Chapter 1: Expulsion
Chapter 1: Expulsion
May 20, 2020, Great Qin Calendar.
Sunny.
Capital City of Qin State.
First Hospital.
Inside a spacious ward.
A young man covered in blood.
An old man lying unconscious on the bed.
And a room full of high-ranking figures from Zongwu Academy.
All eyes were fixed on the face of the old man on the bed.
A thin, white-haired old man sat solemnly by the bed, circulating techniques, trying his hardest to save the unconscious old man.
“The life force is exhausted. There is no saving him.”
Hearing that, the young man covered in blood showed a look of extreme sorrow in his eyes. He pressed his lips tight and couldn’t say a word.
The thin old man turned back and looked at the young man, sighing softly. “Ling Yi, you must hold up.”
Like a thunderbolt on a clear day struck his ears, Ling Yi felt hollow inside. His energy and spirit seemed completely drained.
A wave of deep sighs came from the room instantly.
This decorated old man, the iron-fisted Principal, ultimately didn’t make it.
…
The memorial service was attended by a lot of people.
A large black-and-white photo of the former Principal of Zongwu, Shen Xiaowu, with a smile hung in the center. The mourning hall was solemn and dignified.
Each person appearing there wore a heavy expression.
Ling Yi, wearing the mourning clothes, stood lifelessly by the doorway, mechanically returning the salute to each person who entered.
People who came to offer condolences would nod to him, greet him, and tell him to hold up. Some even patted him lightly on the shoulder.
Nearly all of them were close friends of the Old Principal before he died.
There were high-ranking military officers and leaders of Zongwu.
Standing beside Ling Yi were two young women who cried so much that they looked like they were made of tears. Holding hands to support each other, they were overwhelmed with grief.
One was his sister Ling Yun, and the other was Su Qingqing. Like Ling Yi, they were children adopted by the Old Principal.
Wreaths filled the entire mourning hall.
To commemorate this decorated Old Principal who had made great contributions to Qin State.
It was indeed a state funeral with utmost honor!
The Qin State’s Divine Physician who had treated the Old Principal earlier, Old Man Chen Feng, dressed in black clothes, with his head full of white hair, came to Ling Yi’s side. He sighed and said, “Ling Yi, everyone must die someday. Don’t be too sad. Your Adoptive Father and I were close friends for many years. I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see you fall into despair. Your injuries are also very severe and need timely treatment. When this is over, come to me. I will try to help you adjust…”
The old man stopped here, seemed hesitant to continue, and finally shook his head and sighed softly.
Ling Yi nodded gently. “Uncle Chen, thank you.”
Chen Feng looked at him with eyes full of pity, then walked away, not wanting to disturb this heartbroken young man too much.
A square-faced middle-aged man who had been in the ward then came to his side and asked quietly, “Old Divine Physician, what’s wrong with Ling Yi?”
“Vice-Principal Zhao…” seeing who it was, Old Divine Physician Chen Feng replied without thinking. “Ling Yi’s injuries are very serious. His meridians are congested and his acupoints are sealed. Plus, Old Shen’s death… Under such great sorrow, I’m afraid… he has no chance.”
“So serious?” The middle-aged man was slightly stunned.
Old Divine Physician Chen Feng nodded, sighing again. “Yes. I was too focused on Old Shen before and didn’t notice the child’s injuries were this severe. Ah, what a fine genius, to end up like this.”
He sighed heavily again and said earnestly to the middle-aged man, “Tianping, Ling Yi is Old Shen’s adopted son and also his most valued disciple. You are the First Vice-Principal of Zongwu. You will likely take over. This child is quite pitiful. Please take more care of him in the future.”
“Do not worry, I should do so,” Zhao Tianping assured seriously. After Chen Feng left, he frowned slightly, glanced towards Ling Yi, and muttered to himself, “Ruined…”
Ling Yi couldn’t clearly remember how the funeral ended or how he came back from the cemetery.
He only felt dazed, his feet like stepping on cotton. He silently walked through the bustling square of Zongwu Academy, ignoring the sympathetic, complicated, or strange looks from the younger students there, and went home alone.
Su Qingqing was worried that Ling Yun would grieve more by seeing familiar things, so she took her to her own dorm.
Now only Ling Yi was left at home.
The once warm and familiar home now felt cold and strange.
Looking at all the familiar things, Ling Yi still couldn’t accept the fact that his Adoptive Father was gone.
If it wasn’t for trying to bring him back, even if ambushed, his Adoptive Father could have escaped.
Intense self-blame was like a sharp knife, constantly stabbing his heart.
It was very painful!
Three days ago, everything was still normal!
His Adoptive Father, who took him to Black Mountain for his graduation mission, was still roasting Demon Beast meat, chatting and laughing with him. They drank together as Ling Yi spoke enthusiastically about his plans for the future.
He didn’t like fighting. He preferred a peaceful life and thought teaching at the school was quite nice.
His Adoptive Father, whom outsiders saw as stern and serious, smiled and told him to live the life he liked. He even said Ling Yi should marry a wife soon. He mentioned there was a girl in Ling Yi’s class who was very nice and he should pursue her. Then, he could have a grandson early for him to take care of after retirement.
Those warm scenes were still vivid in his mind.
Now Ling Yi stood alone in the empty house, while his Adoptive Father… lay in the even colder cemetery.
Separated by life and death, never to be seen again.
A meteor suddenly falling from the sky, an unexpected ambush, a desperate escape… The course of his destiny had been completely changed.
The room was tidy. He was usually the one cleaning it.
Ling Yi was a rather lazy person, but he was always serious about cleanliness, even a bit obsessive.
Actually, he was a bit of a clean freak.
Everyone close to him knew that.
Having not returned for some time, the room was a bit dusty. He picked up the cleaning tools and started to tidy up.
Besides that, Ling Yi didn’t know what else he could do.
The house was big, a single-family villa. With the Old Principal’s status, he could have lived in a bigger and better house, but the old man didn’t care, and Ling Yi cared even less.
For him, having a place to live was good enough. He didn’t have such high requirements.
The house was so big that it would definitely take an hour or two to clean it all.
Just as he was halfway through cleaning, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Ling Yi frowned slightly. At a time like this, no one should be coming to disturb him.
He ignored it, but the doorbell kept ringing stubbornly, as if sure someone was inside, irritating Ling Yi.
He went downstairs to the door and opened it. He saw a familiar face and, behind that familiar face, several somewhat familiar faces.
Ling Yi looked at them, surprised.
The seven or eight people standing outside were quite familiar to him. They were from the Discipline Inspection Department of Zongwu Academy.
If it were a visit from the Academy, it should be from the union. What did the Discipline Inspection Department people mean by coming here?
The leader was a man in his thirties with an indifferent expression.
The kind and even somewhat flattering smile he used to have when seeing Ling Yi was gone.
The young man looked serious, as if he didn’t know him at all, and asked Ling Yi, “Ling Yi, on behalf of the academy, I hereby announce the disciplinary decision regarding you.”
Others who usually called him “Brother Xiao Yi” all looked serious now, their bodies radiating coldness.
Ling Yi stood there in shock and instinctively asked, “Disciplinary action? What disciplinary action?”
The young man didn’t answer. Instead, he said with a solemn face, “Due to causing significant property damage to the academy, after discussion and decision by the Zongwu Academy committee, you, Ling Yi, are hereby expelled. This decision takes effect immediately from the moment it is communicated to you.”
With that, the young man looked at Ling Yi and slowly said—
“Ling Yi, considering you are the Old Principal’s adopted son, the academy leadership has decided not to make your punishment public.”
“But this house is academy property and must be reclaimed. Apart from your personal belongings, you cannot take anything from here that does not belong to you.”
“You have two hours to pack your personal items and leave the academy.”
The young man paused and looked at Ling Yi as he continued, “We will supervise the entire process.”
Ling Yi frowned. “Is this the academy leadership’s decision?”
The young man nodded and said plainly, “At the same time, because you caused significant property damage to the academy, the academy has applied to freeze your personal account.”
“From now on, all funds entering your personal account will be directly transferred to the official account of Zongwu Academy.”
“This will continue until you repay the debt of three hundred million.”
The young man looked at Ling Yi, who stood there stunned. “Don’t just stand there. You only have two hours.”
Ling Yi stared at the young man. “Why?”
“Why what?” the young man replied, looking back at Ling Yi. “I’m just the messenger. Don’t take your anger out on me. This is the leadership’s decision; it has nothing to do with me. If you have questions, go ask the leadership, not me.”
“Which leader? What did I do? How did I cause significant property damage to the academy? Three hundred million? Are you joking? Explain clearly!”
Ling Yi laughed bitterly in anger.
Even if they wanted to falsely accuse him, there had to be some excuse, right?
Yet they were directly throwing dirt on him!
And they came up with an astronomical number like three hundred million… Was this a joke?
“Don’t keep pressing me. I told you I’m just the messenger!” the young man insisted, looking at Ling Yi with some impatience. “If you’re not satisfied, go ask the leadership yourself!”
“Which leader?” Ling Yi forced down the anger in his heart.
“How should I know?” The young man rolled his eyes and urged, “Hurry up. We have to go drink to wash away the bad luck once we’re done here… Do you think I wanted to come?”
Ling Yi took a deep breath, looked at the young man, and nodded. “Fine, just wait.”
As he spoke, he took out his phone, preparing to ask what was really going on.
Even though his Adoptive Father had warned him, he still wanted to ask why.
“Just hurry and pack. What are you calling for?”
One of the people behind the young man stepped forward and reached out to push Ling Yi’s shoulder.
Ling Yi immediately kicked out!
But that young man seemed prepared, and his pushing palm instantly changed direction, striking at Ling Yi’s shoe.
The palm wind howled, incredibly forceful. A Second Stage Acupoint Activation martial artist contained terrifying strength in every strike.
Bang!
Ling Yi’s kick met the person’s incoming palm, and he staggered back two steps. His already pale face turned even whiter.
With his Acupoints sealed, he couldn’t unleash his full power. That palm strike made his internal organs churn.
The others also stepped forward, and Ling Yi retreated to the villa entrance, panting slightly.
The person who had forced Ling Yi back with a single palm looked disdainful and snorted. “You’re already crippled, yet you still think you’re that Second Order expert from before?”
Ling Yi glanced at him. Had news of his injury spread that quickly?
The leading young man looked at his companions, who seemed eager to act, and snorted. “Enough. Don’t bully a cripple, or people might say we’re heartless.”
He then looked at Ling Yi. “Since we’ve known each other, I’ll give you one last bit of dignity and not come in. Remember, we’ll be back in two hours to seal the place!”
Ling Yi said nothing more, only silently watched as the group left.
Once their figures disappeared from sight, he finally couldn’t hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood. The bright red blood sprayed onto the clean steps.
The scattered crimson spots were vivid and stark.
Ling Yi took a packet of tissues from his pocket, squatted down, and slowly, painstakingly cleaned the bloodstains.
More than ten minutes later.
Sweating profusely and pale-faced, Ling Yi finally cleaned away the bloodstains. His body could barely hold itself up, and disregarding the dirt, he sat down on the steps, breathing heavily.
Looking at the faint blood traces still left on the steps before him, sadness welled up in his heart, and endless sorrow flooded his thoughts.
This was his home, the home he had lived in for over a decade!
But without his Adoptive Father, it was just a house.
If they wanted to take it back, so be it; he didn’t care.
But why would the academy expel him?
And using such a destructive, slanderous method.
Three hundred million… He probably could never repay that in his lifetime. They really thought highly of him!
The reason for the expulsion sounded absurd, even like a joke with no bottom line!
Yet it had become a reality!
And just moments ago, his phone received a message that his personal account had been frozen.
With only a few days left before graduation, expelling him at this time…
And freezing his personal account with lightning speed…
The money in his account wasn’t a huge sum, but it was over a million.
It was what he had painstakingly saved over the years, and now it no longer belonged to him.
His account might even be empty now.
Transferred away!
What kind of grudge or hatred was this?
Had the favor cooled off to the extreme?
Did they want to completely destroy him?
Endless grievances, anger, fervor, and impulsiveness surged in his heart, constantly affecting his emotions—
Even if he couldn’t change things, at the very least, he wanted to understand why!
But then he remembered what his Adoptive Father said on the road when they escaped from Black Mountain—
“Child, I’m definitely not going to make it this time. The injuries are too severe. Don’t try to comfort me; I know it in my heart.”
“In my life, I don’t have much savings. Besides the old house in Spring City, there’s nothing else I can leave you.”
“My greatest treasure is adopting you kids and raising you to adulthood.”
“Qingqing is in the Military Headquarters, so I don’t worry about her. You’ll graduate soon, and only Xiaoyun is still young. You and Qingqing must protect her.”
“I’m straightforward by nature, and over the years, I’ve made many enemies. Because I once served in the Military, entering Zongwu was seen by many as an invasion of the academy by the Military…”
“While I was alive, they didn’t dare to act up. Once I’m gone, many will undoubtedly jump out to stir up trouble right away.”
“Many people will be affected. I’m not worried about the others, only you—you’re too young… You still lack experience.”
“Remember this: be wary of Zhao Tianping. That man is narrow-minded and was suppressed by me for many years. He probably won’t let you off easily. After you return, no matter what happens, remember not to confront him directly.”
“In terms of status, realm, or life experience, you are far behind him.”
“If someone gives you trouble or throws dirt on you, push all the responsibility onto me. Don’t worry about what others might say about you because of it. Remember, I’m telling you to do this!”
“Most importantly, Ling Yi, remember… the secret you carry must not be known to anyone!”
“Not even Xiaoyun and Qingqing! True top-tier masters can perform soul-searching!”
“Remember to tell Xiaoyun and Qingqing that everyone must die someday, so they shouldn’t grieve for me. It’s just a pity I won’t be able to see them in wedding gowns…”
“There is a Formation Array I set up in the old house. You know how to use it. If there’s danger, take Xiaoyun back to Spring City.”
“Ling Yi, in the future, focus on cultivation, keep a low profile, learn to endure, and know how to bide your time!”
“Don’t show off with words, don’t act recklessly in the heat of the moment. And don’t try to avenge me.”
“Live according to your original plan. As long as the three of you live healthy and safe lives, I can rest in peace under the Nine Springs.”
On the escape journey, knowing his time was short, his Adoptive Father rarely talked about many things he had never mentioned before.
The last thing he said left a particularly deep impression on Ling Yi.
He said—
“I know you seem lazy, but deep down, you’re full of stubbornness and passion. You need to understand: when you want to ask why about something, you already know the answer in your heart. So, don’t let unwillingness drive you to act impulsively. Just remember it silently.”
Ling Yi did listen and remembered it all.
But he never expected them to go this far.
Before, deep down, he still held a sliver of hope, thinking that if he just behaved obediently, nothing would happen.
Now it seemed laughable. He was still too naive.
Those people… simply didn’t care that the Old Principal’s remains were barely cold!
They didn’t care about the impact it might cause.
They just wanted to trample on the Old Principal’s dignity!
They wanted to make a show of it!
Without any restraint!
Their methods were ruthless and brutal, leaving no room at all!
They were eager to completely destroy him!