Chapter 4778 — Inexplicable
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Without special permission, no one was allowed to go into the sea on their own. So, exactly as Wei Zhao had said, the prerequisite for harvesting a poisonous creature like the heart-piercing anemone was to be assigned to a sea-diving shift—and he clearly did not qualify.
"Second, even if I really could harvest heart-piercing anemones, and really did use them to poison everyone, why would I then turn around and save people with the antidote? Why would I go to the trouble of preparing over a hundred antidote pills in advance? Do I look like I've lost my mind?" Wei Zhao shot a glance at Ren Zhongyuan, who was rolling on the ground.
"Aaagh! You just want Junior Sister Yudie to think you're better than me! You despicable, shameless wretch!" Even now Ren Zhongyuan kept stubbornly talking tough. He knew full well that if he changed his story and begged for mercy at this point, he would be finished for good; better to grit his teeth and hold out, to treat the whole thing as a self-inflicted suffering ploy—that way he might actually win people's trust instead.
"Heh. If all I wanted was to prove I'm stronger than you, a single move would have sufficed. Would I need to go to all that trouble? Do you take me for a fool, or do you take everyone here for fools? You claim to come from the Eastern Continent Academy, yet you can't even tell a lie with any skill..." Wei Zhao laughed in spite of himself.
The others all shook their heads as well. Ren Zhongyuan's story was growing more absurd by the moment; no one with a bit of sense would think that way. Even his diehard lackeys were too embarrassed to keep echoing him now—it was mortifying just to say it aloud. What if people really did start mocking them as fools in the future?
"I believe by now no one has anything left to say about this matter. Wei Zhao is not only innocent of the poisoning—he is your savior. Does anyone still object?" Liu Ziqi promptly pressed her advantage.
Naturally, no one dared stick their neck out again. As for Ren Zhongyuan, still thrashing on the ground, he had half a mind to keep talking tough, but Liu Ziqi's aura bore down on him, and the five-element killing energy rampaging through his body hurt so much that he could not utter a word.
"In that case, someone carry him out. This incident ends here." Liu Ziqi glanced at Ren Zhongyuan, her tone laden with meaning. "A word of advice: stay in your room and rest up properly. Unless there is business, do not come out casually—and in particular, do not stir up any more trouble for me. I am the head of the Eastern Continent delegation; even without evidence, I can execute first and report later. You had best remember that clearly!"
Anyone with eyes could see what had really happened this time. The one genuinely suspected of poisoning was not Wei Zhao, but Ren Zhongyuan, who had been the first to bring up the heart-piercing anemone. Ten to one, this was the thief crying "stop thief"—harboring a grudge and wanting Wei Zhao dead.
Unfortunately, no solid evidence could be found. No matter how suspicious Ren Zhongyuan appeared, Liu Ziqi could not do anything to him for the moment; she could only use this pretext to put him under house arrest and keep him from stirring up any more waves.
Since Liu Ziqi had spoken, the matter was settled. Yi Xiaotian and the others were unwilling to accept it, but they had no choice but to carry Ren Zhongyuan back to his room as she had ordered. After all, that old woman's fearsome reputation in the Eastern Continent was no idle boast; if she were truly provoked to ruthlessness, none of them would come to a good end.
The Eastern Continent disciples dispersed one after another. Wei Zhao cupped his hands toward Liu Ziqi and said gratefully, "Thank you, Vice Principal Liu, for coming to my rescue. Otherwise I truly would have had no way to defend myself today."