Above the Galaxy
Chapter 271 - 183, Heaven Strikes with Thunder and Lightning!

Chapter 271: Chapter 183, Heaven Strikes with Thunder and Lightning!

Upon hearing Phoenix’s answer, everyone present couldn’t help but be taken aback.

Everyone knew that Tang Fei was Phoenix’s life-saving benefactor, and the relationship between the two was extremely close; there were even long-standing rumors about them...

which hadn’t faded even now.

However, with Sheng Xinhua joining them, the relationships among the three had become intricate and perplexing.

Given their understanding of Phoenix, they were all aware that her feelings for Tang Fei were out of the ordinary.

Royal emotions are proud and reserved, not easily revealed, yet Phoenix had unleashed hers on Tang Fei without any reservation or concealment.

Whether it was going out of her way to bring him from Old Land to New Star, or buying a house and choosing a school for him, or even willing to sacrifice herself to get him into the White Crane Academy...

it was hard not to doubt the true nature of their relationship.

But now, she was saying there was an issue with Tang Fei...

Could it be because she sensed an unfavorable situation and, being outmatched, considered abandoning Tang Fei to stand with her own family?

This didn’t align with Phoenix’s personality.

How could her stubborn character concede so easily?

Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of her father and brothers, Phoenix spoke up, "What? Isn’t this the answer you all wanted to hear?"

Zhong Daolong frowned slightly and said, "You don’t need to worry about what we want to hear. You just need to speak your true thoughts."

"This is my true thought," Phoenix said. "Isn’t this what you all think as well?"

"Aren’t you and Tang Fei good friends?" Zhong Tianyi curiously asked.

"Yes, and more than that, he is my lifesaver; he saved me once on Old Land, and again on New Star... I owe him two lives."

Phoenix asserted this matter-of-factly and continued, "But, just as you’ve all deduced earlier, if we are to say who’s the most suspicious... then it would be Tang Fei."

"..."

This woman...

Why does it feel like she’s speaking out of spite?

"Do you find what I’m saying strange?" Phoenix asked with a smile. "Aren’t we trying to pick out a suspect from the crowd? Xuanyuan Mingjing is the director of the academy and a Great Grandmaster; he obviously wouldn’t do something so deplorable..."

"Shen Xinglan is the pride and blood of the Shen Family, he wouldn’t do this kind of thing... Si Yinchuan is the vice-director of the academy, a person of noble status, and he wouldn’t do it either..."

"Thinking it over, Tang Fei is the most fitting choice. First, he comes from Old Land, has no education, is barbaric, arrogant, and insolent..."

Zhong Tianyi felt uncomfortable inside, knowing that Phoenix’s words were a mirror reflecting on himself.

He had just spoken in front of Phoenix about Tang Fei being arrogant and unruly...

"Second, he doesn’t get along too well with my elder brother, bearing a grudge in his heart just from being asked to pour a cup of tea..."

Zhong Tianque also felt uneasy. She was meant to do an analysis, not take stabs.

"Third, he claimed the teapot was out of water and took it out of my brother’s sight to refill... Besides Tang Fei, who else fulfills all these conditions?"

"What’s most important is... everyone dislikes him anyway, so let’s just decide it’s him. Apart from him, where else can we find a more suitable scapegoat?"

"..."

Everyone felt a bit uncomfortable with Phoenix so bluntly confronting them.

Even if you want to plead for Tang Fei, there’s no need to speak so directly and unpleasantly...

Moreover, she chose a method of saying the exact opposite, making it feel like every sentence was laced with irony.

"So, what you’re saying is... there’s no possibility it was Tang Fei?" Zhong Tianque asked in response.

Phoenix looked at Zhong Tianque and said, "Big brother has had interactions with Tang Fei, do you think he’s a fool?"

"I haven’t had much contact with him; it’s hard to judge..."

"Being admitted to the White Crane Academy with top honors as the number one graduate from the First Military Academy and then taken as a disciple by the director of the academy, Xuanyuan Mingjing, who has accepted only two disciples over these years... The other one being named Shen Xinglan..."

"If Tang Fei is a fool, then is this fact a disgrace to the First Military Academy of the Empire? Or to the tens of thousands of diligent students at the academy? Is it a humiliation to the White Crane Academy? Or to the Great Grandmaster Xuanyuan Mingjing?"

"..."

"Even if Tang Fei were foolish, why would he do something that, upon happening, everyone would suspect it was his doing? To say something a bit harsh, with his current status and cultivation realm, staking all that he possesses... does he have the right to harbor such resentment in front of my elder brother?"

"If you all want to vent on someone indiscriminately, then it’s Tang Fei... Other than him, no one else has such a miraculous effect..."

"If you truly want to solve this problem, to find out who is really targeting big brother from behind the scenes... then you’ll have to put aside personal prejudices, peel back the superficial layer just a bit, and broaden the scope of thought just a tad..."

"Then seriously think about it, who wants to smear big brother? If his reputation is tarnished, who ultimately benefits? Which person or faction gains the most?"

Zhong Tianque’s gaze flicked to Zhong Tianyi and quickly shifted away.

He knew that if his reputation were damaged, or if his father doubted his capability for that position, then his second brother would be in line to replace him.

Zhong Tianyi felt a bit panicky.

Phoenix’s words had hit his weak spot; he did indeed play a disgraceful role in this affair, and moreover, if the elder brother were cast aside, he would be the biggest beneficiary.