Chapter 199: Video

Chapter 199: Video

A chill ran down Lu Qingyuan's spine, and he rapidly tried to piece together the situation in his mind.

"Got it," Lu Qingyuan turned slowly, his expression hesitant as if he wanted to say something.

Seeing Lu Qingyuan's reaction, Headmaster Chang Mufeng waved him over and patted his shoulder gently. "Don't be afraid, child. What do you want to say?"

"Aren't you already aware of this?" a teacher asked from the side.

Lu Qingyuan stuttered, trying to convey his turmoil. "It feels similar, but the demon mirror I summoned back then wasn't as powerful as this one. When I summoned this one, I felt incredibly insignificant in front of the opponent's magic power."

"Their levels of magic power don't match," the headmaster noted with a subtle change in expression, a hint of pity in his eyes. "Don't push yourself too hard. Magic power grows gradually over time."

Lu Qingyuan looked confused. "Huh?"

"You can go back now. Don't mention this incident to that demon mirror," the headmaster instructed.

Lu Qingyuan nodded in confusion and turned to leave.

As he left, he heard his teacher let out a sigh.

It dawned on Lu Qingyuan later that the headmaster and his teacher seemed to have taken his words as an indication of his declining strength, which led to his different perception of the demon in the magic mirror.

The corner of Lu Qingyuan's mouth twitched. Well, he quickly rushed to the restroom, set up a small barrier to isolate magical fluctuations, and conveyed the conversation he had just heard to Wen Ying through their bond.

Wen Ying was brushing his teeth when he received Lu Qingyuan's message. His brushing paused for a few seconds before he resumed as if nothing had happened.

"I understand, thanks for telling me."

Lu Qingyuan asked with concern, "Are you wearing a mask to avoid being recognized by them?"

"That's one reason. The other is that my sense of smell really got messed up during a potion trial."

There was no hint of tension in Wen Ying's transmitted tone, soothing Lu Qingyuan's anxiety.

His sense of smell was really ruined? Lu Qingyuan was surprised; he had initially thought it was just an excuse for Wen Ying to wear a mask.

As he drew closer to Wen Ying, Beros sensed some fluctuations indicating the transmission of information through a contract. He glanced sideways and asked, "What did the human you contracted tell you?"

"He said that the leaders were discussing a video – the one from the classroom when we were summoned to the Human Realm."

Seeing Wen Ying wipe his face dry and put on a mask as if it was the most natural thing to do, Beros commented, "You don't need to wear a mask now, right?"

"I really do have an issue with my sense of smell, and it needs time to recover."

Beros's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the demon who had mixed truths and lies.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wen Ying muttered, "He actually watched that classroom video repeatedly all night long. This old man must be really bored."

Lu Qingyuan had mentioned that the surveillance cameras in the academy were outdated. The classroom where they had their lesson back then had not yet been equipped with new ones, so the video quality was even worse than 480p, and the motion capture was blurry.

The magic storm at that time had further affected the footage, making it even more unclear. That was why the principal had to watch the video repeatedly throughout the night before confirming that the face of the Mirror Demon in the video resembled the one before him now.

If it were just a simple recognition that they might be the same, Lu Qingyuan wouldn't have been so nervous. The reason he had hurriedly informed Wen Ying was that the conversation between the principal and the teacher had mentioned another person—Wen Xinxin.

The head of the Exorcist Academy, Chang Mufeng, had spent the entire night studying the classroom surveillance footage and concluded that the two Mirror Demons were likely the same entity. He also noticed that this demon's facial features bore an uncanny resemblance to Wen Xinxin.

The name of the Mirror Demon was Wen Jing, and Wen Xinxin shared the same surname. With high-level access to the Association's archives, Dean Chang found it hard to dismiss this as a mere coincidence.

Though it was exceedingly difficult for demons and humans to produce offspring, it wasn't entirely impossible.

It was possible that Wen Xinxin's family had a hidden lineage of Mirror Demons, a faint trace passed down through generations over thousands of years, so subtle that even they themselves might be unaware of it.

Lu Qingyuan overheard the conversation between the dean and the teacher as follows:

"Last night, I reached out to the on-duty staff at Mu City's Disaster Response Department and asked them to pull files for me. It revealed that Wen Xinxin's cousin had numerous instances of school absences for hospital visits since childhood, indicating a congenital weakness. Last semester, he was supposed to attend university but took a leave of absence due to health issues. However, during the past six months, there is no record of him visiting the hospital even once."

"I suspect that the demonic lineage within this boy has awoken, and he's hiding at home to avoid suspicion. Send someone to investigate his residence discreetly."

"The majority of the Wen family members did not participate in the previous nationwide talent assessment. Send some people in a few days, under the pretense of a home visit, to conduct the tests for them. Combine this task with what I just instructed you to do. Also, pay visits to the homes of other students from ordinary backgrounds to see if there are similar cases. We need to identify and address this issue. Awakened half-demons often have difficulty controlling their appetite, which may lead to them attacking humans."

There was a reason behind Lu Qingyuan's top score in the written test; he recounted the conversation to Wen Ying almost verbatim.

Previously, Wen Ying had repeatedly requested to be summoned to the Human Realm. Now, Lu Qingyuan was trembling with fear, suspecting that the other party was indeed a member of the Wen family, as the Dean had mentioned. Though he was unsure how this person had ended up in the Demon Realm.

As the protagonist, Wen Ying remained calm and instead reassured Lu Qingyuan not to be nervous.

When they left the room, the door of the neighboring dormitory opened as well, leaving Wen Ying quite surprised. Demons were territorial by nature; how could there be another demon living in a double room?

Muershi emerged from the room, catching Wen Ying off guard. "Who are you sharing with?"

Muershi countered, "Why can't I live alone?"

After a moment of confusion, Wen Ying quickly grasped the situation: Muershi was living alone in a double room!

Muershi raised an eyebrow, his expression mischievous. "No one said I couldn't occupy a double room by myself. There are plenty of empty rooms here anyway."

Wen Ying was stunned. He had never heard of such a setup before.

"Come on, let's see what breakfast they've prepared for us," Muershi approached, playfully placing his arm around Wen Ying's shoulders. "I saw that Lan Jiaying is trending among humans today. Be careful with her..."

Beros, expressionless, lifted Muershi's arm from Wen Ying's shoulder.

Muershi froze, looking up at Beros. But Beros, standing beside him, acted as if nothing had happened and continued walking forward, his back radiating arrogance and aloofness, true to his usual demeanor.

Muershi rolled his eyes and turned to Wen Ying, asking, "Did he take the wrong medicine?"

He had initially intended to inquire casually for some amusement, but when his gaze returned to Wen Ying's face, he found the latter looking at him thoughtfully, a gaze that was all too familiar.

"Since we're partners, you definitely can't betray me," Muershi promptly stated.

Wen Ying retracted his previous gaze, reverting to his harmless, amiable demeanor. He smiled and replied, "I wouldn't think so."

Scratching the back of his hand, Muershi walked a short distance before his curiosity got the better of him. "What did you two talk about last night that made Perseus suddenly care about my arm?"

Normally, Perseus would merely give it a glance, without any noticeable reaction.

Wen Ying answered sincerely, "I'm not sure. Perhaps he imagined something, or maybe the change in environment affected him negatively, making his temper worse."

"Aren't you here?" A voice, tinged with a cold smile, echoed from upstairs. Despite the laughter, the deep, cello-like voice carried an echoing, refined quality.

It sent chills up Wen Ying's spine as he looked up, wondering how angry Lan Jiaying must be to speak to him with a smile.

Lan Jiaying descended the stairs, his black eyes, like still water, fixated on Wen Ying.

"I've already had the official demonic realm account clarify it!" Wen Ying declared promptly.

He wasn't afraid of Lan Jiaying, but he had no intention of torturing himself to the point of needing hospitalization.

"Good to see you still have some sense of honor." Lan Jiaying's smile faded, revealing the expression he should have worn all along – his genuine emotions.

Lan Jiaying walked past Wen Ying with his head held high and chest out, his imposing and arrogant demeanor exuding elegance. His golden hair brushed against Wen Ying's ear, involuntarily reminding him of the pleasure he derived from cutting it last time.

Muershi leaned in and whispered, "What if you cut his hair again?"

Wen Ying rejected the idea outright, shaking his head. "He'll really fight me to the death. Let's not."

As the two demons made their way from the dormitory building to the cafeteria, they were surrounded by students whose gazes followed them closely. Unaccustomed to such attention, Wen Ying quickened his pace and entered the cafeteria, where the scrutiny continued.

"Might as well try that steamed bun," Muershi said, heading for a queue.

Wen Ying studied the menu board for a moment, pondering his options, when he heard Perseus call out to him.

"Over here."

Wen Ying turned his head and saw Beros sitting at an empty table, with several bags on the surface.

He walked over.

"That hellhound actually allowed a Mirror Demon to approach it willingly. Are our textbooks outdated?"

"Maybe it's some sort of campus bullying."

Whispers echoed nearby.

Wen Ying took a seat opposite Beros, who spoke succinctly, "I got a few portions."

Wen Ying was pleasantly surprised, "You've improved!"

"Dude, why can they sit at the same table to eat? Shouldn't we report to the academy that there's something wrong with the textbook content?"

"The one who bought breakfast isn't the Mirror Demon."

"Haven't you heard? Last night, someone overheard a demon saying they're in a romantic relationship."

"Damn it?!"

A sudden chorus of "Damn its" echoed in the scene, not in unison but like successive waves, rippling through the crowd.

Wen Ying looked over while chewing on his bun, making eye contact with many people. With so many demons in the cafeteria, most of them were looking at him and Beros.

Beros's expression had already shown clear impatience. He was forcefully enduring, his gaze turning increasingly fierce and sinister.

He savagely bit into the bun in his hand, venting his frustration, a wild and untamed demeanor that made many students' hearts skip a beat, instinctively triggering a desire to retreat.

Wen Ying sensed Beros's tightly strung nerves, sensing he was on the verge of explosion. In a gentle voice, he said, "Let's go back to the dorm to eat."

Considering Beros's temperament, it was only the suppression of the Overlord's invasion plan that kept him from erupting under the scrutiny of so many weak creatures. For the sake of smoothly executing the plot to gain favor, Beros was clenching his teeth so hard that veins were popping out on his wrist.

He detested any contact with weaker beings, let alone being the object of their attention.

"No need," Beros coldly replied, not directing his words at Wen Ying but rather struggling to suppress the inherent volatility in his character.

Wen Ying flicked his tail, and a white-gold ring on it glowed, releasing a card that floated out. Filled with magic, it illuminated and transformed into vines that intertwined like yarn, weaving four wooden walls around Wen Ying and Beros, enclosing them within.

"Wen Ying propped his chin up with a smile, saying, "Is that better? I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow. We can eat in the dorm."

It took only seconds for Beros's agitated mind to calm down. He averted his gaze and grunted an "Mm."