Chapter 103: Killing Intent in the Shabby Alley

After leaving the envoy group’s quarters, Sun Fei led his big black dog, Black Whirlwind, and rushed toward the Chambord City Civil and Military School, ignoring the surprised looks from passersby along the way. His expression was serious. He wanted to see Gordon Brook, the military leader of Chambord City who had been busy at the school recently.

Earlier at the envoy group’s quarters, Sun Fei noticed some tension, which made him feel a sense of danger. Though he still didn’t know what exactly might happen, if the Crown Princess of the Zenit Empire was taking such strict precautions, it definitely wasn’t a small matter.

Sun Fei had to make some preparations.

The Chambord City Civil and Military School was located on the former site of Herald Bazel’s mansion. Apart from the Royal Palace, it was the largest stone fortress complex in all of Shampoo City. Like many buildings in the city, this mansion seemed to be over a hundred years old. Moss grew in the cracks of the white stone walls, and slightly yellowed, dried vines spread across them. From afar, it looked very beautiful.

From outside the school, Sun Fei could hear the shouts of children.

When he walked in, he saw more than a hundred bare-chested kids following Frank Lampard as they practiced a simple set of fist techniques. They stood in horse stance—something Sun Fei had insisted on, making it part of the school’s basic curriculum.

The kids were practicing very seriously.

Beads of sweat rolled down their still-young faces, and their bodies were soaked. Some were already trembling from holding the stance, but they gritted their teeth and persisted. They were all children of commoners, well aware of life’s hardships and their own low social status. This learning opportunity was a rare, tremendous piece of luck for them, so each one worked hard, hoping to improve their strength and change their own and their families’ destinies. No one was lazy.

Lampard carried his Black Greatsword, Titan Blade, on his back. His eyes moved over each child, correcting their mistakes at any moment. This quiet former top expert of Shampoo City didn’t like politics or military affairs, and seemed to care little about anything else—except for teaching these children. He took great interest in it. With plenty of free time, he ended up becoming the chief instructor at the Chambord City Civil and Military School, taking on almost ninety-nine percent of the training duties. Besides, with his reputation as the former top expert and his Three-Star Strength, he was the most popular teacher in the school aside from Sun Fei.

“Hello, Principal!”

When the children saw Sun Fei arrive, their eyes lit up with excitement and admiration. They all stopped training, pulled in their stomachs, puffed out their chests, raised their heads, stood at attention, and saluted in unison.

“Hello, students!”

Sun Fei chuckled happily.

He tried his best to look dignified and returned the salute just as formally.

All of this was part of the school rules Sun Fei had set for the Chambord City Civil and Military School, completely copied from the drills he had learned during his university military training in his previous life. This type of saluting was not complicated; it was simple and novel. Once it was introduced, it became quite popular among the children, satisfying Sun Fei’s playful side once again.

As for the children calling him “Principal,” that was also a school rule. Once anyone entered the Chambord City Civil and Military School, no matter who they were or how prominent their status outside, here they could only have one identity—student or teacher.

“Continue training!”

At Sun Fei’s command, the children immediately resumed their horse stances and practiced the simple upper-body fist techniques. Each child’s face was flushed with excitement as they shouted and trained vigorously, hoping to impress the principal. If Frank Lampard was their favorite teacher, then Sun Fei was their ultimate idol, their supreme king. In this world where strength was respected, Sun Fei’s previous actions had completely won over these children, who all dreamed of being heroes.

“Uncle Lampard, you’ve worked hard.”

Sun Fei showed great respect toward Frank Lampard. This Three-Star Warrior was the sworn brother of the Old King and had always looked after Alexander. Like the handsome Best, Sun Fei regarded both of them as elders.

“Your Majesty!” Lampard nodded, a rare smile appearing on his face.

He could clearly sense that Sun Fei’s strength had increased again. Now he couldn’t tell what level Sun Fei’s might had reached, but one thing was certain—it definitely surpassed Three-Star Strength. Otherwise, with his own ability, he would have been able to gauge it.

“Uncle Lampard, these kids are the future treasures of Shampoo City. If the school needs anything, just send someone to ask Uncle Best for it, and say it’s my order…” Sun Fei looked at the children like a rabbit seeing carrots, stroking his chin and smiling. “We must make these guys grow up quickly.”

Lampard also smiled and nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Your Majesty, the school isn’t lacking anything right now except for teachers and Aura Manuals. A few of these children have truly good talent, and their innate attributes are quite varied. Basically, the five major Battle Qi attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are all represented. There are even a few who show promise in learning Magic. Unfortunately, the Shampoo City royal family only has a limited number of Aura Manuals—just four or five One-Star or Two-Star Level manuals for water and fire attributes. Besides, Brook and I practice Water Element Battle Qi, so…”

Sun Fei understood.

Teaching staff was indeed a problem.

On the Azeroth Continent, professions were diverse, and cultivation methods varied widely. Each person had different innate attributes. Only by practicing Aura Manuals or Magic that matched their innate attributes could they cultivate successfully. Otherwise, if they practiced manuals that conflicted with their attributes, not only would they not improve their strength, but they might harm their bodies and develop chronic illnesses.

“I’ll think of a way to handle this!”

Sun Fei bid farewell to Lampard and found Gordon Brook in the distance, who was training a group of girls. Since the girls were physically weaker, Principal Sun Fei didn’t require them to undergo the same intense training as the boys. Instead, they learned some basic military theory from Brook, which was his specialty. Though Brook himself might not be exceptionally skilled, he could at least provide the children with some foundational knowledge.

However, this situation reminded Sun Fei again of the importance of finding teachers for the school.

Among the girls, Sun Fei spotted Pierce’s daughter, Louis. The little girl looked even more pretty and refined after a simple wash, and her cool, striking demeanor made her stand out among the more than forty girls. After being surrounded by the young girls and coaxed into telling a few stories, Sun Fei finally had a chance to call Brook aside to discuss some matters.

After hearing what Sun Fei said, Brook’s face changed.

“Your Majesty, is it really…”

“Whether it’s true or not, from now on, arrange for soldiers to increase inspections throughout the city for suspicious individuals. Anyone who dares to cause trouble, no matter who they are, put them in the Black Room first… Remember, especially check out any unusual faces that have recently come to the city. If they don’t behave, drive them out of the city.”

Sun Fei was truly serious this time.

The tense atmosphere he sensed at the Zenit envoy group’s quarters gave him a very bad feeling. Shampoo City might be facing a great danger—one that the city might not be able to withstand on its own. It could even be far worse than the disaster brought by the Black Armored Army’s siege.

Brook acknowledged the order and turned to leave to make arrangements.

“Wait…” Sun Fei suddenly called him back. After a moment of silence, he said, “Also, order all city soldiers to be more vigilant these next few days, keeping watch day and night. Notify the residents as well to be prepared. If the situation turns bad, evacuate them from the city immediately.”

Brook’s expression changed again. Hearing such an order made him truly realize the seriousness of the situation.

“Go. Let’s hope I’m just overthinking it.”

…

By the time Sun Fei left the Chambord City Civil and Military School, there were fewer people on the streets.

Sun Fei rode Black Whirlwind slowly toward the Royal Palace. The big black dog was intelligent and walked steadily. Sun Fei frowned as he rode, thinking over everything that had happened that day and trying to piece together some clues, but he felt lost. He could sense a shadow hanging over Shampoo City, but he had no idea where the danger was coming from or why.

As he went along, Sun Fei suddenly felt a jolt.

He sensed a dangerous aura, as if a fierce beast were watching him from the shadows. A chilling energy locked onto him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

“Someone is following me?”

Sun Fei’s mind stirred, but his face remained calm. He gently patted the big black dog beneath him.

The animal was practically supernatural. It instantly understood Sun Fei’s intention. Without making a sound, it quietly changed direction and headed toward a deserted, shabby alley in Shampoo City.

This alley was near the city’s garbage dump. It stank, and cockroaches and rats were everywhere. Sun Fei rode Black Whirlwind about thirty meters into the alley, then jumped off the dog’s back. He patted its head, signaling it to go play somewhere else, and then stood still.

A dozen seconds later.

A flash of orange light appeared in the dimly lit alley. Wherever the light passed, the soil, walls, and stones all seemed to melt, becoming sticky. Then something magical happened—a human-shaped outline made of yellow mud slowly emerged from the wall. The light faded, and the mud outline changed, revealing a tall, strong man standing before Sun Fei.

“You deliberately led me here, didn’t you?”

The big man wore a mocking expression. In the dimly lit alley, his tall figure seemed to cut Sun Fei off from the outside world. He radiated a powerful aura, firmly locking onto Sun Fei, with icy killing intent spreading all around.