Chapter 160: The Grand Magic Academy - ι

""Mi Z, this is not your Star Academy.""

There was a hint of threat in E's words, which made Mi Z a little shaken. ""Does she have the Lixinzi in her hands?""

Wu Qi smiled and said, ""You really do care about your disciple, but I don't want to argue with you. In the future, don't interfere anymore.""

Mi Z saw the madness in Wu Qi's eyes and instantly understood. Whatever Sang Chu had in her hands was probably even more precious to him than the Lixinzi. It was impossible to expect him to let Sang Chu go. This time, she had overestimated herself.

""Sang Chu gave me a bottle of antidote. She promised to help me catch the Corrupted Spirit Vine for you. You know how hard that thing is to catch, and I only have this one bottle. I need her.""

Wu Qi stared at Mi Z with his cold, deep eyes, as if trying to see right through her. After a long moment, he finally said, ""Don't even think about taking her away. You know what I'm capable of!""

With that, he turned and left, ignoring Mi Z. Watching his retreating back, Mi Z couldn't help but shiver. She gripped her cane and headed toward the lounge.

Lounge

Sang Chu was lying on the sofa, her arm draped over her forehead. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and quickly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as she looked toward the door.

Mi Z entered, and the first thing she saw was Sang Chu, who looked as relaxed as ever. Seeing her, Sang Chu sat up with a smile. ""Granny Mi, it's been a while.""

""Your Highness, you seem to be enjoying yourself here?""

Sang Chu was startled by her strange tone, but after thinking it through, she smiled and explained, ""Granny, I just don't want to wander outside anymore. You know I was poisoned before, almost assimilated. But the others don't know about this. All they think about is how to escape their old lives, how to squeeze the last bit of value out of themselves. Since that's the case, and they're all gone now, I have to find a way to survive. What's wrong with that?""

Mi Z frowned. ""You're just using Wu Qi as a shield. Do you even know what kind of person he is?""

""I don't care. All I know is that he can help me survive in this place. That's enough for me!""

Mi Z said, ""I can help you too. Why won't you trust me?""

At this, Sang Chu couldn't help but laugh. ""Granny, if you really could help me, why did you want me to hand over the Lixinzi before? Wasn't it because you thought I had more value to offer?""

Mi Z's expression changed. She was indeed partly motivated by that, but not entirely. ""I admit, I'm very interested in what you have, but I—""

""Granny, I'm sure the Headmaster told you to come, right? Just say it. What do you want from me?""

Sang Chu's tone was casual, but Mi Z's face darkened. ""Just answer me—where's the Corrupted Spirit Vine? If you don't want to be grounded here, you should think about how to give me what you owe!""

""The Corrupted Spirit Vine? Since I'm on the same side as the Headmaster now, if he sends someone to help you catch it, you wouldn't object, would you, Granny?""

As she said this, she glanced toward the door. Wu Qi, knowing she had noticed him, pushed the door open and entered. ""Your Highness's magical senses must be quite sharp. Even Mi Z didn't notice me outside the door.""

Mi Z looked at Sang Chu and Wu Qi in shock. She hadn't noticed Wu Qi outside at all—how had Sang Chu sensed him?

Sang Chu replied, ""If I didn't have some skills, how could I have survived in this place for so long? The Headmaster has always looked down on me.""

Tu You, who was perched on Wu Qi's shoulder, couldn't help but roll his eyes at Sang Chu. If it weren't for his help, Sang Chu wouldn't have known Wu Qi was outside. But her confidence and acting skills—he had to admit, she was good!

Wu Qi's eyes were filled with curiosity, but in the end, he said nothing, just looked at her. Sang Chu met his gaze without fear.

""The Headmaster hasn't said whether he'll help or not. The Corrupted Spirit Vine isn't easy to catch. The last one I found was near Lixin City, but who knows where it's hiding now? That thing is famous for being cunning. Still, I believe the Headmaster has his ways—he can help Granny get it, right?""

Mi Z looked at Wu Qi, who gave a cold laugh. ""Your Highness is quite the schemer. The Corrupted Spirit Vine is indeed cunning, but it's just a vine. One rose is enough to lure it out.""

""What?!"" Mi Z was shocked. She couldn't help but step forward and glare at Wu Qi. ""What did you say? What does she have in her hands?!""

Wu Qi replied, ""A rose. A blooming rose. A fresh rose. What, you didn't know?""

He smiled smugly as Mi Z glared at him, gritting her teeth. Sang Chu, however, played along. ""Granny, are roses really that rare? I thought they were everywhere.""

Tu You, now on her shoulder, rolled his eyes even harder: [Aren't they everywhere!]

Sang Chu: [Stop roasting me. Go check if there's a Corrupted Spirit Vine in his office.]

[What? Are you sure?]

Sang Chu: [I'm just guessing. Wu Qi doesn't care much about the Corrupted Spirit Vine, but to Mi Z, it's priceless. So, it's reasonable to think he might have one in his office. Don't forget, this place works with the Magic Association—everything here is top-notch, and the Corrupted Spirit Vine is definitely expensive. Since ancient times, rare things have always been hoarded!]

[Alright, I'll go now!]

Except when he was on duty, Tu You was invisible to others in this world. As long as he didn't want to be seen, nobody could spot him—not even the most powerful people.

He could sneak around right under Wu Qi's nose.

After Sang Chu finished speaking, Wu Qi fell silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes at her. ""Isn't Your Highness trying to trick me? You clearly told me you could provide roses!""

Sang Chu smiled. ""That's right, but only if I have the resources. Headmaster, we're partners now. If you want my roses, I can give them to you. But if I don't get any benefit, and you want to take them by force, then all I can give you is a word: dream on!""

Wu Qi said, ""Are you threatening me?""

""No, just stating the facts. I'm a top cultivator. You've used my roses before—you know how effective they are. If the flowers aren't cultivated willingly, there's a chance they could be poisonous, or even contain black magic. Can you afford that risk?""

At this, Wu Qi's eyes blazed with anger. If looks could kill, Sang Chu would have been dead a thousand times over."

"Here is a fluent, natural English translation of your provided Chinese text. Some garbled or placeholder text (like @, `, etc.) appears to be corrupted or intentionally obfuscated, so I've done my best to interpret or omit those as necessary for clarity.

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**Chapter 161: The Grand Magic—Guanzhan**