Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 545 - 415: The Tree Longs for Stillness, but the Wind Will Not Cease

Chapter 545: Chapter 415: The Tree Longs for Stillness, but the Wind Will Not Cease

The two of them came to the corner at the entrance of the library, where they could see in three directions.

Bellini saw Panda’s unhurried demeanor and got a bit annoyed, "Aren’t you going to ask what it’s about?"

"It’s probably the other side going back on their word," Qu Jianlei answered nonchalantly, "Your anxiety is only making you lose your own composure first."

"Your attitude," Bellini stomped her foot angrily, "You’ve already paid the deposit!"

"Let’s talk about what’s happening first," Qu Jianlei wasn’t affected by her emotion, "Stay calm."

Bellini composed herself and shared the news she had just received.

She got a heads-up from Panda and went to see Mosman yesterday afternoon, giving him an assignment.

Mosman didn’t find the request unreasonable, so he contacted his father via his watch.

Gwendolyn mentioned the situation was changing subtly and hadn’t responded until this morning when he contacted Mosman.

Mosman immediately got in touch with Bellini, saying his father requested she contact him.

Bellini called the other party but received a terrible response.

Gwendolyn stated that detaining Romel had displeased some people, and pressure was coming from above.

His brother-in-law, the Guard Captain, believed Romel’s side had paid off—perfectly normal; who wouldn’t spend money in such matters?

The trouble was, the Guard Captain couldn’t come forward, so Gwendolyn had to devise a solution.

Gwendolyn believed that it had come down to a matter of who could pay more, and he hoped Panda would offer financial support.

—It was to help your family vent originally, and now, even if I had money, it shouldn’t be on me!

Upon hearing this, Bellini blew up. She firmly opposed: even if Panda had endless money, could one person outspend an entire family?

After all, it was you who initially guaranteed that we’d only have to worry about the upfront costs.

Did you not foresee the counteraction from the other side trying to bail the person out?

Gwendolyn stated that 50,000 should cover 50,000 matters, and to sever the hands trying to bail people out, more money must be thrown in.

He expected Panda to come up with another 200,000 in one day, otherwise once the other side succeeded, they’d have to invest even more money.

On hearing this, Bellini got furious, particularly as she also suspected Panda’s guess: the other side was possibly taking from both ends!

Now, claiming external pressure, who is to say Gwendolyn isn’t orchestrating it himself to pocket money from both parties?

Bellini bluntly stated, "If Romel is released, don’t you think it’s embarrassing? It would be a great advertisement."

Unexpectedly, Gwendolyn was also furious, rudely expressing himself.

"There are plenty of things suitable for advertising; no one knows it’s me behind it anyway... if you’re not supporting, then forget it."

Bellini, reaching this point, looked helplessly at Qu Jianlei, "What should we do now?"

Qu Jianlei simply replied, "If he says forget it, then let it go."

Bellini’s eyes widened as she fumed, "Then, I’ll just have to apologize to Mosman."

"There’s no way out, I really don’t like doing this to students, but it was Mosman who approached me initially, it can’t be my fault."

"For students, there’s no need," Qu Jianlei casually responded, "I just want to see what he will do next."

Bellini glared at him, "If nothing follows, are you just going to let it go? That’s fifty thousand!"

Her salary wasn’t low, but her base monthly salary was still under two thousand; how long would it take to earn fifty thousand?

Qu Jianlei chuckled, "No follow-up... How’s that possible? Even if not, it doesn’t matter. Fifty thousand isn’t much."

Bellini rolled her eyes, "You sure are wealthy. Are you saying I shouldn’t deal with Mosman?"

"You decide for yourself," Qu Jianlei didn’t believe his suggestion was absolutely right.

Things had developed to this point, which was really frustrating; he should support Bellini’s actions, tit for tat is the right path.

But doing so seemed a bit unfair to the student, unrelated to the notion of being a saint or not.

Reflecting his own student days, he also wouldn’t have liked dealing with a teacher so capricious.

Moreover, taking such a line might push Gwendolyn toward the Robin Hood camp.

Initially trying to benefit on both ends, he shouldn’t have much inclination, forcing him to side with the enemy seems unwise.

He didn’t fear much and was willing to exact revenge, but his elderly mentor advised, "Keep your enemies fewer."

Forcing enemies into powerful coalitions... that’s not reckoning, but sheer folly.

Against powerful foes, breaking them one by one is the real strategy.

He wondered how the events ever muddled into this mess?

Blaming Bellini for being meddlesome had some merit, yet at that time... he didn’t refuse either?

In essence, Qu Jianlei also yearned for a peaceful life; spending some money to solve issues without conflict, was hardly a concern.

If it wasn’t for the need of financial support in cultivation, he wouldn’t value money much at all.

At that time, he merely intended to spend a bit of money to see how things unfolded, hoping to resolve issues was ideal.

Who would have thought it would turn out like this?

Was he too soft-hearted? Reviewing the sequence of events, he felt it shouldn’t be blamed on that.

But it didn’t really matter; he wouldn’t pay any more and the fifty thousand Gwendolyn took could be temporarily left there.

As for whether to retrieve it when the dust settled, he didn’t really calculate carefully.

The situation was somewhat disgusting, but if the other side didn’t stir up more troubles, giving up wasn’t out of the question.

Consider it tuition fees; who can go through life without being wronged? Just remember the lesson.

Qu Jianlei thought so, unexpectedly, the next afternoon, Ye Xiangkong came to the library to find Qu Jianlei again.

He brought bad news: at noon, Romel was released from the Cleanliness Department.

The Ye Family had always been monitoring the movements across the street, mobilizing many to gather information.

Romel had been taken by the Cleanliness Department, and the information they received suggested someone exerted pressure, pointing the source of the intervention towards the Engineering College.

Gwendolyn handled things with some skill, not exposing themselves, but rather subtly revealing the true source.

The Ye Family enjoyed watching the drama unfold, using some connections to secretly add fuel to the fire.

Ye Xiangkong’s dad even specifically contacted Zi Jiu Immortal, wondering if they should intensify their efforts.

The female professor tactfully expressed that it was an adult matter, and he shouldn’t affect the children — they would handle it themselves.

Ye Father, after considering everything, concluded that it would be best to wait and see, to avoid messing up the foreign instructors’ plans.

So, the connections the Ye Family sought didn’t exert much power.

However, Romel was released from the Cleanliness Department after just a few days, and the situation quickly became complicated.

Everyone knew the Cleanliness Department rarely acted against those with connections, but once they did, it was usually definitive.

Yet, Romel managed to get out, which meant that trying to send him back in would be at least two to three times more challenging!

The Ye Family sensed looming trouble and immediately informed Zi Jiu Immortal — the foreign instructors might have less sensitivity to these developments.

The female professor remained calm, saying it was fine for them to help gather information, but they shouldn’t get directly involved for now.

She was never one to drag others into trouble.

Ye Father found this a bit inappropriate, sending his son specifically to inform Panda... to be wary of retaliation!

Qu Jianlei, upon hearing this, showed no expression on his face, just nodded, "I know. Focus more on your studies."

He certainly wasn’t as composed inside as he appeared; he even felt his repressed anger surging.

Good old Gwendolyn, knowing you had ill intentions, but never expecting you’d go this far!

If Romel had been detained a few more days, he wouldn’t have been so furious.

The opponent’s clan was exerting effort to rescue him, and the situation being reversed wasn’t unexpected.

But such a rapid turnaround wasn’t just about acquittal; it was a demonstration of power: Our family is just that strong!

If Gwendolyn cared even a little about dignity, they wouldn’t have let Romel out so quickly.

Even if stopping him wasn’t convenient, surely delaying a few days with minor tactics could have been done?

Allowing the Romel Clan to act without interference wasn’t just giving up; in deeper terms, it was a slap in the face from the opponent.

With Gwendolyn’s pride, even if it’s inconvenient, could they willingly accept such humiliation?

So that guy must have motives, most likely to apply pressure on our four people.

Qu Jianlei couldn’t guarantee his guesses were entirely correct, but... he was probably not far off.

He was indeed unhappy, buying such a string of troubles for fifty thousand silver coins. Why bother?

However, he didn’t feel too much pressure—expect me to panic? That’s indeed a pure fantasy.

This news perplexed more than just him.

Professor Zi Jiu Immortal came to the library to find Panda after finishing her afternoon class, with some time to spare before dinner.

Finding that the other party already had related information, the female professor asked directly, "What should we do next?"

She could be indifferent with the Ye Family, but Panda... was her own!

Qu Jianlei casually replied, "Let’s let the bullets fly for a while."

Although Zi Jiu Immortal wasn’t familiar with this reference, after contemplating a bit, she grasped its meaning and nodded slightly.

"That’s my thought too, waiting... Robin Hood just faced punishment; I don’t suppose they’d dare to retaliate immediately."

She had confidence in the deterrence of the academy, a common fault of the academic faction.

Qu Jianlei had no intention to comment on this understanding—to trust somewhat means having a relatively calm mindset.

Xiang Xue and Aunt Liu also received the news earlier that afternoon; their information channels were indeed not lacking.

The four reconvened at dinner to exchange messages, and Zi Jiu Immortal reiterated her viewpoint.

However, Xiang Xue wasn’t as optimistic as her, furrowing her brows, "The school may not intimidate the other side."

"The opponent has already shown strength; it’s hard to predict their next move... Being cautious would be wise."

Sure enough, the next morning, they heard the enemy’s declaration of war.

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