Chapter 55: Suspicion
An Unexpected Substitute
“Professor Wang has urgent business, so I’ll be covering this class for him.”
Fu Kui pushed open the door to Class A, smiling, though her expression carried a hint of helplessness.
“Teacher Fu, does that mean we’re switching to calamity beast studies?” a student asked.
Fu Kui shook her head. “No, you’ve already had your calamity beast lesson today. I’m here to teach Professor Wang’s regular theory class.”
“Ugh…”
Theory classes were little more than reading from the textbook—dull and tedious. The students’ faces fell, clearly disappointed. Compared to theory, calamity beast studies were far more engaging.
Fu Kui chuckled softly, ignoring their reactions. “Alright, let’s get started~”
Yu Li quietly put away her phone. She’d just received a message from Fu Qingyue, who had been attacked by a classmate. This shocked Yu Li—given Fu Qingyue’s reserved demeanor and cautious approach, it was unthinkable for her to get entangled with classmates. Moreover, with her special status, no one should dare provoke her.
Yet, some reckless fool had openly attacked her in school. Yu Li couldn’t wrap her head around it.
Noticing her distraction, Ai Xinglan glanced at her curiously, as if asking what was wrong.
Yu Li shook her head with a smile, saying nothing. She had no intention of sharing Fu Qingyue’s business with Ai Xinglan.
Perhaps influenced by Yu Li, Ai Xinglan had also learned to slack off during boring theory classes. The two exchanged subtle glances, engaging in silent conversation.
On the podium, Fu Kui seemed unfazed, as if accustomed to such behavior. She continued lecturing from the textbook, a slight smile playing on her lips.
A Sudden Outburst
“Ahh!!!”
A sudden scream came from the back of the classroom. A student abruptly activated their ability, their arm muscles swelling as they charged toward the front.
“Xiao Ai!”
Yu Li shouted a warning, instantly unleashing her full power. Black flames erupted, her eyes shifting to gold and silver heterochromia. The crazed student was clearly targeting Ai Xinglan.
But Ai Xinglan reacted faster. Her cherry-red eyes glinted, and the student was slammed to the ground, pinned by an invisible force.
Immobilized by gravity, the student thrashed wildly, eyes bloodshot with murderous intent directed solely at Ai Xinglan.
“What’s going on?”
“Why’s he freaking out?”
The other students finally processed the lightning-fast incident.
Fu Kui, equally stunned, approached with a frown to assess the situation.
“Student, what’s wrong?”
The boy didn’t respond, his gaze locked on Ai Xinglan, as if he’d tear her apart the moment he could move.
Faced with his silence, Fu Kui seemed at a loss. As a clerical ability user with only a supportive ability to boost her energy, she was ill-equipped to handle such a situation.
“Teacher, please step back,” Ai Xinglan said calmly.
Drawing her sword, she aimed the hilt at the boy’s head, intending to knock him out. She could tell something was off with his state.
“Xiao Ai, hold on.” Yu Li gently tugged at Ai Xinglan, signaling her to wait, then crouched before the fallen student.
Though unsure of Yu Li’s intentions, Ai Xinglan trusted her and stood by, her eyes never leaving Yu Li, ready to protect her if the boy lashed out.
Yu Li’s eyes shifted to silver vertical pupils as she studied the boy.
Pure killing intent—no other emotions, just an obsession to kill Ai Xinglan. This was unnatural. Without external influence, human emotions couldn’t be so singularly focused.
Combined with Fu Qingyue’s message, this was the second such incident today. Clearly, something was amiss—someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
Yu Li instinctively scanned the room. Everyone displayed varied reactions, but no one could be ruled out as the culprit. She even suspected the mastermind might be present.
To catch them, she needed to provoke a mistake while she held the informational advantage.
With this in mind, Yu Li conjured black flames, slowly guiding them toward the frenzied student.
“Yu Li?” Ai Xinglan asked, puzzled.
“It’s fine.”
Yu Li said nothing more, continuing her actions. As the flames touched the boy, her golden pupil gleamed.
“Ugh…”
The boy groaned in pain, as if something within him was shifting. No one intervened—Ai Xinglan herself didn’t move.
As the flames burned, the boy’s breathing steadied, and the murderous glint in his eyes faded until he returned to normal.
“Cough, cough, ha… ha…” Panting heavily, the boy looked around in terror, realizing he was pinned to the ground.
“What… what happened? My head hurts…”
Yu Li’s ability had restored him to normal. Fu Kui, finally regaining her composure, stepped forward to question him.
“Student, what happened?!”
Yu Li stayed silent, pulling Ai Xinglan aside. Her silver vertical pupils glowed as she observed everyone’s reactions. If the mastermind’s plan had been thwarted, they’d likely grow agitated, betraying themselves through their aura, even if not outwardly.
But Yu Li miscalculated. Everyone’s reactions—surprise, fear—were normal.
Unless the culprit knew of Yu Li’s ability, they couldn’t possibly hide from her piercing gaze.
“Not someone here…” Yu Li muttered, frowning.
“Yu Li… you okay?” Ai Xinglan’s voice was laced with concern as she looked at her.
Seeing Ai Xinglan’s worry, Yu Li forced a carefree smile. “I’m fine. Xiao Ai… you okay?”
“I’m fine too.”
“Good.” Yu Li smiled, then scanned the classroom again.
No matter how she looked, nothing seemed out of place. Fu Kui, ever dutiful, contacted the school while preparing to escort the student to the infirmary.
‘Wait… is Fu Kui’s demeanor a bit too calm?’
Her composure seemed at odds with her earlier reaction, but she was merely fulfilling her role as a teacher. It was possible she was forcing herself to stay calm, and she couldn’t know about Yu Li’s ability to conceal anything.
‘I’ll check with Fu Qingyue first…’