There was a crisp knocking sound, but no sound came from inside for a long time.

Lu Yanqing, holding his cane, frowned as he pushed open the wooden door in front of him.

The wooden door wasn't locked. Suddenly, there was a rustling sound of sleeves behind him. Lu Yanqing turned around but couldn't see anything. The cold night wind rushed in, and the lights in the room were instantly turned off.

The brightly lit room was plunged into darkness in an instant, and suddenly a huge force pushed against Lu Yanqing's back.

Lu Yanqing collapsed onto the opposite table, where a basin of water was placed. As Lu Yanqing moved, the water poured down, soaking half of his clothes.

It was chilling to the bone.

The wooden cane fell to the ground and rolled several times.

"Quickly, quickly, lock the door..." came a man's joyful voice from outside.

With a metallic clang, the door was locked.

"Lu Yanqing, who told you to steal the spotlight in Master Li's class? So what if you're good at your studies? You're still just a live-in son-in-law."

"You've stolen my thunder, Lu Yanqing. You'll feel the chill today... so you'll learn your lesson. Who truly owns this elegant academy?"

As soon as Zhang Ruyu finished speaking, he and a group of servants disappeared from the elegant academy.

Zhang Ruyu's family was in the porcelain business. He was the only son and was spoiled rotten. He was a notorious troublemaker at the elegant academy.

In class today, Teacher Li praised Lu Yanqing's essay and criticized Zhang Ruyu. Zhang Ruyu was embarrassed, but since she couldn't bully Teacher Li, she took her anger out on the penniless and powerless Lu Yanqing.

Without money or power... then one becomes a fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Fengya Academy, the best academy in Jiangnan, was filled with the cold wind blowing in from outside, and half of Lu Yanqing's body was already soaked.

Lu Yanqing wrung out the water from his damp clothes, but the chill did not lessen at all.

The windows inside the house had been tampered with and couldn't be closed at all, letting in a draft of cold air. Not even a candle could be lit.

Lu Yanqing limped to the window, moved a chair, stepped on it, and jumped down from the window, landing on the snow. It didn't hurt much, but it was very cold.

He held his cane, not even having time to brush the snow off his body. If he missed the oxcart back to the village, he would freeze to death, penniless as he was.

Lu Yanqing's blue robe was mostly soaked, and he wore a thin cloak that offered no protection from the cold. His lips were pale, but his steps were hurried.

Footprints of varying depths and marks from a walking stick were left on the snow.

Fengya Academy was very large. By the time Lu Yanqing reached the door, all his classmates had already left.

Even the two large red lanterns at the entrance of Fengya Academy have been extinguished.

Lu Yanqing walked to the place where the oxcart was parked as usual, but there was no trace of the oxcart anymore.

He missed the oxcart that took him back to the village.

...

Wen Nan carried a thick, heavy cloak as he walked through the darkness, the world bathed in white light.

Wen Nan's back was slightly sweaty.

The notification sound of the 859 machine kept ringing in my ears.

The target has missed the carriage back to the village.

The target has already left the school.

[Host, if you don't hurry, the target will freeze to death.]

...

Wen Nan gritted her teeth and looked at the navigation map in front of her, which remained clear and silent even in the darkness.

Wen Nan quickened his pace toward the red dot on the map.