“Alright. I will call the Inspection Office immediately and send them over. If Zhang Yuan was murdered, the academy won’t ignore the matter either. Leave the place for now. In an hour at most, people from the Inspection Office and the Silver City Ancient Academy will be there.”

“Thank you so much, Professor,” said Li Hao gratefully. His teacher looked formidable but was very kind when his students needed him. That was why Li Hao was so reluctant to get him involved. He was unwilling to tell him about the red shadow.

Professor Yuan might seem scary and authoritative, but at the end of the day, he was an ordinary person like any other. Li Hao didn’t want to put his professor in danger.

“You’re welcome,” said Professor Yuan. After a few more talks, he cut off the communication.

…

Silver City ancient Academy.

Yuan Shuo was over seventy years old but he was still full of energy and very strong physically. He looked more like a soldier than a scholar.

There was a file on the desk in front of Professor Yuan Shuo. A file about six self-immolation cases.

“The Inspection Office is indeed full of holes!” He placed the communicator down. He rubbed his temples and cursed. It was so easy to get the files leaked. Many in the Silver City could get their hands on it if they were trying hard enough! The Inspection Office had become more and more careless over the years.

‘That student of mine is really… troublesome. He even went on to investigate the cases by himself! And he dares to report directly to the Inspection Office at that. Even at a glance, all this seems very unusual.’ Professor Yuan sighed. ‘You are really naïve, Li Hao,’ thought Professor Yuan. ‘Don’t you know the Inspection Office is full of holes?’

Anyone could see after having a look at the cases that they were connected. Something was terribly wrong.

“The Li family’s sword, the Zhang family’s saber, the Zhao family’s fist, the Liu family’s leg …,” hummed Yuan Shuo. He wondered if this was related to Li Hao.

“Six people are dead,” he muttered. “I don’t know if the song is related to the deaths but…”

As a citizen of Silver City and much older in age, Yuan Shuo knew the song. He was a scholar. When he saw the names of the dead people in the case file, he was immediately reminded of the Silver City song. The surnames were all similar.

Yuan Shuo dialed a number in his communicator. “I am Yuan Shuo,” he said in a steady but commanding voice. “My student is in danger. The self-immolation case that happened a year ago might have been a homicide. Can you get more information on that?”

“…”

“I don’t care about that. Li Hao is my student. He became my student the moment he joined the academy. Do you know why? Because he is a genius! A top-tier explorer. He is the future of the Department of Ancient Civilization for all I know! Because of your negligence, he had no choice but to withdraw from the academy. Do you know how much damage that has caused?”

“…”

“Li Hao has made some excellent discoveries, but your Inspection Office is full of holes! He is in danger! He is at the Zhang house as we speak. I don’t care what you do but you have to save him from there. I don’t care if you have to level the streets, even! You have to get rid of ghosts and monsters, if that is what it’s going to take!”

“…”

“Cut the cr*p! Send your people over immediately! I don’t care how big of a commotion it makes. Surround that street and push forward. Lure out the murderer who might be hiding there. I have only one request. Nothing should happen to Li Hao.”

“…”

“That’s it, then! If you can’t deal with that, then I will go directly to the Night Patrollers. Six self-immolation cases! SIX. Do you think I am blind? Anybody can see the connection. If my student dies because you are unwilling to take action, I will make a lot more fuss than this and skin your office, do you get me?”

“Professor Yuan, please calm down. I’ll deal with it immediately. Please don’t worry!” said the captain of the law enforcement team from the other end.

The captain had a headache. Professor Yuan didn’t have direct control over the Inspection Division as a whole but he knew many powerful people. He had served at the Silver City Ancient Academy for almost fifty years, some of his students held many powerful titles around the Silver City.

If things got out of hand, it would truly be worrisome.

“Don’t tell me not to worry! The academy will send someone there too. If nothing works, I am going to go personally. I would like to see who would dare to kill a student of the academy!” Yuan Shuo was enraged. Li Hao needed him to blow things up and he would do it gladly.

As for him, no one would dare to eliminate him. Far too many people knew him and needed him for now. As for Li Hao, he would make sure they didn’t dare touch him at all.

Yuan Shuo’s anger disappeared the moment he cut off the communication. He looked out of his room and sighed softly.

‘Kid, you need to be careful. As for Zhang Yuan’s matter, you have done enough,’ thought Yuan Shuo.

“What a pity!” he mumbled regretfully. It was a pity that he couldn’t draw in the mysterious energy himself. If he could, he could get involved more and solve this matter before it got out of control.

‘If I could draw the mysterious energy, with my attainments of skills from The Book of Five Beasts, I would be three times stronger. All the ghosts, shadows and monsters would be insignificant!’ thought Yuan Shuo.

“Hmph!” grunted Yuan Shuo in indignation. “If only the Night Patrollers could let me enter the mystical realm!” He wouldn’t have worked with them otherwise.

All these years, he tried to think of a way but he was at a loss. He sighed. “Li Hao…”

‘The Li family sword…,’ stuck in his mind.

Yuan Shuo closed his eyes. ‘Li Hao should just return to the academy and be my assistant,’ thought Yuan Shuo. He felt he was too old now and he needed to prepare a successor to take over his responsibilities.