

“If this wasn’t just a sparring session, then considering how many people attacked me alone, the fact that I have no injuries at all wouldn’t make any sense!”

A group of Tao School disciples lowered their heads, feeling utterly ashamed. From the start, they had been prejudiced against Yi Qianmo, but they never expected him to defend them despite their hostility.

Yi Qianmo defended them for two reasons. First, he wanted to protect the Tao School, as he still intended to practice there. Second, he wanted to involve Minister Professor Yu—because not repaying a grudge would be unlike him!

As for the fact that they had surrounded and attacked him? He didn’t care at all.

After all, he had already pressed their faces into the ground—what more could he ask for?

Zhou Yumei and Minister Professor Zhou turned their gazes toward the Tao School disciples. Each one bore injuries, while Yi Qianmo stood unscathed.

Though they didn’t believe Yi Qianmo’s argument, their gazes shifted, filled with a newfound curiosity—especially Zhou Yumei, whose deep eyes reflected both authority and intrigue.

At that moment, the Tao School disciples wished the ground would swallow them whole. Even though Yi Qianmo was helping them, he remained just as frustrating as before.

“Good job,” Minister Professor Zhou patted Yi Qianmo’s shoulder. “I was worried you might get hurt, so I specifically asked Deacon Wang to speak with Xu Shiping. But it seems I was overthinking it.”

Hearing this, Wu Tianhao and the others finally understood why their sect master had behaved so unusually the day before.

“Master, you must not listen to his twisted arguments! They were fighting privately!” Minister Professor Yu insisted.

Zhou Yumei glanced at him, then turned to the Tao School disciples.

“Were you injured while sparring with him?”

The disciples exchanged glances, but no one dared to answer. Though Yi Qianmo had defended them, this was the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall—they didn’t have the courage to lie in front of her.

“If it wasn’t a practice session, then it was a private fight?” Zhou Yumei asked coldly.

“No, no, no…”

Wu Tianhao gritted his teeth and hesitated before answering.

“It wasn’t a private fight. We were indeed sparring with Junior Martial Brother Yi. This morning, I failed to knock on the door, and everyone was upset, so Junior Martial Brother Yi invited us all to spar. Unexpectedly…”

By the end, Wu Tianhao struggled to continue, but he still insisted it was a practice session.

“Wu Tianhao! How dare you deceive the master! What punishment do you deserve?” Minister Professor Yu bellowed.

“Be quiet!” Zhou Yumei snapped before turning to Minister Professor Zhou. “This matter is the Punishment Hall’s fault. Minister Professor Zhou, you may take them away now.”

“Oh.”

Minister Professor Zhou nodded. “Let’s go, little ones.”

However, Yi Qianmo had no intention of leaving.

“Is it really okay to just leave like this?”

Hearing this, Minister Professor Yu felt his heart drop.

“What else do you want?” he asked angrily.

“Minister Professor Yu, as the Deputy Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, what is the punishment for framing students and abusing power according to academy rules?” Yi Qianmo stared coldly at him.

“You!!!” Minister Professor Yu ground his teeth in fury.

“If students who break the rules are punished, what happens when the Punishment Hall itself violates them?” Yi Qianmo continued. “Surely the Punishment Hall isn’t above the law!”

Zhou Yumei turned to Yu Mou. “Starting today, you are removed from your position as Deputy Hall Master. As for your title as Minister Professor, that will be decided by the Mansion Master and His Majesty. You will also receive three hundred lashes.”

Yu Mou glared at Yi Qianmo with hatred. But Yi Qianmo simply stepped forward and sneered.

“I told you, you would regret this. Do you regret it now?”