C6

Ji Jinfei glanced at her mentor, waiting until Ji Yeying gave her a nod before she pocketed the demon-repelling potion. With a chuckle, she asked, "Master, what if he's lying to us?"

Ji Yeying snorted, "If I sense even a hint of deceit, you can deal with him however you see fit. Just shove this fly spider egg down his throat." She tossed the egg to Ji Jinfei, who caught it with a grin that seemed to say, "Your fate is in my hands."

The headmaster eyed them briefly, then settled back into his chair, rubbing his neck. "Relax, everything I'm telling you is backed up with evidence. You can verify it all." He pulled a photo from his desk. "Take a look at this first."

Ji Yeying took the photo, her expression shifting as she said, "This is a wax figure. Are they under some kind of spell?"

"You're as sharp as ever," the headmaster replied. "Yes, that's exactly it. This is from our second team we sent out. Only one person returned with this photo; the others were turned into wax."

Ji Jinfei took the photo from her mentor, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "Wow, this guy's pretty handsome. How old is he? Does he have a girlfriend? If I save him, do you think he'd marry me?"

Ji Yeying smacked her on the head. "Stop embarrassing me." Ji Jinfei yelped and fell over, tossing the photo back up, which Ji Yeying caught and handed to Lee Jiaxiang.

"Oh my God, isn't this Liu Zhengdong? I was wondering why I hadn't seen him around lately. Headmaster, is he..." Lee Jiaxiang began, but Ji Jinfei sprang up from the floor, grabbing his arm. "Zhengdong, what a great name! Does he have a girlfriend? What's his number?"

Ji Yeying rubbed her forehead, exasperated. Her apprentice always seemed to bounce back at moments like these, and she was at a loss for words.

The dean was baffled by the situation. "Are all Demon Suppressing Masters this peculiar? It's truly rare," he thought. Clearing his throat, he said, "According to the reports, they encountered a man in black who told them to leave and not come back. Then, he turned everyone else into wax statues, leaving only one person."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Yeying asked, sitting down and calmly making himself some tea.

The dean sighed, "About a month ago, I received a map that supposedly led to a place called the Demonic Seed Cave."

"The Demonic Seed Cave actually exists?" Even Yeying was startled, spilling a bit of his tea.

"Yes, it does. So, I sent a team led by Professor Zhou, our expert in this field. They reached the cave and retrieved a blue Demonic Seed," the dean continued.

Yeying smirked, "You all are quite daring, deciding to study that thing."

The dean nodded reluctantly, "We didn't anticipate this outcome. The seed hadn't shown any signs of demonic transformation. Professor Zhou thought we might have missed something, so they went back to the cave. But soon after, during a call, it seemed they encountered something unusual. I even heard cries over the phone before it went dead."

"So, you sent a second team?"

"Yes, the second team returned with this," the dean sighed. "I've had to keep this under wraps. I don't even know how to explain it to their families."

"And what about Professor Zhou? Is he among them?" Lee Jiaxiang asked, looking nervously at the wax statues in the photos.

The dean nodded, sighing again, "Yes, the returning team saw Professor Zhou's statue there."

"I have to save him," Lee Jiaxiang said urgently to Yeying.

Yeying looked at him, thought for a moment, and replied, "Your courage is commendable, but as I mentioned earlier, there's a man dressed in black who can turn people into wax statues. If I'm not mistaken, it can only be him. After disappearing for so long, I didn't expect him to show up again."

"Who is this person, Master?" Ji Jinfei leaned in to ask.

Yeying replied coldly, "Chung Jue."

"No way, you mean the so-called genius dark master who experimented with demonic creatures and was expelled by the association? How could it be him?" Ji Jinfei's expression turned grim, indicating that Chung Jue was indeed a formidable figure.

Yeying gritted her teeth and said, "I believe it's him. This technique of turning people into wax statues was one of his experiments. He always extracted unique elements from demonic creatures for his research. I can't believe he actually succeeded. It's impressive."

"I need to rescue my teacher," Lee Jiaxiang realized they had almost forgotten about him.

"No problem, but it'll cost you $1,500," Yeying responded quickly, reminded by his urgency. "But before that, I hope you'll settle the $150 you owe me. Also, the principal needs to pay an additional $7,500 on top of the $15,000 deposit because there's a Demon Mother involved. Please make the payment."

"You devil," Lee Jiaxiang said with a pained expression, suddenly remembering something. "I can agree to your terms, but this time it's a one-time deal. No matter what happens, you can't charge me again, and you must ensure my safety."

Yeying was taken aback but then laughed heartily, saying, "You have a point. Alright, consider this a special offer. I don't have anything else going on, and with this money, I can take a little break."

Relieved, Lee Jiaxiang transferred the money to Yeying, while the principal had another bill to settle. Yeying was thrilled with her earnings but the principal had one request: they should leave the academy discreetly, without causing a stir.

Yeying looked at the dean and chuckled, saying, "This request is beyond our Demon Suppressing Master's jurisdiction. We'll keep the information confidential, but I've always been the type to flaunt it."

"Two thousand dollars." "Deal." Yeying grinned with satisfaction.

Leaving the academy was quite a challenge for Jinfei. After Yeying pocketed the money, she knew Jinfei would pounce on any handsome guy she saw, so she held her by the collar and dragged her out. Only when the security guard closed the gate did she let her go.

"Master, you got paid, but the dean didn't promise me a handsome guy. That's not fair," Jinfei complained.

Yeying brushed it off, saying, "Two thousand dollars, you know? Just for bringing you out. You should be grateful. Let's go; we're having a feast for lunch today."

At the mention of food, Jinfei brightened up and shouted, "Meat, I want meat!"

Jiaxiang stood by, shaking his head with a wry smile. He had impulsively hired these two oddballs, not knowing what he'd gotten himself into. He regretted not thinking of hiring a few normal Demon Suppressing Masters to help rescue his teacher.

Sensing his thoughts, Yeying said, "Don't waste your time on useless thoughts. I'm telling you, only I know what can save your teacher, and I know where it is."

"Really?" Jiaxiang's hope rekindled as he looked up at Yeying.

Yeying nodded, "Of course. We need to head to the border's Demon Suppressing Association. It's been a while since I've seen Old Man Lei."

An SUV pulled up in front of them, and Jinfei rolled down the window, shouting, "Master, let's go! I want meat, roasted lamb leg, a whole one, and some barbecue too!"

“Alright, alright, no problem at all,” Yeying agreed immediately.

At the restaurant, Lee Jiaxiang watched as Jinfei single-handedly polished off a lamb leg weighing about four pounds, along with plenty of other grilled meats. Even after all that, she claimed she was only eighty percent full.

Lee Jiaxiang could only manage an awkward smile and said, “Jinfei, you really know how to keep your figure in great shape.”

Jinfei shot him a fierce glare and said, “First of all, I’m still young, so from now on, call me Jinmei. Secondly, my figure has always been this good, got it?”

Lee Jiaxiang thought to himself: This is the first time I've met someone so unabashedly confident. But honestly, eating that much and only being slightly chubby is impressive. With an appetite like that, if it weren't for the energy burned through demon suppressing or training, Jinfei would have ballooned by now.

“Hey, Jinfei, could you teach me how to suppress demons?” Lee Jiaxiang suddenly asked, looking over at Yeying.

Yeying glanced at him and said, “You know, you might actually have potential. Alright, but…”

“But, could you make it a bit cheaper? I’m just a broke student and really don’t have much money,” Lee Jiaxiang quickly interjected, anticipating what Yeying was about to say.

Seeing the pleading look on his face, Yeying chuckled and said, “Alright, you can learn as you go with us. As for the tuition, I’ll just charge you ten thousand.”

Lee Jiaxiang felt a bit relieved; that was a manageable amount.