Chapter 231: It's All Tang San's Fault—He Deserves to Die!
Liu Erlong was holding a cup of water, taking small sips now and then, yet her gaze never left the chat window.
On the surface, she appeared calm, but inside, she felt like a cat scratching at her heart, wishing the messages would refresh faster.
Suddenly, a new message popped up.
"What the hell?"
She choked on a mouthful of water, nearly throwing up the cup.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen, unable to stop herself from cursing out loud.
"Is this kid even human?"
She slowly turned her head, her gaze landing on Lin Qingmo not far away. Her eyes were filled with shock, as if she were looking at some prehistoric monster.
"When I reached rank fifty back then, I was already twenty years old!"
She swallowed, her voice trembling slightly.
"How old is he now? Twelve and already about to become a Soul King?"
Her hand holding the cup trembled faintly, her expression extremely vivid.
"Comparing people really is infuriating!"
She gulped down a large mouthful of water, as if trying to swallow that sour feeling along with it.
...
Shrek Academy.
Night had fallen heavily.
The entire academy was shrouded in a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere. Even the sounds of insects were sparse, as if something were pressing down on their throats.
Inside the dean's office, the dim yellow light flickered, and the smell of alcohol filled the air.
Flender and Zhao Wuji sat facing each other.
On the old desk between them were several jars of strong liquor and a few plates of food that had barely been touched.
Neither of them had any appetite. They just kept pouring drinks and downing them in silence.
Zhao Wuji took another big gulp of liquor, the burning sensation making his eyes redden.
He slammed the cup onto the table with a heavy bang, splashing the alcohol.
"Damn it! That bastard Yu Xiaogang is really not a good person!" His voice was thunderous, the muscles on his face twisting with rage.
"If not for him, would those kids have left?"
"Such a great talent, forced away just like that. The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
Flender sighed, lifting his cup and taking a sip. His face was full of helplessness, as if it were carved into his wrinkles.
"Old Zhao, I don't have a choice either." His voice was hoarse, filled with exhaustion.
"Xiaogang is just like that. Once he gets stuck in his own logic, he won't come out."
"I've tried to persuade him so many times, worn my mouth out, but he won't listen at all."
At this point, he was getting tipsy too, his gaze drifting.
Zhao Wuji slammed the table again, making the wine jars shake.
"Persuade him? What's there to persuade?" he bellowed. "If his so-called theory really worked, what good could it produce?"
"Look at Qingmo. He doesn't follow that set at all."
"Same Blue Silver Grass martial soul, with much lower innate soul power than Tang San. And now? His strength has already left Tang San far behind!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He grabbed a jar and took a large swig, letting the liquor spill from the corner of his mouth without caring.
"And he still thinks he's the continent's number one theory master. Bah! I think he's just a complete joke!"
Zhao Wuji slammed the jar down and continued angrily:
"And that Tang San too. So what if he has twin martial souls? If his character is bad, it's bad!"
"Mubai was crippled by him. Oscar nearly had an accident while absorbing a soul ring because of him!
"I think this kid's heart is crooked from the start. He only cares about himself, selfish to the core, never caring about others!
"Sigh…"
Flender leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh.
How could he not understand all this?
The day Lin Qingmo and the others left, he felt worse than anyone.
Such a talented youth should have been Shrek's pride but was forced away by Xiaogang.
And Tang San's actions… Dai Mubai being crippled, Oscar's soul ring incident… how could he not have knots in his heart?
But what could he do?
Xiaogang was his life-and-death brother, and Tang San was Xiaogang's only hope.
He couldn't truly fall out with Xiaogang.
"At this point, it's too late to say anything." Flender opened his eyes, slightly red, his voice filled with powerlessness.
"We can only properly train Mubai, Hongjun, and the others."
"As for Tang San's character, as teachers, we'll guide him more in the future and let him slowly change."
Zhao Wuji opened his mouth, about to say something more.
But Flender's expression suddenly changed, and he sat upright.
A strong sense of unease surged into his heart without warning, like an invisible hand gripping it tightly.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Wuji asked, sobering up quickly.
Flender said nothing, only frowning.
The unease in his chest grew heavier, making it hard to breathe.
He felt that something bad was about to happen.
Suddenly, a hoarse, frantic shout came from outside, exploding through the night:
"Dean! Something's wrong! Something happened!"
Flender and Zhao Wuji's expressions changed instantly. Without another word, they rushed out of the office toward the academy gate.
For Qin Ming to lose composure like this, something huge must have happened!
...
The two arrived at the academy gate.
What they saw made their pupils shrink, and their eyes redden instantly.
Qin Ming was covered in wounds. His clothes were torn in several places, his face smeared with blood, standing there, trembling slightly.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others stood to the side, their faces pale as paper, heads lowered, not daring to breathe loudly.
Beside them lay a simple stretcher.
On it lay a person.
His entire body was charred black, his clothes almost completely burned away. His skin was covered in burn marks, and a burnt, acrid smell filled the air.
It was Ma Hongjun.
His eyes were tightly shut, his breath so weak it was like a thread that could snap at any moment. He was almost unrecognizable.
"Hongjun!" Flender let out a hoarse roar and rushed over, crouching beside the stretcher, his hands trembling violently.
He wanted to touch him but didn't dare, afraid of causing him pain.
Seeing his disciple, whom he had raised since childhood, in this state—
His heart felt as if it were being twisted, the pain making it hard to breathe.
"Dean… I'm sorry…" Qin Ming dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"It's my fault! I didn't protect Hongjun! Punish me!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes turned red.
He grabbed Qin Ming's arm, the pressure of a Soul Saint bursting out uncontrollably.
Through gritted teeth, he demanded, "What exactly happened? Who did this to Hongjun? Speak!"
His voice was filled with raging fury.
Although Ma Hongjun was usually a bit lustful, who among the teachers didn't truly like the child?
Seeing him like this, Zhao Wuji wished he could tear the culprit apart immediately.
Qin Ming sobbed, choking as he spoke, "While hunting a soul beast, Hongjun found a suitable thousand-year soul ring. At the critical moment of absorption, he was suddenly disturbed by a huge commotion. His evil fire backlashed, and… and he ended up like this…"
"Disturbed?" Zhao Wuji's eyes widened as he barked. "What disturbance? Where did it come from?"
Before he could finish, Oscar suddenly stepped forward.
His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed straight at Tang San, his voice filled with long-suppressed anger:
"It was him! It was all Tang San!"
"If he hadn't caused such a huge disturbance while Hongjun was absorbing his soul ring, attracting heavenly lightning onto himself, how could Fatty have been interrupted? How could he end up like this?!"
Oscar trembled all over, his anger finally erupting.
The last time he absorbed a soul ring, it was Tang San's disturbance that nearly caused an accident.
And this time, again, it was Tang San!
He couldn't endure it any longer!
Today, he would vent all this grievance, along with his own, in one go!
—
End of Chapter
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