novelraw Chapter 89 : The Budget Dispute
Chapter 89 : The Budget Dispute
89: The Budget Dispute
Standing to the side, Yuyin couldn't help but feel her heart surge. A true expert, this was a true expert. Without even lifting a hand, just by using the pressure of their Primordial Energy, they could make everyone around them feel awe!
Yuyin, after all, was only in the early stage of the Spirit-Seeking Realm, so she couldn't tell what realm the two Department Heads were in. But in her eyes, they were evenly matched, at least both above the Purple Domain Realm.
"Yuyin, you can go back first. I'll ask you about what happened later," Chen Qian'ning said coldly, without looking at Yuyin.
"Hey? Head Chen, I was just about to take Junior Xia and the others to my office to get to the bottom of this. If you let the most crucial person, Xia Yuyin, leave, won't that make it difficult to investigate?" Wan Kui'an said, his thick lips parting.
"I will find out the truth myself. I will question my own disciple. I won't trouble you with that, Head Wan. You should focus on managing your Strongman Department!"
Wan Kui'an frowned slightly. Neither side had any intention of fighting, but their immense Primordial Energy was unyielding, a struggle both open and covert.
"Head Chen, although I am the Head of the Strongman Department, I will never show favoritism toward my own students. But you must know, the Academy's annual Source Martial Tournament is about to begin. At this critical moment, my department's Wang Tieniu has been injured by your department's Xia Yuyin. His current condition is unknown, and the facts are unclear. Even if you insist on taking people away, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
"What's unclear about the facts? Your department's Wang Tieniu harassed and pestered my department's Xia Yuyin, failed, and then injured her seniors. She intervened and knocked him down. It's such a simple matter, what's unclear? When Wang Tieniu recovers, I will still hold him responsible!"
"Head Chen, that's all just your side of the story. Neither of us was there. We can't jump to a conclusion right away, can we? How about you let me take them back to question them clearly, and then we'll handle it however it should be handled?" Wan Kui'an was also unyielding.
"The investigation should be conducted by me. What? Don't you trust my impartiality?" Chen Qian'ning said.
"Of course I trust you, Head Chen. It's just... with Wang Tieniu injured, the loss and impact on my department are extraordinary. Our department isn't like your Swordsman Department with such a generous budget. We're all counting on getting a good ranking in this Source Martial Tournament to compete for the budget. With our absolute main player from the second year injured, what am I supposed to do?" Wan Kui'an said, spreading his hands. "Furthermore, this incident happened in my department's jurisdiction. I have a responsibility and an obligation to investigate it clearly, don't I?"
"I understand what you mean," Chen Qian'ning's attitude was even more decisive. "But don't forget, I am not only the Head of the Swordsman Department but also the Dean of Studies for the entire Academy. No matter which department, they are all my students. For an inter-departmental incident like this, the Dean's Office should naturally be the one to investigate. Head Wan, wouldn't you agree?"
"This..."
"That's enough. This matter is settled. As for your department's losses and your concerns, I will have the Dean's Office provide you with a written conclusion," Chen Qian'ning said decisively.
"Then... fine!" Wan Kui'an seemed to catch on. He smiled a broad, magnanimous smile. "Since Head Chen puts it that way, I have nothing more to say. If my students have caused you trouble, I apologize on their behalf. I also hope that our two departments don't let this incident affect our good relationship."
With that, Wan Kui'an extended his thick hand, which held the strength of a thousand jin.
Although Chen Qian'ning was a woman, her strength was in no way inferior to his.
Since he was willing to concede, she would generously shake his hand.
"Then I'll leave these people to you. I hope to get a conclusion on how this will be handled as soon as possible." Wan Kui'an had arrived leisurely and left just as casually. Since he wasn't allowed to investigate, he simply turned and left.
At the gate, his massive body seemed to be stopped by the iron gate. Wan Kieniu stopped, turned to look at Chen Qian'ning, and said, "Head Chen, I still want to thank you for personally investigating. I'll head back now and focus on training my Direct Disciple, Jiang Da. After all, for the past two years, with Lingfeng in your department, no matter how hard we other departments tried, we could only compete for second or third place in the Source Martial Tournament."
Wan Kui'an took a few steps onto the grass and, with a single hand, easily lifted the ten-plus meters of chain-link fence that had been knocked down earlier. "But there was nothing we could do. Who asked us to run into a genius who is also extremely rare in human history? It's a good thing, a good thing. We have nothing to say about letting the budget go to the fourth-year Swordsman Department led by Lingfeng. Nothing at all."
Chen Qian'ning stood silently in place, seemingly knowing what Wan Kui'an was going to say. Yuyin noticed that her teacher's expression seemed a bit unpleasant.
Wan Kui'an dusted off his hands and, standing in the distance, said in a loud, resonant voice, "But this year, it's different. Lingfeng and the other fourth-years aren't participating. In this Source Martial Tournament, what we should fight for, we will still fight for! Head Chen, I'll be off now. Jiang Da and the others are training down the mountain, and I still need to go and personally guide them."
With that, Wan Kui'an waved his hand and strode away.
This left Chen Qian'ning standing there. She had come to pick someone up, and to protect Yuyin, her aura was extraordinary. But at this moment, she seemed somewhat shaken by these last few words, yet unable to refute them.
"Teacher..." Yuyin walked over and gently tugged on Chen Qian'ning's sleeve, wondering if she could offer some moral support.
"Let's go."
"You all, report to the Dean's Office tomorrow afternoon," Chen Qian'ning instructed the other involved students before pulling Yuyin away.
The sky was gradually darkening.
Chen Qian'ning and Yuyin walked on a quiet, tree-lined path on campus.
"Yuyin, tell me the truth now. Remember, you must tell me the whole story, exactly as it happened. If you are not at fault, I will severely punish those who harassed you. If you are also at fault, I will protect you," Chen Qian'ning said without hesitation.
"Teacher..." Yuyin couldn't help but blush slightly. She thought Chen Qian'ning would be completely impartial, but to state her own bias so openly? Her teacher was truly sincere with her. Fortunately, Yuyin had a clear conscience.
"Of course, if you are truly at fault, behind closed doors, I will also punish you severely," Chen Qian'ning said with a hint of authority.
"Eh?"
"However, my Direct Disciple, no matter what, is not for others to interrogate or punish."
Yuyin lowered her head and smiled slightly. She was a proud person, but if she had truly made a mistake and was punished by her teacher, she would be willing to accept it.
As they walked, they were approaching the Lakeside Villa dormitory area. Yuyin remembered what Wan Kui'an had said earlier and asked, "Teacher, what is this Academy Source Martial Tournament that Head Wan mentioned?"
Chen Qian'ning didn't want to bring it up now, but since Yuyin asked, she walked with her to the lake's edge and said, "The Academy Source Martial Tournament is an annual student martial arts competition at the Academy. Although it's a chance for talented students to fight for their own honor and substantial rewards, the ranking points are also counted toward the entire department's performance. It's a key indicator of a department's overall strength and directly affects the total budget for the next academic year."
After hearing this, Yuyin largely understood why the teacher and Wan Kui'an could shake hands and make peace over a student conflict, but attached so much importance to the Source Martial Tournament.
This budget was like a student's credits and money; it was the foundation for the department's development and student training for the coming year. The Academy wasn't a for-profit institution. How huge were the expenses for cultivating Source Martial geniuses? Yuyin had a good idea. Where did this money come from? Primarily from the budget!
For a department, for a Department Head, this was the foundation, the top priority.
"Teacher, what is the specific format of the competition?"
Seeing Yuyin's interest, Chen Qian'ning was a little pleased. But Yuyin, after all, was only a first-year. Even though she could now defeat the second-year's ace, the ones who truly decided the bulk of the points were the third-years in the All-Academy Competition. Their strength far surpassed Yuyin's, and they were the absolute main force.
The third-years had one more year of training than the second-years, but since the school year had just begun, the third-years had actually been cultivating at the Academy for twice as long as the second-years. That was a huge gap.
"Yuyin, the Academy Source Martial Tournament is divided into three parts: the first-year group, the second-year group, and the All-Academy Competition. The first-year and second-year group competitions will be held between October and November of this year."
Chen Qian'ning turned around and gratifyingly patted Yuyin on the shoulder. "The first-year group, there's no need to say more. You have the strength to win that championship, and you must win it for me."
"Mm." Yuyin felt a bit excited and nodded confidently.
The first-year group? One-on-one. Since the strongest of the second year, Wang Tieniu, had been defeated by Yuyin, what chance did the other first-year opponents have? This championship was, for Yuyin, a piece of cake.