Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

He didn't refuse any further and nodded to the two of them: "Then I'll be going now. If you need anything, go find Captain Lu, or Mr. Mo from the academy."

"Okay, I understand. Just take care of yourself."

Aji nodded and, together with Ahua, saw them to the door, waving goodbye with reluctance.

Back in the carriage, Li Yuan hugged his bundle tightly and sighed softly. Until he became strong enough to protect them, he would probably have to come less often in the future.

Upon returning to the college, Li Yuan went straight to his dormitory. He had been missing for so long, and Wu Yu and the others must have been very worried about him.

As soon as he stepped into the familiar courtyard, Wu Yu, who was practicing her martial arts, saw him. The sword in her hand clattered to the ground. She was stunned for a few seconds, then rushed over with great joy.

"Senior Brother Li! You're back!"

This shout immediately alerted the others in the courtyard. Youying, Cheng Zhao, Zhou Mo, Jin Duoduo... the other classmates from Tian Shu Class all rushed out and surrounded Li Yuan, calling out to him all at once.

"Senior Brother Li! You're finally back!"

"We were all so worried!"

"I heard you've had a great stroke of luck this time?"

Looking at the sincere and concerned faces and hearing the warm greetings, Li Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all, I'm fine." Li Yuan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to everyone.

Wu Yu waved his hand and announced loudly, "The safe return of Senior Brother Li today is a great joy for our Tian Shu Class. I'll treat you to more dishes at the dining hall. Let's drink until we drop!"

"Okay!"

"Senior Brother Wu is so awesome!"

"No, this meal is on me, you can't argue with me." Jin Duoduo got anxious as soon as she heard that.

"Oh, what's there to argue about? I'll treat you this time, and you can treat me next time, isn't that enough?" Wu Yu put her arm around his shoulder and patted him reassuringly.

That night, everyone gathered in a private room on the second floor of the dining hall. Except for Yu Ling'er and Chu Yunhe, all the members of the Tian Shu Class were present.

Everyone took turns toasting Li Yuan and Shen Lian, curiously inquiring about their adventures in the secret realm.

Shen Lian was always taciturn, and Li Yuan did most of the talking. Of course, he would speak freely about what he knew, but he wouldn't say a word about what he couldn't say.

Wu Yu and the others also shared the interesting things that had happened at the academy over the past month, and denounced the despicable behavior of Tian Ce Zhao Lingyun and others.

"Although there were no rankings in this Four Colleges League, everyone knows that our Shenwu Team is the undisputed champion."

After a few rounds of drinks, many people were flushed, arms around each other, laughing and talking loudly.

Wu Yu drank the most. He was a generous person by nature, and he was especially happy that his best friend had returned from his ordeal. He held onto the wine jar tightly and wouldn't let go.

When the party ended, he was so drunk that he staggered, but he held onto Li Yuan's hand tightly and insisted on taking him back to his dormitory.

"Senior Brother Li...please don't...please don't blame me for nagging..." Wu Yu's tongue was tied in knots, but her eyes were a little red. "After you...you all disappeared...Instructor Liu went crazy...we were...terrified...afraid that you wouldn't come back..."

He was rambling incoherently, which warmed Li Yuan's heart. He squeezed Wu's hand in return and said, "Junior Brother Wu, we're all back now. From now on, everyone will be alright."

He escorted the drunken Wu Yu back to her dormitory, and then returned to Mr. Mo's courtyard with Shen Lian.

Since taking over as acting dean of Shenwu Academy, Mr. Mo has been extremely busy. He is rather lazy and is not suited to handling various miscellaneous tasks.

At this moment, he finally had a chance to talk to Li Yuan. Liu Hongyan also arrived and set up a soundproof barrier.

This time, Li Yuan no longer concealed anything and told everyone about the Locked Dragon City, even demonstrating the ancient martial arts technique he had learned there.

"Regarding the ancient war between gods and demons," Mr. Mo shook his head, "I have also read some scattered records, but the era is too long ago, and the truth is long gone."

He sighed, then suddenly looked at Li Yuan with a serious expression, "This matter is too complicated. You must not mention it to anyone again until you have sufficient strength."

"Yes, student understands." Li Yuan solemnly replied.

Just then, a hearty laugh came from outside the courtyard gate: "Haha, Old Mo, Hongyan, Li Yuan, I'm back."

Su Wenyuan walked in slowly. He looked a little thinner, but his spirits were good.

"Dean!" Li Yuan quickly stood up and bowed, feeling guilty. "It's all because of the students that the Dean has been implicated."

Su Wenyuan waved his hand and patted Li Yuan on the shoulder: "It's none of your business. It's my dean's fault for failing to take care of the students' safety."

Everyone sat down again, and among them, Mo Wentian was the happiest: "Old Su, thank goodness you're back. If you hadn't come back, I would have been so annoyed."

"Haha, you, you just can't stand the slightest restraint." Su Wenyuan was in a good mood, pointing at him and joking.

"By the way, the Demon Suppression Division just notified me that they need you to go on a mission, and it involves your father. What exactly is going on?"

Su Wenyuan turned to look at Li Yuan again.

Li Yuan then recounted the information he had just received: "...That's how it is, but I don't know the details yet."

"Your only remaining family is your father. If he is still alive, it is a good thing for you. Go, don't worry."

As a son, one should fulfill one's filial duties, and the academy naturally could not stop him. Su Wenyuan nodded and waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyan's beautiful eyes flashed with worry: "It's been over a year since your father's affair, and now a new clue has suddenly appeared. Could it be a trap set by someone?"

Her concerns were not unfounded. After all, the demon race had gone to great lengths to get rid of him and suffered heavy losses. How could they possibly swallow this insult?

"I've thought of that too, but since it concerns my father's whereabouts, as a son, I cannot ignore it," Li Yuan replied respectfully. "The Demon Suppression Division should have made arrangements, so there's no need to worry, Instructor."

"Chen Shuo is leading the team this time. He is a steady person. Since he dared to take Li Yuan out, he must have made careful arrangements." Su Wenyuan nodded in agreement.

Even after Li Yuan left, Liu Hongyan remained frowning, and it was only then that Mr. Mo, who had been silent all along, spoke.

"I've been feeling restless lately and am thinking of going out for a walk. Maybe I can even go with him," he said, shaking the wine gourd in his hand and winking at Liu Hongyan.

Liu Hongyan immediately understood and was overjoyed. She immediately cupped her hands in thanks, saying, "Then I'll leave it to Mr. Mo. With you protecting me, what else could I possibly worry about?"

After Li Yuan returned to his room, he finally had time to calm down and try to communicate with the bronze palace in his sea of ​​consciousness.

It remained dormant in Dragon Lock City until the Serpent King's seven-colored light infused it, restoring its connection. However, since returning, it hadn't had time to examine it, and now it eagerly entered its sea of ​​consciousness.

At this moment, the palace floated silently, its pale golden light flowing around it, seemingly no different from before.

Li Yuan carefully sensed the surroundings and discovered that the blurry patterns on the palace surface were much clearer than before, and he could even vaguely discern what appeared to be star maps.

The door was also wider than before, and one could vaguely glimpse the vast starry sky inside.

Li Yuan tried to slowly probe the star map on the door with a wisp of spiritual energy.

hum...

The palace trembled slightly, and a streak of seven-colored light appeared on the star map, disappearing in an instant.