Chapter 573: “Murder of a Fellow Disciple (1)”
The Zephyr Academy’s holiday went by in a flash. Jun Wu Xie and her companions were moving out to make their return trip to the academy.
The bustle in Chan Lin Town quietened down tremendously after the disciples of the Zephyr Academy all left, and the streets suddenly became bare and tranquil. But at the same time next month, all the hustle and bustle would return once again.
Qiao Chu and the others had reached the branch division first and Jun Wu Xie was just stepping into the Zephyr Academy’s main branch with Fan Zhuo.
And when Jun Wu Xie took her first step into the Zephyr Academy, she was met with many stares filled with disdain and hatred directed at her.
Quite a number of disciples had remained back at the Academy over the holidays and they were seemingly giving out different vibes as compared to those who had gone to Chan Lin Town. Upon seeing Jun Wu Xie, these people had moved on from ignoring and disregarding her previously to staring at her with utter contempt and undisguised hatred now.
The unfriendly stares were so obvious that even the always calm and cool Jun Wu Xie felt the change in their eyes.
The air in the academy changed to become a little stifling with the return of Jun Wu Xie. Jun Wu Xie walked along with Fan Zhuo and all the other disciples they passed shot them with endless glares filled with thick enmity and disdain.
What had happened?
Jun Wu Xie felt that something must have happened in the few days that she had been away, or why had the glares from all the disciples directed at her become so filled with venom?
Fan Zhuo could feel the strange atmosphere within the academy as well. He pulled Jun Wu Xie along as he sped up, hurriedly wanting to return back to the sanctity of the little bamboo grove.
The two of them had just put their first foot into the little yard when Fan Jin, who had quickly received the news of their return, rushed over in a hurry.
“Big brother, did something happen in the academy?” Fan Zhuo’s face was looking puzzled and confused. He could not help but have noticed all those stares directed at Jun Wu Xie.
Fan Jin was actually more anxious than Fan Zhuo was as he looked at the calm Jun Wu Xie, his forehead covered in a thin sheen of perspiration.
“In the few days that you guys were not here, somebody leaked out the news that Li Zi Mu’s death was connected to you.” Fan Jin’s explanation had been extremely simple but in reality, the rumours being spread was a lot more malicious than that.
Somehow, somebody found out that halfway through the Spirit Hunt, Li Zi Mu had switched teams and transferred himself to Jun Wu Xie’s team. And after that, Li Zi Mu’s name had suddenly appeared in the namelist that recorded the names of the disciples who had lost their lives in the Spirit Hunt.
Having deaths occur during the various Spirit Hunts was actually seen to be normal and no one would really pay much attention to who had lost their lives.
But Li Zi Mu’s identity was different from others. He was the only disciple who was accepted into the Spirit Healer faculty this year and had garnered a lot of attention from the other disciples. His death was hence known to many of the disciples and some jeered while others sympathised.
In the end, just as the tragedy that happened in the Spirit Hunt was about to become a faded memory, a startling piece of news suddenly spread throughout the academy!
Jun Wu Xie was directly linked to Li Zi Mu’s death. Li Zi Mu had originally started the Spirit Hunt with another team when they entered the Battle Spirits Forest. They had encountered Jun Wu Xie and Fan Jin’s team midway and it was said that Jun Wu Xie had suddenly extended an invitation to Li Zi Mu, to have Li Zi Mu join Fan Jin’s team.
Li Zi Mu had found it hard to decline such generosity on Jun Wu Xie’s part and had forced himself to accept it. And not long after he transferred into Jun Wu Xie’s team, he had suddenly died under dubious circumstances in the Battle Spirits Forest.
The rumour, had contained largely the truth of the matter, except for one point.
And that was Jun Wu Xie had not invited Li Zi Mu, but it had been Li Zi Mu who had made the request to join her team.
But it was that very little twist, that made most of the other disciples come to such a wrongful conclusion.
Everything between Jun Wu Xie and Li Zi Mu had spread far and wide within the academy from before and all the disciples knew of the great enmity they held for each other.