Full-Time Magister: Dark Throne

Chapter 31 The Murderer Zhang Jia

Following the address Tang Yue sent him, He An arrived at a small town southwest of Shanghai.

Shanghai is very close to Songcheng, and this small town is basically adjacent to the outskirts of Songcheng.

The town is called Qijiao Town, named after the seven-cornered building that was built in the town center during its early construction.

Legend has it that the craftsmen who built the town designed this pavilion according to the orientation of the Big Dipper, with seven corners and flying eaves, each corner adorned with a copper bell. Having withstood hundreds of years of wind and rain, the seven-cornered pavilion still stands in the center of the town, becoming a famous tourist attraction in Qijiao Town.

The place where Tang Yue and He An agreed to meet was a teahouse located at the foot of this seven-cornered building.

The teahouse is a two-story wooden structure with the words "Seven-Corner Teahouse" written on the plaque above the door. There are seven or eight old elm wood square tables on the first floor, and the window seats on the second floor offer a good view of the eaves and copper bells of the seven-cornered building.

It was noon, and the sun was scorching the earth, making even the air seem distorted.

The weather was hot, and there were few customers in the teahouse. The bored owner had fallen asleep in the rocking chair behind the counter at some point, snoring loudly from his wide-open mouth.

As soon as He An entered the teahouse, he spotted Tang Yue sitting alone on the first floor with her back to the door.

She crossed her legs, her plump legs encased in black stockings pressed together, black sunglasses obscuring her eyes and brows, one hand holding a cup of tea to sip, the other holding a document to read quietly.

Seemingly noticing He An approaching her, Tang Yue paused slightly, holding the document, turned around, and gently pulled down her black sunglasses.

Behind the sunglasses, her bright, clear eyes, filled with a smile, gazed at He An, who had come to keep their appointment.

"He An?" Tang Yue greeted him.

Honestly, it had been a long time since she had seen this most outstanding student of Tianlan Magic High School.

After the disaster in Bo City, he changed so much that Tang Yue almost didn't recognize him.

"Teacher Tang Yue." He An nodded in greeting and sat down opposite Tang Yue.

"Here's the information for this mission. Take a look. Your reward will be given to you after the mission. Would you like a cup of tea?" Tang Yue handed over the document she had been looking at.

He An took the mission information handed to him by Tang Yue and examined it carefully.

"Zhang Cao?" He An frowned, pointing to the target's name in the information.

He had assumed that the target of this mission would be Chao He from the original story.

"Yes." Tang Yue raised her teacup and took a small sip to moisten her throat.

"This is a murderer our Inquisition has been tracking recently. He has more than ten murders on his hands, and one of the victims was even a mid-level mage. He is also extremely good at hiding. The Inquisition has been tracking him for more than three months, and we only recently located his whereabouts," Tang Yue said, putting down her teacup with a serious expression.

"Teacher Tang Yue, you're asking me to handle catching this kind of criminal? I'm just a student."

"Don't worry, you won't be facing him head-on. He'll be apprehended by a high-ranking mage sent down from above. You just need to use Shadow Step to help the rest of your teammates escape at the right time," Tang Yue said, noticing He An's slightly furrowed brows.

"We were actually planning to have another mid-level Shadow mage assist us, but he recently went to Jiayuguan in the northwest with a hunter team to look for something. I know this is dangerous for you, but I can assure you that the quality of the armor and magical artifacts you get will definitely be high."

"Okay, it's a pleasure to work with you." He An shrugged and extended his right hand.

"It's a pleasure to cooperate with you." Tang Yue smiled and extended her right hand to shake his.

"Zhang Jia is a mid-level curse mage, proficient in deadly curses, and his methods are unpredictable. Although you are only providing support in secret, you should still be careful."

Tang Yue led He An toward the mission destination, explaining the mission objective to him in a low voice as they walked.

They walked along a country road, its surface covered with gravel and yellow earth, with waist-high wild grass growing on both sides, and occasionally a few yellow and white wildflowers drooping listlessly under the scorching sun.

Not far from the path were large tracts of abandoned farmland, the ridges of which were overgrown with weeds, showing that no one had cultivated the land for a long time.

According to intelligence gathered by the trial, Zhang Cao was hiding in an abandoned hut in the countryside.

He was already aware of the proceedings at the trial and could disappear again at any moment.

This is also why Tang Yue had to bring He An along. They didn't have time to waste anymore. If they let Zhang Cao go this time, they didn't know when they would be able to track him down again.

"Tang Yue, is this the shadow mage you found?" A deep, slightly rough voice came from the woods beside the road.

He An looked in the direction of the sound and saw a muscular man emerge from the shadows of the trees. He was wearing a black, tight-fitting vest that accentuated his muscular physique.

"Why do you look like a kid who just graduated from high school?" Zhang Bai looked He An up and down, his tone filled with undisguised suspicion.

"Sister Tang Yue, Zhang Bai is right. You didn't kidnap a little brother who just graduated from high school, did you? An old cow eating young grass." Before he finished speaking, a daringly dressed woman walked out from behind him and teased Tang Yue.

"Alright, you two, stop joking around." Tang Yue sighed helplessly.

"This is my student, He An. He is a shadow mage. Don't let his young age fool you; his mastery of shadow magic is absolutely top-notch among his peers," Tang Yue said earnestly, looking at them.

He An nodded slightly and greeted the two politely.

Tang Yue then turned around to face He An, pointed at the two of them with her palms, and introduced them to He An: "This muscular man is Zhang Bai, the high-level lightning mage sent down by the Inquisition. He looks fierce, but he's actually very easy to get along with. This lady is my high school best friend, Lu Min, a mid-level water mage."

Zhang Bai nodded to He An, acknowledging his greeting. Lu Min, on the other hand, waved energetically at He An.

"How is the situation now?" Tang Yue asked Lu Min.

"Zhang Jia hasn't shown up since he entered the cabin last night. Dongfang Zhi and Song Lai have been keeping an eye on him from outside," Lu Min said.

Dongfang Zhi and Song Lai mentioned in the conversation seem to be the other two teammates in their team.

"We shouldn't delay any longer, let's go and make the arrest. I'm worried that if we delay any longer, something might go wrong," Zhang Bai said from the side.

"Okay." Tang Yue nodded and led the team toward the cabin.

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