Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 486: Conflict Erupts

Chapter 486: Chapter 486: Conflict Erupts

Just as the danger reached a tipping point, a mouse passed by, scaring Qian Xue out of her wits. In her fright, she jumped and almost screamed. This disrupted her spell-casting, freeing Gu Fan and Su Hui from their immobilized state.

Seeing a golden opportunity, Gu Fan and Su Hui acted together, overpowering Qian Xue and pinning her to the ground.

Ning Qi, who was watching from the sideline, couldn’t help but sigh and shake her head in disbelief. "Are you serious? This afraid of a mouse? Such an obvious weakness."

Gu Fan did not pay attention to Ning Qi, as he no longer saw her as a threat. He went straight towards the large, crimson flower bud, bent the stem downward, and broke open the bud. He carefully pulled Lin Xi out from inside.

"What should we do!" Ning Qi wanted to intervene, but she knew that she was no match for Gu Fan.

Qian Xue, watching anxiously, realized they were about to lose everything they had fought for. She yelled at Ning Qi, "What are you just standing there for, Ning Qi? Do something! Stop Gu Fan!"

"Keep quiet, or I’ll stuff a mouse in your mouth." Su Hui’s threat was very effective. Qian Xue quickly changed her tune, "No, please, sister. I surrender, okay? Ning Qi, don’t interfere anymore. Let’s just leave it at that."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qi could only shake her head. "Oh my God, so weak-willed."

At this moment, Gu Fan was helping Lin Xi out. Lin Xi was swaying with each step, her head felt heavy, and she looked noticeably pale. Despite all this, she didn’t forget to scold Gu Fan, "How could you come only now? Do you have any idea, what I’ve been through? If you arrived any later, you’d have ended up a bachelor."

"Okay, okay, it’s my fault, I arrived too late. I am sorry you had to suffer." Gu Fan apologized as he led Lin Xi away.

Su Hui knocked out Qian Xue and then fired a signal flare for retreat. The message was clear: mission accomplished, everybody run.

*****

On the other side, Gu Ling, seeing the signal, couldn’t help but cheer, "I knew my brother and Sister Su could do it! This is the power of trust, this is the power of a team, this is the power of love. This is..."

"Alright, quit blabbing and let’s get moving," Jie urged, casting one last incredulous glance at Hai as he was being carried by his subordinates, still bewildered as to why Hai ended up as their boss’s henchman.

Everyone, despite their injuries, complied. Those who could walk did so; those who couldn’t were helped by their comrades. Everyone was hurrying to leave the area, uncertain of what might happen next.

In the most intense part of the battlefield, Qian Feng was preparing to cast a spell. Even though she lacked the confidence to take on two immortal demons at once, she was not going to back down. But just as she was about to give it her all, a signal flare shot into the sky, catching her attention.

"What’s going on?" Qian Feng had no clue what was happening, but she had a bad feeling about it. When she turned back, she realized that both her big boss and Zhuo Hang were missing, which only intensified her unease.

Qian Feng’s first reaction was to rush towards Lin Xi, but she ran into Ning Qi halfway, who was also racing towards her. She quickly asked, "What happened, Ning Qi? You seem frantic."

Ning Qi hurriedly replied, "It’s bad, elder sister, Lin Xi has been rescued by Gu Fan."

"What, you useless thing!" Qian Feng felt a surge of anger at the thought of Gu Fan’s hateful face. Her anger clouded her judgment, and she decided to punish Ning Qi.

Seeing Qian Feng’s raised hand, Ning Qi was paralyzed with fear. She didn’t dare to dodge and braced herself to endure the imminent punishment.

Just as Qian Feng was about to slap Ning Qi, a past memory flickered in her mind.

At that time, a member of Shennv Xuanhui had erred and was just as frightened as Ning Qi. Qian Feng, wrathful, was about to impose severe punishment.

Everyone in Shennv Xuanhui feared Qian Feng’s anger. Qian Xue and Qian Ying didn’t dare to intercede, but Qian Ye was the only one who grabbed Qian Feng’s arm and said, "Elder sister, this younger sister has just joined. Yes, she was wrong, but don’t be too hard on her."

Qian Feng, fuming, retorted, "Qian Ye, don’t stop me. Wrong is wrong, and those who err must be punished. Discipline is essential to maintain order in Shennv Xuanhui."

But Qian Ye persisted, "Shennv Xuanhui is not an army; we’re close companions, not commanders and subordinates."

Hearing this, Qian Feng was not pleased, "Qian Ye, are you defending this little sister? I’m disciplining her for her good. Otherwise, I wouldn’t care whether she lived or died."

Qian Ye nodded serenely, "Elder sister, you’re correct in saying that there are laws in every country and rules in every family, and Shennv Xuanhui needs order. But the rules are inanimate whereas people are not. Overreacting and punishing our sisters for trivial mistakes will weaken our unity."

That made Qian Feng even angrier, "What do you mean by that, Qian Ye? Are you implying that I’m being erratic and irrational?"

"I understand that recent events have not been progressing smoothly, but we can overcome any difficulties as long as we sisters stand together. But elder sister, your current actions are damaging our bond," Qian Ye faced Qian Feng’s rage without fear, calm as an unperturbed lake.

Qian Feng huffed, "Qian Ye, be clear about this: I’m the older sister. I run this place. If I think someone is wrong, they should be punished. You are challenging my authority; you should be scolded too."

Qian Ye didn’t back down, "Yes, you are the elder sister, and your position is higher than mine. But that doesn’t mean you can do as you please in Shennv Xuanhui. My position isn’t something that you can punish at whim. Besides, Shennv Xuanhui doesn’t belong to you alone; you don’t get a final say."

"Qian Ye, you..." Qian Feng became furious. For the first time, she had a severe fallout with Qian Ye.

But without saying another word, Qian Ye simply walked away, leaving Qian Feng to fume alone in silence.

Seeing this, Qian Xue whispered to Qian Ying, "Ever since the incident with Qian Lan, it seems like our second elder sister has had a falling out with our eldest sister. I’m, worried about..."

The words reached Qian Feng’s ears. She closed her eyes, calmed her anger, and let out a sigh.

Now, Qian Feng suppressed her temper, dropped her raised hand, and saw still-frightened Ning Qi. Qian Feng realized how terrifying she must have been moments ago. She said calmly, "Find Qian Xue and Qian Ying, and we’ll discuss our next move."

"Okay, I’m going right now." Ning Qi didn’t dare to tarry, rushing off immediately.

Qian Feng looked up at the changing winds and clouds in the sky, her expression turning gloomy, "Qian Ye, where did I go wrong? Why would you sever ties with me? Was it really just because of what happened to Qian Lan? When did our principles start drifting apart?"