"Little Bai, stop! You can't just hurt people!"
The words were earth-shattering, and upon hearing the voice, Meng Qinghuan truly wanted to kneel before Mo Ziye and beg this little ancestor not to cause trouble. If things escalated, neither of them would escape responsibility.
After all, they were so behind on information that things had gotten this far. They were already blameless, and if they now poured oil on the fire…
Meng Qinghuan felt like she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself, only to re-emerge like a zombie after Bai Cha's anger had subsided.
However, just because they were terrified didn't mean others understood their intentions, like Zhou Shengman and her cohorts from before.
Or like Mo Ziye, who had run over and stood in front of Bai Cha.
"Bai Cha, you're going too far. They are all top students, how can you just dismiss them?" Mo Ziye stood before Bai Cha, blocking her path, his face resolute. "Are lives so worthless in your eyes!"
At the carnival, Mo Ziye's resolute expression would have made Bai Cha appreciate his determination and potential.
But now, Bai Cha only felt disgusted. That righteous demeanor reminded her of the condescending "righteous ones" from the past, so much like those who had forced her brother to his death.
Bai Cha clutched the cigarette, took a deep breath, and the spice-filled smoke rushed coolly to her forehead, allowing her to regain some composure. Her clear, cool voice was slightly hoarse, "Mo Ziye, do you know what happened?"
"I know two people were injured, but Teacher Zhou has already lost an arm and even his teeth are broken. The others weren't touched, were they? You're going too far." Mo Ziye was anxious, "People will say you're cruel and ruthless!"
"Exactly, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person." Someone on the ground immediately chimed in.
If one were to assign blame, they were all equally guilty. Now that someone of considerable status had spoken up for them, they were naturally delighted.
"You always talk about dedicating yourself to the country and not fearing death, but we've never seen you die," another person joined in. "If you're so capable, why don't you die once!"
"And you arbitrarily use your power to oppress people. It's because of people like you that our country is like this."
"..."
"You haven't seen me die? If I'm so capable, why don't I die? So you'll only be satisfied if I die? Not necessarily. If Bai Ze had really died, you wouldn't have let him go even then. You just forget your own sins."
"Cruel and ruthless… what's wrong with that?" Listening to these people, Bai Cha suddenly felt like laughing. She didn't want to explain anymore, feeling that explaining to this group of people was a waste of breath.
Scum only needed to disappear; why should they be allowed to die with clarity?
"Since you all claim to be righteous, shouldn't you have already seen me as the villain?" Bai Cha shook her head slightly, unsure if she was laughing or sighing. "Then you should know that when the protagonist grows up and can eliminate the villain, the supporting characters should tuck their tails and behave themselves. Why rush to the front to deliver yourselves to the villain?"
What?
Mo Ziye was stunned. Before he could react, he saw Zhou Shengman, who was at Bai Cha's feet, kicked flying. A large hole was blasted in her chest by black flames, and she was clearly not going to survive.
"Little Bai! No!" Mo Ziye rushed forward, trying to grab Bai Cha, but a hand landed on his shoulder. Black flames rose from Lucifer's hand, pinning Mo Ziye in place, unable to move.
"Lucifer!" Mo Ziye called out to Lucifer.
Lucifer's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled calmly. "Young Master Mo, this is my master's private matter. I don't think you have the right to interfere excessively."
The power of light surged, but before Mo Ziye could even resist, Lucifer suppressed him with an even denser dark aura. Mo Ziye was utterly unable to fight back.
Seeing his brother restrained, Michael, despite not wanting to confront Bai Cha, had to brace himself and charge forward. He just wanted to retrieve Mo Ziye, but Lucifer showed no mercy.
"Please do not obstruct my master, Mr. Michael," Lucifer repelled Michael with a punch, his face still wearing that polite and gentle smile as he offered Michael a half-bow like a gentleman.
"Stop with your hypocrisy! Damn it, get out of the way!" Michael was getting a little anxious. He wasn't in a master-servant relationship with Lucifer like Mo Ziye was; they were brothers. How could he not be anxious when he saw his brother being pushed to the ground?
"Michael!" Lucifer raised his voice, his smile turning somewhat cold, his crimson eyes with their golden vertical pupils shining brilliantly. "I don't know what grievances you have with my master, but please control your meddling host."
Michael paused. Red eyes, golden pupils—this was Lucifer's serious demeanor. Michael understood that if he forcibly charged forward again, Lucifer would likely attack him without holding back.
Looking up, Michael noticed that Bai Cha's people had already severely injured all of Zhou Shengman's subordinates. Fortunately, they were all still alive, suggesting Bai Cha still had some mercy.
The moment he thought this, Michael's thought was immediately quashed by Bai Cha.
"Throw them to Xiang Nan to feed his bugs."
Feed them to bugs? Xiang Nan? The Bug King Xiang Nan?
Michael's entire being felt wrong.
Xiang Nan was a teacher in the academy who wasn't highly regarded. It wasn't because of his lack of strength, but rather his somewhat dark personality, while his strength was unfathomable.
What was terrifying was that he raised a horde of disgusting insects—centipedes, rats, snakes, cockroaches, ants, bees, butterflies, moths—raising them by the houseful. From蛊虫 (gu worms) and spirit snakes to tiny ants, he spared none. Just thinking about it gave Michael goosebumps.
"Bai, Bai Cha, how can you be so cruel?" Mo Ziye, lying on the ground, heard the groans and pleas of his companions and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. "Were you lying to me all along?"
"Don't you think they're the ones deceiving you?" Bai Cha leaned down, looking at Mo Ziye, who was unable to move on the ground. She gently lifted Mo Ziye's chin and whispered, like a devil's murmur, "Look, Zhou Shengman has fainted, isn't that tragic?"
"But do you know that today, Li Rong and Su Qing fought fiercely against six A-class dragons? They almost exhausted all their potential because the city was behind them." Bai Cha's hands had a thin layer of calluses, not soft and delicate like those of pampered young ladies, yet they were still soft and strong. "If it were you, could you do it? They returned seriously injured and should have been showered with glory, yet they were almost killed by the very people they protected. Tell me, why should I let them go?"
"Mo Ziye, scumbags don't need to die with clarity; they just need to disappear from this world without a sound," Bai Cha chuckled lightly. "Look how indignant and passionate you are. With just your mouths, you can slander a warrior."
"Why is it that for your own benefit, to suppress me, to find my flaws, you can sacrifice anyone, yet we only prove ourselves through death?"
"I truly hate your condescending faces, hate your righteous appearances."
The atmosphere grew heavy. The surroundings were silent. In the darkness before dawn, the air was filled with the scent of blood. Bai Cha's voice was like a soul-reaping specter, each inflection trembling the hearts of those who heard it. Mo Ziye's face grew paler and paler.
"Master."
A gentle, low voice broke through the cold mist, washing over Bai Cha's ears. The hand holding Mo Ziye's chin was ice-cold but was now enveloped by a warm, larger hand, gradually thawing the thin layer of ice.
"Master, it's almost dawn." Lucifer leaned down, grasped Bai Cha's hand, and helped her up. He brushed a strand of her long hair away from her ear. Only when facing Bai Cha did he shed some of his aloofness.
"It's almost dawn, we should go back."
Looking at Lucifer's gentle eyes, Bai Cha's anger immediately subsided.
These peach blossom eyes were exactly like hers, yet the emotions within the two identical pairs of eyes were different. At least, Bai Cha had never seen the incomprehensible emotion in Lucifer's eyes when she looked in the mirror.
It was like the first light of dawn rising from the sea, casting its first golden hues onto the water's surface, awakening the deep sea that slept in the cold.
He knew her anger, understood her suppression, comprehended her killing intent, and yet, Lucifer, in the end, stopped her.
Gently, subtly, softly, he brought back her reason, which was on the verge of breaking.
Bai Cha's voice fell silent, and the oppressive atmosphere instantly eased. Seeing that Bai Cha hadn't erupted in anger after being interrupted, everyone from the Shadow Faction breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They felt incredibly wronged. They didn't want to stay, but they didn't dare to leave. They knew Bai Cha wouldn't beat them, but they definitely didn't want their daily training load to double, which would be exhausting.
"Why did you interrupt me?" Bai Cha sighed and crushed the cigarette in her hand. There was no annoyance at being interrupted, only a helpless exasperation. "You should have at least waited until I finished dealing with them. You know I wouldn't lose my temper."
Lucifer held Bai Cha's hand, knelt on one knee, and gently kissed the back of her hand. "I can do these trivial matters for you, my master."
Bai Cha sighed. With Lucifer's interruption, much of the accumulated anger in her heart had dissipated. Looking at Mo Ziye, who was lying on the ground with a pained expression, rubbing his waist, she was silent for a moment before helping him up.
"Don't jump in and interject without thinking in the future. I don't care about the reputation you're talking about." Bai Cha helped Mo Ziye up. Seeing him rub his waist, she knew Lucifer had probably used a bit more force when restraining him, giving Mo Ziye a lesson. This thought made her mood improve considerably.
Although Lucifer wouldn't say anything to her face, his actions were very much in line with her wishes.
"But I do care," a soft voice sounded by Bai Cha's ear, causing her to freeze.
Bai Cha looked down at the boy who was half her height. She wondered if she had misheard.
"What?" Bai Cha asked, confused.
"But I do care." Mo Ziye rubbed his face, looking somewhat dejected. "I don't want you to be criticized. You're clearly so good… I'm sorry, but if so many people disappear at once, everyone isn't stupid. There will be many people pointing fingers at you from now on."
As he spoke, Mo Ziye sighed again, looking very dispirited.
His appearance… it was so much like the golden retriever puppy she had raised in the past?
Bai Cha felt like laughing. Mo Ziye, with his pursed lips and aggrieved upward glance, looked very much like her golden retriever when it was still a puppy, not yet grown, when she first brought it home.
At that time, that golden retriever was particularly mischievous; it had destroyed the sofa, chewed the corners of the table, and even left two teeth marks on the door. When questioned by her, it had the same aggrieved look.
Seeing Mo Ziye like this, Bai Cha's anger subsided considerably. She ruffled his hair. "People from our Shadow Faction have faced criticism since birth. We don't care, so why should you? We are villains to begin with."
"Cough, exactly, we're used to it." Someone who had stayed finally dared to speak. Seeing Bai Cha's anger dissipate, they also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, yes, we don't care about gossip…" the crowd quickly chimed in.
It seemed they wouldn't be punished. Today had truly been a day of twists and turns, their hearts having been severely challenged.
"No, Bai Cha is not a villain!" Mo Ziye mumbled. "Of course, I care. I like you."
Bai Cha: "???"
What?
Everyone: "!!"