Jun Wu Xie’s hand froze in mid air and she turned her head to look at Ye Sha, her cold gaze tinged with inquiry.
“Fan Qi is dead?”
Ye Sha nodded.
“Who did it?” Jun Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed as she asked. She had not met Fan Qi that many times and did not consider herself to be close to him. But Fan Qi was Fan Jin father and Fan Zhuo’s foster parent. Fan Zhuo was indebted to Fan Qi for saving his life and for bringing him up.
If not for Fan Qi, Fan Zhuo would not be alive today.
Jun Wu Xie did not know Fan Qi too well and only knew that he was just as forthright and as righteous as Fan Jin. He was amicable and impartial, and although not really considered a hero, but he was nevertheless a great man and a good Headmaster.
But…..
How did such a man die so suddenly?
“Furthermore, in regards to the matter, all the disciples of the Zephyr Academy knew nothing else about it, but just that the Headmaster had died.” Ye Sha reported everything he had heard faithfully.
“It’s Ning Rui.” Jun Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed to a slit.
Ye Sha said: “Ning Rui’s power is still a notch below Fan Qi’s. If based on skills alone, he does not have what it takes to kill Fan Qi.”
Jun Wu Xie replied with her brow furrowed up: “A prerequisite condition must first be fulfilled for your assumption to be valid.”
“I implore my Young Miss to enlighten me.”
Jun Wu Xie’s eyes lowered and she said chillingly: “Only if Fan Qi has his guard up against Ning Rui, would your assumption be possible.”
Volume 7
Chapter 686: “Startling Change at Zephyr (2)”
Fan Qi and Ning Rui had shared many meals at the same table for years and years. Ning Xin had just passed on and although it was exposed that Ning Xin had plotted to kill Fan Jin just before her death, Ning Rui had at that moment cleverly chosen to sacrifice her daughter as a pawn to protect himself. Under those circumstances, Fan Qi would only feel endless guilt and not put up his guard against Ning Rui.
And Jun Wu Xie had not expected that so soon after they left the Zephyr Academy, Fan Qi would die so suddenly.
The matter would most definitely not be a fact the Fan Brothers would be able to accept easily.
Jun Wu Xie lowered her head to consider the situation a moment before she said: “Don’t tell Fan Zhuo about this for the time being.”
“Yes, Young Miss.” Ye Sha said.
By the time Fan Zhuo returned, Ye Sha had already left. The waiter served a table full of dishes and Fan Zhuo smilingly invited Jun Wu Xie to sit down to eat.
Nothing could be seen from Jun Wu Xie’s calm demeanor and after just taking two mouthfuls, she suddenly put down her chopsticks.
“I will be making a trip back to the Zephyr Academy.”
Fan Zhuo cast a glance at Lord Meh Meh on the bed and asked with uncertainty: “Will Lord Meh Meh’s condition be strong enough to make the trip?”
Jun Wu Xie shook her head. “I have something back at the bamboo grove that can help Lord Meh Meh with its condition. Lord Meh Meh cannot be moved at the moment and so, I will need you to remain behind to help me look after it.”
“Me?” Fan Zhuo was shocked.
“Why don’t you tell me what it is and I’ll go back and get it for you. If you are gone and anything happens to Lord Meh Meh, I’m afraid that I will not be able to handle it.”
“I will need to concoct some medicine back there and you wouldn’t be able to do it for me anyway. Rest assured, I have stabilised Lord Meh Meh’s condition and I will also leave behind some medicine. You will only need to let Lord Meh Meh soak in the bath three times a day and that will be all you need to do.” Jun Wu Xie paused a moment before she continued: “But remember one thing. I will need you to keep an eye on Lord Meh Meh throughout the day during this period and if anything unexpected crops up, immediately send someone to inform me back at the Zephyr Academy. You can just get the waiter to send the food up here into the room everyday.”
Fan Zhuo nodded, and did not put up any further protest.
“Alright, we’ll do it as what you say.”
Jun Wu Xie continued with the meal, restraining her eyes from showing any expression.
She did not intend to let Fan Zhuo know of Fan Qi’s death at the moment. Fan Zhuo might be highly intelligent but Fan Qi was someone that Fan Zhuo held close to his heart and meant a lot to him. Fan Zhuo had even selflessly put his own life at risk in order to protect the Fan Family’s father and son before and it was a given now he would undoubtedly rush back to the Zephyr Academy if he were to know of Fan Qi’s demise.
The actual situation in the Zephyr Academy was currently still unclear and with Fan Qi’s death, Ning Rui as the Vice Headmaster of the Zephyr Academy would hold the immediate next highest position. If Fan Zhuo were to return at this moment, Ning Rui would undoubtedly plot to harm him. Fan Zhuo, in a situation where he would be expected to be in rage and rash in his actions, Jun Wu Xie wasn’t sure if he would be able to react accordingly.
Instead of that, she decided to first go back to the Zephyr Academy to find out more about the situation.
Jun Wu Xie had not told Fan Zhuo the entire truth about Lord Meh Meh’s condition as well. Actually, Lord Meh Meh would only need to rest another two days and it would be able to safely travel on the road. But Jun Wu Xie had needed an excuse that she could use to make Fan Zhuo remain in Chan Lin Town and Lord Meh Meh’s injuries had been the most convenient and believable excuse.
Not allowing him to leave the room and to watch over Lord Meh Meh throughout the day had been to prevent Fan Zhuo from hearing about Fan Qi’s death from other people.
Sitting opposite Jun Wu Xie, Fan Zhuo continued to eat, never at that moment would he come to think, at that very moment, his foster father was no longer living in this world.
Three days later, Jun Wu Xie bid farewell to Fan Zhuo and Lord Meh Meh, as she climbed into the horse carriage that would take her back to the Zephyr Academy.
“Ning Rui, I would really like to see just what kind of furore you have wrought upon the Zephyr Academy.” Jun Wu Xie said as her eyes narrowed to a dangerous slit.
Volume 7
Chapter 687: “Startling Change at Zephyr (3)”
The Zephyr Academy was as quiet as usual and everything looked like nothing had ever happened.
Within the compounds, idle disciples could be seen all over the place. They were gathered in groups of threes and fives and were laughing and giggling among themselves as they passed.
When Jun Wu Xie walked into the academy, she did not attract the attention of others. She passed through the main thoroughfare and went towards the bamboo grove at the side.
Just as she was about to enter, a loud exclamation suddenly sounded, coming from a youth behind.
“Jun Xie? Are you Jun Xie?”
Jun Wu Xie turned her head and saw that it was a youth wearing the jade emblem on his chest that showed he was from the Spirit Healer faculty as Jun Wu Xie started expressionlessly at him.
The youth suddenly seemed to become conscious of his own overly excited self and he then smiled sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, I must have startled you. I am a disciple in the Spirit Healer faculty and having not seen you for such a long while, I was just too surprised to suddenly see you appear here.”
“What is it?” Jun Wu Xie asked softly.
The youth scratched at his head awkwardly and said: “Nothing really, but are you intending to go to the dwelling in the bamboo grove?”
Jun Wu Xie nodded.
“About that…… the dwelling had not been occupied for a while and nobody has come to clean up the place for many days. Wouldn’t you rather stay in the dormitories instead?” The youth said stiffly. He wanted to get a little more familiar with Jun Wu Xie but could not find anything much to say and could only say the first thing that came to his mind.
When Jun Wu Xie and Fan Zhuo had left the Zephyr
Academy, nobody else besides Fan Jin and Fan Qi had any knowledge of it. All the other people had thought Jun Wu Xie had left due to tasks assigned to her by Gu Li Sheng and Fan Qi had used the reason that Fan Zhuo had been sent outside for treatment of his condition.
“Nobody? What about Fan Jin?” Jun Wu Xie asked, an eyebrow raised suddenly.
Before she came back, she had been thinking whether Ning Rui’s hand would extend out to reach Fan Jin after cold bloodedly murdering Fan Qi.
If Fan Jin was still around, even if she and Fan Zhuo were not in the Zephyr Academy, he would not allow the dwelling in the little bamboo grove to be left unattended.
The youth was dumbfounded and a strange look came upon his face. He immediately turned to look around him and after making sure there was nobody else around, he walked a few steps into the bamboo grove and turned to beckon at Jun Wu Xie.
Seeing that the other party obviously had something he wanted to tell her away from prying ears, Jun Wu Xie followed after him.
“As you were not in the academy all this time, you might not know that the Headmaster….. He was killed about two weeks ago.”
Jun Wu Xie looked at the youth without a flicker of expression on her face.
The youth then continued to say: “Do you who was the one who killed the Headmaster?”
Who else could it be but Ning Rui? Jun Wu Xie sneered in her heart, but her face was as expressive as a rock.
“It was Fan Jin!”
Jun Wu Xie’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
The youth then lowered his voice and whispered conspiratorially: “When the Headmaster died, there were only him and Fan Jin alone in the office. Just before it happened, the academy guards had heard the two of them quarrelling and when the guards went to investigate, they found the Headmaster already dead…..”
Fan Qi had been killed on the spot with a sharp sword stuck through his chest, and when the locked door to the office was opened, Fan Jin was the only person alive in there still holding the blood smeared sword in his hand.
At that moment, everyone knew that it was Fan Jin who murdered the Headmaster!
Fan Jin was Fan Qi’s son and there was no believable reason for Fan Jin to kill his father. But Fan Qi had always claimed Fan Jin to be his adopted son to everyone else all those years and presented Fan Zhuo as his biological son instead. That was done with the intention to protect Fan Zhuo but Fan Qi would never have thought that it would now turn out to be the reason Fan Jin was being pushed into the eye of the wrecking storm kicking up within the Zephyr Academy!
Everyone in the Zephyr Academy knew, throughout the generations, the esteemed position of the Headmaster had always been passed down to their children and Fan Qi had two sons. One was the Zephyr Academy’s highly popular and well regarded Fan Jin and the other was Fan Zhuo who had been all weak and sickly from young.
Volume 7
Chapter 688: Startling Change at Zephyr (4)
Fan Zhuo’s health had always been frail and Fan Jin as the “adopted” son had nevertheless always still been treated no different by Fan Qi, just like he did, with his “biological” son.
If things had continued on as per status quo, Fan Zhuo’s ill health would most probably not allow his body to take much more of the toil and expire, which made everyone expect the esteemed position of Headmaster to irrefutably fall right into Fan Jin’s lap next.
But an unexpected problem came into the picture with Fan Zhuo’s health.
Under Jun Wu Xie’s treatment, Fan Zhuo’s health gradually began to improve. Fan Zhuo, who had not even been fit enough to step out of the academy had in the recent period, gone out of the Zephyr Academy two times. Judging from Fan Zhuo’s actions, the people in the Zephyr Academy could clearly see that the youth who had been frail and sickly since young, was slowing recovering from his ailments.
With the “biological son” Fan Zhuo’s recovery, it would suddenly make the “adopted son” Fan Jin’s position suddenly precarious and awkward.
Hence, everyone was quick to surmise that Fan Jin had been quarrelling with Fan Qi over the succession issue when things had gotten out of hand and he had killed Fan Qi!
With that conjecture, and having the guards finding Fan Jin with the blood smeared sword in his hands within the sealed office, everything seemed crystal clear.
The crime of murdering Fan Qi had been heaped upon Fan Jin’s head and while he should have been dealt with immediately, an honourary dean had unexpectedly suddenly returned. Honourary deans in big name academies were not uncommon and those positions were usually held by highly skilled and exceptionally powerful exponents. They were not required to do anything and were not even expected to show up at the academy. They were only needed to extend their assistance when things at the academy get difficult and the honourary deans would get to enjoy tempting special privileges and benefits from the respective academies.
The Zephyr Academy had three honourary deans and although they held the title of dean, the authority they commanded was still below that of a Headmaster. But within the walls of the academy, their words would however not be easily disregarded!
That honourary dean was an old friend of Fan Qi and he had known the Fan brothers when they were very young kids. After he got wind of news that Fan Jin had murdered Fan Qi, he had immediately come in to resist against all those who wished to harm or take Fan Jin’s life.
But the matter was linked to the murder of the Headmaster and to everyone in the Zephyr Academy, the incident was extremely severe. Even with an honourary dean resisting the prosecution, that would only be able to delay the inevitable. If no evidence could be produced to overturn the charges leveled at Fan Jin, he could be put to death at any time.
At that moment, Fan Jin was a prisoner in his own room and there were guards outside it at all times of the day.
When the Headmaster died, according to tradition, all the responsibilities and affairs of the Zephyr Academy should have been immediately handed over to his two sons. But as Fan Jin was the main suspect accused of murdering Fan Qi, he had been quickly imprisoned, and on the other hand, Fan Zhuo was coincidentally not in the academy, hence the control of the entire academy had fallen into the hands of the next highest authority, who was the Vice Headmaster, Ning Rui!
“So….. would you want to go stay in the dormitories first?” The youth repeated himself once more as he looked at Jun Xie’s now icy expression, unable to find any topic to continue with the conversation. Everyone knew that Jun Xie had Fan Jin shared a rather strong relationship and when Jun Xie had initially been wrongly accused by the the masses, only Fan Jin had stood by Jun Xie and got her back, choosing to believe in Jun Xie.
And it was also Fan Jin who had introduced Jun Xie to Fan Zhuo. Now that Fan Jin was in trouble, the youth wondered what kind of thoughts Jun Wu Xie had about it.
“There is no need.” Jun Wu Xie replied tonelessly and turned on her heel to walk towards the dwelling within the little bamboo grove.
After having gotten rid of Fan Qi, Jun Wu Xie knew that Ning Rui would not let Fan Jin off. But she had not guessed that Ning Rui’s mind was capable of such a meticulous plot to have used Fan Qi’s death to drag Fan Jin together into the muck!
Killing two birds with one stone, an admirable plot indeed!
Volume 7
Chapter 689: “Meeting Again (1)”
In just a short two weeks, the dwelling in the little bamboo grove was already covered in a layer of dust. The once peaceful and tranquil little yard was already showing the very first signs of neglect.
Jun Wu Xie pushed open the doors leading into the tiny yard, walking slowly into the once familiar place.
Suddenly, she halted her steps in the middle of the yard, as her eyes swept towards the tightly locked doors to the kitchen.
Jun Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed slightly and her figure blurred before the locked doors were blasted open with a great kick the very next moment. The quick and agile figure moved like a mini hurricane within the
interior and Jun Wu Xie’s hand closed upon another figure hidden within the pile of straw in the corner and picked him up!
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” A dirty and ragged figure was dragged out roughly by Jun Wu Xie.
The person’s arms were flailing vigorously in the air and unintelligible wails were emitting from his mouth.
“Ah Jing?” Jun Wu Xie looked through the dirt on the person’s face and finally recognized the person for who he was. She slowly released her grip and stared at the almost unrecognizably wretched looking Ah Jing.
Ah Jing’s once fairly fine featured face was now covered in dirt and dust, pieces of broken straw caught in his matted hair, and his clothes terribly messed up, looking completely different from his previous clean and neat self.
Ever since Ah Jing was driven out of the little bamboo grove by Fan Zhuo, Jun Wu Xie had not seen Ah Jing again. She only knew that Ah Jing had gone back to the Zephyr Academy and studied there as a disciple.
So, how did he come to appear here?
After regaining back his freedom of movement, Ah Jing scrambled like a frightened animal, shivering as he crawled and clawed his way, to hide himself back under the dirty pile of straw to cover himself, showing only a pair of eyes filled with terror and fright, as they looked at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed in thought. Ah Jing’s reaction was rather strange. Those eyes filled with undisguised horror was seemingly telling her they did not recognize her in the least, but just displayed plain terror and their wish to escape. Jun Wu Xie attempted to approach him a little and that only made Ah Jing wail loudly.
“Ah! Ah!” His wide open mouth revealed his half severed tongue and in terror, he clutched at bunches of straw around him and threw them onto Jun Wu Xie.
Someone had cut off Ah Jing’s tongue!
Jun Wu Xie stared at the crazed and insane Ah Jing and her face creased up into a frown. Her eyes scanned over Ah Jing and she discovered that it wasn’t only his tongue, but the little finger on his left hand had been broken off, presumably some time ago, as its neat cut had already scabbed over, but the filthy environment had caused the wound to become inflamed, where white pus and dark dirt were mixed together, smeared over his hands. There were even other wounds, big and small, around his neck area, similarly covered in dust and dirt, which were not obvious at first glance.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 7 Page 23
