Chapter 34 0036: Allow Me to Introduce This Person with Great Ceremony

The reason Chu Yun left so abruptly was because he received a phone call. It was from Mo Yu, but the voice on the other end wasn't Mo Yu's. Over the line, he heard Mo Yu's anguished cries.

Something must have happened to Mo Yu.

Just as Chu Yun was rushing out of the academy, Hou Manman, who had just left the cafeteria, saw him and, driven by curiosity, followed him outside.

Chu Yun arrived at a club, where women in flamboyant attire stood at the entrance as greeters. As soon as he entered, he was asked to show a membership card. Without hesitation, he pushed aside the group blocking his way and forced his way in.

He moved through the club like a headless fly, searching for Mo Yu. Impatiently, he grabbed a waiter and asked in a low voice, "Where is Mo Yu?"

The waiter pointed to a room upstairs, then sternly instructed Chu Yun, "You can't enter Young Master Cui's room without permission."

"Get out of my way!" Chu Yun threw him aside, unwilling to waste time on the stairs. With a leap, he grabbed the railing of the second floor and vaulted up, kicking open a door. Inside, five or six women clustered around four men, drinking and playing a game resembling darts, surrounded by decadent revelry.

Behind them, a man was suspended by thick iron chains.

That man was none other than his good friend, Mo Yu.

As Chu Yun burst in, Mo Yu's screams drowned out the sound of the door crashing open.

Someone was repeatedly beating Mo Yu with a wooden stick. Mo Yu’s body was swollen and red, his face bruised and battered. While his constitution might prevent him from dying, he was enduring torment unimaginable.

The four men drinking and playing games glanced up as Chu Yun entered. Among them, a man with hair dyed silver-white smiled faintly.

Mo Yu caught sight of Chu Yun, his pupils contracting in alarm. Forgetting his pain, he shouted anxiously, "Old Yun, get out of here! What are you doing?"

He hadn’t wanted Chu Yun involved. These people, at most, would rough him up, but wouldn’t kill him. If Chu Yun got involved, however, things would be different. Given the status of these men, they could kill Chu Yun without fear of consequences.

The silver-haired man frowned at Mo Yu's words, raising his hand in a gesture to the man assaulting Mo Yu. The attacker responded by punching Mo Yu in the abdomen, causing him to nearly vomit bile, his neck veins bulging, his face flushed and curled in agony.

Standing beside the silver-haired man was none other than Senior Gao from the bar that night.

He spoke to the silver-haired man, "That's him. The guy who had a conflict with Fan Zhiming that night."

The silver-haired man nodded, put down the dart-like object in his hand, rubbed his wrist, stepped forward, and looked at Chu Yun. "Was Fan Zhiming's death connected to you?"

"Who are you?" Chu Yun, unfamiliar with the silver-haired man, asked curiously.

The silver-haired man smiled. "I guessed you wouldn't know me. If you did, you wouldn't have bullied Fan Zhiming. I'm his sworn brother, Cui Yuanhao of the Cui family in Watchtower City."

"His death has nothing to do with him!" Mo Yu managed to shout, despite his pain.

He received another punch in response.

"Shut up!" Cui Yuanhao barked at him, then turned his gaze to Chu Yun, squinting. "Gao said my brother planned to have you killed that night, but you're still alive, and my brother is dead. If you're a man, admit it. If you won't, that's fine; today, I'll make you admit it!"

The commotion caused by Chu Yun's forceful entry had drawn many club members, all young people. Eager for excitement, they crowded in, laughing and grinning.

"Hey, isn't that the loser who got expelled from our academy?" someone from the crowd recognized Chu Yun, his tone dripping with amusement.

Chu Yun turned to see a large crowd entering. Among them were several star figures from the academy, including Duanmu Ci.

Yet, amidst the throng of women, a striking, beautiful figure caught Chu Yun's attention.

Ye Linglong!

Because of previous unpleasantness with the Yi family, Ye Linglong feared they might retaliate against her family. She had come here to discuss the issue with senior students from the academy, not expecting to encounter Chu Yun.

Her usual icy expression softened momentarily upon seeing Chu Yun.

"Young Master Cui, shouldn't you let everyone know when there's entertainment? That's not very considerate. Let us join the fun," Duanmu Ci greeted Cui Yuanhao before casually settling onto a nearby step or sofa.

"If Young Master Ci wants to watch, how could I stop you?" Cui Yuanhao replied with a smile.

Several hangers-on glanced at Ye Linglong, teasing, "Ye Junior, isn't that your fiancé?"

"Oh?" The women seated beside the young masters widened their eyes in surprise. "Her fiancé?"

"That's right." A student from the First Martial Academy, eager to stir trouble, grinned. "Unexpected, isn't it? The illustrious Ye Linglong marrying such a man—you might not know him."

He stood up, scanning the crowd, ready to share the juicy gossip.

"Let me introduce him." He pointed at Chu Yun. "His name is Chu Yun, from the slums. He used to study at our academy but was expelled. As you know, each academy assigns a companion reader to genius students, right? He was Ye Linglong's companion reader. But you might not know how famous he is—no exaggeration, our Young Master Duanmu Ci ranks first in strength, and so does this guy!"

The crowd's eyes brightened. "Really?"

The enthusiastic storyteller added, "Don't misunderstand—he's ranked last!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Someone asked, "How is he first?"

The storyteller chuckled. "He set a disgraceful record in our academy's assessment. The minimum admission requirement is Warrior Level 3, but he scored Warrior Level 1. Even with Ye Junior's genius, she couldn't keep her companion reader's spot."

Laughter erupted once more.

The women, especially those without status among the young masters, laughed wildly, casting contemptuous glances at Ye Linglong.

They had assumed that a woman as cold and lofty as Ye Linglong would have an exceptional man by her side, only to find he was inferior even to those they served.