Chapter 87: Authority

“So what if he might be your student? All students in this academy are subjected to the academy rules!” Lu De’s eyelids twitched continually at Bai Susu’s dainty gestures. He felt a strong urge to dig a hole and bury Bai Susu in it. “Zu An has flouted the academy rules by partaking in gambling and publicly talking back to a teacher in the academy compound. Either offence would be more than enough to have him expelled from the academy.”

To be frank, Zu An wasn’t too worried. After all, he had huge backing in the academy now. However, since Bai Susu had stepped in to help him, he was more than willing to take a back seat and enjoy the show.

Bai Susu shook his head. “Big brother Lu, it looks like you have some misunderstanding here. Zu An did gamble in the Silverhook Casino, but that was outside the academy. As far as I know, the academy rules only apply within the boundaries of the academy itself. As for talking back to a teacher, I’ve already heard about the ins and outs of the matter. It was Yang Wei who proposed the bet, and Zu An was pressured into accepting it. 

“If you’re going to punish him over this, wouldn’t others think that our academy is blatantly siding with a teacher who picked on a student despite him having lost a bet? That would truly be a huge scandal. Word would spread beyond Brightmoon City to the entire country. By then, the world will think of us, teachers of Brightmoon Academy, as cowards who can’t take a loss.”

The intimate way in which Bai Susu addressed him made Lu De shudder in disgust. 

To be fair, Bai Susu’s point did make some sense. However, the fact that it was his old nemesis who raised this point was more than enough reason for Lu De to disregard it. After all, Bai Susu had no particular ties to Zu An either, and was intervening in this matter just to annoy Lu De.

This made Lu De even more obstinate. “Hmph, I am the discipline master of the academy. I have the final say as to how students should be dealt with. Teacher Bai, your interference is not needed here!”

Bai Susu placed his arms on his hips in displeasure as he berated Lu De, “Hey, are you going to blatantly ignore all reason? This is an abuse of power! I’ll report you for that!”

Lu De burst into laughter. “Go ahead then. Even if you report this matter up to the capital, this matter is still under my purview. If you have any disagreements with my judgment, why don’t we settle it with a fight then?”

“Hmph, let’s do it then! I’m not afraid of you!” Bai Susu scoffed. 

He took out a plum blossom flower from his robe, and a powerful aura burst out from him. The sudden wave of force forced the students surrounding him to retreat hurriedly.

Watching the other students struggling under Bai Susu’s sudden show of force, Zu An was intrigued as to why nothing was happening to him. His eyes fell on Shang Liuyu, who was standing casually in front of him. His forehead creased in thought.

Seeing Bai Susu take out his plum blossom flower, Lu De’s expression turned grave. He raised his ruler up high, ready to strike his enemy down. 

While the students from the Black class and Yellow class looked flustered, those from the Sky class and Earth class looked upon the brewing battle with anticipation in their eyes. These two individuals were true sixth rank experts, and they were likely the strongest cultivators in the academy other than the principal.

A battle between sixth rank experts was exceedingly uncommon; many people went through their entire lives without having an opportunity to see this grand spectacle. Naturally, none of the students were going to miss this precious opportunity to see them in action.

Yuan Wendong stared unblinkingly at the two teachers as he waited for the battle to commence. He was hoping to draw inspiration from their battle to aid in his next breakthrough. Even though he was only one rank behind them, he knew that many individuals were unable to take the final step to progress beyond the fifth rank in their entire lives.

Only Pei Mianman yawned in boredom, throwing a disinterested glance in Zu An’s direction. She noticed that he was staring at Shang Liuyu’s beautiful side profile, and her lips curled into a smile. What a pervert he is.

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Bai Susu’s face was a grim mask, and Lu De looked as if he was glaring at a mortal enemy. They assessed each other with intense focus, searching for openings to strike.

“You have been staring at each other for a long time now. Are you two going to fight or what?”

A languid voice broke through the tight and nervous atmosphere. It was none other than Zu An, hands over his head, stretching his back out lazily.

You have successfully trolled Bai Susu for 666 Rage points!

You have successfully trolled Lu De for 666 Rage points!

The gathered crowd was stunned. He actually dares to offend Lu De and Bai Susu at once. What a brave man he is!

Zu An was unable to help himself. What can I do? A man has to earn his keep. My calling as a keyboard warrior requires me to stick my head out.

Bai Susu and Lu De exchanged glances, and the two enemies shared a rare moment of telepathic connection. Let’s call a truce and get rid of this shameless fellow first, all right?

Before they could make a move, a cold, authoritative voice rang out. “What are you all doing?”

Bai Susu and Lu De widened their eyes in shock, and hurriedly kept away their weapons. They bowed respectfully to the person striding toward them. “Paying respects to the principal.”

“Paying respects to the principal!”

“Paying respects to the principal!”

… 

The other teachers and students hurriedly followed their lead. 

Zu An was surprised at this sight. It never crossed his mind that this gorgeous principal would actually command such authority in this world. 

A beautiful figure slowly walked toward them. Her skin was as fair as snow. Her long, slender neck gave her a noble and graceful air, and her hair was pinned gracefully in place. Her captivating appearance was more than enough to put anyone who saw her under her spell. However, her sharp, piercing eyes gave her an air of imposing authority.

Her slender legs, wrapped in skin-tight, nude-colored stockings, peeked through her fluttering skirt, rounding off her considerable physical charm.

Zu An secretly wondered if all these people were intentionally bowing down in order to sneak a peek at her legs. At the very least, he could be certain that one of them was.

Wei Suo was staring intently at Jiang Luofu’s eyes, his gaze full of unrestrained passion. He swallowed as if he couldn’t believe his eyes, and excitement was splattered all over his face.

That idiot!

Zu An clicked his tongue in disdain. His gaze went subconsciously towards Shang Liuyu, and he noticed that she was wearing a long skirt that left only her heels uncovered. His mind drifted to the time they spent in the gazebo, and how her casual way of sitting had revealed her smooth thighs. In his humble opinion, Shang Liuyu’s legs were more than a match for Jiang Luofu’s.

“What are you looking at?” Shang Liuyu asked curiously.

Zu An replied with a smile, “You should consider wearing a shorter skirt. It’s such a pity to conceal the beautiful legs you have.”

Shang Liuyu’s mouth fell open, and a tinge of redness suffused her cheeks. “If not for our previous meeting in the gazebo, you would never get away with making such remarks. A student should act like a student; don’t go around casually teasing your teachers.”

“Does that mean that I can do so as long as I’m serious about it?” asked Zu An.

Shang Liuyu’s expression turned bizarre. “Your personality sure is… It’s no wonder why so many people have a beef with you even though it has only been days since you enrolled in the academy.”

“They’re just jealous of how handsome and attractive I am. Have you noticed that there hasn’t been a single woman in the academy who has been out to get me yet?” Zu An pointed out with a shrug. 

His statement surprised Shang Liuyu. That’s true. Those who have been trying to get even with him are all men. On the other hand, it’s always a woman who stands up for him in his times of crisis. Even Bai Susu, who can somewhat be considered a woman, is siding with him.

Their secret whispers were picked up by Jiang Luofu. She snorted under her breath. So much for not knowing Shang Liuyu. Look at just how chummy the two of them are!

She was familiar with Shang Liuyu’s character. She had a carefree and gentle personality that made her seem easy to get along with. However, she always made sure to maintain some distance between herself and others. Beneath her warm and inviting appearance lay a cold and reticent heart. She had never chatted so intimately with anyone else before.

After a brief look, Jiang Luofu cleared her throat and glared at Lu De and Bai Susu. “What are the two of you doing? Despite being teachers, the two of you intend to fight in the academy compound before the eyes of so many students?”

Bai Susu covered his mouth with a slim hand and giggled. “Big sister Jiang, you misunderstand. This fellow was picking on one of our students constantly for no reason. If you don’t believe my words, you can ask anyone else here.”

Lu De nearly exploded at Bai Susu’s bare-faced accusation. However, he knew better than to act up in the presence of Jiang Luofu. He quickly strung together his argument. “Principal, Zu An has no respect for his elders, and he goes around gambling with others. He’s poisoning the conducive learning environment of our academy by propagating bad habits. I decided to have him expelled from the academy on these grounds. However, this fellow simply had to stand in my way!”

Jiang Luofu heaved a helpless sigh. These two would never stop trying to pin the blame on the other. She waved them into silence. “Enough! The two of you can cut it out. I am well aware of the situation. Since it was Teacher Yang who proposed the bet, he should face the consequences for it, lest our academy becomes a laughingstock to the rest of the world.”

… 

Yang Wei returned to the classroom just in time to hear Jiang Luofu pronounce her verdict, and sank into despair. 

He had dashed out earlier because of the overwhelming humiliation he had suffered, but managed to regain his composure after a while. He reminded himself that he was an official formally appointed by the royal court. His reputation in Brightmoon City, the connections he possessed, and the power he wielded in society all far surpassed that of Zu An. As such, there was no need to worry over what had just transpired. It wasn’t worth it to run away and lose his job over this.

So, he had bucked up his courage and marched back to the classroom. He had resolved himself to stick around as a teacher even if this incident left a permanent mark on his career and his reputation at the academy. While the humiliation might mean that he would walk around the academy with his head bowed, he would bear it stoically.

He had not expected his return to be greeted by Jiang Luofu’s merciless verdict.

It had taken a considerable amount of courage for him to return, and he was not about to go meekly, without a fight. Bracing himself, he stepped forward and said, “My position as a teacher is formally appointed by the royal court, as evidenced by the records in the Ministry of Rites. Even if you’re the principal, you don’t have the power to terminate my appointment like this!”

Loud boos echoed all around. No one had expected Yang Wei to be so shameless as to return after everything that had happened.

“Despite being an arithmetic teacher, you were outdone by a student in your field of expertise. Our academy does not need a teacher as inept as you. I will personally write a report to the Ministry of Rites to have your position as a teacher formally revoked,” said Jiang Luofu coldly.

There was no way someone with her wits could be fooled. She knew that Yang Wei was intentionally picking on Zu An. Since she couldn’t be bothered to work out who the mastermind was, she had decided to simply kick him out and end things there.

Had Zu An been an ordinary student, she would still have weighed the pros and cons before coming to a decision. But he wasn’t. As the all-important principal of Brightmoon Academy, she could shrug off his identity as the drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan. However, the same couldn’t be said about his transcendent class aptitude and all the mysterious events occurring around him.

She couldn’t allow someone with limitless potential to be stifled in her academy. Compared to what he could become in the future, a mere third rank official was nothing at all.

Yang Wei was utterly appalled. There was no way he could bring himself to linger after that. He turned tail and fled in a fluster, unwilling to stay even a second more. Just thinking about the gleeful smirk that would be on Zu An’s hateful face made him want to rip that wastrel’s mouth off.

You have successfully trolled Yang Wei for 999 Rage points!

The notification left Zu An speechless. Wait a moment, it was the principal who stripped you of your position, so why are you blaming me for that? Wow, you really are a loser who picks on the weak.

Yang Wei’s mind was consumed with rage. It’s all that bitch’s fault for sending me here. It should have been an easy affair, yet I ended up suffering such a grievous humiliation. That bitch better have an explanation for me, or else I swear that I’ll make her suffer for this!

Lu De frowned at Yang Wei’s receding figure. It truly was an unsightly affair. Shaking his head, he turned to Jiang Luofu. “Principal, I do agree that Yang Wei had it coming. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Zu An talked back to his teacher and gambled on academy grounds. Shouldn’t he be punished for his deeds?”

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