Upon arriving at the Ghost Hunting Academy, Zhao Rong saw the training field covered with a dense mass of people, all lying on the ground.
His assistant, following close behind, felt a wave of dread. "Holy crap," he said, his voice trembling, "don’t tell we’re too late... that they’ve all succumbed to the poison and died?"
Holding the cloning machine, Zhao Rong dashed onto the field. He quickly helped a student up, checked his breathing and pulse, and said, "It’s okay, they’ve just fainted. We need to start cloning the Chongn Pills now and feed them the antidote one by one."
With that, Zhao Rong, his assistant, Miss Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian split up the work. The team of five began the monuntal task of saving the thousands of Ghost Hunting Academy students before them. Zhao Rong operated the cloning machine, producing a steady stream of Chongn Pills. His assistant was in charge of transporting the newly made pills, while the three won—Miss Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian—were responsible for administering the antidote to the unconscious students.
The cloning machine was incredibly effective, churning out pill after pill. The team worked in perfect harmony, with remarkable efficiency and a fast pace. In less than an hour, they had revived all of the nearly 4,000 people on the training field.
Once all the students of the Ghost Hunting Academy had been revived, they imdiately knelt on the ground to thank Zhao Rong. "Grandpa Zhao Rong," one said, his voice thick with emotion, "we truly don’t know how to thank you. If it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead by now..."
Zhao Rong helped the kneeling students to their feet. "Saving a life is worth more than building a seven-tiered pagoda," he said. "It was only right for to go to the Black Wind Cave, find the Chongn Pills, and save you. You don’t need to thank . Please, get up."
But the students remained kneeling, continuing to kowtow. "Grandpa Zhao Rong, you are our savior!" another cried out. "It’s as if you’ve given us a second life!"
Seeing that they were determined, Zhao Rong had no choice but to go and help each person up individually. Once they were standing, he addressed them all. "The Headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy, Zhao Bo, has been killed by . The vice-headmaster has fled, and the remaining four Ghost Catching Taoist Priests are also dead. In other words, the Ghost Hunting Academy now exists in na only.
"I suggest that if you want to go ho, you should do so now. If anyone still wishes to stay and learn to catch ghosts, you’ll have to teach yourselves."
A student stepped forward, his eyes shining with excitent. "Grandpa Zhao Rong, aren’t you the Headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy now? As long as you are here for a single day, we will forever be your students! We will follow you and always show you our respect!"
However, Zhao Rong told them the truth. "Although I am now the Headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy and own all of its assets, my purpose in coming here wasn’t to make the academy prosper. Instead, it was to bring the Ghost Hunting Academy into the Hongda Group’s fold and help the chairman successfully acquire it."
When the students heard that Zhao Rong, a ghost catcher from Zhongnan Mountain and a new student himself, was hiding so many identities and shouldering such a difficult mission, they burst into applause. At that mont, Zhao Rong was feeling a pang of guilt over his ulterior motives for coming to the Ghost Academy. He was shocked to find that not only were the students applauding him, but they were also praising him.
A student who had once felt lost at the academy but now saw a clear path forward said, "Grandpa Zhao Rong, if you hadn’t co, we would have all died at Headmaster Zhao Bo’s hands sooner or later. So, it doesn’t matter why you ca to this Ghost Academy. The fact that you ca at all was the right thing. You are our savior!"
Another student, who had once felt empty but was now filled with purpose, stood up to thank him. "Back when the chairman’s Hongda Company was preparing to acquire the Ghost Hunting Academy, every single one of us was in full agreent. It was Headmaster Zhao Bo who refused!"
A student who had been confused but now had clarity stood and said, "If the chairman’s Hongda Company acquires the Ghost Hunting Academy, we can go work there after we graduate! Hongda Company is one of the top enterprises in Xijing City. What an honor it would be to work there! That has been our dream for years. We thought it would never co true because Headmaster Zhao Bo’s obstruction ant the academy would never be acquired. But because of your sudden arrival, Grandpa Zhao Rong, this seemingly impossible goal is now within reach! We students are incredibly excited!"
A student who ca from poverty but longed for a better life also stood up. "Big Brother Zhao Rong, to be honest, we ca to the Ghost Hunting Academy to learn ghost catching so we could get a good job with a decent inco. If Hongda Company acquires the academy, it ans we could work there without even having to learn how to catch ghosts. What could be better than that? We don’t resent you at all; in fact, we’re deeply grateful!"
Listening to the chorus of thanks, Zhao Rong remarked with an unexpected sigh, "It’s funny how things work out. You ticulously plant a flower and it refuses to bloom, while a willow twig you casually stick in the ground grows into a magnificent tree. If I had known you were all so willing for the Hongda Company to acquire the school, I would have told you my real purpose on the very first day. We could have mobilized together to break free from Headmaster Zhao Bo’s control and worked to get the school acquired. Wouldn’t that have been much simpler?"
When he finished, Zhao Rong laughed. The students around him joined in, and the tense, oppressive atmosphere instantly evaporated, replaced by one of joy and lightheartedness.
Zhao Rong raised his voice to encourage them. "Since you all are so eager for to be the headmaster, and since you’re so hopeful that the school will be acquired by Hongda Company, I’ll call the chairman right now and ask him to co over and acquire our Ghost Hunting Academy!"
Hearing this, the entire student body erupted. They hugged each other, high-fived, and so even shared kisses in their excitent. As Miss Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian watched Zhao Rong single-handedly transform the lifeless, somber school atmosphere into one of joy and excitent, they all gave him a thumbs-up, their admiration for him absolute.
Just then, Zhao Rong’s call connected. "Hello, Chairman. This is your daughter’s bodyguard, Zhao Rong."
The chairman, taking the call, already had a good idea of what it was about. He puffed on his cigar and said, "Zhao Rong, have you beco the headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy?"
Zhao Rong nodded, even though the chairman couldn’t see it. "Chairman, not only did I beco the Headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy, but I also killed the forr headmaster, Zhao Bo. What’s more, I also took out the academy’s four Ghost-Hunting Instructors."
The chairman had expected Zhao Rong to beco headmaster through hard work, but he never imagined Zhao Rong would be so violent and bloody, killing the previous headmaster and four masters to achieve his goal. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "They say you should look at a man with new eyes after three days apart. You are truly incredible, far exceeding my expectations."
Realizing the chairman had misunderstood, Zhao Rong quickly explained the full story of why he had been forced to kill Headmaster Zhao Bo and the four Ghost-Hunting Instructors. After hearing the entire tale, the chairman imdiately instructed his female secretary, Cang Moukong, to write down everything Zhao Rong had done. He planned to have it turned into a novel, adapted into a screenplay, and produced as a major motion picture.
Speaking into the phone, the chairman’s tone was full of respect. "Zhao Rong, since you have perfectly completed the task I assigned you, what would you like for a reward?"
When the chairman ntioned a reward, Zhao Rong briefly considered his finances. His assets were already worth over one hundred million. He replied, "Chairman, I’m not only the Sect Leader of Zhenwu Gate and the Principal of Xijing University, but now I’m also the Headmaster of the Ghost Hunting Academy. The real estate from these three properties alone puts my net worth over one hundred million."
Hearing that Zhao Rong’s assets already exceeded one hundred million, the chairman thought to himself, A man like Zhao Rong is a once-in-a-millennium talent. I absolutely have to keep him. But how does a large corporation retain a top-tier individual? With a high salary, an even higher salary, and then an even higher salary after that...
The chairman spoke into the phone again. "Since your assets already exceed one hundred million, how about I give you a reward of one billion? What do you think?"
When Zhao Rong heard the chairman offer him one billion, he was so startled he dropped his phone. Although his assets were worth over one hundred million, that was mostly tied up in real estate. The actual cash he had in the bank was only a few tens of millions. Now, the chairman was offering him one billion in cash. The number made his head spin.
Zhao Rong politely declined. "Chairman, I’m touched by your kindness, but I really can’t accept a reward of one billion in cash. It’s simply too much."
Hearing this, the chairman imdiately gave an order to his secretary, Cang Moukong. "Contact my company’s transport team at once. I need ten large trucks prepared, each loaded with one hundred million in cash. They are to follow my rcedes to the Ghost Hunting Academy, where we will reward my daughter’s bodyguard, Mr. Zhao Rong, on the spot."
The attractively dressed Cang Moukong imdiately bowed. "No problem, Chairman. Give just a mont. I’ll contact the bank and the transport team right away to prepare the cash and head to the Ghost Hunting Academy."
After giving his instructions, the chairman got back on the phone with Zhao Rong. "Zhao Rong, don’t overthink it. With your outstanding abilities and talent, I must reward you generously. Otherwise, my conscience wouldn’t be clear."
With that, the chairman ended the call, went downstairs, and set off.
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