Chapter 69: Cunning Fox

Translator: Cynthia Editor: Pranav

"Excuse me, which academy are you from?"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted Duanmu Huanghun’s thoughts and pulled him back from his shameful and resentful memories. He looked up and saw two guards staring at him like they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Central Pine Academy." Duanmu Huanghun, who was not in a good mood, answered unconsciously.

"What’s your name? Where’s your pine badge? Which class are you in?" the guard then asked. A pine badge was a nameplate for each student of Central Pine Academy to prove their identity.

"Leave me alone!" Duanmu Huanghun said impatiently.

He knew his distinguished status differentiated himself from ordinary students and was therefore not nervous at all when facing the guards. As a result, when they asked him to show his pine badge, his first reaction was one of reproach.

"Pine badge check." The guard softened his tone. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Instinctively, Duanmu Huanghun reached for his pine badge, but then he stopped. Pine badge? There was no pine badge for his current disguised identity. Of course, he wouldn’t show the badge with Duanmu Huanghun’s name to them.

After acting silly for the whole day, Duanmu Huanghun finally sobered down.

"Didn’t take it with me." Duanmu snorted. "I’ve been to Central Pine City for so many times. Never heard of such a check before."

Having been born in a noble and honored family, Duanmu had never known what it meant to keep a low profile. As for the two guards of Central Pine Academy, well, he didn’t even bother to pay attention to them.

The guards became more nervous when Duanmu Huanghun’s hand stopped moving. At first, they weren’t sure if the information the boy had provided was accurate, but now, judging from the reaction of the target, he was definitely a suspicious character.

The danger level of the suspect largely increased!

"New rules, published days ago." The guards stared at him and said, "If you didn’t take your pine badge with you, please come with us to Central Pine Academy to apply for a temporary one."

Central Pine Academy?

Duanmu was a bit apprehensive, as he was afraid that his false identity would be exposed.

"No. Why do I have to do as you say? Who bears the consequence if my mission is delayed?" Duanmu Huanghun seemed arrogant, but in his heart, he was getting worried that they had already figured out his intention.

But that was weird. He hadn’t done anything wicked. He was only wearing an elemental mask…wait!

Duanmu Huanghun’s eyes almost popped out. He finally knew the problem—it was his mask…the damned mask!

He quickly turned to look at the other side of the street, and as expected, he saw the two people who had just walked by.

"…I was here that night…"

What the boy had said had now occurred to him. Damn it! Why did he pick up this particular mask today? He started to panic and totally forgot this was the only elemental mask he took with him.

If his real identity was found out…

Even if he had one hundred mouths to defend himself, he could hardly clear his name.

Duanmu Huanghun was the naked pervert!

No overstatement was needed. This fact alone could become the headline of Central Pine Academy and spread to the whole Induction Ground by tomorrow. He would consequently be deprived of his fame as a genius and be kicked out by his teacher. He would also disgrace the Duanmu family and become a joke in the Avalon of Five Elements.

His face turned pale. Any one of these results touched his deepest fear and left him trembling with horror.

No!

He must not be caught!

As long as he was not caught, no one would suspect him, and after his successful escape, as long as there was no death, no exposure of his elemental energy, and no evidence, this incident would end. He could not care less about whether anyone would be injured.

After calming down, Duanmu was thinking fast. His eyes narrowed, resembling a crescent moon.

The two guards felt the suspect suddenly become a different person. After his eyes narrowed, the originally featureless face transformed into that of a cunning and cold-blooded fox.

A strong sense of danger filled their hearts at the same time.

But their reactions were too slow. The figure of the dangerous guy blurred, and something flashed across their eyes.

Bang! Bang!

They were pounded on the stomach at the same time, and their back arched with severe pain like a shrimp.

How dare he take the initiative to attack them…

That was their last thought before they lost consciousness.

An evil smile appeared on the otherwise ordinary face, suddenly giving it a vivid and bright look. The crescent-shaped eyes were like those of a fox, and along with the evil smile, they revealed a hint of bloodthirsty cruelty and grimness.

What slow reactions. Having got the upper hand with just one move, Duanmu Huanghun snorted. Although he had never thought much of the ability of the guards of Central Pine Academy, he was a bit surprised to get away with it so easily.

Central Pine City was a small place, and the ranking of Central Pine Academy in the Induction Ground was among the lowest. Therefore, the guards here were not highly skilled. Moreover, as a typical small town, it was generally peaceful, so the guards were usually at leisure and not vigilant. They had never thought that Duanmu Huanghun would initiate the attack.

Duanmu Huanghun was just about to leave when he heard the sharp sound of sirens pierce the air.

His pupils constricted, and he murmured, "Troublesome!"

Although the guards were easy to deal with, they had called for backup in advance, which was the last thing Duanmu wanted to see.

Without any hesitation, he rushed to a street nearby like a lightning bolt.

Thanks to Ai Hui, whom he had been recently looking for for a long time, Duanmu had become very familiar with the layout of Central Pine City. He didn’t go too high because then he would be easily spotted.

Two guards rushed into the street rapidly, weapons drawn.

No one noticed the figure hiding in the shadow at the entrance of the street.

Where is he? The two guards slowed down to search for the suspect.

Like a ghost, a figure with a stick of candied fruits in its mouth appeared silently behind them. The narrowed eyes made it look like a fox taking a nap in the sunlight.

The figure hit hard on the nape of their necks at the same time, causing the two guards to lose consciousness and fall down to the ground.

The passers-by on the street were astonished. They were stuck dumb and didn’t know how to respond.

Amidst the gaze of all the pedestrians, Duanmu Huanghun ate up the last candied fruit and unhurriedly threw away the stick. He did not seem panicked at all.

Chewing the candied fruit, he was strolling leisurely—he was as idle as an ordinary passerby.

Incessant screams threw the deadly silent street into chaos.

With his eyes still narrowed, Duanmu appeared to be enjoying himself.

He randomly chose a tea house whose door was open and walked in.

The people in the tea house were chatting and drinking tea. When the screams had started coming from outside, they didn’t know what had happened, and since Duanmu Huanghun walked in at just this moment, he immediately caught everyone’s attention. Yet he didn’t pay any heed to them and walked to the seat near the door, before sitting down as if nobody was present.

"A pot of your best tea, please."

His voice sounded lazy. The waiter, as if just awakened from a dream, replied promptly, "No problem. Please wait a minute."

The ringing sirens outside became the topic of discussion for the people inside the tea house.

"What’s happening? An accident?"

"What exactly is going on out there?"

...

Duanmu Huanghun was at ease. He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The taste was ordinary. He put the tea cup down in disappointment.

No one noticed a bamboo whistle suddenly appear in his hand. He put it to his mouth.

All of a sudden, a sharp whistle unexpectedly pierced through the tea house, causing all the other noises to rapidly die down.

In the dead silence, Duanmu Huanghun put down his bamboo whistle, and with a note of apology in his voice, he said, "Sorry to interrupt."