TRWSB – Chapter 67 Aftermath Of The Competition

Tianlan Academy’s victory in securing first place ignited a wave of celebration throughout the institution, turning Qi Shaorong and Qianmian into the academy’s most talked-about figures.

While Tianlan Academy was immersed in jubilation, the Yi family was shrouded in gloom and despair.

“Mother, what did Priest Zorro say?” Yi Chuxue asked anxiously.

Yang Man shook her head, her expression filled with sorrow. “Priest Zorro said that unless the God of Light descends once more, there is little hope for recovery.”

Yi Chuxue lowered her head and muttered, “Who could have done this?”

Yang Man shook her head again. “We don’t know.”

Yi Bing had marked the seven-colored stones he found, but the person who attacked him stole them. Yi Xun had sent people to thoroughly investigate all the stones submitted by contestants during the competition but couldn’t locate the ones Yi Bing had collected. The attacker had been meticulous—they didn’t use a single one of Yi Bing’s stones, even though he had acquired quite a few.

Yi Chuxue bowed her head. “If Second Brother doesn’t recover, then…” She hesitated, unwilling to voice her worst fears. Would Yi Bing become a cripple? Would the brother she had always been proud of end up weaker than Yi Fan, the family’s most infamous failure?

Yi Huo walked into the room, and Yang Man cast a complicated look in his direction. Yi Huo furrowed his brow, feeling a twinge of irritation.

Yi Xun emerged with a grim expression, looking at Yi Huo. “You—come with me.”

Without a word, Yi Huo followed his father outside. “Father, what is it?”

“Was it you who injured Yi Bing?” Yi Xun asked directly.

Yi Huo’s face darkened. “Father, is that really what you think of me?” While he did harbor some resentment toward Yi Bing, it hadn’t reached the point where he would cripple his own brother.

“Your brother is one of the Seven Elegances of the Imperial Capital. There are few who entered the secret realm who could rival him,” Yi Xun said coldly. He had meticulously investigated all the contestants. Among the fire magic users, only a handful could match Yi Bing’s strength. After ruling them out, Yi Huo was the only suspect left.

Yi Huo clenched his fists. “Since you’ve already decided I’m guilty, it seems there’s no point in me saying anything.”

Narrowing his eyes, Yi Huo felt a deep sense of unease. If he had truly acted against Yi Bing, why would he choose such an obvious method? If even Yi Xun suspected him, others would surely assume the same.

Whoever had crippled Yi Bing seemed to have deliberately framed him for the crime. Was this a personal vendetta against Yi Bing, or was someone targeting the entire Yi family?

“Big Brother, are you okay?” Yi Chuxue asked cautiously.

Yi Huo shook his head. “I’m fine. Chuxue, who do you think attacked Yi Bing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It must have been Yi Fan! He’s a useless cripple himself, so he’d want to drag Second Brother down with him. That guy loves nothing more than watching us suffer,” Yi Chuxue said through gritted teeth.

Yi Huo looked at Yi Chuxue, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes. While Yi Fan might harbor a deep hatred for their family, he lacked the ability to pull off such a feat. “Yi Fan didn’t even participate in the competition.”

“But he could have ordered someone else to do it!” Yi Chuxue insisted.

The person who attacked Yi Bing had to be at least a level-five fire mage. Yi Huo found it hard to believe that Yi Fan—a disgrace expelled from the Yi family—could command someone of that caliber to take such a risk for him.

Qi Shaorong and Qianmian walked through the campus, with Yi Fan following behind.

Along the way, they encountered two students from the academy who couldn’t help but stare at the pair. They seemed eager to greet them but were too hesitant to approach.

Qi Shaorong noticed a chubby student who shrank his neck and hurriedly moved away when he saw him.

“Who is that?” Qi Shaorong asked. “He seems afraid of me. Am I really that scary? I’m clearly innocent, cute, and harmless,” he muttered.

Yi Fan: “…” Innocent, cute, and harmless? Those words coming from Qi Shaorong, who had just ripped off Zhuang Hao’s clothes, hardly seemed believable.

Yi Fan chuckled and said, “You don’t recognize him? That’s Qi He! He was the one who tried to take your dormitory earlier.”

Qi Shaorong narrowed his eyes. “Oh, it was him! With all that fat, I couldn’t even make out his features. Come to think of it, it was because of that fat guy that I got kicked out of the Qi family. I should really thank him. Has he recovered? He’s back at the academy now.”

Yi Fan smiled faintly. “That guy is probably having a hard time now.”

The Qi family must have regretted expelling Qi Shaorong. The elder who led that decision was too proud to admit their mistake, so Qi He had become the outlet for their frustration.

“Is that so?” Qi Shaorong said, uninterested.

From a distance, Qi He watched Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan pass by. Seeing that neither of them was looking for trouble, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Qi He had been going through a difficult time lately. Several elders in the family had been eyeing him with disfavor, making it uncomfortable for him to stay. Despite his dislike of attending school, he had ended up hiding at the academy.

Furrowing his brow, Qi He thought, What’s going on with Qi Shaorong? He’s clearly a useless person, isn’t he? Yet even Qi Shaokang, the genius of the Qi family, lost to him.

“By the way, you’re really generous to the principal, giving him thirty percent of the gambling winnings. That’s a huge sum,” Yi Fan said, somewhat pained.

Qi Shaorong smiled. “If I want the principal’s help, I have to be willing to part with some money. So much money, and so many people are eyeing it.”

The major casinos in the Imperial Capital all had powerful backers. If Qi Shaorong were to go personally to claim his winnings, those people would surely try to take advantage of his youth, avoiding payment in various ways. But with the principal’s help, it would be a different story. Hu Feng was a ninth-level expert, known for being tough and domineering. The casinos would have to show him some respect.

“That’s true. Even though you’ve left the Qi family, you’re still a Qi family member. With so much money, I think the Qi family will soon reinstate you,” Qianmian remarked.

Qi Shaorong laughed coldly. “I’ve already been kicked out. I’m not going to walk right into my own death.”

“You’re so rich, you don’t need the Qi family’s support anymore,” Yi Fan said.

Qi Shaorong looked at Yi Fan. “Did you hear about Yi Bing? He’s had his meridians destroyed, and he’ll only be a second-level mage from now on. Do you know about that?”

Yi Fan looked at Qi Shaorong. “Of course, I know. This is something everyone’s talking about now. I’m sure hardly anyone doesn’t know. It’s said that Yi Bing was attacked by a fire mage. This fire mage is quite powerful. It’s rumored that it could have been an internal family conflict, with Yi Huo being the one who did it.”

“The secret realm is full of surveillance. Are you sure you didn’t slip up?” Qi Shaorong lowered his voice and asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m careful. There’s no problem,” Yi Fan replied coolly.

If the Yi family conducted a thorough investigation, they might find some clues. However, with Yi Xun’s suspicion, he would likely believe that it was Yi Huo’s doing. Since Yi Bing was already crippled, Yi Xun wouldn’t risk losing another son over him.

“Such a pity about Zhuang Hao, that bastard. In the end, he tricked me. If it weren’t for him, I would have been first. If that had happened, I would have made even more money,” Qi Shaorong changed the topic.

Yi Fan smiled. “Be content. After giving the principal his share, there’s still 20 million left. That should last you for a long time.”

Qi Shaorong narrowed his eyes. “Who would say no to more money?”

Yi Fan glanced at Qi Shaorong. “Honestly, what was it like touching Zhuang Hao?”

Qi Shaorong smiled knowingly. “That guy’s skin was really quite nice…”

Yi Fan: “…”

Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan entered the Tianlan Academy library, where Li Hong approached them. “Gentlemen, the principal has instructed that the library at Tianlan Academy be fully accessible to you. Please follow me to confirm your access rights.”

Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan followed Li Hong to the academy’s highest-level area.

Hu Feng’s actions were swift and decisive. In less than three hours, he had visited all the casinos in the Imperial Capital and collected all the gambling funds.

Returning to the academy, Hu Feng summoned Qi Shaorong and Yi Fan to the meeting room.

Hu Feng handed a stack of money cards to Qi Shaorong. “Your gambling funds, along with the principal, total 34.8 million gold coins. The 30% donation to the academy amounts to 10.44 million gold coins, which is all here. As per your request, I’ve exchanged it for one million gold coins per card.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Thank you, Master.”

“Apprentice, why are you being so polite?” Hu Feng replied.

Qi Shaorong took the stack of money cards and counted them. Hu Feng praised, “Apprentice, now you’ve become one of the wealthiest people in the Imperial Capital.”

Compared to the young heirs of other prominent families, who were still begging for scraps from the elders of their families at their age, Qi Shaorong had already accumulated a massive fortune. He was clearly a winner in life.

Qi Shaorong handed seven of the cards to Yi Fan, who calmly accepted them.

Hu Feng couldn’t help but feel a bit envious as he watched Yi Fan hold the cards.

“A winner in life? Not yet. I still have debts to repay,” Qi Shaorong said.

“Debts?” Hu Feng asked, confused.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes! Master, surely you didn’t think the gambling money was all mine? I borrowed it. Now that I’ve won, it’s only right to share it.” Qi Shaorong lowered his head. This time, he had drained the funds from his cosmetic shop, but thankfully, he had won. Otherwise, the shop would have had problems running.

“I see. Who lent you money?” Hu Feng asked casually.

“I’m well-liked. Plenty of people lend me money,” Qi Shaorong said nonchalantly.

“Of course, of course. You’re well-connected,” Hu Feng praised, clearly flattering him.

“To be honest, the most money was lent by the Evil Doctor,” Qi Shaorong said.

Hu Feng: “…” The Evil Doctor? He seemed to have been hearing that name often lately. It appeared that Qi Shaorong had been expelled from his family because he had been supported by the Evil Doctor.

Hu Feng looked at Qi Shaorong. “Apprentice, you and the Evil Doctor have quite the close relationship.”

“Of course. We’re like glue,” Qi Shaorong said without hesitation.

Yi Fan: “…”

Hu Feng: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked at Hu Feng and asked, “Principal, did you encounter any difficulties when collecting the money?”

Hu Feng raised his head proudly. “Well, a few casinos tried to dodge the payment, but with me stepping in, they quickly handed over the funds. Most of the casinos follow the rules, though there are a few that seem to be linked to the Qi family. They insisted you go collect it personally, so I gave them a good scolding.”

Qi Shaorong chuckled coldly. “Is that so?”

“Overall, everything went smoothly,” Hu Feng said.

Shen Family.

Shen Manwu sighed in relief, shaking her head. “I should’ve known. I should have known that such a large sum of money, betting on Tianlan Academy’s victory, must have been problematic.”

Shen Yuan let out a breath. “Sister, it’s a bit late to be saying that now. They’ve already taken the money.”

“Qi Shaorong is probably going to get rich,” Shen Manwu couldn’t help but say.

“Yeah,” Shen Yuan rubbed his forehead. Compared to Qi Shaorong, he felt like a penniless refugee.

“But there’s one thing that’s very strange. Where did Qi Shaorong get such a large sum of gambling money?” Shen Manwu narrowed her eyes.

Shen Yuan rubbed his nose. “He’s close with the Evil Doctor. Maybe the Evil Doctor lent it to him.”

“Qi Shaorong must have bet a total of 2 million gold coins in the casinos, and his entire outfit must have cost quite a bit as well. Even if the Evil Doctor gave him all of his wealth, it probably wouldn’t be enough. Moreover, with the Evil Doctor’s stingy nature, even if he and Qi Shaorong have a good relationship, he shouldn’t have given all of his money to Qi Shaorong,” Shen Manwu said.

Shen Yuan looked at her and asked, “Sister, do you have some kind of guess?”

“Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop,” Shen Manwu replied.

Shen Yuan nearly spat out his drink. “Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop? That rapidly expanding black market business over the past few years?”

Shen Manwu nodded. “Yes. Bi Liuyun from Luohua Pavilion is probably connected to Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop. As far as I know, Qi Shaorong also has some connection with him. The shop’s backer is very mysterious. It’s rumored that behind the cosmetics shop, there is one big boss and four small bosses. Bi Liuyun is likely one of the small bosses.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes widened. “No way.”

Qi Shaorong was already terrifying with his skills. If he was also involved with Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop, that would be completely unbelievable.

Shen Manwu gave him a cold look. “You’re the one being clueless. The matter with Zhuang Hao’s marriage has nothing to do with you, yet you had to meddle and ended up provoking Qi Shaorong.”

Shen Yuan shrugged. “How was I supposed to know Qi Shaorong was such a vicious person? I already regret getting involved with the annulment, countless times. Qi Shaorong even ripped Zhuang Hao’s adoptive father’s clothes. And he even tried to take advantage of Zhuang Hao.”

Shen Manwu sighed. “Just wait, this matter is probably far from over.”

Shen Yuan looked at her, confused. “Sister, why do you say this isn’t over?”

Shen Manwu sneered. “You think Zhuang Hao’s family should be grateful to you for annulling the engagement? Qi Shaorong has exceptional talent, mental strength, intelligence, power, and looks. While he may not compare to Zhuang Hao, he’s still an outstanding person. A person like that would be more than enough to match Zhuang Hao. Who knows, Zhuang Hao might even end up falling for Qi Shaorong.”

Shen Yuan furrowed his brow. “No way.”

Shen Manwu smiled coldly. “No way? Why not?”

Shen Yuan said confidently, “Zhuang Hao likes the Evil Doctor. Qi Shaorong is outstanding, but he’s too ruthless. With such a bad temper, Zhuang Hao would never be able to handle him!”

Shen Manwu shrugged. “It’s just as well if Zhuang Hao can’t like Qi Shaorong. If he did, you’d be in trouble both inside and out.”

Shen Yuan: “…”