Chapter 441: The Fish Demon Curse

The door of the Cultivation Hall opened.

Li Luo, Yu Yu Hongxi, and Instructor Chi Chan stepped out, and they saw Cao Sheng and Shen Shen Jinxiao at the entrance.

Cao Sheng immediately stood up and smiled at Yu Yu Hongxi: "Has the refining finished? Was everything smooth?"

But as soon as he spoke, he sensed something was off—the instructor's icy gaze had passed over him and fixed on Shen Shen Jinxiao behind.

"Shen Shen Jinxiao, it was you, wasn't it!" Instructor Chi Chan's vast Xiang force surged around her; she stepped forward, her slender hand clenching tightly—suddenly, cracks appeared in the air around Shen Shen Jinxiao, blue Xiang force gushing forth like a flood, forming a water dome that enclosed him.

Terrifying force radiated from within the water, wildly crushing toward Shen Shen Jinxiao.

The space there was twisted by the immense pressure.

Yet facing Instructor Chi Chan's furious attack, Shen Shen Jinxiao remained calm; crimson Xiang force rose from his body, heat spreading instantly, vaporizing the encroaching blue Xiang force—within the rising crimson energy, a dark red shadow seemed to form behind him.

The shadow had four arms, radiating ferocity.

Seeing this, Li Luo's eyes narrowed slightly—this was the first time he'd seen Shen Shen Jinxiao reveal his Xiang nature; was this… the Flame Demon Xiang?

This Xiang nature was a variant of Fire Xiang, quite rare, and added a touch of ferocity beyond normal Fire Xiang.

Shen Shen Jinxiao's four-armed Flame Demon stretched its massive arms and tore violently at the empty air before him—the Xiang force prison formed by Instructor Chi Chan was ripped apart; Shen Shen Jinxiao stepped forward, appearing dozens of steps away.

"Instructor Chi Chan, are you going to attack me? That violates the academy's rules." Shen Shen Jinxiao smiled faintly.

Instructor Chi Chan's eyes were icy.

Cao Sheng, startled by their clash, still asked: "Instructor Chi Chan, what happened?"

Yu Yu Hongxi glanced at him and said: "During the refining, Instructor Chi Chan had an issue—it seems she suspects it was due to Instructor Shen Shen Jinxiao."

Cao Sheng's gaze sharpened; he hesitated, then asked: "Did the… 'Fish Demon Curse' erupt?"

Yu Yu Hongxi's eyes flickered—the Fish Demon Curse? That black fish on Instructor Chi Chan's cheek? So even among the Purple Radiance Instructors of the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy, this wasn't a secret.

But Cao Sheng offered no further explanation; Yu Yu Hongxi wasn't from the academy, and he couldn't casually reveal such matters—that would violate academy rules.

Yet Yu Yu Hongxi wasn't the type to be overly curious, so he didn't press further.

Instructor Chi Chan, however, remained furious; failing her first strike, she unleashed astonishing Xiang force, preparing to attack again.

But as her Xiang force surged, a sudden overwhelming power crushed it back—space rippled, and a figure appeared directly in the midst.

"Instructor Chi Chan, what's going on?"

The figure was Vice Dean Su Xin; her expression was grave as she stared at Instructor Chi Chan and the others—she must have sensed the Xiang force disturbance and rushed here.

Seeing Vice Dean Su Xin arrive, Cao Sheng stepped forward voluntarily and recounted everything that had happened in detail.

"The Fish Demon Curse erupted?" Vice Dean Su Xin's eyes narrowed instantly; she hurried to Instructor Chi Chan's side, ignoring the latter's weary gaze, and with both hands cupped her face, forcibly removing her veil.

"Huh?"

Then Vice Dean Su Xin saw the golden ring encircling the black fish on Instructor Chi Chan's cheek.

"Contained? Such a peculiar seal—could this be a secret technique of the Golden Dragon Treasure Bank?" Vice Dean Su Xin exclaimed, then turned to Yu Yu Hongxi beside her.

Previously, whenever Instructor Chi Chan's Fish Demon Curse erupted, it was she who sealed it—but this time, the mysterious golden ring on Instructor Chi Chan's cheek exerted even stronger sealing power than her own.

Yu Yu Hongxi was about to speak, but heard Li Luo cough softly—he immediately understood, smiling: "I happened to have a 'Sealing Scroll' from the Golden Dragon Treasure Bank's collection; given the urgency, I had no choice but to use it."

"Thank you, Chief Yu," Vice Dean Su Xin said gratefully.

Yu Yu Hongxi smiled and waved his hand.

Instructor Chi Chan put her veil back on and said coldly: "I suspect Shen Shen Jinxiao secretly used some technique to trigger my Fish Demon Curse—I believe he must be thoroughly investigated."

Shen Shen Jinxiao smiled: "Cao Sheng watched me all night—I doubt I had the ability to do anything under his watchful eyes?"

Cao Sheng hesitated, then said: "I did watch him all night, but he showed no suspicious behavior."

Shen Shen Jinxiao smiled at Instructor Chi Chan: "Instructor Chi Chan, I know you've held resentment toward me all these years—but that incident back then was truly an accident. I've apologized repeatedly, yet you've never accepted."

"But you know better than anyone who planted the Fish Demon Curse on you—so please don't smear me with false accusations. I can't bear such a charge."

Instructor Chi Chan's eyes grew so cold they seemed to freeze into ice; her hands clenched tightly.

At this moment, Li Luo spoke up: "Then why were you here, Instructor Shen Shen Jinxiao? And why did you wait all night? Everything was fine until you arrived—and then something went wrong. If you have no suspicion at all, that seems unlikely."

Shen Shen Jinxiao replied calmly: "I came here because I wanted to see what you were doing—after all, a mere Xiang Master, yet you summoned two Marquis-level experts to assist you. I couldn't help but suspect you intended to bring some trouble into the academy and sway its stance."

"Or perhaps, right now, in front of the Vice Dean, you can plainly tell us: what exactly are you refining? Or what is the purpose of what you're refining?"

Li Luo stared at Shen Shen Jinxiao's face and shook his head with a smile: "No comment."

Shen Shen Jinxiao said: "So why isn't it your refining that caused Instructor Chi Chan to lose control? Perhaps you're the real culprit?"

Instructor Chi Chan's gaze turned icy: "Shen Shen Jinxiao, be silent."

Shen Shen Jinxiao smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Vice Dean Su Xin's gaze turned to Cao Sheng: "Cao Sheng, please escort Chief Yu out of the academy."

Cao Sheng nodded quickly.

Yu Yu Hongxi smiled; clearly, this was an internal academy matter—he, as a Golden Dragon Treasure Bank member, had no place staying here. After nodding to Li Luo, he walked away gracefully.

Cao Sheng hurried after him, but dared not get too close.

After they left, Vice Dean Su Xin pulled Instructor Chi Chan aside for a private conversation, then departed—on leaving, she merely glanced at Li Luo, asking nothing about why he'd summoned two Marquis-level experts to refine something tonight.

With everyone gone, only Instructor Chi Chan and Li Luo remained.

Li Luo said sincerely: "Instructor, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Though he didn't know what had caused her to lose control, if he hadn't asked for her help, such an incident likely wouldn't have happened.

"It has nothing to do with you."

Instructor Chi Chan shook her head, then stepped forward, walking along the mossy stone path toward the exit.

Li Luo hesitated, then followed behind her.

The two walked silently along the forest path in the morning air; after a long while, Li Luo heard Instructor Chi Chan's faint voice drift to him.

"Li Luo, do you know why I was tainted by this poison?"