"I would like to request that my fiancee to be placed in the same quarters as me. He will not require a separate hut." Lily requested.

Elder Jing reached under the desk and produced a thick, worn logbook. She flipped through it without a word, pages turning in rapid succession until her finger landed on a line and slowed to a stop.

"Tony Clark. Eighteen years old... Prince of the Clark family." She looked up as she was going to deliver a judgement. "Young master Tony has been assigned to the Healing Tower."

The room went quiet. Lily and Julie turned to look at each other.

"What is the Healing Tower?!" Tony asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes, Sister Lily, something must be wrong," Julie said quickly. "How can brother-in-law go to the Healing Tower? He doesn’t even know how to hold a syringe."

Lily leaned forward without waiting and turned the logbook toward herself. She scanned the entry with sharp eyes.

It was there in plain writing. Tony Clark— assigned to the Healing Tower. And not as a student... but a helping nurse.

She straightened up. "Elder Jing, there must be an error. Tony has no talent for healing. My father personally spoke with the Academy Master, and even the Peak Master of Sword Peak agreed to accept Tony as an inner disciple under his command."

Elder Jing closed the logbook with a lazy hand and slid it back under the table.

"Lady Frost, these instructions came directly from the Academy Master— written in red-ink, as you can see. From what I understand, young master Tony has shown no particular talent in the martial path either. The Academy Master likely placed him in the Healing Tower so he could at least learn something useful enough to survive here."

She declared like she was showing pity on a handicapped person.

Tony felt the irritation rise slowly. If this had been anywhere else, anywhere outside this academy... he would have already made the old woman jump like a frog all over the estate.

"Old lady," Tony called out in a careless tone. "You may not know much about me, so I’ll say this clearly— for you, and for whoever was foolish enough to make this decision..." He met her eyes while leaning on the table.

"If I step inside that Healing Tower, I will kill a hundred people a day without question. Every single-day. Do you want me to go there and prove it?"

The air in the room changed.

Elder Jing’s mouth opened slightly. In fifty years of service at Nine Lotus Academy, not one person had raised their voice at her inside this hall. Disciples came in nervous, left grateful or disappointed, and never once forgot where they were standing. But this boy had walked in, called her "old lady" to her face, and was now staring at her like she was the one who needed to explain herself.

She didn’t know whether to be offended or alarmed. She settled somewhere between the two.

Lily’s hand came down on Tony’s shoulder. "Husband." Her voice was quiet but firm. "I will go and meet Academy Master myself. He already gave his word... he will sort this out. Please, just wait."

"Brother-in-law, this is not our house," Julie added in a rushed whisper, her eyes wide. "Please, watch what you say."

Elder Jing recovered her composure and folded her hands on the desk.

"Lady Frost, the Academy Master is currently away on leave. He is not expected back for at least a week. Until then, there is no alternative— young master Tony will need to report to the Healing Tower." Her gaze shifted to Tony, flat and direct.

"And please remind your husband that this is Nine Lotus Academy. He is welcome to speak freely in his own home. This is not it."

Tony leaned forward and placed both hands on the edge of the desk.

"Old lady." His voice dropped, quiet enough that only the three of them could hear it clearly. "Did you not just hear what I said? I will kill a hundred people a day in that place. Every day. Without fail. Is that really what you want?"

He held her gaze... Close enough now that she couldn’t look away without making it obvious.

Elder Jing felt something she hadn’t felt in this office in a very long time. She wasn’t sure she’d call it fear exactly. But her hands, folded so neatly on the desk a moment ago, had gone shaking.

Lily stepped out quietly to find Sword Peak Master Ronin, leaving the room in a tense, uneven silence.

Julie hovered near Tony’s side, trying her best to calm down the situation. Nothing came to her. Insulting a senior elder of the academy was not a problem she had ever prepared for.

Tony straightened up and let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again.

"Old lady. I already know someone moved their pieces behind my back to land me in that tower. If you tell me the name right now, I’ll reward you generously. You have my word." He smiled casually like he was discussing the weather. "What do you say?"

Something flickered across Elder Jing’s face. Just for a second... a shadow of something she pulled back almost immediately, replacing it with a careful, composed expression.

"Watch your words, young master Tony. This is Nine Lotus Academy. I will not sit here and listen to baseless allegations."

"Stop the act." Tony’s tone didn’t change. "In a few days I’ll find the person myself and deal with them accordingly. But if I find out you were involved in any part of this—" he tilted his head slightly "— I’ll make sure you receive exactly the kind of attention you deserve."

Elder Jing turned her head away and made a show of sorting through papers on her desk. Her hands moved a little too quickly. Her eyes focused on nothing in particular.

Tony watched her for a moment, then said nothing more. He had his answer.

Someone had set this up. He’d suspected it before he ever boarded the jet— a personal invitation from Nine Lotus Academy didn’t come to someone with his reputation without a reason behind it.

But the Healing Tower assignment was a new piece of the puzzle, and it didn’t fit neatly with anything he’d figured out so far.

’Why the Healing Tower specifically? What was the point of placing him there?’

He turned, watching Elder Jing pretend to be busy, and waited for Lily to return.