This was the first time Xia Yi had ever seen Leng Yaozhu this furious.
But somehow, her anger only made her seem even more youthful and charming.
Her long red hair, like the otherworldly red spider lilies, was both dazzling and mesmerizing—radiant and full of an almost fiery intensity. She exuded a warmth akin to the sun itself.
Since she was at work, she had changed back into her black uniform, which accentuated her graceful figure. From head to toe, she was brimming with allure and captivating charm.
"Heh, I was just talking nonsense. Really, just nonsense." Xia Yi forced an awkward smile.
"Nonsense? You call that nonsense? You were outright making wild assumptions about my intentions." Leng Yaozhu snorted coldly.
In truth, she wasn't genuinely angry.
She was just a little irritated, that was all.
If she had truly been angry, she wouldn't have let it show so openly.
"I was just trying to boost your image." Xia Yi chuckled, then added, "It's just that Shrek Academy doesn't appreciate the gesture. Besides, I'm not the only one who's been 'talking nonsense.'"
"Who else could possibly be as ridiculous as you?" Leng Yaozhu picked up her teacup and took a sip, her tone indifferent. "Although it may have been nonsense, you weren't entirely wrong. The reason I went into seclusion early was indeed to give Shrek Academy a chance to identify their own problems."
"There are plenty of people more ridiculous than me. And when they talk nonsense, it's even more outrageous. Some of them are even saying that you've colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult—and they've presented so-called 'solid evidence' for it." Xia Yi grinned.
"I colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult? Who's spreading that nonsense?" Leng Yaozhu's head snapped toward Xia Yi, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.
She knew Xia Yi wasn't joking—his words might be unreliable at times, but he would never joke about something this serious.
When she had argued with Yun Ming earlier, she had been furious, yes, but she hadn't actually taken it to heart.
But now, hearing Xia Yi say this, the amusement in her eyes instantly turned into cold, sharp hostility. A murderous intent flickered in her gaze.
Someone had dared to frame her for colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult?
She was genuinely considering taking lives.
A rumor like that, if it spread, would have catastrophic consequences.
Gu Yue also turned to look at Xia Yi. But after seeing his smirking expression, she finally felt at ease.
Seeing how confident Xia Yi was, he must have already come up with a solution.
Or perhaps he had already resolved the issue.
Now, she was simply curious—who was the poor fool that had told Xia Yi Leng Yaozhu was working with the Holy Spirit Cult?
If anything, shouldn't they be suspecting Xia Yi himself?
But Leng Yaozhu?
Xia Yi was probably dying of laughter right now.
"It was Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua," Xia Yi said calmly.
"Zhen Hua? Impossible." Leng Yaozhu shook her head. "The Divine Craftsman is highly respected. He would never say such things recklessly. Besides, if he truly suspected me, would he have helped you submit the application for your so-called 'Heavenly Fox Fusion Forging Method'?"
"Hey, hey, mind your words. What do you mean, 'so-called'? And why are you calling my Heavenly Fox Fusion Forging Method 'so-called'? My method is revolutionary, alright?" Xia Yi rolled his eyes. "I don't know the exact details, but he probably made some kind of deal with Shrek Academy."
With that, Xia Yi recounted everything that had happened yesterday to Leng Yaozhu—except for the part where Leng Yulei had ambushed him and Mu Xi. He conveniently left that out.
"If Zhen Hua was simply voicing his own doubts, then if he truly wanted to warn me, he could have spoken to me in private or invited me to the Blacksmith's Association. But instead, he chose to say all this at Shrek Academy, right in front of Chi Long Douluo. He must have struck some kind of deal with them," Xia Yi said gravely.
Leng Yaozhu nodded, the killing intent in her eyes fading slightly. She turned to Xia Yi with a half-smile and asked, "And how did you react?"
It was all clear to her now.
Someone was trying to anger her.
Someone wanted to drive a wedge between her and Xia Yi.
And Leng Yaozhu found it amusing.
Trying to sow discord between her and Xia Yi? They should have tried with Gu Yue instead.
Not that her bond with Gu Yue was any weaker than her bond with Xia Yi.
But seriously—Xia Yi and Leng Yulei were tangled in all sorts of complicated ways. Even if Xia Yi had been an ordinary person, he was far too sharp to be tricked like this.
Even she couldn't fool Xia Yi.
Why would anyone else think they could?
They had been so sure Xia Yi wouldn't tell Leng Yaozhu about this.
Yet, the moment they met, he blurted it all out.
They thought they were the ones flying high in the atmosphere—only to realize too late that the one truly soaring above them was Xia Yi.
"What could I do? Someone dared to slander my dear Yaozhu-jie—I charged straight at them, ready to fight to the death!" Xia Yi said, putting on an exaggeratedly fierce expression and shaking his fists. "But unfortunately, I lost."
"Speak properly." Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at him. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?"
"Fine. I just shouted at them and stormed out, just like how Yun Ming left just now." Xia Yi glanced toward the door. "Almost identical."
Only then did Leng Yaozhu nod in approval. She sighed softly and said, "But by doing that, you've definitely offended the Divine Craftsman. That might cause problems for you later."
"Hmph. Anyone who dares to slander my dear Yaozhu-jie, why would I care about offending them? The fact that I didn't rip their mouths off is already me showing restraint." Xia Yi snorted.
"Hearing that almost makes me a little touched." Leng Yaozhu smiled, satisfied.
"You should be touched! You should be moved to tears!" Xia Yi smirked.
But just as he was feeling pleased with himself, Leng Yaozhu suddenly reached out and pinched his ear. "Little rascal, I bet you only did that so Zhen Hua would see you as someone loyal and honorable. And now you're trying to trick me into shedding tears? Do you think I'm as gullible as Ya Li?"
"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts! Big sis, I was wrong! Let go, please!" Xia Yi yelped.
"Now that's more like it." Seeing Xia Yi admit defeat, Leng Yaozhu finally let go, satisfied.
Of course, she could tell Xia Yi wasn't actually trying to deceive her—he was just joking around.
If he had genuinely been trying to trick her into feeling touched, he wouldn't have been so dramatic about it.
After releasing him, she leaned back on the couch and said seriously, "So, you're saying Zhen Hua's recommendation of your Heavenly Fox Fusion Forging Method was partly to make you trust him? And partly to drive a wedge between us as a form of compensation?"
"Not entirely, but that was definitely a factor." Xia Yi nodded.
"This is serious—stay focused." Leng Yaozhu shot him a look.
Though the Heavenly Fox Fusion Forging Method was a great boon to the Federation, Xia Yi was only a three-ring Soul Elder.
For someone of his level, the Federation's reward seemed a little too generous.
Zhen Hua must have pulled some strings behind the scenes.
But if he had truly wanted to win Xia Yi's trust, he would have made sure Xia Yi saw all the good he was doing.
Yet he had chosen to act in secret.
"Zhen Hua must feel guilty for what he did, which is why he's trying to make amends," Xia Yi said gravely.
"That sounds about right," Leng Yaozhu agreed. "I understand Zhen Hua quite well. Though he's closer to Tang Sect and Shrek Academy than he is to Spirit Pagoda, he's generally an upright man. I wonder what kind of offer Shrek Academy made him to make him resort to this kind of underhanded tactic."
"Zhen Hua's words might just be an attempt to mislead me, but you need to be careful with Shrek Academy. Some people among them—I can't guarantee they won't act recklessly out of desperation," Xia Yi said in a serious tone.
He was worried that certain individuals within Shrek Academy might directly announce to the public that Leng Yaozhu was colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult.
Slander spreads easily, but clearing one's name is much harder.
If such rumors were to spread, Leng Yaozhu could really find herself in trouble.
The reason he told Leng Yaozhu about this was mainly to warn her and ensure she was prepared.
"Don't worry, something this trivial won't be a problem for me," Leng Yaozhu shook her head. If Xia Yi hadn't warned her, she might have been caught off guard if Shrek Academy suddenly made a move.
But now that she had been forewarned, she could make preparations in advance. If Shrek Academy dared to slander her, she was confident she could make them suffer a double loss.
"Then I'm relieved. But I am curious about one thing—Zhen Hua said your talent is no worse than Amorous Douluo and the others, so why did you take so many more years to break through your limits? And why did you suddenly succeed when everyone thought you couldn't? Could it really be because of your sister?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
"Stop making wild guesses. I'm just not as talented as them—is it so strange that I broke through a few years later?" Leng Yaozhu snorted, then pointed at the door and said indifferently, "I have something to discuss with Yue'er. You're not needed here. You can leave now."
"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't mind Yue'er being present while we were talking, but now you're kicking me out when you two want to talk? That doesn't seem fair!" Xia Yi protested with a dark expression.
But Leng Yaozhu remained unmoved, smiling sweetly as she said, "Actually, you should say that you were interrupting my bonding time with Yue'er earlier. Yue'er, wait a second—"
Suddenly, Leng Yaozhu's gaze snapped to Xia Yi. The smile vanished from her face as she stared at him fiercely.
"You… what did you just call Yue'er?"