Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Pavilion of Clear Radiance

Mu Guannan gently stroked Jiang Wanwan’s long hair, soothing her, “The greatest concealment is within the city itself. The more brazen one is, the less suspicion they draw.”

Jiang Wanwan’s heart settled. She clenched her fists tightly. “I will make Jiang Wangshu pay for this.”

Mu Guannan nodded. “Of course. Once you’ve vented your anger, we’ll bring her back to headquarters and hand her over to the master. She won’t have a good end.”

She took out a spirit stone card and placed it into Jiang Wanwan’s storage pouch. “But with these, you can wander as you please, have some fun, and relax.”

Jiang Wanwan opened her communicator, searching for interesting places. “I’ll bring some delicious food back for Mom when I return.”

“Alright.” Mu Guannan smiled as she watched Jiang Wanwan leave.

As her daughter’s figure disappeared, her gentle expression turned to ice.

“Jiang Mingqian, after pretending for so long to fool me, this time, I won’t let you off either.”

In the principal’s office—

Yu Hanyi was sweating under Shen Lihan’s interrogation. “Minister Shen, Jiang Wangshu’s admission followed the recommendation rules. It’s too one-sided to focus only on her exam scores.”

“We are a cultivation university, not an ordinary university from a thousand years ago. How can we judge only by grades?”

Seated behind the tea table, Shen Lihan tapped two fingers lightly on the surface. “Principal Yu, you should know, once Li Huanyi lost her position as chief, her recommendation no longer counts.”

Yu Hanyi was taken aback—he hadn’t yet heard of this development. “How did Li Huanyi…”

Shen Lihan tapped the table. “She’s not the key point. The issue is Jiang Wangshu’s unmerited admission. I don’t want to make things difficult for you. If you cancel her registration and expel her, I won’t report this further.”

“But if you insist on keeping her, your school’s qualifications will have to be re-examined. All students at Eagle Academy will have to wait until the review is complete before they can attend classes.”

Shen Lihan’s tone was mild, but his words pressed relentlessly.

Yu Hanyi’s thoughts raced. As valuable as Jiang Wangshu was, it wasn’t worth risking the entire Eagle Academy for her.

He recalled the excitement of the teachers last night—the cultivation manuals Jiang Wangshu casually produced were extraordinary. Yet these people were pressing her relentlessly.

The forces she was entangled with were likely beyond his ability to resist.

Yu Hanyi decided to make one last effort. If it worked, he could continue to cooperate with Jiang Wangshu. If not, he would have done his best.

“Jiang Wangshu’s grades are truly outstanding, and she’s very popular in school. Perhaps, Minister Shen, you could set a new examination for her? Or, she could retake the entrance exam next year and submit her scores then. What do you think…”

Before he could finish, Shen Lihan chuckled. “So Principal Yu has made his choice. Then I’ll report the discovered irregularities as they stand.”

He stood, his tall figure casting a long shadow as he walked toward the door.

Yu Hanyi sat, thoughts in turmoil. As Shen Lihan was about to leave, he spoke: “Minister Shen, I hope you’ll explain the withdrawal notice to Jiang Wangshu yourself.”

Forgive me, Jiang Wangshu. The Shen family’s influence is too vast—I truly don’t have the strength to oppose them.

Shen Lihan looked back at Yu Hanyi, scrutinizing him, not understanding the purpose of this request. Could it be that Principal Yu was actually wary of a mere young girl?

After a moment, he nodded. “Very well. Have her come here tomorrow.”

He might as well help his disappointing nephew regain some dignity. A grown man bested by a young girl—he’d have to give him a chance to assert himself, or what would he do once married?

Yu Hanyi sat on the sofa and sighed deeply.

Huo Jinyu dragged her weary body in and slumped next to her uncle. “Uncle, why are you sighing?”

“My dear uncle, I beg you, can’t you ask the teachers here to be a bit less intense? It’s only the start of the semester, and we’re studying from seven in the morning to eleven at night. I’m about to collapse.”

Yu Hanyi had no heart to humor his niece. “Jinyu, your uncle is truly useless.”

Huo Jinyu, ignoring her fatigue, bounced up from the sofa. “Who is it? Who bullied my adorable uncle?”

Yu Hanyi forced a bitter smile. “Do you know the Shen family?”

“The Shen family? The Shen family from F City?” Huo Jinyu frowned at the ceiling. “Their family has nothing to do with ours. We’re just ordinary educators.”

Yu Hanyi, holding back his frustrations, started to complain to his niece. “It’s just a minor mistake, but he refuses to let it go…”

Huo Jinyu listened, suddenly smacking her fist into her palm, realization dawning. “He’s not just being obstinate—he’s targeting Master Jiang!”

Yu Hanyi paused, recalling Jiang Wangshu’s unique sword intent and the peerless manuals she produced so casually, and nodded. “She truly is a master. But masters tend to have big troubles.”

First her heartless father wants her expelled, then enemies are trying to force her out.

“Then go and give your master a heads-up. I can’t hold the fort any longer. She should be prepared.”

Huo Jinyu immediately got up. “I’ll go find Zou Xiuzhen and see if there’s a way out of this.”

Yu Hanyi shook his head with a wry smile. This girl, always dreaming—against the overwhelming power of the Shen family, what way out could there be?

There was nothing more he could do.

But he could at least notify Li Huanyi and find out exactly what happened on her end. How could a chief position just vanish overnight? This was a first.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wangshu, unaware of any of this, was happily eating her way through the city.

She went from one restaurant to the next.

The final stop was at a particularly scenic spot on the outskirts.

Jiang Wangshu had completely forgotten her academic troubles. Like a wild horse, she dashed in.

Wooden pavilions peeked through the trees, with flying eaves and flowing corridors, each exquisitely crafted.

At the door, a guard saw Jiang Wangshu approach and sneered, “This isn’t a place for women. Leave at once.”

But when he saw Xiao Hei behind her, his expression turned fawning. “Ah, this esteemed Daoist clearly has an extraordinary presence. Welcome to Clear Radiance Pavilion.”

Xiao Hei raised his brows smugly, while Jiang Wangshu puffed up with indignation. “Why does a restaurant even have gender discrimination!”

The guard, noticing the silent battle of glances between them, stared in surprise and quietly activated a formation to test their spiritual power. The array disk glowed red.

His gaze toward Xiao Hei shifted to awe. “Daoist, you truly know how to manage your companions. Bringing a dual cultivation furnace here—admirable, truly admirable. Please, come in.”

Xiao Hei was utterly confused, but seeing the guard no longer blocking her, Jiang Wangshu pushed him forward eagerly. “Hurry, hurry!”

Of all things in the world, eating comes first. As for whatever a dual cultivation furnace is, she’d think about it later.