From his vast battle experience, William knew diverting his attention off his enemies was a grave sin. No matter who was coming and shouting, he wouldn't shift his gaze away from those enemies up front, especially in such tense situations.
Yet when the voice appeared, William could clearly see the sudden change in the face of that Guanin relative and his group of thugs. They seemed terrified, as if the person coming here was someone they shouldn't offend.
"Elder…" even Tang who stood on his side trembled faintly when he heard this shout. William finally turned his attention away when he heard that word.
What did an elder signify in the academy? He must be one of the strongest bunches of old men in the academy aside from the headmaster.
A dark gold, just a few steps away from the legendary ranked spirit master, that was the sole requirement for being an elder in the academy. Age didn't matter, but no one managed to get to such an esteemed title without getting old.
"What's that nonsense?" in front of William, a bald old man appeared with many wrinkles on his face. Yet from his red eyes, William felt a strange familiarity with him. But he didn't think too much about that.
William paid more attention to what the situation here would end up with after the appearance of such an elder.
The two groups bowed at the same time in respect and fear, all but William and his two girls. Tina was already terrified by all this, while Lina was prepared to fight at any moment.
As for William, he was ready to give up his life in the academy to protect his girls. So he didn't show any sign of respect to this elder before knowing to which side such a formidable master belonged.
"Answering the esteemed elder," the first to speak was Tang, whose voice seemed calm and steady, "we came to arrest the porter William under the orders of the headmaster. But that group of guards wanted to kill the two girls with him without any reason."
"That's not true," Guanin's relative hurriedly said in a shaky voice, "we heard that porter William brought spies from the Golden Sky academy to ours. It's just right to kill them on the spot."
William instantly saw the little change in words which that dirty disciple used. And from this simple and little detail, William knew that elder was on his side, at least he wasn't going to make things hard for him and his two girls.
"That's not true, esteemed elder," Tang retorted but the next moment that elder raised his hand to stop the two.
"Take Porter William and the two girls back to the headmaster now," the elder said to Tang before turning to the Guanin relative and his gang, "as for you… Deliver yourselves to the law enforcement elder and wait for my punishment."
And with these words, William became surer of what side this elder was on. Seeing the pale face of his enemies, William knew their fate was going to be bad.
"Esteemed elder…" Guanin's relatives shouted in panic but the next words of the elder silenced him.
"One single word and I'll be the one killing you right here on the spot and will bear the consequences. As if your clan will be courageous enough to come and ask for an explanation or even justice."
The icy cold tone coupled with the rich killing intent that the elder emitted made the Guanin relative pack tremble in fear. In their eyes, going to the law enforcement elder was much better than facing this elder here.
"Porter William, please follow me," Tang didn't even turn to William as he bowed in respect to the elder with his group before leaving.
William didn't forget to cup his hands in gratitude and bow towards the elder in respect as well. If not for the timely arrival of the elder, a big fight would have erupted here. And the consequences of such a battle would be quite severe.
What made William a little puzzled was that smile on the face of the elder when William said so. It was a smile of satisfaction, as if this elder was quite pleased by what he did. William didn't know why but that elder reminded him of someone, Berry.
"You can take back your weapons," as they walked deeper inside the academy, Tang's voice came from front, "no one will dare to touch you here. You have good friends in the forging department who asked many to ensure your safety, yet I was the fastest to arrive to your aid."
William instantly understood part of what happened. "Thanks senior brother Tang for help and rescue. But I'm still not aware of what I did wrong," he said while trying to get more information about his crime.
"You'll get to know everything from the headmaster and the council of elders soon enough," yet Tang seemed to have no intention of explaining things to him. "If you seek my advice, then you should be prepared to defend yourself and the two girls of the Golden Sky academy you brought with you."
William felt that there were strict orders to not divulge anything directly to him. But that didn't stop Tang from leaving a clue for him here.
"Thanks senior brother for the advice," he said in honest gratitude, but Tang didn't say anything anymore.
William now was sure about his proclaimed crime. Something must have happened, and he missed it during the past days. Someone must have spotted him and delivered the news back to the academy.
But he was a mere porter, someone that none would care about. 'Was my performance back at the forging department the reason?' he mused silently to himself while trying to see through the mysteries of this weird situation.
He couldn't find any other reason for others to pay attention to him but that. Even the little lie he gave to Lang about Berry wouldn't bring him such severe attention. Whoever did this must have a deep grudge against him.
Little he knew he underestimated that little lie and the fierce response the Long clan showed.
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