Chapter 34: 34 Chapter 33: Burden of Proof

"Not by myself," I corrected after Xiao Zhang's incredulous question. "As I reported, about a week and a half ago, I managed to find shelter at Chun Xiang Village.

After the practical test, I was immediately escorted back to Wu Ling Academy and confined to a room. House arrest, essentially. Fortunately, I was allowed to contact my family and assure them that I was still alive, but other than that I found myself being interrogated by Xiao Zhang and twelve other teachers. At present I was standing at what seemed like a podium for defendants, while the thirteen adults surrounded me like judges and juries ready to make their judgement.

I had filled in them on what mostly happened throughout the two weeks, but of course I wasn't stupid enough to tell them every detail. I withheld my encounter with Master in the afterlife. Only a fool would reveal his hands and tell Xiao Zhang and his posse everything. Even though Master said nothing, I held some suspicions of the Martial Arts Alliance, and found it strange that Xiao Zhang highly coveted the Heaven and Earth Formula.

Instinctively, I knew that it would not be a good idea to reveal that I was on the path of restoring the Heaven and Earth Formula. Having eavesdropped on his conversation with Teacher Jiao, I couldn't help but carry doubts about the old guy.

The other thing I left out was the Green Dragon Spring water. It wasn't that I wanted to monopolize the Green Dragon Spring or keep it all to myself. Rather, I was aware that I would most likely never come across that sacred spring ever again. However, I suspected that if the Martial Arts Alliance learned of the presence of a Green Dragon Spring underground, they would invest every resources they had and rush to capture it. Greed, corruption and ambition would drive the multitude of orthodox sects in the Martial Arts Alliance to viciously compete against each other, resorting to betrayals, backstabbing and all manners of atrocities as each sect sought to claim the Green Dragon Spring for itself. Having experienced the dark side of the world, I had very little trust in human nature in general. I wasn't paranoid to the extent that I mistrusted everybody. I still believed in my friends, and people who earned my trust kept it. But the larger society and politicians in general…they had done nothing to earn my trust. In fact, they had done the direct opposite.

No, best to keep that a secret from the adults as well.

"Even if that's the case, you survived in Sen Lin Forest by yourself for a month and a half." Xiao Zhang looked at me skeptically. "Back then, you were only at the first or second level of Qi Gathering Stage at best. Yet you defied all odds to survive the abysmal depths of Sen Lin Forest where Rank 4, Rank 5 and even Rank 7 magical beasts were known to inhabit."

He failed to mention the Rank 9 Hydra that I described in my report, but I didn't have the energy to split straws.

"With due respect, Principal Xiao, if you don't believe me, there's nothing more I can say."

I shrugged helplessly and wearily. The adults had been grilling me for hours now, asking me the same questions in a few hundred different ways, and I always gave identical answers. I was careful not to give myself away, and kept my dialogue consistent. There were several times where I stumbled or wasn't able to give a satisfactory reply, but I managed to pass it off as my human memory being imperfect. After all, no normal human being could perfectly recall vividly each and every moment of the previous two months.

A few of the teachers glanced at each other, and an elderly lady shook her head. It was clear that they didn't get the answers they wanted. Which made me wonder…they weren't here to extract the truth from me. They were here to try and pressure me into corroborating with the events that they wanted to hear.

Pushing my glasses up my nose, I glared at them defiantly from behind my transparent lenses. No matter how much they pressured me, I refused to bow down. This was my version of the truth, and they could either take it or leave it.

Xiao Zhang massaged his temples, looking as if he had a headache. He glanced at the others.

"So…what should we do?"

"Shouldn't we be happy that one of our students returned safe and sound?" a middle-aged teacher asked. His attitude reminded me a little of Teacher Jiao, except that he was clearly engaged in this political game.

"No one's contesting that point," a middle-aged lady spoke up. "But you've to admit, this is one incredible story. It's extremely difficult to believe such a thing transpired."

"Yet Fei Wu is clearly standing before us, right in front of our eyes. We can't deny that reality."

"But what if he's not the real Fei Wu? What if he's an imposter? A trap laid out by the demonic sects to infiltrate Wu Ling Academy?"

"We've done the diagnosis and triple-checked his qi signature. There's no mistaking that he's the genuine Fei Wu."

"But those same reports note tremendous changes in his qi and constitution. That he has undergone a radical transformation…"

"We can't simply trust him…"

"He's one of our students!"

"Don't you think it's worth keeping a student who was able to jump from Qi Gathering Stage to Qi Fusion Stage in just two short months?"

"But it's too dangerous! It could be a trap!"

"Yeah, how did he achieve that if he didn't resort to demonic techniques and evil methods? He must have sacrificed victims in order to gain that much strength in such a short time!"

"Hey, hey! You know you need to provide proof before making such outrageous accusations!"

"Then how do you explain his unnatural growth?!"

For the umpteenth time, I stood there silently as the adults raged, debated hotly, argued, quarreled and fought among themselves. I had already detected a pattern. Some would be impressed with me and call for the academy to support me, believing that I had a bright future ahead of me, some were suspicious with the methods that I resorted to in order to grow stronger and survive – and admittedly, they had every reason to – and others were skeptical. Furthermore, there was also a few who wanted to keep an eye on me, monitoring my movements and making sure I didn't do anything untoward, though I could hear their unspoken desire. Their monitoring would include studying the martial arts techniques I learned or the methods I used to attain my current level of strength.

I couldn't say I blame them. I even cemented that impression by dragging the carcasses of the Shadow Leopard and Diamondback Crocodile to a test I wasn't participating in. That served as evidence of my capability apparently.

"Order!" Xiao Zhang bellowed, and the adults stopped their bickering, falling into silence as they turned their eyes to him.

"So what do you think, Principal Xiao?"

That question must have been asked a few dozen times by now, often by a variety of teachers. And as before, Xiao Zhang did not offer any concrete answer.

"I think," he said carefully. "That we should not make any hasty decision."

So what would your slow, deliberate decision be? I wondered cynically, honestly sick of standing in trial. The teachers present also shared my sentiment, for they were all rolling their eyes or sighing in frustration.

The trial was going nowhere.

Xiao Zhang took a deep breath and finally moved on.

"Even though the number of people among you hold suspicions regarding Fei Wu's identity and motives, we do not have enough evidence to prosecute him. Yes, there might be something unnatural about his constitution and qi right now, but…" he swept his wizened gaze across the courtroom. "It would be a lot more unnatural if he didn't undergo any transformations after being forced into such a hellish environment and improvising to survive in a place as deadly and dangerous as Sen Lin Forest. I'm sure you can all agree with that."

No one protested. A few even nodded in agreement.

"But it is also too reckless to just take Student Fei Wu's word for it. Contrary to what he said, I'm sure he's hiding a few major details from us."

I knew it. Xiao Zhang was a lot more intelligent and sharper than he let on. I tried not to give anything away, maintaining a neutral expression even as Xiao Zhang scrutinized me closely. Clenching my fists ever so slightly, I forced my pounding heart to calm down.

"Do not worry," Xiao Zhang assured me in a somewhat flippant manner. "I can tell that those reasons have nothing to do with the ones that some among the teachers fear. They're most likely benign and personal reasons."

I hesitated, and then nodded. Xiao Zhang wasn't wrong, after all. I had my personal reasons for hiding the facts that I did, and it wasn't borne out of malicious intent. In fact, it was to save the highly valuable info from falling into the wrong hands.

"DO not worry. I will not pry. And…" Xiao Zhang glanced at his teachers. "I ask that none of you pry into his personal matters as well."

"But what if he turns out to be a traitor? A disciple of a demonic sect? A spy sent to learn our ways?"

One of the teachers voiced her concern.

"Without strong evidence of that, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do." Xiao Zhang shook his head. "Nonetheless, I share a little of your concerns, and I will assign someone to watch over him."

"Teacher Jiao Shi again?"

Xiao Zhang paused momentarily, his creased eyes narrowing, and then he nodded.

"Yeah. Jiao Shi is the teacher most familiar with Fei Wu, so he would be prefect for the job. Moreover, he's someone that everyone trusts."

No one objected to that. To my surprise, it seemed that the usually relaxed Teacher Jiao was highly regarded even by the senior staff and higher-ups.

"There's also the students," another teacher added. Everyone turned to him and he shrugged. "If you remember, two months ago, Student Fei Wu was made out to be some martyr who sacrificed himself to save his class. He was elevated to the status of a hero after he risked his life to help his classmates. Can you imagine what the students will think if we punish their hero? A hero who risked his life to save them, almost dying in the process, but somehow miraculously returning from the brink of death? And our first action is to punish or imprison the boy? What sort of message do you think the students will receive?"

"There will be an outcry," another teacher agreed. "They will protest and revolt against the teachers in this school."

"And we'll basically be telling them that they'll get punished for being brave, selfless and valiant, that we frown upon them heroically risking their lives to save others."

There was a short silence that fell upon the room, and for a moment I dared to hope that this farcical trial would end.

"Indeed, this is a delicate matter," Xiao Zhang muttered as he leaned his chin against his fingers, contemplating hard.

Oh, I'm sure it is. Can you just end this stupid thing already? It was clear that we were getting nowhere.

Just as my impatience and infuriation were about to surge out of my body, Xiao Zhang clapped his hands decisively.

"All right, let's end this for now." He looked from teacher to teacher, and after meeting the gaze of twelve of them, nodded firmly. "We'll take Fei Wu's word for now, but I'll have Teacher Jiao keep an eye on him. Since Jiao Shi is the teacher closest to him, and the one who knows the best, he'll be able to detect any irregularities far ahead of time."

There was a murmur among the teachers.

"Agreed."

"No argument there."

"It's decided then."

"Good." Xiao Zhang looked pleased with the outcome. He then glanced at me before considering for a few seconds. "Oh, and lest we forget his bravery, we should reward him for it. Perhaps give him an award."

"Sounds like a good idea."

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"Yeah, he did risk his life to save his classmates, though."

"We'll need to do that at least, for the students."
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In other words, this was more a show to the students for assurance and to promote valiant behavior than a reward for me. I could tell that the teachers weren't interested in me as an individual, but as a symbol. I bet that when they learned that I was the one sacrificed to save my classmates, they were relieved that I wasn't one of the talented ones.

"We'll award you with a medal," Xiao Zhang told me, and then stroked his beard for a bit. "And also, how about we give you a martial arts technique in the archive? One that you don't have access to with your current level."

At my current level, apparently, I should be able to unlock more than just level one techniques. I would have to take the test first in order to gauge my current level, but I knew Xiao Zhang wasn't just referring to the higher-level ones. He was also referring to the techniques that could only be purchased by currency.

What is this, Eternal Reverence or something?

Unlike Li Fu Chen, at least, I had Teacher Jiao to approach and ask for help if I was unable to understand a technique that I borrowed.

"Thank you very much."

Cupping my hands, I bowed deeply and expressed my gratitude as politely as I could.

"It's nothing." Xiao Zhang chuckled. "Keep being courageous and selfless. I think you are an example to follow, risking your life to save your classmates. Few people would have the bravery to challenge and hold back a Behemoth to buy time for their comrades to escape. I am proud to have a student like you."

"About that…" I hesitated for a moment, and then decided to bite the bullet. "When trying to fight the Behemoth, I was betrayed."

The entire room fell silent as Xiao Zhang and the twelve teachers stared at me. I felt an odd sensation, an intimidating air that seemed to swallow me whole. For some reason, their figures loomed over me, suddenly much more massive than before. There was a tense atmosphere of overwhelming qi, warning me not to speak any more than that.

However, I had been through hell and back. I had faced magical beasts and beaten them. I had escaped a Hydra. I had confronted death and laughed in its face.

A group of adults couldn't compare to what I had been through.

So I continued, despite the overwhelming qi pressure that the adults exerted upon me.

"One of my classmates attacked me while I was retreating, causing me to fall into the Abyss with the Behemoth."

More silence. Xiao Zhang and the twelve teachers continued staring at me coldly, none of them uttering a single word.

I frowned, but mustered the courage to continue. "That classmate is…"

"Enough."

Xiao Zhang's voice might seem quiet, but it was audible enough to cut through the entire room. Despite my bravery and defiance, I couldn't help but obey, dropping to a knee under all that tremendous qi pressure. My throat stirred, unable to make another sound. It was clear that the thirteen adults were doing something to me.

As strong as I had gotten during my time in the abyss and Sen Lin Forest, I was still far from reaching the level of the adults, who had years of cultivation, training and experience, and were far beyond me. For now.

"That is quite the accusation you're making there," Xiao Zhang growled gravely. "You do understand the implications of what you're saying?"

The weight seemed to lift a little and I began coughing and wheezing. Sucking in a lungful of air, I nodded frantically as my throat was no longer as constricted.

"Yes."

Xiao Zhang fixed me with only sympathetic eyes, but that sympathy was replaced by rage and cold indifference.

"Do you have proof?"

I looked up at him, still heaving. The qi pressure that he exerted was slowly curling around my body, particularly my throat, and gradually strangling me.

"P…proof?"

"If you want to make accusations like that, you need evidence," Xiao Zhang replied, as if it was obvious.

"N…no, but…"

"Then silence!" he roared.

I said no more, but continued to simmer inside. Evidence? What was this, a court case? I was busy trying to survive, busily trying to escape from the Behemoth during that time. I never expected a classmate to betray and attempt to murder me in cold blood, so how was I supposed to collect evidence during that fateful moment? Was I supposed to carry a recording device on my person all the time or something? What about witnesses?

Ah…that was why. I needed witnesses to corroborate. I should have asked my classmates if they had seen it. At least one of them must have seen the lightning that hit me before I fell off the edge and into the abyss.

"You're dismissed."

Xiao Zhang's voice was gentler now. A little sympathetic, even. I felt as if the weight had been completely lifted and quickly stood up, breathing heavily. Perspiration still dripped down my face, but I wiped it off.

"Yes, sir."

As I left, I suddenly realized that there was something amiss about the whole thing.

Principal Xiao only asked me for evidence. The rest of the teachers, none of them said a single thing. No one denied it, no one refuted it, and no one had any outburst of disbelief or outrage. The only thing the Principal asked for was…proof.

There was no "there's no way a student of Wu Ling Academy would do that!" Hell, I wasn't even allowed to speak the name of the person I was accusing, which I found highly weird. It seemed at first that Xiao Zhang wasn't interested in the identity of the accused, but now when I thought about it, why wouldn't he be?

No, it appeared that he already knew who I was about to accuse.

Why? What's going on?

Later, I found out that several of my classmates had testified and brought forth similar accusations, acting as witnesses in the report from two months ago, but Xiao Zhang and the staff didn't act on it. Instead, they covered it up, merely dismissing the case from a lack of proof.

"It's only natural," Tong Xue told me, shaking his head after I informed him about that. I had just returned from the trial and ended up in the classroom. "The accused is someone from the White Tiger Sect, one of the four major sects in the Martial Arts Alliance, and as you know, Qi Fu Ren is a favored disciple there."

"…so they covered it up because they don't want to risk incurring the wrath and displeasure of the White Tiger Sect," I mused. Tong Xue nodded.

"Sorry, but yeah…that's most likely how it is."

"It's not that they don't believe me, but that their hands are tied…"

Tong Xue raised both hands and shook his head in mock helplessness.

"Adults have their own worries, huh? I guess even adults can't do everything."

Beside Tong Xue and me, Ban Zhang sat in quiet fury, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. Next to him, Zhu Jiao simmered and bristled with unrestrained rage. Curling his lips, he turned to glare at Qi Fu Ren, who was seated at the back.

Qi Fu Ren, having seen me just return to the classroom from the trial, smirked at me triumphantly. The bastard knew what had transpired, and he was enjoying it.

"You…"

Zhu Jiao snapped, but before he could walk over to punch the arrogant and murderous Qi Fu Ren, Ban Zhang held him back with a shake of his head.

"It's not worth it, Zhu Jiao. You'll only get into trouble. We don't have proof after all."

The way Ban Zhang worded "proof" dripped with pure sarcasm. I was taken aback by the venom in his voice. I had never thought the class representative capable of such hatred. Qi Fu Ren must have done a few more things in my absence.

"I would love to beat that bastard up too," Tong Xue added with a sigh. "But right now the only ones who are strong enough to defeat him in our generation are Bai Ning Xue and Zhu Jiao. The rest of us don't stand a chance."

"Coward," Zhu Jiao spat. "I've challenged him to a match, but he slyly rejected my challenge. All because he knows he'll lose to me. He only accepts challenges that he's confident of winning. Despicable coward."

I knew about that. Often, Wu Ling Academy allowed students to resolve conflicts with each other in the form of a duel. While that sounded awesome and all, the problem was that the arena was a very harsh and cruel place. Despite that, many people didn't hesitate in invoking its name as a challenge.

The reason as fairly simple. There were practically no rules in the arena.

Before the duel officially began, each combatant was to sign an agreement, a form of disclosure that they would not hold the other party responsible in event of death or injury. In other words, killing your opponent was fair game in an official duel within the arena. While it was rightly frowned upon and highly discouraged – especially since the academy had spent a lot of resources to nurture each student, and didn't want those to go to waste – such outcomes were inevitable. While I would be exaggerating if I claimed that the death toll was high – and indeed, most students avoided killing their opponent – there were a few cases where the combatants were excused for causing their opponents' death. It was only natural – in a fight to the death where neither party could afford to hold back, it was difficult for either of them to control their strength and avoid striking a killing blow.

Of course, that didn't mean you could just simply kill anyone you challenged. The moment the opponent surrendered or was clearly no longer able to battle, you were not allowed to attack any further, never mind finish him off. Most people were smart enough to surrender before anything bad happened. Avoiding defeat wasn't worth losing one's life over.

That said, many often used the dueling system as a way to vent their grudge, crippling their opponents' cultivation by destroying their meridians and qi vessels, or cutting off their limbs. As powerful as the Green Dragon Sect's healing magic was, it couldn't restore lost limbs. Well, if you were fast, the highly advanced, modern medical facilities at Wu Ling Academy could reattach your severed limbs. But if you were too late…

"As long as he refuses to accept my challenge, I will never be able to punch his face in like I want to," Zhu Jiao moaned.

"He only accepts challenges that he's confident of winning, huh?"

I smiled as an idea slowly came to mind. Pushing my glasses up slyly, I turned to my friends and grinned.

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