The little black sparrow flew swiftly, its eyes sharp and alert like Jiang Chen's own. Numerous scenes from Notting City flashed rapidly through Jiang Chen's mind.
Following the instinct in his heart, he guided the little black sparrow as it flew, finally landing atop a massive building.
He sensed that Jing Wuming was inside.
The sparrow circled the building before settling on a window.
"Holy crap! This is intense!" Jiang Chen, inside Notting Academy, couldn't help but curse under his breath, his eyes nearly bulging out in shock.
...
At this moment, inside the Martial Soul Hall, in the grand hall on the first floor, Su Yuntao wore a deeply troubled expression.
That morning, he had finally realized what the peculiar scent he often noticed in Matthew Nuo's room was. As a young man who had been single for over twenty years, how could he not recognize it?
Only, Matthew Nuo's office was a sacred place, so Su Yuntao had never allowed himself to think in that direction before.
But now, every time that scent appeared, Sisi was almost always in Matthew Nuo's office. Su Yuntao's heart started to race, and it felt as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing on his chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Matthew Nuo's frequent praise of Sisi's beauty and capability seemed to hint at something else entirely.
Just moments ago, Su Yuntao had planned to invite Sisi to lunch, intending to subtly ask if his suspicions were true.
But before he could approach her, he saw Sisi enter Matthew Nuo's office...
That was the source of his turmoil. On one hand, Matthew Nuo was his respected elder who had guided him when he first entered the Martial Soul Hall. On the other, Sisi was the girl he had been pursuing for over two years.
Besides, with Matthew Nuo being eighty-one and Sisi just eighteen, it seemed impossible to think otherwise.
"Sigh, I should go check. Maybe I'm just overthinking," Su Yuntao muttered to himself as he climbed the stairs.
But inside, another voice whispered: If it really is what I think, then what should I do?
Truthfully, if it were true, he didn't know what he might do.
The closer he got to Matthew Nuo's door, the faster his heart pounded—almost leaping out of his throat.
A few meters from the door, he heard an unusual sound.
It was a sound forcibly suppressed, instantly turning Su Yuntao's face pale.
"So it's true..." Su Yuntao felt an overwhelming sorrow fill his heart.
Normally, such sounds would make him feel restless, but now, an uncontrollable fury surged within him.
Sisi, who always smiled sweetly in front of him and often gave him little hints of affection, was secretly sharing joy with another man—what did she take him, Su Yuntao, for?!
And that cold-hearted Matthew Nuo, who acted kindly on the surface but secretly laid hands on the girl Su Yuntao loved—how could he accept this?
At that moment, blood rushed furiously to Su Yuntao's brain; he felt like he was about to explode.
His mind was consumed by rage, and he no longer cared about consequences as he swung a powerful kick.
The iron door deformed and flew inward from his blow, a clear sign of the intensity of his anger.
The instant the door disappeared, Su Yuntao saw the two tangled inside. His eyes rapidly filled with blood, nearly bursting.
Matthew Nuo and Sisi were stunned and frightened.
"Pop!" Like a cork popping off a bottle, Matthew Nuo pushed Sisi away forcefully.
"Heh heh heh... hahahaha..." Su Yuntao laughed madly, his Martial Soul uncontrollable, the spirit of a lone wolf possessing him. The wild and violent aura radiated fiercely.
Matthew Nuo's heart trembled. Although he was a few levels higher than Su Yuntao, they were both Grand Soul Masters. And Matthew Nuo was old, while Su Yuntao was young and vigorous—he could probably tear him apart in a few moves.
"Yuntao, it's not what you think," Matthew Nuo hurriedly said, truly afraid that Su Yuntao would lose control.
Su Yuntao's bloodshot wolf-like eyes locked onto Matthew Nuo and the evasive Sisi.
Then, without a word, he turned and dashed out, leaping down from the first floor amid Matthew Nuo's astonished gaze.
The commotion had already drawn the attention of others in the Martial Soul Hall. Just as they were about to investigate, they saw Su Yuntao rushing out and fleeing the hall.
"It's none of your business. Go back and mind your own affairs!" Matthew Nuo's authoritative voice echoed, instantly quashing their curiosity.
"What should we do?" Sisi's pretty face turned pale, panic overwhelming her.
She feared this matter would spread and ruin her future. The hallmaster election was only a few days away, and if the envoys above heard bad news...
"We absolutely can't let that brat spread rumors," Matthew Nuo said sternly.
He worried as much as Sisi did. At this critical juncture, if bad rumors surfaced, it could ruin everything he had worked for.
At this moment, he even entertained the thought of killing Su Yuntao—but after some consideration, he suppressed the idea for now.
"Go find him now. Play the victim in front of him—I know him well. That brat likes you so much; he'll definitely keep your secret. After you become hallmaster, you can use your power to kick him out of the Martial Soul Hall. Then, no one will believe anything he says," Matthew Nuo instructed.
"But... what if he refuses to keep the secret?" Sisi worried.
"If he's that ungrateful, don't blame me for no longer caring about our years of friendship," Matthew Nuo said coldly.
"I give you full permission to use any means necessary. Remember—any means. If he doesn't agree, come back and tell me immediately."
"Alright, I'll go find him right away," Sisi said anxiously and hurried out.
In a dark corner of the room, a pair of eyes quietly observed everything—unnoticed by anyone...
Matthew Nuo slammed his palm onto the desk, sending a spray of water droplets flying. His voice was cold and sharp:
"Su Yuntao, I hope you're smart enough not to force me to take action against you…"
…
Among the many colleagues in the Martial Soul Hall, Sisi hurriedly left the building, starting her search for Su Yuntao.
Those watching were puzzled, unable to understand why Su Yuntao had suddenly lost control, and why Sisi was now rushing out after him.
An older steward, appearing to be in his fifties, smiled knowingly.
"I think I roughly know what's going on," he whispered.
"What do you know? Tell us!" a group eagerly gathered around.
The middle-aged man glanced toward Matthew Nuo's office, noticing that Matthew Nuo hadn't come out, then quietly shared his theory.
"No way... Master Matthew Nuo is so old now. Can he really pull it off?" a young man in his twenties exclaimed.
"And Sisi? She's my goddess!"
"Shout any louder and you'll get yourself killed! With your short, pathetic self, she wouldn't even glance at you," the older man slapped the young man on the head.
He continued, "You newcomers don't know this, but Master Matthew Nuo had a pretty notorious reputation back in the day."
"What reputation?"
"His Martial Soul was a dog. Guess what his nickname was?" he asked.
Everyone shook their heads, clueless.
The older man smiled smugly and said, "His nickname was 'The Stud Dog'!"
"Ah, so now he's an old stud dog? No wonder he's still so fierce!" the young man yelled in surprise.
"Shh! If you don't want to die, don't blab about this everywhere, got it?"
…