Ch 290: The Greatest Victim

A long hour passed, and Pa Hua Luo Di collapsed onto the table, exhausted.

He took a few sips of water He Yan handed him, gasped for a while, and when he opened his eyes again, he felt a dazed sense of still being alive.

Without even glancing at Da Tiantian, who nervously and ingratiatingly pushed a specially prepared Magic Drink towards him, Pa Hua Luo Di glanced at it, snorted, and turned his head.

He didn’t even want to talk about certain people.

“The Gloomy Duchess agreed,” The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach started to creep up again, and facing a situation with no other options, Pa Hua Luo Di decided to finish quickly, “But the Dark Clan’s agreement is unreliable, we still need to be fully prepared.”

He had drunk Ou Pa’s Magic Potion, and he had taken measures to keep his stomach warm, so why did it still hurt?

What on earth did Teacher Da Tiantian put in his water?!

“We don’t even have a clue how to get the Spirit Stone Form,” Everyone was in the same boat; nobody really took anyone else’s words seriously. Ou Pa handed Director Pa a newly prepared Magic Potion, “This shows that the Gloomy Duchess does have a second intention towards the Dark Emperor.”

Having a second intention means there’s a possibility of completely betraying the Dark Emperor.

Even if they don’t side with the Quark Clan after the split, the Dark Emperor losing a capable assistant would be a good thing for them.

Eric had just returned from another shelter, his eyes inquiring about Director Pa’s condition, only to receive a regretful shake of the head.

He then offered the food he had brought along: “Wu Ke Na Na said it’s good for the stomach.”

“Wu Ke Na Na made it?”

Pa Hua Luo Di retracted his outstretched hand. The words of refusal were just about to leave his tongue when Eric quickly added, “Wu La La made it.”

“Oh, I see.”

Eric added, “There are no innovative elements.”

“Pa~, it’s your classmate’s good intentions…” Meeting Director Pa’s gaze, Da Tiantian shut her mouth, trying hard to project an image of being well-behaved and not causing trouble.

“Wu La La’s cooking skills have really improved. After eating it, I feel much better.”

He was prepared to praise it even if it wasn’t delicious, but it actually tasted good.

Heh heh, I wonder if Grand Elder Ken Douji has ever tasted this…

He Yan coughed twice beside him, and Pa Hua Luo Di snapped out of it, suppressing the strange smug smile on his face.

“I’ve been in contact with classmates controlled by Yin Sen,” He Yan spoke about his discovery, his speech slightly faster, “The Energy Potion Agnes and Ou Pa made is indeed effective; the Withered Leaf Mark disappears, and the Gloomy Duchess doesn’t notice it, but it doesn’t last long.”

“The hostages at the Gloomy Duchess’s place are unharmed,” What he didn’t say was that He Yan felt Xiao Fu Die and Bi Cheng Daqi were slightly less plump than the last time they met, “Jian Ni said he couldn’t persuade Rui Bu Si.”

What He Yan didn’t mention was that Jian Ni seemed to have been convinced that the Dark Emperor was watching, which was why Rui Bu Si hadn’t agreed, proudly claiming he had acted out the scene of their falling out perfectly.

He Yan didn’t think the Dark Emperor had that much spare energy, nor that Rui Bu Si lacked the ability to avoid the Dark Emperor.

But he didn’t tell Jian Ni, whose IQ drops two levels whenever he encounters friends （friends = own people = completely trustworthy）, about this analysis.

“Mi Ya Xing, what’s your progress?”

Although he had already guessed the answer from the start of the plan, and given Mi Ya Xing’s silent return, He Yan still asked.

“She refused, but she took the Gold Coins.”

He seriously mentioned that everyone in Meng Academy would help her get the form.

Unlike the half-true, half-false, half-probing negotiation with Yin Sen, what he said to her were everyone’s sincere feelings.

She refused.

She said she didn’t need it.

It was an expected answer, only Pa Hua Luo Di questioned, “What is she trying to do?”

The others didn’t react much.

He Yan recalled Jian Ni’s enthusiastic suggestion: No matter what, as long as the Dark Emperor is killed, there will be no problems.

What puzzled him was that the birth of the Nether Moon Stone Form relied on the Spirit Stone itself and the Dark Emperor’s energy. If the Dark Emperor, who created the Spirit Stone Form, died, what would happen to the form itself?

A question destined to remain unanswered.

Previous attempts all aimed at completely eliminating the form and undermining the Dark Emperor’s power. Even so, there wasn’t much information about the form, let alone a question that few members of the Quark Clan would care about.

“Oh, forget all that nonsense, I know the Dark Clan and Rui Bu Si too well,” Pa Hua Luo Di put on the air of a battle-hardened Dean of Students, “She just sides with whoever wins. She sees that the Quark Clan is easy to talk to and won’t do anything to her, so she keeps refusing.”

Perhaps he stood up too suddenly; Pa Hua Luo Di felt another churning in his stomach and quickly sat down slowly, clutching his hot water bottle.

Unease slowly spread from his heart. Mi Ya Xing clenched the Magic Cube in his hand; he had already recorded all the clues he knew.

A setback always teaches a lesson.

“Oh, right,” He Yan remembered something less important, “Jian Ni also mentioned…”

“You’re all here.” Appearing with several Dark Auras, Wu Yan felt extremely unlucky.

Even after doing so much, the suspicion ingrained in the Dark Clan’s blood still made the Gloomy Duchess very distrustful of him.

Now, if he said or did anything wrong, those Dark Auras and the Gloomy Duchess would make him pay.

If he acted a little harsh, the Meng Academy group would at most scold him a couple of times. Being scolded was a small matter compared to life itself.

“The Duchess wants you to hand over Princess Naiya,” Looking around, not seeing Wu La La, Wu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, “Otherwise, be careful of those classmates’ lives.”

It’s good she’s not here; if that princess, who has no princess airs at all, heard him say that, she would be very sad.

Pa Hua Luo Di looked at him, disappointed and angry: “Wu Yan, I thought you…”

He slammed the table, then slowly sat down again with Da Tiantian’s support.

Wu Yan, prepared to be scolded, felt strange.

“You… didn’t you drink the beverage on the table?”

Working late into the night, another person entered a space; he and Xu Xingchun worked on their own things without disturbing each other.

He wanted to laugh a little.

Not the kind of laugh that villains fake.

It was a genuine laugh, the kind you get when you read a dark joke, the kind that requires hitting a wooden fish.

“You made it?!”

His eyes widened in disbelief; for the sake of face, he held back from turning around and leaving.

“Of course not, how could I do that?” He wondered what kind of drink needed to be prepared in the middle of the night, but Xu Xingchun didn’t ask him why he was repairing chairs at midnight either.

“Head Nurse Xu Xingchun is always professional when making Magic Drinks, you just can’t stand the taste.” He’ll offer a little help here, “I’ve delivered the Gloomy Duchess’s message, if you’re wise, you’d better do as she says.”

He struck a pose of arrogance and authority.

“I’ve got it!” After Wu Yan left, Ou Pa, excited, slapped Pa Hua Luo Di on the back. Pa Hua Luo Di reacted violently and trembled three times.

“Pa~, are you alright? I told you I didn’t do it! How could I possibly plot against you? Especially on such an important matter.”

“Why were you so guilty and nervous just now if you didn’t do it? I haven’t even started to reprimand you, and I just glanced at you, and saw you looking like, ‘I did it, I did it, it was me.’ Who else would I suspect?”

That’s because there was an accident before, I accidentally made a mistake and killed…miskilled…harmed Pa~ in a major incident.