Chapter 114: The Black Cloaked Assasin

They ran to the on campus hospital. They stopped in front of them was a wall of bodies. Wang Zen, Jao Fuu and Cong reconised them as their fellow classmates. However, some kids were from older years were also gathered there.

Zen tried to borrow through the crowd, closer to the hospital. He made some progress but at some point, no one would give way to him and his cousins, who had followed in the temporary tunnel he created behind him, had to stop too.

“Wang Zen?”

Zen looked at Geyi Kun who somehow made her way to him.

“Geyi Kun! Do you know what is going on?” Zen said.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Calm down! Calm down!” A voice boomed over the gathered crowd.

Zen craned his neck up to see who was talking, he recognised the lecturer. Her curled ginger hair and the bored look in her hazel eyes was something he would never forget. This was the lecturer that had hunted Hue Yi with the tw specialist from the Red Dragon Sect the last time they were in the Academy Forest. He had come to learn that her name was Lou Shan.

“Shut up!” the lecturer snapped. When everyone had quietened down, she spoke again. “We know yu are all worried about Xue Shaonu. We will keep you all informed of her condition but for now, all we can divulge is that she was poisoned. It seems the poison was man-made.”

Gasps and murmurs erupted through the crowd before they died down, everyone awaiting Lou Shan to say more.

“If you know anything… anything, it would be best to come forward, for we arelaunching a full investigation into the matter,” she dropped her head slightly, casting a enacing shadow over her eyes, “and if we find that anyone has a connection with the parties involved in this anddid not come forward, no even the Overlord will save them from Goixi Academy’s wrath.”

As soon as the lecturer left, people began slowly drifting away, going back to their lives. Only handful of students remained and even they began shambling away.

“Who would do such a thing.” Jao Fuu said, shaking her head.

“Will she be okay?” Zen asked, looking to Geyi Kun and Jao Cong.

“Don’t know much about poisons but I guess a wood elementalist would be able to heal her.”

“But its not as easy as them placing their hands on the patient and healing them,” Cong said. “I’ve read that it is tricky and the more complex and unknown the poison is, the harder it is to heal someone effected by it.”

The firs snowflake of the night fluttered down and was soon followed by many others.

“We can’t stay out here for too long,” Jao Fuu said, hugging herself. “I suggest we go.”

“I’ll stay for a bit longer,” Zen said.

“Suit yourself, but don’t stay for too long.” Jao Fuu said before she took her brother by the hand and they both walked off.

Geyi Kun stayed for a few more minutes before she begato shiver. “I think I’ll retire for the night too, Zen’er. Listen to your cousin, don’t stay too long.”

Zen smiled thankfully and nodded his head before she smiled back and walked off. A few more hours later and Zen was the last person standing, beginning to shiver from the cold emanating from the falling snow.

“Shibi,” Zen looked down at the ape with a circle of snow forming around his sleeping body.

Shibi opened his eyes ad looked up at Zen’s inviting arm, which he raced up on to perch on his shoulder.

Zen walked into the hospital. He did not have to walk very far in the building before he saw someone he recognised.

“Ms Hong!”

“Ah, Crooked Nose! What brings you here? Wait, don’t tell me…” she raised her hand as Zen was about to answer. “You’re here to see the Xue girl.”

Zen smiled sadly and nodded, “She’s my friend and… and Iwanted to make sure she was okay.”

Hong Lu craned her neck to look past Zen and saw the empty night outside. “Well, seems you are one of the few left so you must be a close friend of hers. Follow me.”

She led the way to Xue Shaonu’s room and he found himself nervous on what he would see.

“You said I was one of the few left,” Zen said. “Who else is here.”

“Seems like people from our class,” Hong Lu said. “I’m sure you know them, considering you are all friends with Shaonu. There’s her room.” Hng, nodded at the roo up ahead.

The door to the room swung open and out walked someone.

Zen stopped in place. “Chen Jian.”

Jian closed the door behind hi and folded his arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I take it your not friends then,” Hong said under her breath.

“I’m here to see my friend,” Zen said, stepping forward boldly, “Xue Shaonu.”

“You think Shaonu is your friend?” Jian gave a curt, mirthless laugh. “Don’t confuse your delusions for your reality.”

“Last time I checked, you don’t speak for her!”

“I’m…” Jian went silent and looked at the door. He pushed it open and ran inside.

Zen and Hong knew something was wrong and followed him in.

The medical room was larger than most. Xue Shaonu slept, her breathing ragged and her beautiful face shining in sweat as the rest of her body was hidden beneath the light, white blanket. On the other side of her bed was a figure, their form hidden in a constantly fluttering, black cloak and their face and head hidden beneath the shadow cast under the Black hood. On either side of the figure was a large hound, Black Spotted Hyenas. The hyenas were large, broad shoulders and a killer look in their eyes even though they emitted no killing intent.

They both pounced at Shaonu at the same time! There was a flash of white light and Chen Jian appeared between Xue Shaonu and the hyenas.

“Short Step,” Zen said, recognising the move.

The black cloaked figure rushed forward, a weapon emerging from the figure’s long sleeve which hid their hand. It was a red glowing stick which was flat and had a hole near the top.

Jian grunted a he threw the Hyenas knashing their teeth at him behind and over the sleeping Xue Shaonu towards Zen and Hong to deal with the attack…

Zen leapt up in the air and did a spinning kick, each kick sending the hyenas heading for him to either side of him. When he landed, he sprinted for Xue Shaonu.

Jian used his palm to divert the cloaked figure’s arm and raised his fist to attack. Another hyena came from nowhere and Jian abandoned his fist and thrust his palm out toward the hyena. His ki formed as a circle that the hyena bit down on. The circular ki grew and solidified and bounced the hyena back before Jian threw the ki disk at the cloaked figure. The figure blocked using the black shaft in their hands and was pshed back before diverting the flying disk away, which hit the wall behind them. The figure charged and Jina took a fighting stance but the hyena he was tangled with charged at him again and he had to block it, while it pushed him back with a ki technique, leaving the figure free to attack Xue Shaonu.

Zen leapt on the bed, crouching low to block the figure’s attack by blocking the figure’s arm. There was a red slash from the shaft and Zen was knocked away. He flipped in the air, grabbing the sleeping Xue Shaonu and pulling her along with him as he flew back. The blanket wrapped around her and his head as he flipped in the air before he landed.

He knew he was in danger when he felt himself submerged in a killing intent, however, because of the blanket that was tangled around his head, he could not see where the were attacking from, if he could, he would have seen the two hyenas pouncing at him!

Green, glowing branches erupted from the ground, surroundnghim and protecting him from the hyenas’ initial attack. More branches grew, surrounding and covering him from the heynas that tried to rip at the thorny branches to get at Zen and Shaonu who were hidden at their centre.

One of the hyenas stopped and looked at Hong, the wood elementist who had summoned the branches, and charged at her, its teeth growing with ki…

The remaining hyena continued to attack the branches, opening up a whole and was rewarded with a blits of punches to its face, delivered in a second. The heyna was set hurlting away and so did the one that had tried to attack Hong, its body covered in hardened vines with a fading green glow.

Jian flipped away from the figure, red energy having struck him, causing him to collapse to his knees.

“ You two okay?” Hong said, stepping forward, with green light flowing from her to both Zen and Jain.

“I’m fine,” Jian said as the healing energy helped him return to his feet. “Xue Shaonu…?”

“She’s okay.” Zen said, getting on his feet with Shaonu in her arms.

Jian looked at the cloaked figure. “Who are you?”

“Someone you cannot protect her from.” The figure said, their voice vibrating with ki to keep their identity secret. The figure threw something on the ground and red smoke flooded the room. Zen leapt out of the smoky room and Jian and Hong stayed close to him to protect Xue Shaonu. When the smoke faded, the cloaked figure had vanished.