624 Inviting Trouble 1

But Jun Wu Xie's position in the Zephyr Academy was special. She was Gu Li Sheng's topmost as well as his most favoured disciple, hence, her status shone brighter than anyone else. Moreover, she always holed herself up in the little bamboo grove and had not contact with other disciples, so it was deemed that it would not be much trouble anyway.

Fan Qi had hence agreed to the arrangements.

Little did Fan Qi know, this one decision he made today, would in the very near future, become the key to saving the entire Zephyr Academy.

What was even more unexpected, was that the Zephyr Academy which had just barely regained its calm, would in the near future, see find itself caught in a disastrous calamity that would threaten to wipe them out…..

…..

In the Zephyr Academy's Vice Headmaster's office, Ning Rui's face was pale and ashen as he sat behind his table. Before his table, there was a blood stained stretcher. A white gunny cloth covered the entire stretcher, hiding a human shaped figure under it. The blood had stained the white cloth red, and that garish colour stung at Ning Rui's eyes.

Since night fell yesterday till now, Ning Rui had not moved from behind his table, his eyes never moving away from the blood stained stretcher.

Ning Xin was dead. His one and only daughter was dead.

It had been right before his own eyes, whipped to her death. When she had died, her body had broken in two and she did not even die with her body intact.

After the Rui Lin Army left, Ning Rui had personally gone to retrieve Ning Xin's body, and ordered people to carry it into his office. Ever since then, he had holded himself up in his office, alone with Ning Xin's body, refusing food and drink, his whole person seemingly fallen into a terrifying downward spiral with his line of thoughts.

He had wanted to save Ning Xin then, but he had not been able to do anything.

He was made to watch helplessly, as Ning Xin died before his eyes.

"Jun Wu Xie, Rui Lin Army….. Yin Yan….. Fan Qi….. I will not give up just like this. The day will come, that I will make all of you pay, for my daughter's life!" Ning Rui had been repressed a long time, before he squeezed out these words, tinged in rage and hatred, from between his gritted teeth.

His heart was filled with rage, and he wished he could exact his revenge for Ning Xin right at that moment.

But he couldn't.

Ning Rui took a deep breath, and suddenly stood up. From the bookshelf behind him, he retrieved a small intricate wooden box.

He opened the wooden box, and lying inside it, was a tattered map made from skin. Ning Rui's eyes glittered chillingly and he replaced the wooden cover over the box. He slipped the wooden box into his body and raised a hand to pull at a book placed upon the bookshelf. The book sprung a trap after it was pulled out and a gap appeared in the middle of the entire row of bookshelves.

With a click, the row of bookshelves slowly parted to the sides, revealing a dark tunnel behind the bookshelves.

Ning Rui clasped his hand over the pocket holding the wooden box and his eyes darkened. He ignited a glowing ember and walked into the pitch black tunnel.

Not knowing how long he walked in the darkness, Ning Rui could only feel the rage and hatred he held in his heart, forgetting the passing of time and his weariness. When the long and seemingly endless path finally showed light at its end, he stepped out of the tunnel.

No one had known, that right in the office of the Vice Headmaster, there was a hidden tunnel leading right into the woods. On one end of the tunnel, was the Vice Headmaster's office, while on the other end, it led to a little wooden hut, hidden deep within the woods.

"Isn't that Ning Rui? What made you want to come here today?" A good looking youth sat smiling on the railing outside the wooden hut. The smile on his face was radiant, but those eyes on his face sent chills up people's spines.

"Lord Gu Ying." Upon seeing the youth, Ning Rui was immediately respectful, his face serious as he bowed in greeting.

The youthful Gu Ying propped up his chin in his palm, and looked at the wary Ning Rui, and the corners of his mouth curled up as he asked:

"Why are you here today?"