"Come with me to the principal's office!" The teacher's voice echoed with anger.
Qin Chen's face shifted drastically, a veil of worry cloaking his features. Escape was not an option.
The teacher's grip on his arm was like a vice, pulling him away towards the looming principal's office.
He looked around and saw that many students were staring at him. Some even looked at him with disgust.
However, when his gaze landed on Long Tian, his anger surged once more. Long Tian was grinning, his laughter feels like a painful mockery.
The fury boiled within him, but he was helpless. For now, he could only suppress his anger, following the teacher like a prisoner being led to a trial.
***********
Long Tian wiped the remnants of Qin Chen's punch from his face. To be honest, he hadn't expected Qin Chen's strike to be so strong.
He also felt strange. Qin Chen was supposed to be at the third level of body tempering, but he felt as if his cultivation base was beyond that.
Of course, the punch didn't affect him. After all, he was at the peak-level Qi foundation realm, just one level away from entering the Flowing Qi realm.
"Hey, are you okay?" A familiar voice sounded.
Long Tian glanced aside to see Li Guowu and several of his friends approaching.
"It's nothing," he replied.
"You could have beaten Qin Chen, but why did you just stand there and let him hit you?" Li Guowu asked confusedly.
"Don't worry, Li Guowu, everything is under control," Long Tian responded lightly, a sly smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Well, I don't know what your plan is, but I guess it worked, Qin Chen will likely be expelled," Li Guowu remarked, satisfaction lining his tone.
"Whatever it is, good job in bringing a teacher here," Long Tian responded.
"I'm just doing my job," Li Guowu retorted, a tinge of pride in his voice.
***********
Meanwhile, inside the principal's office...
Bang!
The sound of a slap pounding the table echoed in the room, creating an oppressive silence.
"Fighting in the school area? Even with Long Tian? Have you lost your mind?" A middle-aged man in a neatly pressed suit exclaimed angrily.
He was Sun Jian, the principal of Tianzhou High School.
But Qin Chen only furrowed his brow, "It was just a punch, and it was only Long Tian, why are you making such a big fuss?" he demanded, his voice steady despite the thick tension hanging in the room.
Hearing Qin Chen's words, the teachers in the room bristled with anger, especially Sun Jian.
"Just Long Tian, you say? Do you even know who he is? The Long family is the largest donor to Tianzhou High School, and you hit their young master!" Sun Jian barked angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Qin Chen.
Qin Chen remained silent, words failing him. He was well aware of the Long family's power. He had let his anger get him and punched Long Tian, but he didn't regret it at all.
He set his jaw and locked eyes with Sun Jian, but before he could utter a word, Sun Jian suddenly slammed the table again.
Bang!
The loud sound echoed in the room, forcing silence once more.
"You know, your actions could cause this school to crumble. And I have decided, you will be expelled!" Sun Jian declared sternly.
Qin Chen's expression hardened, "What? Principal, it was just a small matter, why do you have to expel me?" He protested.
"If you don't want to be expelled, you have to apologize by bowing to Long Tian," Sun Jian stated.
"Wh-? That's impossible, I will not bow to Long Tian!" Qin Chen responded firmly.
"Then there's no other option, you will be expelled from this school. I guess the other teachers won't mind either," Sun Jian said, glancing at a few teachers in the room.
"I agree,"
"I agree,"
"I..."
Four teachers immediately raised their hands in agreement with Sun Jian's words.
But there was one teacher, a beautiful woman around 25 years old, who quietly sipped her cup of tea, drawing everyone's attention.
Qin Chen's expression instantly brightened, he recognized her. She was the math teacher, Ning Yuan.
But Sun Jian's expression darkened. He forced a smile, "Miss Ning, do you disagree? Qin Chen's actions were over the line, we should not offend the Long family," he said earnestly.
"I don't care about the Long family's reaction, after all, they wouldn't go as far as to threaten you just because of Long Tian," Ning Yuan responded calmly, her voice as soothing as a gentle breeze.
"But still..."
"And..." Sun Jian's sentence was cut off by Ning Yuan. "My family is also one of the ancient families, and I could shut down this school if I wished. Would you like me to do that?" She said coldly.
Sun Jian began to sweat, struggling for words. Ning Yuan's family was indeed one of the ancient families, and the teachers at this school knew it too.
He just didn't understand why someone with such a status would want to be an ordinary teacher.
At this moment, he was faced with a difficult choice. He sighed, "What do you want?" He asked.
"Do not expel Qin Chen, just punish him. Have him stand respectfully by the national flag in the middle of the field for the whole day," Ning Yuan answered.
"Miss Yuan!" Qin Chen immediately protested upon hearing this.
But Ning Yuan gestured for him to be silent, "This is what you deserve, kid, it's also to ensure you don't get easily provoked," she said.
Qin Chen remained silent upon hearing this.
"Fine, I agree. But if he causes trouble again with Long Tian, I will expel him from school," Sun Jian said.
"I agree," Ning Yuan nodded.
"Alright, I guess today's issue is settled," Sun Jian said.
After that everyone started leaving the principal's room.
**********
Riiing~
Riiing~
The school bell rang out, signaling the start of the day's lessons, but Qin Chen was making his way somewhere with Ning Yuan.
"Qin Chen, I know I favor you, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. What were you thinking, fighting with Long Tian? Although I also come from an ancient family, I don't want any trouble with them," Ning Yuan scolded, the scent of her floral perfume permeating the air as she lectured him.
"I couldn't hold back, Miss Ning. Long Tian is a bastard, he kidnapped Li Yue'er. You know, I've loved her since childhood," Qin Chen said, his voice thick with frustration.
"So, it's because of her? (Sigh) alright, I will warn Long Tian," Ning Yuan said.
"And not just that, he also stole my family's jade heirloom," Qin Chen added, a hard edge to his voice.
Ning Yuan's expression was shocked. "What? He stole your jade?" She questioned, her eyes darting to Qin Chen's bare neck.
Indeed, the familiar jade pendant was nowhere in sight.
"That's why I'm so angry, Miss Ning," Qin Chen stated, his voice bitter. "Long Tian took away all that was precious to me. Li Yue'er, the jade heirloom... and now, I've learned that the Long family was involved in my family's massacre!"
"Are you certain of this?" Ning Yuan inquired, her tone grave. "Where did you acquire such information?"
"An elder from Wudang Sect, Han Yuan, disclosed this to me," Qin Chen replied.
Ning Yuan bit her lip, "Then this matter really becomes complicated."
"But... Are you sure Long Tian took the jade?" She suddenly asked.
"Of course, I saw it clearly," Qin Chen affirmed.
"In that case, this cannot be ignored, let me handle it," Ning Yuan declared, rising from her seat abruptly.
With determined strides, she departed, leaving Qin Chen behind.
Her destination? The third floor, Long Tian's classroom...