Inside the classroom, Daisy was wondering where Wayne and the others were. Class had started, but there was no sign of them.

Were they planning to skip today? What if Teacher Zhong decided to show up this afternoon?

She asked the few students around her, but they all claimed ignorance. Daisy couldn't stop glancing toward the classroom door, hoping to see Wayne and his group.

Just then, her entire body shuddered. A look of stark terror flashed across her face, and she recoiled with lightning speed!

“What—what’s wrong, Daisy?” a girl nearby asked, startled and confused. Daisy made a silencing gesture and whispered, her voice barely audible, “The teacher is here!” That simple sentence caused every face in the room to drain of color.

No one dared utter another superfluous word; they all immediately settled back into their seats! Little did these students know that their every move had already been observed by Zhong Shenxiu.

Before he even arrived, his spiritual waves had already scanned the entire area. The door opened, revealing Zhong Shenxiu and Robin.

Keni hadn't accompanied them this time because the "Dark Guild" headquarters was nearing completion, and she was busy procuring various decorative items. “Stand up!” Daisy called out, her voice trembling slightly.

Then, everyone in the room rose in unison, shouting, “Good morning, Teacher!” Zhong Shenxiu paused, clearly surprised that these students had such a coordinated move prepared. Daisy and the others watched him with tense expressions, not daring to move an inch until Zhong Shenxiu gave them permission to sit.

“Just the few of you?” Zhong Shenxiu asked coolly. He had already been quite puzzled about where those boys had vanished to before coming over.

“R-reporting, Teacher. Wayne and the others haven't arrived yet,” Daisy replied nervously.

As the assistant class monitor, it fell to her to answer first. Zhong Shenxiu paused in thought but didn't dwell on it, then simply turned and left!

It wasn't until Zhong Shenxiu had been gone for quite some time that Daisy cautiously peeked out the door. Seeing that he was truly gone, she finally let out a deep breath.

“That was terrifying!” one girl exclaimed, clutching her chest. “Me too!

I didn’t even dare breathe!” “Can we sit down now?” “I think we’re safe now!” These spoiled young ladies, accustomed to being pampered at home, had transformed into model students in front of Zhong Shenxiu—a transformation that was truly undeniable! The afternoon proceeded with the usual self-study session.

Midway through the second period, Wayne and his cohort finally returned. Although they had received basic treatment at the infirmary, the marks of their beating were still plainly visible on their faces.

“What happened?” Daisy asked with concern. She was even starting to think that Zhong Shenxiu and Robin might have given them a thrashing as punishment for skipping class.

“Don’t even mention it!” Wayne said, his face filled with indignation. Paul, standing beside him, briefly recounted the entire incident, immediately stirring the sympathy of the female students.

“How could they do that!” Daisy pouted angrily. “I still boil thinking about it!” Wayne hung his head.

Indeed, after taking a beating, they still had to endure a lecture. What was worse was that those other guys had played the victim first, ultimately making Wayne’s group look like the instigators.

“I’m sorry, it’s all because of me…” Wade said apologetically. “It’s not your fault,” Wayne patted Wade’s shoulder, signaling him not to dwell on it.

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. “Ah!” Daisy cried out softly, “I have something important to tell you all!” “What is it?” Paul asked.

“Well,” Daisy looked hesitant, struggling to bring the words out, “our homeroom teacher stopped by this afternoon and asked where you guys had gone!” “What???” Paul and the others’ eyes widened in shock. Could their luck be this bad?

None of them could have predicted that Zhong Shenxiu would show up right when their trouble had occurred. “W-what did he say?” Wayne was the most anxious.

“He didn’t say much!” Daisy replied. “Didn’t say much?” Wayne and the others were clearly skeptical.

“He really didn’t. After asking where you were, he just left.

He only stayed here for a short while!” “We’re finished, finished! This is over!” Wayne and the others slumped back into their chairs, already picturing the fate that awaited them.

The day dragged on, consumed by anxiety, though Zhong Shenxiu never reappeared. Expecting Zhong Shenxiu to arrive the next day, Wayne and his friends organized a massive cleanup effort to preemptively lessen their offenses, scrubbing the classroom until it gleamed.

The group sat waiting, waiting, and waiting, only to realize they had worried for nothing; Zhong Shenxiu still hadn't appeared. So, what exactly had Zhong Shenxiu been doing?

In truth, his research on the teleportation array had yielded results these past two days, and he was currently occupied with various calibrations. As for Wayne’s absence that day, he hadn't given it a second thought—after all, he and Robin had frequently skipped class themselves in the past!

That afternoon, Zhong Shenxiu was heading to the library to return some books. Just as he was about to turn a corner, a figure suddenly rushed out from inside.

Zhong Shenxiu’s brow furrowed slightly. He recognized the figure, as well as the two others behind her: it was Daisy, the assistant class monitor he had appointed!

Daisy was moving with anxious haste, so focused on running forward that she hadn't noticed the sudden obstruction. Just as she was about to collide, an invisible wall abruptly halted her momentum.

This intangible barrier was surprisingly gentle, bringing Daisy to an immediate stop. While Daisy was wondering what had happened, a voice cut through the air.

“What is the matter?” Zhong Shenxiu asked calmly. “Ah!” Daisy looked up, completely unprepared to see Zhong Shenxiu here.

Her initial shock turned into a gasp—anyone overhearing might think he had done something to her! The truth was, Daisy was in a desperate hurry, and the urgency concerned Wade.

She had just witnessed a group bullying Wade again. She had tried to intervene, but those people simply refused to stop and had even threatened what they would do to her if she kept meddling!

Daisy had no choice but to flee to find reinforcements, never expecting to run directly into her homeroom teacher at this critical juncture! To be perfectly honest, Daisy didn't dare tell Zhong Shenxiu about the situation.

That was precisely why she had gone to seek help rather than report it to a teacher. But as fate would have it, the thing she feared most had arrived: encountering Zhong Shenxiu at this crucial moment!

“Teacher Zhong…” Daisy called out timidly, her eyes darting left and right, unable to meet his gaze. Zhong Shenxiu remained silent, simply standing there.

Even so, Daisy felt an overwhelming pressure. Now she worried about Wade’s condition, and simultaneously had to figure out how to answer Zhong Shenxiu’s inevitable questions.

After much internal deliberation, she decided that keeping the matter secret from Zhong Shenxiu was too risky. If he hadn't asked, perhaps she could have let it slide, but now that he had inquired, remaining silent might lead to far worse consequences once he learned the truth.

“Teacher Zhong, you must go! Wade is being bullied by several students from other classes.

And they were cursing him!” Daisy related exactly what she had seen, reciting every vulgar word the bullies had uttered, verbatim. Zhong Shenxiu’s brow initially knitted, but then a sinister smile touched the corner of his mouth.

He was genuinely curious who dared to lay hands on his students. It seemed he had some entertainment lined up!

Daisy found his reaction very strange. Why was he smiling?

Did he possess some kind of sadist tendency? While she was lost in these distracting thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu repeated his question: “Where is it?” “Just over there,” Daisy pointed.

“Lead the way!” And so, the three of them headed toward the location of the incident. When they arrived, only Wade remained, sitting in a state of utter dejection.

His hair was a mess, his clothes were torn and ragged, and there were streaks of saliva on his face. “Wade!” Daisy called out.

Ostensibly, it was a call of concern, but it also served as a silent notification that the teacher had arrived. Wade looked up, and upon seeing Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, his expression clearly froze.

As if experiencing a sudden surge of vitality, he shot up with a "whoosh." Zhong Shenxiu merely glanced at Wade before beginning to survey the scene. This was one of his habits: before the site could be disturbed, he needed to gather any useful intelligence!

“The four of them left?” Zhong Shenxiu asked calmly, not looking up, his eyes still fixed on the chaotic footprints on the ground. Wade assumed Daisy had already briefed the teacher, so he didn't pay much mind, merely grunting an affirmation.

But Daisy found this very strange. She hadn't mentioned the number of attackers; how did Teacher Zhong know there were four?

After examining the area for a short while, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly looked up, fixing his sharp gaze on Wade. “Why didn’t you fight back?” Although Zhong Shenxiu hadn't witnessed the events firsthand, the evidence at the scene allowed him to deduce that Wade had offered no resistance, only dodging continually.

Wade trembled under Zhong Shenxiu's stare, finally managing a voice barely audible: “I don’t have Dou Qi, and I don’t know magic!” “That is not an excuse!” Zhong Shenxiu’s gaze sharpened further. He would support his pupils, but he despised cowards!

A complex flicker crossed Wade’s eyes. He chose silence, not because he lacked a reason, but because it was a reason he didn't wish to share.

His forbearance was entirely for the sake of his mother. If he had resisted those attackers, there was a high probability they would turn their wrath upon her.

If these people dared to assault and insult him, the young master, what restraint would they show toward his mother? Therefore, until he possessed the power to protect her, he had to choose endurance—to bear suffering that ordinary people could not, to endure humiliation beyond common imagination!

Though Wade remained silent, Zhong Shenxiu had caught that fleeting complexity in his eyes. That was not the look of a mere coward!

And that was enough. Zhong Shenxiu didn't require specific reasons; he demanded an unyielding spirit.

Now, it was time for some real entertainment.