“Finished eating,” the group responded.
Huang Quan said, “Let’s head back.”
“Yeah.”
…
After leaving the dining hall, Huang Quan and her group parted ways with Chu Lang and returned to their respective residences.
Once back in her room, Huang Quan gathered her medicinal herbs and went to the adjacent room. She opened the alchemy cauldron inside and prepared to refine some pills.
While Huang Quan was in the midst of her alchemy, the academy’s vice principal arrived at their courtyard.
While Jing Chen was speaking with the vice principal, Feng Jiu Yuan pulled Nangong Yan aside and said, “The academy still doesn’t know that Huang Quan possesses spiritual power, so we mustn’t let him go to her room.”
Huang Quan was currently refining medicine, so if anyone went there, her secret would be exposed!
Nangong Yan looked at him and said, “Huang Quan already mentioned that she doesn’t intend to hide the fact that she has spiritual power for much longer.”
Feng Jiu Yuan replied, “Even without spiritual power, Huang Quan was assigned to the Holy Spirit Academy. If the academy finds out that she has spiritual power, where do you think they’ll place her?”
Nangong Yan frowned, deep in thought.
In both imperial and smaller academies, the highest-level institution was the Holy Spirit Academy, since once a student’s cultivation reached the peak of Holy Spirit Master, they would graduate.
If they were to reassign her, Huang Quan would no longer be a student…
Feng Jiu Yuan continued, “The Imperial Academy previously wanted to make Huang Quan a teacher. She refused back then, but once they know she has spiritual power and realize her true strength, they’ll definitely ask her again.”
Nangong Yan: “…” A fifteen-year-old teacher?
Huang Quan was indeed impressive.
However…
“We can’t let them find out.” Nangong Yan said seriously, “No one can tell them.”
He preferred seeing Huang Quan as a student rather than a teacher. That way, she would stay at the academy, and they could see her regularly.
Satisfied with this, Feng Jiu Yuan nodded and then returned with Nangong Yan to join the others.
The vice principal had come to inquire about the Dragon Spirit Fruit, and once he learned that Huang Quan had already dealt with the matter, he left relieved.
However…
While the situation within the academy had settled, the chaos outside was far from over!
Cloud Auction House, back hall.
The High Priest and Nangong Yi sat across from the manager, both remaining silent, their gazes cold and detached as they stared at him.
Even though the manager had seen a lot in his life and was adept at handling difficult situations, being watched like this by both the High Priest of the Tianqi Empire and the head of the empire’s most powerful family, Nangong, made him uneasy.
No matter how frightened he was, he had no choice but to ask the reason for their visit!
Suppressing his urge to panic, the manager looked at the two and said, “I wonder what brings the High Priest and the Nangong family head to Cloud Auction House?”
“The Dragon Spirit Fruit,” Nangong Yi answered concisely. “Is it true that it can cause someone to explode and die?”
“This…”
“I’m only asking you to answer,” the High Priest said coldly. “I didn’t ask for excuses.” His words implied they already knew the truth and simply wanted to hear him admit it.
If he admitted it, the consequences were uncertain.
If he didn’t, the consequences would certainly be severe.
If it were just Nangong Yi, the manager might have tried to negotiate, but the High Priest was there too.
The High Priest of the Tianqi Empire could foresee the will of heaven, and just for this reason, Cloud Auction House dared not easily offend him.
“Does the manager plan to keep stalling?” Nangong Yi, seeing his silence, nodded slightly. “Then let’s stall.”
“Our shops are all being taken care of. If Cloud Auction House doesn’t step forward to address this major issue, its goods will soon be left unsold and unsellable.”
“Why make things difficult for me?” The manager said bitterly. “I’m just doing my job.”
“What a fine excuse of ‘just doing your job for money.'”
Nangong Yi’s face turned completely cold. “Does doing your job for money mean you can harm my niece?”
Niece?
The young lady of the Nangong family?
“What do you mean by that, Nangong family head?” The manager was utterly confused. “I’ve never had any dealings with the Nangong family’s young lady. How could I possibly harm her?”
“Huang Quan,” Nangong Yi said coldly, staring at him. “You haven’t had contact with her?”
The manager: “…”
He had just dealt with her yesterday.
But…
Wasn’t Huang Quan from Tianhuang Kingdom?
How could she be related to Nangong Yi?
“Huang Quan is the Fifth Miss of the Nangong family,” Nangong Yi replied indifferently. “She purchased the Dragon Spirit Fruit from your auction. You knew it could cause someone to explode and die, yet you never told her. What was your intention?”
The manager couldn’t respond.
He had indeed known but didn’t inform her.
Originally, he had thought if Huang Quan died, the only one to trouble Cloud Auction House would be His Highness Di Qin. And with so many beautiful girls in the world, losing Huang Quan wouldn’t be a big deal. But he never expected that she had ties to the Nangong family!
“Can you give me a satisfactory answer?”
An answer?
How was he supposed to answer that?
The High Priest spoke coldly: “Huang Quan is the future crown princess. Cloud Auction House concealed the deadly danger of the auction item, deceiving customers and disregarding their safety. Based on multiple reports, Cloud Auction House’s auction hall in the Tianqi Empire’s capital will be shut down for three months.”
Shut down for three months?
The manager’s face turned pale. “High Priest, is this your decision?”
The High Priest glanced at him. “This is His Highness the Crown Prince’s decision.”
“It is also the emperor’s will,” the High Priest said calmly. “After all, the person you nearly harmed is the future Crown Princess, the emperor’s daughter-in-law.”
“Cloud Auction House is willing to pay a fine and allow royal supervision to ensure such mistakes don’t happen again. High Priest, sealing us for three months is too much!” The manager pleaded.
The High Priest looked at him with no warmth in his eyes. “This is the Crown Prince’s decision. A fine won’t solve the issue. Please make the necessary arrangements. The Imperial Guards will come to seal this place tomorrow.”
With that, the High Priest stood up and began to leave.
“High Priest!” The manager called out, gritting his teeth. “Leave a way out in all things, so we can meet again in the future. Please tell the Crown Prince not to be too ruthless. Cloud Auction House is willing to admit fault because we don’t want to make things ugly with the Tianqi Empire. But if the Crown Prince insists on pushing us this hard, we won’t be afraid to fight back.”
“For the sake of a woman, the Crown Prince is dealing with us this way. It seems the rumors are true—he really cares about that woman. If he cares so much about her, then surely he cares just as much about her family, doesn’t he?”
The High Priest turned to him. “What are you trying to say?”
The manager replied, “I’ve heard that Huang Quan has the strength of an Immortal Warrior, so we may not be able to do anything to her. But her brother, who’s out training, doesn’t have that level of strength.”
“Even his teacher can’t protect him. Our people can take him down easily.” The manager smiled as he looked at the High Priest. “Oh, and I also heard that her brother is one of your students. I’m sure you value your students greatly, don’t you?”
“High Priest, if you don’t want anything to happen to your student, you better advise the Crown Prince to not go too far.”
“Let me know your answer by tomorrow,” the manager said. “That way, I can decide whether or not to have our people take action.”
