Chapter 19: From Calmness

**Chapter 19: Composure**

“You all saw what just happened, and you know what it was all about.” Ye Fan held the ancient bronze lamp in his left hand and the damaged fish drum in his right. Instead of retreating, he took a few steps forward towards the others and said, “Now that I’ve taken the fish drum, there’s no way I’m giving it back to him.”

The divine radiance emanating from the ancient bronze lamp was as brilliant as the sun, as pure as the moon, and like a segment of a sacred rainbow, sparkling and radiant. It perfectly complemented Ye Fan, making them seem as one, as if formed by nature. He looked otherworldly, like an exiled immortal descending to the mortal world, clad in divine robes.

Although the fish drum in his right hand was damaged and now dim, everyone had just witnessed its thunder god-like power, with purple lightning streaking and thunder rumbling. Now, with Ye Fan holding it, it certainly inspired awe.

“Li Changqing certainly shouldn’t have spoken carelessly, causing others to covet his item and leading to such an unpleasant incident. However, Ye Fan, it was truly excessive of you to seize his life-saving artifact.” Liu Yunzhi approached, holding his resplendent Vajra scepter, which felt heavy and condensed, exuding an impressive aura.

Beside him were a man and a woman who had been preventing Pang Bo from acting and speaking up for Li Changqing from the start. Now, they both followed Liu Yunzhi forward.

“Ye Fan, I know you’re angry. Anyone would be furious if something like this happened, but we should show more tolerance.” The female classmate spoke calmly, as if standing on the side of reason, unbiased and completely fair. She said, “In this situation, stripping him of his life-saving item—we all know what that means. You cannot be so excessive.”

At her fingertips was a worn copper bell, seemingly covered in dust for years, dull and lusterless. Though it appeared ordinary, it was impossible not to notice. As she spoke, her slender fingers moved unconsciously, occasionally producing a faint chime or two.

The male classmate next to Liu Yunzhi also spoke: “We should all have a forgiving heart. We’ve known each other for four years and are now facing this upheaval together; we should be in the same boat, supporting each other. Let’s put this unpleasant incident behind us and not dwell on it. Ye Fan, please return his life-saving fish drum. You don’t want to just watch him lose his life, do you?”

In his lowered right hand was a rusty censer, about the size of a palm, somewhat incomplete with parts of its wall broken, yet it appeared ancient and natural.

The three stood together, all having gained something in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, each holding an artifact discarded by a deity. At this moment, their words naturally carried significant weight.

“Clang!”

Pang Bo strode forward, then heavily placed the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque on the ground. He declared, “You talk a better game than anyone I’ve heard; your ability to twist facts is truly profound. First, you need to understand what just happened. Second, you need to know that people should be upright! It was clearly Li Changqing who, with others, tried to harm Ye Fan, so how does that make Ye Fan not magnanimous enough? What kind of logic is that? How does Ye Fan end up being in the wrong? Someone tried to kill him, and Ye Fan took away the item he relied on—what’s wrong with that? According to you, Ye Fan seems to have become the villain, while Li Changqing appears faultless. Don’t stand there being hypocritical and self-righteous; it sickens me to watch!”

At this moment, the light around Pang Bo had not dissipated. The four ancient characters for “Great Thunder Sound Temple” on the bronze plaque emitted dazzling rays of light that soared skyward. Buddhist chants, thundering like thunder, and ethereal Zen singing, faintly audible, emanated from it. He himself looked like a blazing sun, radiating immense power.

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the man and woman who had just spoken turned visibly sour.

“We didn’t say Ye Fan was wrong; we just wanted him to consider their friendship as classmates and not take Li Changqing’s fish drum, so that he could save his life and survive.”

This was clearly a case of sidestepping the main issue. They avoided mentioning that Ye Fan was almost pushed off the five-colored altar and nearly swept away by the storm, instead focusing on how Ye Fan’s actions amounted to killing a classmate.

After they finished speaking, Ye Fan smiled faintly and said, “Actually, the three of you don’t need to worry. I don’t intend to hold anything against him.”

Divine radiance enveloped his entire body, giving off a serene and ethereal aura. The area around him was spotless, making everyone feel peace and tranquility.

“However, I need to correct something: it was Li Changqing and others who almost took my life, not, as you constantly claim, me trying to take his. Everyone witnessed this.” Ye Fan glanced at Liu Yunzhi and the other two. “Many classmates here didn’t get anything in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, yet they are still alive and well. Why? Because not long ago, everyone shared the divine artifacts they possessed. I took Li Changqing’s fish drum simply because I don’t want him to have a tool to commit evil. If he can order people to steal my things, he can also have such thoughts towards others. As for his safety, you can all rest assured. We are classmates; we can share the divine artifacts we hold and support each other, ensuring his safety. Of course, if you are unwilling to share your copper bell, censer, and Vajra scepter with him, then let him stay by my side. I will certainly not disregard our friendship as classmates.”

Ye Fan first pinpointed the root cause of the incident, hitting directly at the core. Then, he mentioned sharing divine artifacts, and though he said little, everyone naturally recalled that it was his suggestion not long ago that allowed many to escape peril. Following this, he subtly rebuked Liu Yunzhi and the two classmates, addressing all points in such a way that left them speechless.

Zhou Yi also stood at the front. Apart from initially opposing Ye Fan taking the fish drum, he had remained silent throughout, listening without offering any opinions. Only now did he speak again, saying, “Li Changqing was indeed very wrong, and any punishment for him would not be excessive. However, Ye Fan, isn’t it a bit wasteful for you to possess two divine artifacts? You know there are many classmates here who don’t even have a single broken piece.”

Zhou Yi came from a family with a certain background, yet he never appeared arrogant, always remaining refined and amiable. His raising of this point instantly made Pang Bo standing nearby frown, but he had no way to refute it.

“I am willing to share even the ancient bronze lamp in my hand with everyone. Now that I’ve taken this fish drum, my considerations will naturally begin from this perspective.” Ye Fan smiled and motioned to a male classmate behind him. “Zhang Ziling, this is for you. If danger arises, remember to share it with the person next to you.”

This classmate, Zhang Ziling, had been standing behind Ye Fan and Pang Bo. Their friendship had developed on the football field years ago, making them closer than typical classmates. Although he hadn’t taken direct action like Pang Bo just now, he was clearly on Ye Fan’s side.

Ye Fan’s decision was sudden. Zhou Yi’s lips twitched, but he said nothing.

Liu Yunzhi immediately frowned. The female classmate beside him instantly voiced her objection, saying, “Many male classmates present here gained something at the Great Thunder Sound Temple. Relatively few female classmates, however, found Buddhist artifacts. I think it should be given to a female classmate.” She then subtly gestured toward a girl behind her.

Pang Bo scoffed, saying, “Why differentiate among classmates? Those holding divine artifacts are meant to share them with others. Who it’s given to makes no difference. Are you unwilling to help others?”

Ignoring her selective focus and instead highlighting her aggressive implications, Pang Bo used her own tactics against her, his face showing a teasing smirk. This instantly choked the female classmate with anger, her face turning pale then green. She retorted, “Don’t twist my words!”

Zhang Ziling naturally stepped forward and took the fish drum Ye Fan handed him. Neither said a word; everything was understood without speaking.

Ye Fan completely ignored Liu Yunzhi, not even looking at him, and asked Zhou Yi, “Zhou Yi, what do you think?”

“I have no objections. We are in a difficult situation out here; we should help each other. I hope no more unpleasant incidents occur.” Zhou Yi said these words calmly, then fell silent.

The other classmates around watched all this, sensing the subtle tension that had just transpired. Although seemingly peaceful, there had been several invisible confrontations, all effortlessly resolved by Ye Fan.

This reminded them of Ye Fan in his student days: always amiable and composed when appropriate, yet never hesitant to show his sharpness when needed. He never looked for trouble, but he was certainly never afraid when trouble came to him.

Pang Bo, his hand resting on the Great Thunder Sound Temple’s bronze plaque, looked at Liu Yunzhi and the others ahead. He said, “Ye Fan isn’t dwelling on others trying to harm him, but there are some things I must say. What people do, heaven sees. At this point, I think the existence of deities cannot be denied. It’s better for people to be more upright and not do things that cannot stand the light of day!”

This was tantamount to openly slapping the faces of those in front, yet it left them speechless, as he stood on the side of reason.

Liu Yunzhi remained impassive, showing no embarrassment. He simply nodded and said, “Well said. We must certainly avoid such incidents in the future.”

Lin Jia and Wang Ziwen stood behind, both maintaining neutral stances. They had not offered any opinions earlier, but now spoke one after another.

“To avoid further unpleasantness, I think we should have a good discussion.”

“We should now determine how those who gained something in the Great Thunder Sound Temple should help others, and how many people each should assist.”

Li Xiaoman, however, said nothing from beginning to end. She watched Ye Fan from a short distance, observing him calmly resolve everything. Her eyes were placid, showing no expression, and she did not side with anyone.

Beside her, Cade’s understanding of Chinese was quite rudimentary. Only now did he fully grasp what had transpired, and the foreigner secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, a shattering sound came, startling everyone. The light barrier protecting the five-colored altar had been pierced, and something had drilled inside. Everyone looked towards that direction.

A black light, incredibly fast, *pffft*—pierced through a male classmate’s forehead. A spray of blood splattered, and the classmate, eyes wide open, fell backward to the ground, lifeless.

If not for the light barrier, this terrifying thing would have been completely silent, and no one would have detected the black light’s attack. Remembering the few who were attacked and killed in the darkness not long ago, everyone felt their hearts turn cold; that black light was hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to detect.

The appearance of the black light was tantamount to an announcement that death had returned!

Shrieks of terror erupted, and the altar became chaotic. Those without divine artifacts frantically lunged at Liu Yunzhi, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and others, grabbing them and refusing to let go, eager to share the Buddhist artifacts.

“Aoooh…” Suddenly, a spine-chilling sound, earth-shattering, came from the storm, completely suppressing the thunderous sandstorm.

“It’s the Great Thunder Sound Temple…”

At this moment, many turned pale. They recognized the direction of the sound: it was coming from the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

“The Great Thunder Sound Temple is already destroyed. Could something be suppressed beneath it…?”

As soon as Pang Bo uttered these words, many felt their scalps tingle, overcome by waves of terror.