Chapter 21: Who Is the Assassin?

As he spoke, the man channeled a surge of energy into the formation disc in his hand, and, to the astonishment of all present, the disc began to dance in midair.

“You all count as cultivators now. I trust you’ll know better than to speak carelessly of what you’ve witnessed here,” the man said to the classmates.

“Tch, let’s see if you’re still talking after you survive this.” Zhu Kai charged forward, unleashing a technique that sent translucent ripples spreading between the two of them. Both fighters staggered back in the aftermath.

Their battle sent the other students fleeing in panic, leaving only Han Dahai’s uncle and Zhu Kai in the classroom. Both men fought with ferocious strength, but for the moment, Han Dahai’s uncle seemed to have the upper hand.

Watching this, Zhang Xiaofan was deeply shaken. For Zhu Kai, as a third-level Taoist, to be able to stand his ground against Han Dahai’s uncle, his strength was truly extraordinary.

Moreover, Han Dahai’s uncle relied on his magical artifacts throughout the fight, and with their power, he managed to maintain his advantage.

“Let me show you my true strength.” Zhu Kai’s gaze turned icy. Suddenly, his spiritual power surged severalfold. Zhang Xiaofan’s pupils contracted—such overwhelming force!

Under the onslaught of this spiritual might, Han Dahai’s uncle’s expression changed dramatically. The formation disc in his hand cracked with a sharp sound, and a string of prayer beads shattered soon after.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Han Dahai’s uncle’s lips, his spirit instantly withering. “You—you… your spiritual power…”

“Die!” Zhu Kai roared, kicking him hard. Han Dahai’s uncle flew across the room and slammed into the wall, his fate uncertain.

Zhu Kai then swept a cold gaze over the crowd, snorted, and said, “I have business to attend to. Tomorrow, you’d best be ready.” With that, he strode out the door, shooting venomous looks at Wang Hu and Zhang Xiaofan, dialing his phone as he went.

“Uncle…” Han Dahai rushed to his uncle’s side, disbelief in his voice. “How… how could my uncle lose to him?”

Coughing, Han Fei managed a bitter smile. “Who would’ve thought I, Han Fei, would lose to a student…”

Alive?

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. Zhu Kai was truly careless—not even bothering to check if Han Fei was dead.

“We need to get him to the hospital now. If Zhu Kai comes back, we’ll be in trouble.” Zhang Xiaofan urged Han Dahai.

Once they had carried Han Fei out, Wang Hu smashed his fist on the table, cursing, “That Zhu Kai is too powerful. Even Han Fei, a fourth-level Taoist, wasn’t his match.”

This defeat cost Wang Hu dearly. His most loyal follower, Zhu Liwen, had been killed. Worse, he had been trounced by Zhu Kai in front of so many classmates, seriously undermining his authority.

“But it’s strange—what urgent business does Zhu Kai have, to leave so abruptly?” Lin Rou whispered as she approached.

“Maybe he’s afraid of all of us ganging up on him,” Su Qianqian suggested.

“Afraid? With strength like his? Hardly.” Lin Rou scoffed.

“No matter how strong he is, he should still fear our numbers,” Su Qianqian retorted.

“Su Qianqian, you’re so dense. With his strength, he has nothing to fear—otherwise, he wouldn’t have come alone in the first place,” Lin Rou countered.

“You’re the dense one.”

“No, you are.”

“Hmph, even if I’m dense, Xiaofan still likes me.” Su Qianqian clung to Zhang Xiaofan’s left arm.

Lin Rou, unwilling to yield, wrapped herself around his right. “Xiaofan liked me first, you just stole him away.”

“No, you did.”

“No, you did, you little harlot!”

“You’re the harlot.”

“You are.”

“You, you, you’re the…”

“You, you, you, you… you’re the…”

“Enough.” Zhang Xiaofan looked helplessly at the two girls. “Can’t you two stop this? Is now really the time for jealousy?”

Wang Hu frowned. “Xiaofan, you need to be more careful. With the class in chaos, we should be thinking about how to deal with Zhu Kai.”

“Wang Hu, what Xiaofan does is none of your concern,” Lin Rou snapped.

“That’s right. Who do you think you are? If it weren’t for Xiaofan, you’d still be running for your life from Zhu Kai,” Su Qianqian chimed in.

Wang Hu hurriedly raised his hands. “Alright, alright, I surrender. Zhang Xiaofan, you really are something.” The implication was clear: to handle both these girls at once, he had to admire him.

Zhang Xiaofan felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Let’s leave the classroom. If Zhu Kai comes back with reinforcements, we’ll be in real trouble.”

“Even if Zhu Kai’s followers don’t believe him yet, once they catch on, we’ll be in danger,” Wang Hu nodded, gathering Chen Jing and the others to leave.

However, they did not leave the campus for now. According to the rules of the killer game, anyone in the red envelope group had to stay on campus during school hours.

By now, it was nearly noon. Wang Hu suggested they go to the cafeteria for lunch—his treat. With a common enemy, relations between Zhang Xiaofan’s group and Wang Hu’s were temporarily cordial, and so they went together.

Wang Hu was generous, leading the group to the second floor and ordering enough dishes to fill three tables—his underlings at two, while he, Zhang Xiaofan, Chen Jing, and the others sat at the third.

Despite the abundance of food, no one had much appetite, each lost in thought.

Lin Rou and Su Qianqian sat on either side of Zhang Xiaofan, their faces clouded with worry.

“Chen Jing, you’ve been with Zhu Kai these past days. Did you notice any weaknesses?” Wang Hu finally broke the silence.

The wounds on Chen Jing’s face and thigh had not yet healed. Remembering Zhu Kai’s treatment of her, she spoke through gritted teeth, “Zhu Kai is a monster. If I could, I’d have him torn to pieces.”

She sighed, her voice drained of strength. “But he’s just too strong. I saw him bend an iron rod as thick as an arm with ease. Someone like that isn’t even human.”

The others at the table gasped.

“An iron rod as thick as an arm… Zhu Kai is really that strong?” Wang Hu said bitterly.

“He is,” Lin Rou agreed, her brows tightly knitted.

“This can’t go on. With Zhu Kai and the killer, our class has two enemies now—we’re all in danger,” Zhang Xiaofan said, sweeping his gaze around the table. Suddenly, he suggested, “I have an idea: what if we let the killer go after Zhu Kai?”

“Yes! Zhang Xiaofan, you’re always full of ideas. No wonder you’re considered second only to Murong Feng,” Wang Hu said, delighted.

“Second only to Murong Feng? He’s clearly smarter than Murong Feng!” Su Qianqian protested.

“Exactly, Wang Hu, are you blind?” Lin Rou snapped.

“Enough, you two,” Zhang Xiaofan said, shaking his head in exasperation. “But my idea has its limitations—we don’t know who the killer is.”

“That’s right. And besides, the killer is against us as well. There’s no way he’d reveal his identity,” Wang Hu said, frowning deeply.

“How can we get the killer and Wang Hu to face off?” Zhang Xiaofan muttered, running a hand through his hair. Suddenly, he noticed a message pop up in the class group chat: “Something’s wrong, another person is dead, another person is dead…”