Chapter 379: A Catastrophe

"No, that's not it, that's not it!" Huo Yun hurriedly said upon hearing this, "Brother Lu, this matter really has nothing to do with the President and the others. We were too busy trying to hide it from them; how could we possibly let them know?"

"This whole thing from start to finish was directed by Xiao Zhan; I was nothing more than a chess piece in his hands. Brother Lu, you must not wrong an innocent person!"

As soon as Huo Yun finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room fell into a deathly silence once again.

Huo Yun's eyes were filled with anxiety; he was truly afraid that Lu Yu would vent his anger on Kong Ming.

If Kong Ming were to be blamed for this, his situation after returning to the Headquarters would undoubtedly be even more miserable.

Kong Ming was also feeling uneasy at this moment, his heart pounding like fifteen buckets drawing water—a chaotic mess.

He felt that his defense seemed so pale and weak; he really could not find a better way to prove that he had nothing to do with this matter.

After pondering for a moment, he could only say: "Little Brother Lu, how about this: I will swear a poisonous oath. If I really was the one behind this, let me fall into the mouth of a Fierce Beast and die a horrible death. I don't know if you can believe me with this?"

Lu Yu frowned slightly. In this world of awakening, everyone firmly believed in the cycle of heavenly principles and retribution, especially Martial Artists who possessed extraordinary power; they held even more awe for this kind of karmic retribution.

Being able to swear such a poisonous oath, it was highly probable that his conscience was clear.

Then, was this matter really just directed by Xiao Zhan behind the scenes? Or was there an even more mysterious figure manipulating things from the shadows?

It was not that Lu Yu was overly suspicious or liked to speculate without cause, but in such a complex situation, one had to prepare for the worst in everything.

"Fine, President Kong, I will believe you this once. As for what to do next, I presume I don't need to remind you again," Lu Yu said.

Song Tian, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing this, his heart filled with shock.

The tone of this Brother Lu was as if he were on equal footing with President Kong, yet President Kong was a True Essence Realm powerhouse!

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he gave a start and quietly cast his gaze toward Huo Yun.

That's right, Huo Yun was a Vein Refining Late Stage Martial Artist, yet he had no power to fight back in front of Brother Lu.

So, could Brother Lu's strength also be at the True Essence Realm?

Song Tian was so frightened by this thought that had suddenly popped into his mind that he stood frozen in place for a moment, unable to even make a sound.

"Fine, I will call the President of the Headquarters right now and have him summon Xiao Zhan so we can clarify things face-to-face." Kong Ming took a deep look at Lu Yu.

All along, he had only thought that Lu Yu had astonishing talent for alchemy; he hadn't expected that, judging by what happened today, Lu Yu's martial arts talent was not a bit inferior to his alchemy talent.

It was very likely that he was already a True Essence Realm Martial Artist.

Otherwise, how could Huo Yun, whose strength was only below that of a few of them, have no power to parry in front of him?

Xiao Zhan, oh Xiao Zhan, you have truly caused a catastrophe this time.

Usually, no matter how mischievous you were or how much you upset everyone, people would turn a blind eye for the sake of the President.

But you shouldn't have, you absolutely shouldn't have, set your sights on this person, and with such a vicious scheme at that.

To put it bluntly, even if the President were to personally intercede for you, I'm afraid it would be difficult to appease the anger of the person before us.

Sigh, it is truly said that sins against heaven may be forgiven, but sins of one's own making leave no way out.

Kong Ming sighed deeply in his heart and, in front of Lu Yu, solemnly took out his phone and dialed the number of the President, Zhou Yu.

He hoped with all his heart that this matter could be resolved smoothly; otherwise, what the Headquarters would lose would be far more than just an Alchemist Master—it would be a martial arts genius, and very likely one even more outstanding than Xiao Zhan!

Headquarters Base, a Quiet Room.

On the north wall of the Quiet Room, a piece of calligraphy was hung squarely, with the character "Zen" written on it in a striking manner.

The brushwork was rigid and powerful, and the movement of the brush seemed to contain endless Zen intent; every stroke revealed the profound skill of the writer.

Below the calligraphy was a simple, ancient table, and on the table sat an incense burner.

Calming Incense was burning in the burner, and wisps of white smoke rose slowly, emitting a faint and elegant fragrance.

This Calming Incense was no ordinary thing; the fragrance it emitted could not only calm one's mind and play a role in stabilizing the spirit during a Martial Artist's training, effectively avoiding the danger of Qi Deviation, but it could also accelerate the circulation of True Qi within a Martial Artist's body, making it an excellent aid for a Martial Artist's meditation and Regulate Breath.

At this moment, Zhou Yu was sitting cross-legged on a mat, facing the incense burner steadily.

His eyes were tightly closed, and he was fully immersed in his training; above his head, wisps of white vapor rose slowly, which was a sign of True Qi being circulated to a high level.

Not far behind Zhou Yu, Xiao Zhan was also sitting cross-legged, circulating his True Essence through his meridians and using the medicinal power of the True Qi Pill to improve his cultivation.

Suddenly, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably a few times.

Xiao Zhan slowly opened his eyes, and just as he was feeling puzzled, his right eyelid twitched violently a few more times.

"What is going on?" He couldn't help but frown slightly; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

There had always been a folk saying that "a twitching left eye brings wealth, a twitching right eye brings disaster." Could it be that his right eyelid twitching so wildly meant that a disaster would befall him later?

But this was truly baffling. One had to know that the place he was in right now was the most secure place in Nanshan City.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if the entire Nanshan City were to fall due to some catastrophe, he might not be in danger hiding here.

So what kind of disaster could possibly befall him?

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, secretly thinking: what "left eye brings wealth, right eye brings disaster," it's just some old, superstitious nonsense; only those ignorant fools would feel uneasy because of such a saying.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on the calligraphy in front of him, and pondered to himself: I wonder if that guy Huo Yun has arrived in Yongan City yet?

The distance from Nanshan City to Yongan City was several thousand miles, but with Huo Yun's ability, there shouldn't be any mistakes.

If he had arrived in Yongan City, he must have already found that Alchemist named Lu Yu.

For a mere Vein Refining Initial Stage Martial Artist, wouldn't bringing him back be an easy task for Huo Yun?

Once the person was brought back, as long as they found an absolutely secret place to settle him, everything would be fine.

As long as the secrecy was kept airtight, he would have an endless supply of Superior True Qi Pill to enjoy in the future, and perhaps one day, his Realm would even surpass his master's.

"What's wrong? Why are you so distracted?" Just then, Zhou Yu's steady voice broke the silence of the Quiet Room.

Xiao Zhan was startled by the sudden voice and hurriedly lowered his head, answering honestly: "Master, I don't know why, but I suddenly felt a wave of restlessness, so I opened my eyes, wanting to rest for a while."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yu opened his eyes slowly upon hearing this.

Afterward, he said in a calm tone: "Circulating True Essence is inherently a very dull process; if you really can't settle your mind, you might as well go out for a walk and clear your head."