Flame wagged its tail, showing it was being good, and told Zhu Yanyi that Wu Xiong’s ransom was with Ouyang Tianyun.
Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly, held Flame, and walked toward Ouyang Tianyun. Seeing her arrive, Ouyang Tianyun laughed, “I just saw Senior Sister Yanqiu, so I knew you were coming. I was about to send a message to invite you for dinner.”
Zhu Yanyi casually found a seat and sat down. “I’m here for the ransom. How is it? Did Wu Xiong’s family cause any trouble?”
“They wanted to, but Elder Wu suppressed them,” Ouyang Tianyun said with a smile.
Ouyang Tianyun briefly explained the situation with Wu Xiong.
The four of them, including Wu Xiong, were forced to work in the herb fields every day. On the surface, they seemed obedient, but deep down, they were resentful. They pretended to work hard until their families arrived.
Influenced by Wu Xiong and the others, their families naturally didn’t believe their children were at fault. They tried to make a scene, claiming the Sage Academy was extorting them. Wu Xiong’s family was the most aggressive. Originally, everyone agreed with the compensation, but only Wu Xiong’s parents objected. This angered Elder Wu greatly, so he beat them up. Since then, they dared not cause trouble again and even willingly added five hundred top-grade spirit stones.
“So, Wu Xiong’s family sent three thousand top-grade spirit stones? Is this a typical case of having too much money and not enough sense?” Zhu Yanyi asked with a smile.
“Exactly,” Ouyang Tianyun nodded with a smile. “So I divided it equally. Everyone got an extra one hundred and twenty top-grade spirit stones.”
She placed a bag of spirit stones in front of Zhu Yanyi. She didn’t count them. The amount didn’t matter; what mattered was the meaning behind it. So, Zhu Yanyi simply put the spirit stones away.
“By the way, how was your trip to the Dayu Imperial Dynasty?” Ouyang Tianyun asked casually.
“I saw your dad,” Zhu Yanyi said with a grin. “She’s still in the Dayu plane.”
“Dad?” Ouyang Tianyun was stunned for a moment. “You mean my adoptive father?” His face was full of surprise. “Why did he have time to come down?”
As an Immortal Emperor, he was very busy. Moreover, it wasn’t easy for him to casually visit small planes without special reasons, always worrying that something might go wrong in those small planes.
Zhu Yanyi said calmly, “No choice. A weasel appeared in the Dayu plane, and a Golden Immortal was pushing things behind the scenes. So your dad had to come down. Of course, it wasn’t for the weasel, but to enlighten that immortal.”
Ouyang Tianyun naturally knew her adoptive father’s duties. Hearing Zhu Yanyi’s explanation, she nodded slightly. “If she went to the Dayu plane for this reason, I can understand. It’s her duty. I’d be surprised if she didn’t go.”
Zhu Yanyi hummed in agreement. “By the way, while I was away, how was everyone’s training here?”
“It’s quite good. Although they don’t understand why we’re focusing on their training, they know we must have our reasons, so they cooperate well. Basically, in these past two months, everyone has made some progress, big or small. However, Junior Sister Yanyi,” Ouyang Tianyun still had some worries. “Do you really think we can succeed?”
Zhu Yanyi smiled gently. “Don’t worry, we will definitely succeed. Since I have this plan, I won’t let any loopholes appear. Have you forgotten what my main job is?”
Reminded by Zhu Yanyi, Ouyang Tianyun suddenly realized. “You didn’t do something like that again, did you?” She made a gesture of sprinkling powder.
“Yes. Since they look down on us, they should be suppressed by me.” Zhu Yanyi never believed that repaying kindness with kindness was a good thing.
Zhu Yanyi was a doctor. She always knew that doctors had benevolent hearts, but that didn’t mean the phrase “benevolent heart” included “repaying kindness with kindness.”
Ouyang Tianyun thought about it and agreed. Then he sighed, “This school now… Fortunately, you weren’t here, or you would have been suffocated. You haven’t seen it. The academy no longer has the freedom and openness we had when there were only seventeen of us. Now, it’s basically a situation where kings don’t see each other.”
Zhu Yanyi nodded. “Although I haven’t been here recently, I felt the atmosphere when I returned. Senior Brother Tianyun, tell me, why do they behave like this? Do they think keeping to themselves is a good thing?”
Ouyang Tianyun shook his head slightly. “No. I always suspect that they’ve stayed in the Linlang Trial Ground for too long and have been assimilated by evil spirits.”
“Don’t let the Dean hear you say that, or she’ll argue with you,” Zhu Yanyi said with a faint smile. “But it’s okay. The day after tomorrow is the day of the grand competition. After this period, the atmosphere will definitely change.”
Zhu Yanyi also knew that the current Sage Academy was indeed unpleasant, but she also knew that the academy was at a time of rebirth. If this time succeeded, perhaps the Sage Academy would reach a higher level in the future, as everyone’s mindset would change.
Zhu Yanyi pondered silently. “Do you think these senior brothers and sisters have developed heart demons because they’ve stayed in the Linlang Trial Ground for too long?”
Zhu Yanyi was just guessing casually, with no other thoughts.
Ouyang Tianyun shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure. Anyway, we’ll know the specifics the day after tomorrow.” Then he added, “By the way, since you’re here, I’ve just notified the others. They’ll all come over soon to gather here. We can also talk about the grand competition the day after tomorrow.”
Zhu Yanyi hummed. “It’s good to tell them. There are some things they should know. A little pressure will make them realize how lucky they are now.”
Ouyang Tianyun sneered at Zhu Yanyi. What pressure? This was clearly intentional to deal with the others.
Zhu Yanyi smiled faintly and said nothing. When the others arrived, it was lively again.
“To be honest, while Junior Sister Yanyi was away, we really felt uncomfortable,” Wen Ziyuan said seriously. They were genuinely uncomfortable. They had expected peaceful days, but found that the personalities of those around them seemed opposite.
“Senior Brother Wen, is it necessary to exaggerate so much?” Zhu Yanyi asked with a smile.
“I’m telling the truth. Without you, we’re like having no backbone,” Wen Ziyuan said seriously. “By the way, I heard that for this grand competition, we each have a default quota to enter the Qixia Secret Realm.”
“Yes, there is, but it’s not stable,” Zhu Yanyi said slowly. “Because the other students in the academy will challenge us in the competition the day after tomorrow. Of course, each person can be challenged at most three times a day. If you lose, you have to give the quota to the winner.”