The Mighty Mage
Chapter 220: The Gu Family’s Influence

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: The Gu Family’s Influence

"Now that I think about it...that girl named Gu Jun may have prepared all of this!" Nan Bei frowned.

Gu Aihan’s words stirred a murmur of agreement among the group.

The resentment in their eyes grew as they whispered among themselves, casting judgment on Gu Jin without having met her.

The elderly man in the purple robe, however, remained stoic. He looked at Gu Aihan, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly.

"Miss Gu, you are making assumptions without evidence. We will not pass judgment on someone without understanding the full situation."

Gu Aihan lowered her head slightly,

"I apologize, Professor. I only spoke out of concern for our group’s well-being."

Lu Siyao interrupted,

"Your words are full of loopholes! My Jin’er isn’t the only one who entered, other than her, 2 more people were sucked in.

This could only mean that the portal malfunctioned due to something else entirely!" Lu Siyao’s voice was firm, her frustration evident.

She wasn’t going to let Gu Jin be blamed for something she had no control over.

Nan Bei scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Or maybe your friend did something that affected the portal and dragged those other two in as well. Just because you don’t want to believe it doesn’t mean it’s not true."

Lu Siyao’s temper flared, but before she could respond, the elderly man in the purple robe raised his hand, silencing the group.

"Enough. This is not a place for baseless accusations. We are dealing with a serious situation, and our priority should be on resolving it, not pointing fingers."

Liang Bao narrowed her eyes.

A possibility flashed in her mind...

Maybe...maybe Gu Jin truly was a child of a wealthy family. Her gaze shifted to Gu Aihan.

Even though Gu Aihan looked very calm, her words targeted Gu Jin all the time.

Perhaps...

"We can get them out, as long as everyone present here contributes to opening up the portal once more." The old man in the blue robe said.

In the last hour, they had tried to open the portal two times, however, both times, the portal didn’t appear in front of Gu Aihan.

It could only mean, that the portal’s energy was manipulated or...

A glint appeared in the eyes of an old man dressed in a blue robe.

Gu Aihan clenched her fist.

"No! I won’t help! That b*tch has manipulated the flow of the portal anyways! How can we open the portal?"

"Yeah, right! And why should we help her? She for sure is the reason why aren’t able to enter!"

All the students in the group started to argue.

The two professors frowned. They tried to calm the crowd, however, for some reason, no one was ready to listen.

Lu Siyao gritted her teeth,

"Professor, me, my friend, and the young man here will assist you in reopening the portal," Lu Siyao declared, her voice cutting through the growing chaos. She gestured to Pei Ke and Liang Bao, who nodded in agreement.

The elderly man in the blue robe shook his head,

"No, we need at least 10 peak Super Rank Mage."

Lu Siyao, Pei Ke and Liang Bao’s face turned pale.

One of them was a super rank mage, the other one was an advanced rank mage, while Liang Bao was just an intermediate rank mage having the power of an advanced rank...

Lu Siyao turned towards the group and said softly,

"Excuse me. Everyone, we need your help. The portal can’t be reopened without at least ten peak Super Rank Mages. We must work together to save those trapped inside."

Her plea was met with a cold silence.

The students exchanged uneasy glances, their reluctance clear. One by one, they began to shake their heads, murmuring their refusals.

"I don’t want to risk it," one student muttered.

"It’s too dangerous," another added.

Gu Aihan seized the moment, her voice smooth,

"See, Miss, it’s not that we don’t care. But everyone here has valid concerns. We don’t know the full extent of the danger. We can’t afford to lose more people over something so uncertain."

Lies.

Liang Bao and Lu Siyao knew the entire group and Gu Aihan was lying.

They could have opened the portal before without any problem, but now they feel it is risky.

It was clear that they believed Gu Aihan’s words and were supporting her.

They wanted to punish Gu Jin for the things she never did!

Lu Siyao’s patience snapped. She pointed at Gu Aihan and said,

"You, stop pretending like you care about anyone here! You’ve done nothing but cast blame and spread doubt since this started.

You want everyone to turn against our Jin, but she’s not the one at fault here! If you really cared about the group’s well-being, you’d be helping instead of just talking!"

Gu Aihan’s calm demeanor faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Before she could respond, Nan Bei stepped forward, her expression fierce.

"How dare you speak to Aihan like that!" Nan Bei’s voice was sharp.

"Do you even know who she is? She belongs to the famous Gu family of the capital! You’re just a nobody compared to her! You should watch your mouth, or you won’t even know how you died!"

Lu Siyao’s eyes blazed with anger,

"Listen up. I don’t care who she is. If she keeps on blaming my friend for no reason, I will kill her even before her so-called family kills me."

Liang Bao patted Lu Siyao’s back and turned toward the group,

"Whoever agrees to help, I will give them the Pscyhomindris plant."

Nan Bei frowned,

"Do you think we will believe your nonsense? Pscyhomindris is such a rare plant how can a peasant like you have it?"

Even the heirs of wealthy families like them could only have two to three stalks of Pscyhomindris plant every year.

How can a peasant like them have it?

All the other members of the group thought so too.

Whether it was Liang Bao, Lu Siyao, or Pei Ke, each of them was dressed plainly.

Liang Bao smiled,

"I guess, it will be decided by others."

Without a word, Liang Bao took out 20 Pscyhomindris plants and waved them,

"They say, everyone has their own luck. I was lucky enough to get my hands on 20 psychomindris plants. Maybe it was destiny.

Whoever agrees to help will get 2 Pscyhomindris plants."

"Two Psychomindris plants...?" one of the students whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"That’s enough to boost our psychic element’s cultivation by leaps and bounds," another murmured, clearly tempted. "And just for helping open the portal?"

It was no secret that the Psychomindris plant was rare and valuable, coveted by even the most powerful families.

To have a chance at obtaining not just one but two of these plants was an opportunity that few could afford to pass up.

"I could use it to increase my psychic element cultivation," a young man with a serious expression said quietly to his friend. "I’ve been stuck at my current level for too long."

His friend nodded, equally captivated.

"We wouldn’t even have to do much—just help open the portal. And it’s not like we’d be putting ourselves at risk. The professors would handle the most dangerous parts."

A few students in the back, who had remained silent up until now, exchanged eager glances.

One of them, a tall girl with a determined look in her eyes, took a step forward, ready to agree.

"I’m in—"

But before she could finish, Nan Bei’s sharp voice cut through the rising excitement like a blade. "Wait!"

All eyes turned to Nan Bei, who was glaring at Liang Bao with contempt.

"Are you all fools?" Nan Bei sneered.

"Do you really think you can get away with this? Do you think you can just take those plants and help them, and everything will be fine?"

The students froze, uncertainty creeping back into their expressions.

They knew Nan Bei was close to Gu Aihan, and crossing her would mean crossing the Gu family.

Nan Bei continued, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Let me remind you of something. The person who has been wronged the most in all of this is Gu Aihan!

She is the rightful heir to the Gu family’s legacy, and you all know how powerful her family is! The one who snatched that opportunity from Aihan is none other than Gu Jin.

So, if any of you dare to agree to this deal, you will be going against the Gu family."

The mention of the Gu family’s influence and power was enough to make even the most tempted among them think twice.

The allure of the Psychomindris plants was undeniable, but so was the threat that came with defying the Gu family.

"I don’t want to make enemies with the Gu family," one student muttered under his breath, stepping back from the group.

"Neither do I," another echoed, the greed that had flashed in his eyes now dimmed by the realization of what was at stake.