Hong Li squinted his eyes, saying slowly, "Tell me what you found."
At a corner stood Han Zhen Jun listening to the conversation attentively.
One of the instructors began to recount their investigation, "Dean, we have discovered that Ye Mo was the one to kill the young master of the Liu clan during the first phase of our recruitment competition. We have many reasons to think he looted his belongings afterward for his own benefit."
Who killed whom in a recruitment competition wasn't complicated information to obtain, nor would the participants be held accountable for it.
It is just that the martial institutions generally didn't care about it.
There were thousands of participants each year, and they all fought fiercely to be recruited, deaths were unavoidable.
However, because Ye Mo incured suspicion towards his cultivation and was currently being investigated, the fact he killed Liu Huan was quickly uncovered.
Another instructor continued, "We also have much evidence that goes this way, like letters the Liu clan exchanged with Ye Mo later on. The Liu clan has no reason to talk to him, actually, there is a bigger chance they researched the truth themselves and suspect him of the death of their young master, hating him to the core. To still get in touch with him, it is very probable they wanted to retrieve something important to them that was in his possession."
The third investigative instructor who didn't say a word till now, opened his mouth, "Finally, we found many witnesses who, under bribes, told us they saw a Liu clan member exchange something with one of our students a few months ago. The different descriptions they gave didn't match with each other and could fit hundreds of students, so we could not discover who was involved, but they all recognized the suit worn by the Liu clan members and the other from the Tiger Martial Institute. Concurrently, Ye Mo started using another Liu clan battle skill not long after, it becomes clear at this point that he was the one to profit from this transaction, he might even have been the student noticed by the passersby."
The investigators' report came to an end as they looked at Hong Li in anticipation.
They couldn't uncover everything in such a short time with proofs at hand, but what they found in the meantime was enough to expose the events between the Liu clan and Ye Mo with near certainty.
"I understand. This is easy to realize from now on how he obtained such results, by trading with this small clan, it is likely for him to obtain Encompassing Washing pills of various levels along with their battle skill. The Liu clan has been around for some time, surely they had a few in reserve. With these, he could use Spirit Qi pills to cultivate and rise quickly in a few months."
Hearing the result of the investigation, Hong Li nodded unnoticeably, thinking to himself.
This was exactly as he speculated previously, he just couldn't find from which forces he obtained the resources to cultivate this fast... So it was the Liu clan!
Quickly, the dean gave his instructions, "You can withdraw for now, keep investigating just in case you discover something else like another person involved in this matter, and report back when you find something. If after the end of the yearly competition, you still didn't find anything new, you can just return."
"Yes, these subordinates will do as follows." Saying so, they promptly took their leave, like well-trained soldiers dancing to the tune of their general.
"What do you think?" Hong Li asked with a side glance to Han Zhen Jun who left the corner to stand at his side.
"This Ye Mo is too wild, too uncontrollable. He causes a ruckus everywhere he goes and uses our protection as a shield to not bear the consequences. I believe he has to be forcefully detained and interrogated, if needs be, he should stay there indefinitely." Han Zhen Jun declared with a slight frown.
Since Ye Mo's battles at the arena, he has never been at ease with this youth.
From the way he fought to his murderous intent, he was too unrestrained and Han Zhen Jun felt he didn't have his place in the institute.
Merely the way he defeated Ha Jun was unlike anything he had seen in the previous competitions or from his days when he had his age.
It was still under control for now, but Han Zhen Jun believed he could be trouble in the future if he kept growing like that without being disciplined.
Even considering his time after joining the institute, Ye Mo never talked to anyone or started any relationships, he completely isolated himself from the rest of the students.
Other students around him, they make friends and sometimes have a lover, they have a family pushing them to do better, being deeply involved in the life of the institute, growing as righteous members, but he, he was like an outsider, an agent lurking in the enemy's camp, someone that didn't have his place here.
Never partaking in the institute's social life, never even showing his face out to the light, always in a dark corner doing who knows what.
This kind of person, even if they are nurtured, how could they be of any use?
They refuse to be manipulated, in this case, they have to be entirely suppressed!
However, Ye Mo's seclusion wasn't the biggest problem in Han Zhen Jun's mind.
Since Ye Mo entered the institute, he observed him from time to time and stood informed of his activities, but what bugged him the most was this form of conceitedness he had.
When Wang Fei came to hand him a token in front of the pagoda previously, the instructor also used this occasion to ask him how he progressed this fast.
Other students at his place, they might be scared or annoyed but would still respond honestly.
Actually, many would come themselves to the instructors first to talk about their cultivation.
Yet, Ye Mo lied to him, more than that he completely ignored the instructor and this one adding some pressure didn't change anything.
Yes, not only was he fearless, but he also fundamentally didn't feel any respect towards his instructors.
If Ye Mo did so due to impulsiveness, fear, or an agitated state of mind, it wouldn't be such an issue, Han Zhen Jun could accept it.
However, it wasn't the case.
Ye Mo was calm during the whole exchange, peacefully looking at the scenery and disregarding his teacher's presence without a care in the world.
Such a youngster, how could he fit on the righteous path?
It was just this point alone that made Han Zhen Jun feel uncomfortable with him in his institute, but the worst case was during the mid-year competition.
When came the time for him to prove himself in front of the dean, himself, the instructors, and all the members of their establishment, what did he do?
He gave up.
He refused to fight.
In simple terms, he doesn't have any reverence for the institute.
He doesn't seek the acknowledgement of his instructors.
He is unwilling to fight for the glory of the institute.
He is unbothered towards his and others' reputations.
He is not respectful.
This conduct was simply unacceptable, it was a child led astray, failed by his parents, growing up as no more than an animal that had to be taught a lesson.
All these reasons made Ye Mo's presence untolerable for Han Zhen Jun.
A dog that doesn't obey must be put down.
Even if he were sent to a sect, if he behaved badly there and offended someone important, while Ye Mo would be punished, the institute would also share the responsibility of his actions and they would be blamed for doing only half their job while fully enjoying the rewards they receive.
"This kind of person, once they appear, they have to be detained, they must be detained! He must be disciplined thoroughly and inculcated with the precepts of righteousness even if it takes years, either he's conditioned or executed. If not, then at the very least, he should be chased out. If we let him be and he ends up as a demonic cultivator, it would be a catastrophe for the reputation of the Tiger Martial Institute."
Han Zhen Jun had an unpleasant expression thinking of this, making up his mind.
Yet, at this time, Hong Li laughed unceremoniously.
"Haha, Zhen Jun why are you overthinking like that, is an Inner Core Realm expert like you scared of this child?"
Hong Li couldn't help but laugh seeing the vice dean in such deep thought over this trivial matter.
Han Zhen Jun didn't answer directly but recounted the details of a specific creature, "The Nightshade Brood is a violent bird type of blood beast that doesn't build any nest, instead, it tosses down one egg from the nest of another bird when the mother isn't present and puts his at its place. When the mother returns, it will take care of the eggs without being aware of the foreign presence among them. At the time of birth, the Nightshade Brood hatchling can sense when a creature is near and purposefully delay it until the mother leaves the nest to search for food; at this moment, it will leave its shell and, being much bigger and more dangerous than most birds, devour all the chicks whether they are still eggs or have come out already. Once the mother returns, it will be horrified by the massacre and think this creature on its nest appeared when it left hunting and attacked her hatchlings, without realizing it was here way before. The newborn Nightshade Brood will grow quickly with the nutrients from the bird hatchlings and be able to fly, attacking and devouring the mother as well."
Saying so, Han Zhen Jun's story came to an end. He looked at the dean with a meaningful gaze.
Hong Li immediately understood, commenting, "You're using the Nightshade Brood's birth as an analogy. Ye Mo is the Nishtshade Brood hatchling while the nest and the other birds are the institute and its members."
He sighed before continuing, "You have always been a very capable member of the institute, but you tend to be driven by your own emotions sometimes and lack tolerance."
"I know that you are afraid he could go out of control and tarnish our reputation, but you also have to see things from his point of view. He has great battle aptitudes and an excellent intellect, he could have been a superb cultivator on the same scale as Ma Shin Fei or Jin Hao Tian, yet he ended up with merely rank 2 talent. We were disappointed and forsook him, but the one to suffer the most from this situation was actually Ye Mo."
"Being suddenly ridiculed and seen as worthless by other students while given the cold shoulder by the instructors, it's no wonder he would turn out to be rash and discontented with the institute. These cases have been seen many times in the hundreds of years of history of the Tiger Martial Institute, this is nothing new. By injuring his peers in the pagoda or ignoring Wang Fei, he's actually showing his displeasure towards us and venting his anger. If a fly spits on a mammoth, will the mammoth care about it? He is furious internally and that is understandable, just let him be. Emotions are not meant to be bottled up, when he's done and realizes it is useless, he will calm down on his own. It can be seen how affected he was looking at his first week among us, brooding endlessly at home or in the library, avoiding other students and delaying his cultivation."
Han Zhen Jun listened but was still worried, "But dean, Ye Mo was already extremely violent before he joined us or heard of his talent, look at the recruitment competition..."
Hong Li held his hand up before Han Zhen Jun, leaving his words stuck in his mouth, indicating him to listen.
"Back then, no one lacked killing intent, everyone tried their best to join us, Ma Shin Fei almost burned someone to crisps while Shen Xue and Yan Mei were slicing limbs left and right and would make other contestants' heads fly without an instructor's intervention. They were as brutal, if not more, than Ye Mo. They all fought and proved they had the right to be members of our institute. Yet, why is it that you only hold this child accountable for his actions when he was just trying his utmost like everyone? Is it because he isn't part of a clan and has no background, or maybe his past in the slums?"
Han Zhen Jun's heart missed a beat.
He knew this question was meant as a reproach.
He quickly bowed down, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. If I lose my sense of impartiality, then I am not fit to be the vice dean."
Hong Li nodded as his expression softened, "What is the goal of our Tiger Martial Institute? It is to nurture talented youths and send them to the sect, we're like minors excavating all kinds of minerals, the most precious of them being sent to the forgers to shape into an illustrious sword. No matter where they come from or how they look like, as long as they are useful, we don't have the right to toss them just because we don't like their form."
"The most important point is that Ye Mo never broke any rules, showing his attitude to be associated with us. One might believe or suspect, but as long as he follows the rules and regulations, he has nothing to reproach himself. Detaining him in these conditions would rather worsen the situation, a student suddenly disappearing and being imprisoned for no reason? This would cause dissatisfaction among students and outsiders while voices of complaint would be heard at every corner. If it could happen to him then why not to them? Who would feel safe? Chasing him out wouldn't be that different, rumors go fast in this city, we would lose our image of fairness and impartiality, our reputation would be deeply damaged, there are only demerits in acting this way."
Han Zhen Jun suddenly remembered, "Didn't Ye Mo cripple Liu Zhi's cultivation during their match even though this and killing weren't allowed?"
Hong Li shook his head, "The fight occurred under Lan Xue's supervision, why do you think I sent her? Do you believe any of them could go against her will under her watch? If Ye Mo was able to cripple Liu Zhi it is because she allowed it so in this case, more than Ye Mo, it's her that should be punished."
"Then why..." Han Zhen Jun asked, confused and unaware of the details.
Hong Li snorted, showing the grace and callousness of a person in power, "Simply because Liu Zhi was the first to break the rules, attempting to kill Ye Mo. She didn't intervene at this time either, but you tell me that not only should she have prevented him from crippling Liu Zhi, but she should have punished him as well? Isn't that profoundly unfair? Without even taking into account our own opinion, what would all our members spectating the fight think? Liu Zhi's fate was just the repercussions of his own actions and Lan Xue took full responsibility for not intervening, she was dispatched to Jade Forest assisting the fight against rank 2 blood beasts."
"Dean, your meaning?" Han Zhen Jun raised his eyebrows.
"What I am saying is that you think too highly of Ye Mo. He has some cleverness, but he's just a thirteen-year-old newcomer and tends to be impulsive or childish, you can tell from him trying to hide his deals with the Liu clan and the Encompassing Washing pills. How could those be hidden from us? He is not mature yet and is still innocent, don't think of him as a scary being."
"If he didn't show any displeasure, growing silently while hiding his progress, avoiding battles and creating enmity with his fellow students to focus only on his cultivation, that would truly be deep scheming. He could lie low and accumulate strength in the dark for a few years then at the most opportune time, he could reveal his explosive strength and catch everyone off guard, taking a good place in the ranking of the year-end competition then join the Raging Saber sect. Instead, he fought and revealed bits here and there, causing everyone to be aware of his abilities and only making us grow suspicious early on, investigating him. At most, he has some small intelligence but lacks true wisdom and knowledge."
Hong Li admonished his second in command with a distant gaze, looking out of the window at the radiant Tiger Martial Institute, "Your grasp of the situation was too small, he's only a rank 2 talent so if he's lucky, even after tens of years, he will still be a low-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. You don't need to be so calculative with a junior of the new generation."
"I overreacted, but with your guidance, I can't be misled." Hearing Hong Li's final sentence, Han Zhen Jun realized at once he truly overreacted over a minor inconvenience.
Ye Mo was just a kid, he couldn't hide anything from them. Even if one day he wanted to act against the institute, with Hong Li here, he would see everything coming from him like an open book.
There was nothing to be afraid of.