Chapter 517 - 309: The Bai Ling Disappearance Case
Wu Chen also hurried over and immediately said, "Greetings, Great Elder."
The Great Elder wasn’t surprised by Wu Chen’s appearance, nodded, and said to Lin Chen, "I asked him to come. The Wu Family is considered a significant force in the Celestial Capital."
Lin Chen nodded.
After greeting Wu Chen, Wu Chen said, "Let’s talk back at the Wu Family first."
"Alright."
The Great Elder nodded.
Celestial Capital is chaotic now; many inns are either not operating or are overcrowded.
So staying at the Wu Family is the best option.
The Great Elder didn’t hide anything and told Wu Chen about Bai Ling. Wu Chen’s expression changed upon hearing this and asked, "Does the Great Elder know who kidnapped her?"
"It should be the Gu Family." The Great Elder did not hide the truth.
Wu Chen’s expression changed again upon hearing this.
The Wu Family and the Gu Family have a good relationship.
The Great Elder naturally knew this but still told him; this is trust.
Wu Chen said, "It seems I can’t be of much help."
The Great Elder patted Wu Chen’s shoulder and said, "I watched you since your freshman year when you entered the academy. I know your personality; you are indeed not suitable to be involved in this matter."
"Then what should we do next?" Wu Chen asked, "Shall we directly go to the Gu Family and ask for her back?"
"No."
The Great Elder said, "Going to the Gu Family to ask for her, they definitely won’t hand her over. What’s the situation in Celestial Capital now?"
"I don’t know either."
Wu Chen said, "I’ve seen that Uncle hasn’t been attending the meetings these past few days. During the Beast Tide, there were meetings almost daily; it seemed as though they found a solution."
"When was the last meeting?" the Great Elder asked.
"If you’re talking about Uncle, it should be about two weeks ago." Wu Chen thought for a moment and said, "But two months ago, the ancestor of the Wu Family personally came out to attend a meeting at night, and since then, the meetings have been less frequent."
Upon hearing this time frame, Lin Chen and the Great Elder exchanged a glance.
According to the spy, Bai Ling went missing around this time.
Could there be a connection?
.....
Spirit Academy’s Great Elder personally coming, naturally the Patriarch of the Wu Family must personally come to welcome him.
That is the Uncle Wu Chen spoke of, Wu Xu.
"Elder Yu personally came here, apologies for not coming to meet you earlier." Wu Xu’s attitude was very polite; he personally came to the entrance to greet them.
After some pleasantries, Wu Xu looked at Lin Chen and said, "And this is..."
"This is my junior disciple, Lin Chen," Wu Chen introduced, "This is Lin Chen’s teacher, Teacher Liu Gu."
"Oh, the champion of the Beast Fighting Conference, Lin!" Wu Xu looked pleasantly surprised upon hearing this, assessing Lin Chen and said, "Lin, so young yet already famous throughout the world, a leader among the younger generation; you are indeed extraordinary."
"Patriarch Wu, you are too kind." Lin Chen said politely, "Thanks to my teacher’s guidance and the Spirit Academy’s cultivation."
"Haha, you are the one being polite." Wu Xu laughed heartily and then gestured, "Please, come inside."
The Wu Family learned of the Great Elder’s arrival, and had already prepared food and wine.
After a couple of drinks at the dining table, Wu Xu tentatively asked, "May I ask the purpose of Elder Yu coming to Celestial Capital this time?"
"Here’s how it is." The Great Elder said with a smile, "In the past, the National Master’s Institute recruited disciples, and we, at the Spirit Academy, coincidentally had a female disciple whom the National Master’s Institute fancied and took her here."
Then he pointed to Liu Gu and Lin Chen and said, "Lin Chen and she are both under Liu Gu’s tutelage and are worried about the chaos in Celestial Capital; thus we came to look around."
"As for me, upon learning Celestial Capital was besieged, I thought of coming over to see if I can be of help."
"For having such intentions, I must toast you again," Wu Xu said raising his glass after hearing this. After the Great Elder drank it, Wu Xu continued, "I can’t intervene in the affairs of the National Master’s Institute, but I do recall there is indeed such a female disciple, her name is Bai Ling, right?"
"Indeed so."
The Great Elder nodded.
"After the meal, let Wu Chen take you to see her." Wu Xu said, "I should originally go personally, but tonight I have to go to Dubhe Pavilion to participate in the wall’s defense arrangements..."
"I dare not trouble the Patriarch Wu," said the Great Elder politely.
Seeing that, Lin Chen and the others exchanged glances.
After the banquet ended, Wu Chen stayed behind, but the Great Elder did not treat him as an outsider and said, "What’s your take on all this?"
"Judging by the Patriarch Wu’s expressions earlier, he seemed unaware and wasn’t particularly concerned about Bai Ling," Lin Chen said.
"I think so too," Liu Gu said.
The Great Elder remained thoughtful.
Bai Ling’s disappearance is indeed rather odd; now that Gu Ning has ascended to the position of the National Preceptor, they would have no reason to target Bai Ling again.
At this moment, Wu Chen spoke up, "There’s something I’m unsure if I should mention."
"Go ahead," the Great Elder looked at him.
"I don’t know if I am mistaken, but ever since the war began, I feel the frontline between the National Master’s Institute and Dubhe Pavilion is not unified," Wu Chen said, "Currently, the defense setup is, the National Master’s Institute and Dubhe Pavilion each are responsible for their own sectors."
The Great Elder upon hearing this news didn’t particularly react, but said to Lin Chen, "Let’s visit the National Master’s Institute first."
.....
Soon, Wu Chen led the Great Elder and the others to the National Master’s Institute.
This National Master’s Institute is built in the most bustling area of the city, covering an area of only around two thousand square meters.
There’s a saying among the people that the National Master’s Institute isn’t placed here because it’s the city center; rather, it’s the city center because the National Master’s Institute is here.
Looking from the outside, the National Master’s Institute resembles ancient architecture and isn’t lavish.
As Wu Chen and the others approached, guards came forward.
"Who goes there?" The guards could tell from their demeanor they were of note.
"Yu Xiu from Spirit Academy, seeking an audience with Lord National Master," the Great Elder stated.
Upon hearing "Spirit Academy," the guards’ expressions changed, and their attitudes became much more respectful.
The guards quickly said, "Please wait, I will go report this now."
The guard ran inside quickly, and before long, the news reached the ears of Gu Ning and Lai Yonghui.
Lai Yonghui looked at Gu Ning and said, "They must be here for Bai Ling. How should we handle this?"
"Bai Ling hasn’t officially left the National Master’s Institute. In a sense, she is considered part of it. If Spirit Academy comes to find her, we should help," Gu Ning said, "So we shouldn’t involve ourselves in this mess."
"We didn’t capture Bai Ling. If they find it’s the Gu Family and the Lee Family, that’s between Spirit Academy and them."
"Understood," Lai Yonghui bowed and left.
Soon, the Great Elder received a response.
"Very sorry, Lord National Master is absorbed in his work and couldn’t find time to meet," Lai Yonghui said courteously, "If the Great Elder has urgent matters, I can pass them along for you."
"No trouble," the Great Elder squinted and then turned to leave.
Lin Chen followed suit, Wu Chen immediately said, "Lai Yonghui’s attitude means he definitely knows something. Are we really leaving it at that?"
The Great Elder smiled at the spy beside him and said, "Spread the word that Spirit Academy has traveled a thousand li to aid, but the National Preceptor indulges in vice and refuses audience."
Lin Chen and the others paused, then all forced a smile.
Old ginger indeed is the most pungent.
This would surely put pressure on Gu Ning.