Chapter 272

Chapter 272: The Origin of the Black-robed Man

At Nie Jiu’s shout, the courtyard door opened from within. A voice chuckled, "A Jiu, in our academy, your voice is probably the loudest. Who’s back that has you so excited?"

"Grandfather!"

The moment she saw the person inside the gate, Xia Zhilan could no longer restrain herself. She rushed forward in one swift stride and flung herself into Xia Guanqiu’s embrace.

Xia Guanqiu was momentarily startled, but upon recognizing his granddaughter, he was overwhelmed with joy and surprise. He immediately wrapped his arms around Xia Zhilan, his voice choked with emotion. "Little Lan! You’ve finally come back! Grandfather was so worried! Tell me quickly, are you hurt? What happened?"

Xia Zhilan couldn’t speak a word now; she simply buried herself in her grandfather’s chest and wept loudly. Her tears soon sparked Xia Guanqiu’s own grief, and grandfather and granddaughter held each other, crying freely.

Lou Yun and Nie Jiu tactfully stood by in silence, neither speaking, allowing the long-separated pair their cathartic moment.

After a long while, Xia Guanqiu was the first to regain his composure. He glanced up casually and spotted Lou Yun standing nearby. His expression froze instantly, remaining fixed for a long moment before he finally managed to utter a few words. "Lou… Lou Yun?"

Lou Yun quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Dean Xia, it’s me. Lou Yun. I’ve returned!"

Xia Guanqiu wiped the tears from his face and gently patted Xia Zhilan’s back. "Did you bring Little Lan back?"

"Yes!" Lou Yun’s face was filled with guilt. "I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, Little Lan wouldn’t have suffered this ordeal. But I’ve managed to bring her back safely!"

By now, Xia Zhilan had stopped sobbing. She said softly, "Grandfather, Brother Lou saved me. Actually, we could have returned much sooner, but we ran into some trouble, so we were delayed. Grandfather, A Jiu told me you were injured. Are you alright?"

Xia Guanqiu let out a hearty laugh. "I’m perfectly fine! No problem at all! Come on, come on, I was just so overjoyed. You must be exhausted from your journey. Hurry inside and rest!"

"Mm!" Xia Zhilan nodded obediently, then turned and took Xia Guanqiu’s arm, supporting him as they walked towards the house.

Watching their retreating backs, Lou Yun frowned deeply. Although Xia Guanqiu claimed he was fine, Lou Yun could see a wisp of black energy coiled around the Dean’s magical weapon within his body. This observation nearly confirmed his suspicion: The black-robed attackers who assaulted the Ancient Weapon Academy were almost certainly the same ones who practiced evil weapons!

Only an evil weapon could produce such sinister black energy. Xia Guanqiu had clearly been invaded by this energy, meaning his injury was far from healed!

Lou Yun knew of evil weapons but had never encountered one directly. He had no clue how to treat injuries inflicted by them. He had to seek Chang Xiang’s help. "Brother Chang, you can see that wisp of black energy inside Dean Xia too, right? Is it caused by the evil weapon?"

"Hmm. Evil energy from an evil weapon has invaded his body!"

"Is there a way to treat it?"

"I’m not entirely sure, but you might try your Fusang Fire. It possesses innate healing abilities, remember? Perhaps it can cure him!"

"Right!"

Lou Yun had almost forgotten his Fusang Fire’s unique ability!

The four entered the house. Xia Zhilan helped her grandfather sit down, then poured him a cup of tea.

Xia Guanqiu was immensely overjoyed by his granddaughter’s return. He grinned broadly. "Don’t just stand there! Sit down, both of you! Sit!"

Lou Yun and Nie Jiu sat. Lou Yun was eager to ask about the Ancient Weapon Academy’s trouble, but Xia Guanqiu seemed more concerned about Lou Yun’s experiences over the years.

Reluctantly, Lou Yun gave a brief account of his adventures. His story was so complex, however, that even this "brief" summary took over an hour to complete.

Xia Guanqiu listened intently. When Lou Yun finished, he sighed deeply. "I truly never imagined your experiences would be so extraordinary. It must have been incredibly difficult for you."

In his heart, Xia Guanqiu already saw Lou Yun as his future grandson-in-law, practically family. Thus, his tone carried genuine concern.

Lou Yun smiled faintly. "It was nothing. More experience is good for me. By the way, Dean Xia, what actually happened at the Academy? Who would be bold enough to challenge us? I heard a bit from A Jiu, but he wasn’t clear on the details. Please tell me."

Xia Guanqiu sighed heavily. "Alas… Ultimately, I must shoulder the blame for this. If I had supervised him more strictly, or spent more time guiding him then… he might not have ended up walking this dark path."

His words confused Lou Yun, Nie Jiu, and Xia Zhilan. The implication was clear: the leader of the attackers had a significant connection to Xia Guanqiu himself.

After a moment of silence, Xia Guanqiu began recounting the past.

About twenty years ago, the Ancient Weapon Academy welcomed a new cohort. Among them was an orphan, exceptionally talented. The Academy naturally decided to focus resources on him. However, while gifted in cultivation, this boy had a deeply shadowed character. His gaze at others was always filled with hostility.

A teacher noticed this trait and reported it to Xia Guanqiu. Xia Guanqiu dismissed it, reasoning he was just a child and an orphan who’d likely suffered hardship; such resentment was normal. He paid it little mind.

One day, however, after a teacher reprimanded him, the boy flew into a rage. He drew his magical weapon and wounded the teacher!

A student striking a teacher – an unforgivable act of defiance! The Ancient Weapon Academy had never witnessed such a thing. The entire institution was shocked. After deliberation, everyone agreed the boy must be permanently expelled and have all his cultivation destroyed to prevent him from harming Spirit Weapon Star in the future.

Despite Xia Guanqiu’s misgivings, he was forced to agree. The boy’s magical weapon was destroyed, he was expelled from the Academy, and banned for life from ever setting foot on its grounds again.

Pausing here, Xia Guanqiu sighed. "When that black-robed man attacked Little Lan last time and vowed to kill her, I didn’t immediately connect it. Only later did I realize the ‘old geezer’ he cursed was me. I was the only one who could have helped him back then, but I didn’t. So he harbored intense hatred. What truly shocks me… is that he turned to practicing evil weapons! And judging by his current power, he has achieved frightening mastery. Now… even I am no match for him."

Xia Zhilan tilted her head, a worried frown forming. "So now he’s come back to the Ancient Weapon Academy… seeking revenge for having his weapon destroyed and being expelled?"

Xia Guanqiu nodded gravely. "Exactly. None of us truly understand the nature of evil weapons or how to counter them. During our confrontation, I observed something profoundly disturbing. As he wielded his evil weapon, it emitted a faint but persistent putrid smell. Even blocking my nostrils didn’t stop it; the stench seemed to seep directly into my mind. With each breath, I felt increasingly dizzy and disoriented."

Xia Zhilan immediately moved to massage her grandfather’s temples soothingly. Lou Yun, however, stared intently at Xia Guanqiu, his mind racing.

Lou Yun was certain: Xia Guanqiu was not telling the whole truth. Not all of it.

Revenge for the past was indeed a motive. But earlier, Nie Jiu mentioned that while hiding on the rear mountain, he overheard the attackers demanding something specific from Xia Guanqiu. It was the Dean’s refusal to hand it over that sparked the fight.

Moreover, if the evil weapons master truly sought only revenge, he could have simply killed Xia Guanqiu, or severely injured him instead of a mere touch. Yet, he declared he would return soon – vengeance wasn’t typically delivered in installments. Lou Yun was convinced: the attack on the Ancient Weapon Academy served a purpose far beyond mere retaliation!

But why was Xia Guanqiu withholding the full truth?

He needed to know the reality to prepare properly. Glancing at Xia Zhilan and Nie Jiu, Lou Yun devised a plan. He spoke up, "Dean Xia, after your fight with that evil weapons master, you were wounded by his evil weapon, and the evil energy invaded your body. It hasn’t been completely expelled yet, correct? I happen to practice a technique that might dispel this evil energy. Allow me to give it a try and heal you!"

Xia Guanqiu looked stunned. He had believed he’d concealed his injury perfectly, astonished Lou Yun detected it. But upon reflection, Lou Yun was now a regional powerhouse; his cultivation might even surpass the Dean’s. Detecting the injury wasn’t so strange after all. Xia Guanqiu did desperately want to heal; they would be coming back soon!

So, Xia Guanqiu smiled and nodded. "It’s true. Some traces of the evil energy linger within me. If you could truly expel it for me… that would be a tremendous blessing! Though it will trouble you, eh?"

"No trouble at all!" Lou Yun stood up. He glanced at Xia Zhilan and Nie Jiu. "Please wait outside. Guard the door for me and keep everyone away."

This was a deliberate maneuver to dismiss them, leaving only himself and Xia Guanqiu inside the room. Neither Xia Zhilan nor Nie Jiu suspected anything. They simply nodded. "Alright."

Once they had left and closed the door, Lou Yun approached Xia Guanqiu. He instructed him to manifest his magical weapon.

Xia Guanqiu complied. A wisp of black energy, like a small dark serpent, coiled sinuously around his manifested magical weapon, writhing incessantly.

"Dean Xia, bear with it. This might hurt a little."

"Hah! Don’t you worry about me!" Xia Guanqiu answered with spirited bravado.

Lou Yun firmly grasped Xia Guanqiu’s magical weapon. A burst of Fusang Fire ignited in his palm and lunged towards the sinister black taint.