Master of Nine Stars

Songjiang Soul Martial University had certainly made a name for itself.

Of course, it was famous ”internally,” so to speak—limited to the Soul Police, the Snow Burning Army, and the Poacher Organization, which was likely also aware of the situation.

As for the loud bang in the night, it did affect some of the civilians living on the northwestern edge of Songbai Town, waking them from their dreams.

The Snow Burning Army’s explanation was half-truth, half-lie. They pacified the public by claiming it was a joint operation to apprehend criminals and also announced the results of the arrest.

A few days later, they went a step further and publicly disclosed the criminal identities of the joint team, which was composed of members from the Qian Organization and the Free People.

As for the Poacher Organization, it probably wouldn’t be long before they found out that the ones who had truly captured their members were the all-star team of teachers from Songjiang Soul Martial.

Coach Xia didn’t seem to have any particularly shining moments during the arrest. Honestly, Rong Taotao thought, ’Now is the perfect time for Xia Fangran to show off.’

’The Poachers’ assassination attempts, one after another, had all failed, with Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei escaping every time.’

’And yet, on the very first mission Rong Taotao led, his squad had captured two of the Eight Great Coins, along with a high-ranking member of the Free People!’

’To sum it up, it was just four words: Can you even play!?’

Rong Taotao thought, ’If all this information could be made public, Xia Fangran should totally post on Weibo, activate his long-distance taunt mode, and just go on a killing spree...’

The next evening, when Rong Taotao arrived at the company barracks stationed at the edge of town, carrying Gao Lingwei and accompanied by Li Lie and Si Huan Nian, his brother Rong Yang was already there.

Rong Yang’s reaction was interesting. His emotions were a complex mix of surprise, admiration, worry, and a touch of lingering fear.

Overwhelmed by these complex emotions, Rong Yang went to give Rong Taotao a hug, but Rong Taotao dodged it.

Uh.

After all, he was still holding the unconscious long-legged young lady in his arms, and someone was reluctant to let go...

Earlier in the day, Yang Chunxi had already gone over all the details, so Rong Taotao and the others were just here to go through the motions.

After a brief discussion, the group decided not to linger at the company barracks but to take Gao Lingwei directly back to Songjiang Soul Martial University.

Truly, fortune favors the bold—or in this case, the highly skilled. Gao Lingwei was still unconscious, yet this group of teachers dared to take her back...

On one hand, the mission was complete, and they needed to report back to Principal Mei. On the other hand, the teachers also had more faith in the level of care at the Pine Soul campus hospital.

It was also worth noting that Rong Yang had joined the escort team. With such a powerful group, they didn’t need to play by the usual rules. They rented a Snow Night Shock for Rong Taotao, and the party set off for Songjiang Soul Martial University that very night.

On horseback, Rong Taotao had Gao Lingwei laid sideways across the saddle in front of him. He held one hand on her waist to keep her steady and was suddenly struck by a strange feeling.

’Er... Like a bandit kidnapping a village girl?’

”Captain Fu wants you to return to Hundred Corps Pass as soon as possible,” Rong Yang said from beside him.

”Ah,” Rong Taotao replied, guiding his horse forward. He was completely surrounded by the teachers, which gave him a great sense of security.

Rong Taotao thought for a moment before saying, ”With Da Wei’s condition, I can’t go back just yet. After she wakes up, I’ll go with her to report to Hundred Corps Pass.”

”That makes sense,” Rong Yang said with a nod. ”Judging by your past experience, she’ll be unconscious for ten days? Half a month?”

”Who knows,” Rong Taotao said with a shrug. ”Maybe it’ll be faster. After all, I was only a Soul Warrior when I absorbed the Lotus Petal, so my body was still very fragile. But she’s different. She’s a Soul Captain. Her physical strength is on another level, so it might not take that long.

”By the way, Bro, did Captain Fu change his mind? We talked about the ’springboard’ thing before. Now he wants to make my position permanent again.”

Rong Yang smiled. ”You still don’t realize what your actions this time truly mean.”

Rong Taotao: ”Hm?”

”Heh,” Rong Yang said, shaking his head with a smile. ”These were two of the Qian Organization’s Eight Great Coins, and a high-ranking member of the Free People.”

”If you had been on the job long enough, or paid more attention to this kind of thing, you would know just how thorny the Poacher Organization is, and how notoriously difficult these criminal leaders are to deal with.”

”They’ve been notorious for a long time, which means they’ve always been extremely cautious and cunning, and had never been arrested before.”

”Simply put, capturing any single one of these three would be a major accomplishment, let alone bagging the whole nest at once.”

Rong Taotao nodded silently. ”Oh...”

Rong Yang said, ”Since that’s the case, let’s just help each other out.”

Rong Taotao nodded immediately. ”Of course, no problem. Bro, we can’t just let Captain Fu do all the favors for us. We have to give something back.”

”I was already a reserve member of the Twelfth Squad, that’s a fact. And besides, like you said, we help each other out. I like that principle.”

”Mhm.” Rong Yang patted Rong Taotao’s shoulder. The two rode side-by-side, but there was some distance between them, making the gesture a bit awkward. Still, Rong Yang insisted, as if to express his stance.

Rong Taotao said, ”I’ll have a good talk with the other teachers and frame this mission as a joint operation between the Snow Burning Army and Songjiang Soul Martial.”

Rong Yang nodded lightly. ”I’ve already spoken with Chunxi. When the time comes, just make sure you give a proper report to the principal.”

Rong Taotao: ”Got it.”

Rong Yang continued, ”Since you won’t be back for a while, I’ll return and explain the situation to Captain Fu. I’ll also handle the paperwork to make your and Ling Wei’s positions permanent. And don’t worry, this is a special case that calls for special handling. Captain Fu told me before he left to make sure I explained everything clearly to you.”