At this moment, the guards responsible for maintaining public order arrived slowly. They surrounded Zhou Nanfeng, their formation indicating they intended to arrest him. The act of publicly and severely injuring the dean of an academy was a grave offense!
However, Zhou Nanfeng appeared remarkably relaxed. He offered no resistance. In handling this matter, even under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he possessed absolute confidence. For once, playing the good guy felt remarkably refreshing.
"You all may leave."
Just then, a calm voice cut through the air.
Everyone looked to see Fifth River.
He continued, "Take Dean Fang away."
"But..." the captain of the guards stammered.
Fifth River shot him an impatient glance. He disliked others defying his will.
He said coldly, "Where were you when Dean Fang lost control and injured people?"
His words left the captain of the guards speechless. Had they intervened immediately, they could have stopped Fang Dagang from repeatedly injuring others. However, fearing his influence, they had stood by. They had intended to wait for him to calm down before calling a few people to mediate and prevent escalation. They never expected Zhou Nanfeng's sudden appearance to completely derail the situation that was seemingly within their grasp.
The captain of the guards dared not offer any explanation. He obeyed Fifth River's command and had Fang Dagang carried away.
Following this, Fifth River turned his attention to Lin Yuansheng, saying calmly, "Dean Lin."
Lin Yuansheng paused, then turned and hurried to Fifth River's side, bowing respectfully.
"Councillor Fifth, please instruct me," his voice carried a trace of apprehension.
After all, both Lu Fei and Lin Yuansheng were from his Cang Town Beast Taming Academy. Ultimately, as the dean, he could not escape responsibility. He gritted his teeth and prepared to face reality.
However, Fifth River's next words were not the reprimand he anticipated but rather a piece of advice.
"Ping Town Beast Taming Academy will certainly not let this matter rest. Your two academies will inevitably face a lawsuit."
Lin Yuansheng was overjoyed and quickly nodded, "I will handle this matter appropriately. Please rest assured, I will not cause you any trouble!"
Fifth River offered no immediate reaction. Instead, he spoke to himself, "If I need to intervene and mediate, you can come to me then."
The place where they were speaking was some distance from the crowd, so no one else overheard their conversation.
With that, he turned to leave. Before departing, Fifth River glanced once more in Lu Fei's direction. Their eyes met.
Lu Fei's expression was complex, his mind filled with questions. In the dense forest, Fifth River had shown an uncharacteristic enthusiasm and friendliness towards him because Lu Fei had saved his life. Yet, now his attitude seemed somewhat distant. Had Fifth River intervened earlier, Zhou Nanfeng wouldn't have had the opportunity to lose control like this.
But Lu Fei soon came to his senses. Fifth River was an important figure, and not everyone was like Chu Huainan, repaying a single act of kindness with immense gratitude. Such important figures, as long as they weren't enemies, were fine. As for how much help they could offer, Lu Fei didn't expect much.
As Chu Huainan departed, others began to leave as well.
This training expedition was Zhou Shuyi's first time completing a mission in cooperation with others. Although the journey had been fraught with peril, overall, she found herself very happy. This feeling was entirely different from her usual life as a pampered young lady.
"I'm leaving now. Come visit my home if you have the chance!" Zhou Shuyi extended an invitation.
Everyone smiled and nodded. Through this journey, they had gained a new appreciation for this young lady. Her willingness to go to bat for her companions had already won their favor.
Finally, Zhou Shuyi's gaze settled on Lu Fei. She fidgeted shyly but remained silent. In the end, she simply reached out and took Lu Fei's hand, which was dangling by his side, and shook it.
Zhou Nanfeng watched this scene, his eyes revealing undisguised relief. He felt his daughter was finally opening up and would help share his burdens. With her getting along well with Lu Fei, he no longer had to worry that the Zhou family would fall into ruin under his stewardship.
Then, Zhou Shuyi left with her father and brother.
Watching their retreating backs, Lu Fei was filled with mixed emotions. He silently felt fortunate that Zhou Nanfeng hadn't fought him as fiercely as he had today. Otherwise, even with a thousand words, he wouldn't have had a chance to speak.
But then again, many of the events that had transpired since he arrived here were indeed quite interesting. Someone as formidable as Zhou Nanfeng had bowed to Chu Huainan's authority, even sending his treasured daughter to him to smooth things over.
This was a good thing for him. As long as Zhou Nanfeng didn't make any more rash moves, Lu Fei didn't need to divert his attention to deal with him. In this world, he was alone and didn't have the energy to spare.
However, this did not mean Lu Fei had no bottom line. Just like his encounter with Fang Dagang, he knew this was only the beginning, and a multitude of troubles were bound to follow.
But in his heart, Lu Fei had already resolved that the Fang family must pay a heavy price, and if necessary, he would summon Chu Huainan to assist him!
As Zhou Nanfeng stepped forward with his daughter, Zhou Shuyi said happily, "Dad, do you know our team came in first place in this training expedition?"
Saying this, Zhou Shuyi held up one finger and tilted her chin to hint at Zhou Nanfeng.
Zhou Nanfeng's expression was calm, and he then comforted her, "Coming in last place is normal. You're all so young, and the others are around your brother's age."
"Dad... that's not it..." Zhou Tao's voice was firm.
Zhou Nanfeng frowned slightly, "What?"
"My sister's team came in first place in this training expedition..."
Zhou Nanfeng stood frozen.
On the other side, Huang Huang and Si Si had intended to accompany Lu Fei to the hospital. However, Lu Fei stated his injuries were not severe, and they returned first. Tang Ao, living relatively close to them, left together.
Only Ke Xin remained with Lu Fei.
"Lu Fei, should we go too?"
Lu Fei nodded. Ke Xin was still worried about him and supported him as they walked.
"Perhaps I should walk alone? It's not good with so many people watching..." Lu Fei said sheepishly.
"No!" Ke Xin said resolutely.
"Lu Fei, do we really not need to go to the hospital?"
"No need." He knew his own physical condition. Although spitting up blood looked rather pathetic, it wasn't an internal injury. He planned to have Leng Tou She cast a spell on him when he returned to see if it worked. If it did, it would open up another avenue for making money.
After a moment of silence, Lu Fei said, "Class monitor, don't call me Lu Fei anymore. Given our relationship after these few trips, calling me Lu Fei makes us seem so distant!"
"Ah?" Ke Xin exclaimed in surprise, her pretty face flushing slightly.
"Then what should I call you?"
She nervously and eagerly rubbed her small hands.