Chapter 483: Chapter 419: Ru Lin Academy
After some thought, Yang Xiao took out his phone and dialed a number. The call was promptly answered, and with hesitation, Yang Xiao lowered his voice:
"Is it Yang Cha speaking? This is Chu Xi. I’m in Yun Qi City."
...
About half an hour later, a black sedan arrived, coming to a smooth stop in front of Yang Xiao. After the window was lowered, Yang Xiao saw that familiar face, "Get in," said Yang Cha, who was sitting at the driver’s seat dressed in casual clothes, as he opened the passenger-side door first.
Once Yang Xiao was in the car, the black sedan quickly drove away. Only after they started distancing from the bar did Yang Xiao notice that all the nearby intersections had been set up with checkpoints, with people in police uniforms directing the vehicles to pull over one by one for inspection.
However, their car didn’t show any intention of slowing down. With Yang Cha’s foot on the gas, the black sedan sped away.
"This... Are we going to be okay?" Yang Xiao looked into the rearview mirror. Those people made no attempt to stop them, and the black sedan quickly merged into the stream of traffic.
"We will be, they recognize these license plates." Breathing out lightly, Yang Cha turned his head to look at Yang Xiao and after a moment revealed a smiling face, "Brother Yang, it’s been a while since we last met."
Yang Xiao was not too surprised by this response. Considering Yang Family’s connections in Yun Qi City, getting a small Patrol Office chief like himself off the hook was too easy, "Brother Yang, frankly speaking, I’ve come to ask for your help this time."
Yang Cha replied with an easy smile, "Don’t worry about it. I know that worthless scion, Pang Cai. He more than deserved to die; boasting and acting recklessly just because his family has some money. If it wasn’t for the elders in my family being strict and forbidding us from meddling in external affairs, you wouldn’t have needed to get involved."
Pausing a moment, Yang Cha took out his phone, shook it and said, "Since you’re here, Brother Yang, why not stay for a few extra days? I’ll arrange your departure from the city afterward."
"It’s not about that, I need your help to find someone." Yang Xiao still had in mind the girl numbered 49, as she had the same target as him. If it hadn’t been for his sudden appearance, Pang Cai would definitely have died at the girl’s hand.
After considering it briefly, he went through the essential details with Yang Cha, who was greatly surprised by the story. Soon, the car entered a secluded and heavily guarded estate. Yang Xiao took note that along the way, the guards all bore a sapphire blue badge on their chests.
"Brother Yang, is this... your family’s place?" Looking out at the colorful fountains and the neatly manicured gardens and lawns, Yang Xiao was truly astounded.
After parking the car, Yang Cha chuckled and pointed towards the distance. Following his direction, Yang Xiao saw a huge statue standing under the night sky, one hand holding a book, the other a sword, with fluttering clothes, appearing like a celestial being.
"Welcome to Confucian Institute."
Regarding the favor that Yang Xiao had asked, Yang Cha immediately had someone look into the matter, but this naturally took time. With the time left, Yang Xiao was at the host’s mercy, led by Yang Cha for a tour within this long-famed academy.
Despite it being late at night, lights were still on in several of the institute’s main buildings. Yang Cha pointed them out one by one, and the scale of the academy was much larger than Yang Xiao had imagined. In addition to the three Confucian schools arranged in a character "品" shape for daily teaching, there were also Martial Training Fields, Scripture Pavilions, Scripture Recitation Halls, Mechanism Chambers, and dozens of other independent buildings.
People bustled in and out of these buildings, creating a lively scene, the majority of whom were young people of an age similar to Yang Xiao. These youths wore various clothes, with some blond-haired and blue-eyed obviously not of the same ethnicity, but what they had in common was the sapphire blue badge on their chests.
"These are all students who have come to study at our Confucian Academy. Representatives from the Patrol Defense Office, the United Federation, the Chamber of Commerce, as well as various schools and factions, and even individual wanderers from the world of martial arts. As long as they are outstanding and pass the inspection, they can study at our Confucian Academy. The badge on their chests is the symbol of our academy, their pride," said Yang Cha with his head held high and a beaming smile, watching the busy students pass by.
Yang Xiao knew he was showing off and waiting for him to ask, to plead with him to let him study there too, but Yang Xiao wouldn’t, as he had no such desire.
After a long silence, Yang Cha finally couldn’t resist anymore, eyeing Yang Xiao with full curiosity, "Brother Yang, don’t you have any thoughts on this?"
"Quite nice," Yang Xiao commented.
"Don’t you want to come and study? Many of the higher-ups from your Patrol Defense Bureau once came to our Confucian Academy for further study, and they gained a lot." Yang Cha enticed gently, lowering his voice mysteriously, "The Yin Gate knowledge I possess was acquired in the Scripture Recitation Hall and the Mechanism Chamber. And the Sutra Pavilion, it holds many secrets unknown to the outside, including mysteries about the Resentful Eye."
This last statement indeed touched upon Yang Xiao’s curiosity; what he was most lacking now was clues about the Resentful Eye. The origins of his Underworld Robe, his Soul-Capturing Mirror, and even his Ghost Duster and Human Bone Staff were unclear to him.
As he was waiting anyway, Yang Xiao decided to try his luck, "Brother Yang, could you let me take a look inside the Sutra Pavilion?"
"Not now, the elders are patrolling at this hour. How about after dawn? I’ll take you inside," said Yang Cha confidently.
This posed a problem for Yang Xiao because he had to leave before dawn. He needed to head back to Rongcheng to report to the Patrol Defense Bureau on time. After all, with Pang Cai’s incident, he did not want to arouse any suspicion toward himself.
After hearing Yang Xiao’s concerns, Yang Cha magnanimously assured him that it was okay to share the content he wanted to look up. He would search on Yang’s behalf, and once found, he would inform Yang Xiao. However, Yang Cha reminded him that the materials on Resentful Eyes available in the open area of the Sutra Pavilion were limited. They only covered those that had been discovered or used, up to the High-Order Fierce Grade Resentful Eyes.
In fact, Yang Xiao was most worried about the Soul-Capturing Mirror, even more than the Underworld Robe. The creature inside had been growing increasingly unstable lately, and he had to resolve it quickly. However, the item was not of low grade. Estimated by how much the Yu Yuan Sect elders valued it, it was at least of the Ghost Level.
Seeing the look of regret on Yang Xiao’s face, Yang Cha was slightly surprised, "The item you’re looking for is of high grade?"
Yang Xiao nodded.
"Is it very important to you?" Yang Cha didn’t ask for details but was making sure.
Yang Xiao nodded again.
"Sigh—" Yang Cha let out a long breath, thoughtfully nodding his head, and after a moment, he replied, "Then there’s only one place where you might find it."
Upon hearing this promising news, Yang Xiao quickly asked, "Where?"
Looking around and seeing no one paying attention to them, Yang Cha leaned in and whispered, "The Small Sutra Pavilion. You’ve seen the Great Sutra Pavilion, a seven-story tower. Many people don’t know that there are seven more levels underground beneath the Great Sutra Pavilion. These seven levels are the true essence. They contain countless secrets of the world of martial arts over several hundred years, including messages about some extremely rare high-rank Resentful Eyes from major powers and righteous sects, as well as Evil Cultivators."
"I want to take a look inside, Yang, you say... name your conditions." There is no such thing as a free lunch, a concept Yang Xiao understood well. He was about to ask Yang Cha to name a price, but then he thought better of it, considering the young man, hailing from a distinguished family, was wealthy beyond measure, so he changed the condition instead.
Yang Cha was taken aback by his question, but seeing Yang Xiao’s serious expression, he knew there had been a misunderstanding and immediately waved his hand, "Yang, you’ve got it wrong. I owe you and Miss Tong my life for getting out alive last time. I really want to help you, but I cannot make the call on this. You will have to do it yourself."
"How can I get inside?" Yang Xiao cut to the chase.
Yang Cha let out a wry smile, "You’ll have to fight your way in."
"Fight my way in?" Yang Xiao was stupefied. Though he had some fine items with him and his combat prowess far exceeded that of an ordinary Angel Envoy, this was still the territory of the esteemed Ru Lin Academy, a place teeming with masters. He feared he might be suppressed as soon as he made a move.
Moreover, many things in his possession should not see the light of day. This place was not like Rongcheng; there were many discerning experts here. If his treasures were recognized, the consequences would be unimaginable.
A captain’s title from the Patrol Defense Bureau certainly couldn’t intimidate these people. Even if Nalan Shuo, his own director, were present, it’s unlikely they would give face.
"No, Yang, when I said ’fight your way in,’ I didn’t mean you should fight with the Pavilion-protecting Elders. I meant participating in a competition. Every year, our Ru Lin Academy hosts a grand competition, inviting talents from all walks of life. Those who perform outstandingly are granted the opportunity to enter the Small Sutra Pavilion," Yang Cha quickly clarified.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao felt deflated. He couldn’t afford to fight openly in a competition; as soon as he made a move, it would reveal all he was hiding. So he had to gloss over it, suggesting that he was too weak to participate.
The two found a stone bench to sit down on, admiring the moon and chatting leisurely. Yang Cha brought up something that had been troubling him. Since returning from the mission, his memory seemed to have diverged. He had forgotten a portion of what happened during the mission. It wasn’t a complete loss, but everything was quite a mess. He only remembered that it was Yang Xiao and Tong Han who saved him in the end, but the details were very blurry.
Yang Xiao had experienced a similar sensation, which he only managed to recall after being prompted by Tong Han. That Yang Cha had forgotten wasn’t a bad thing, after all, because he recognized the Ghost Duster and the Little Holy Spirit White-Robed Buddha Mother on him.
After learning that Yang Xiao had also experienced a discrepancy in his memory, Yang Cha nodded in understanding, looking as though he had already considered this and was now merely seeking confirmation.
"Yang, have you contacted Sui since you got out?" Since Yang Cha had been checking on himself, he surely had also looked into Sui Chengguo. Before leaving, all three had exchanged contact information.
At this, Yang Cha’s expression grew solemn, "I did check, but the contact information Sui left us was fake."
"Fake?" Yang Xiao was taken aback, not believing that Sui Chengguo was that kind of person.
"Yes, but I did find out later. Sui is a fugitive wanted by the Patrol Defense Office and the United Federation. I think he didn’t reveal his true identity to avoid implicating us. His crime is significant; he’s been offered a Fierce Grade Resentful Eye as a reward," Yang Cha reported truthfully.
"What did he do?" Yang Xiao was curious.
"The wanted poster says that he killed several of his teammates in order to seize a Resentful Eye. This includes members from the Patrol Defense Office and the Apostles Union, people Sui knew and had worked with for many years," Yang Cha shared.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao shook his head decisively, "Impossible! Sui is not that kind of person; there must be something fishy here."
