Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Yu Xiaogang's Thoughts
Weekend Double Chapters!.
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For some reason, Shen An's eyelids kept twitching in the teahouse, and he had a nagging feeling that something was about to happen. He thought to himself, With that spoiled young lady and a mischievous cat, surely nothing too serious could go wrong, right? Shen An shook his head vigorously. It shouldn't be a problem. Tom is, after all, a kind-hearted cat at his core.
While Tom loved to play around, he never truly harmed anyone—provided no one provoked him. Thinking this, Shen An felt slightly reassured.
Given Tom's current popularity in Soto City, people adored him. Who would dare to provoke him? Except for cat traffickers, of course—those people deserved to die. And bad people too—they deserved a good beating.
"Hehe, Tom, you're amazing! Hmph, let's see them dare to mess with us again. Come on, let's go have some more fun," Ning Rongrong said with a grin.
Tom had already taken off his cowboy outfit and nodded his little head. To him, what had just happened was nothing more than a small incident, hardly worth mentioning.
Sometimes life is like that. What you consider trivial might be the greatest insult to someone else.
Yu Xiaogang was a prime example. The commotion earlier hadn't gone unnoticed, and soon enough, patrol soldiers caught up with him, demanding compensation for the damage to the buildings.
The onlookers had pointed out that it was Yu Xiaogang's fault—his martial soul had injured the cat, and his apology had been half-hearted. He hadn't even bothered to pick up the items he had knocked over.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the patrol soldiers bitterly and handed over all the soul coins he had on him, but it still wasn't enough. In the end, he had to reveal his identity as a Soul Master again, and only then did the soldiers back off. After all, he was a Soul Master, and they couldn't push him too far.
This incident highlighted the stark divide between Soul Masters and ordinary civilians. If a regular civilian had caused such trouble, they would have been arrested immediately. But Soul Masters seemed to enjoy a certain privilege, often let off the hook.
Now, Yu Xiaogang was penniless. Staying at a hotel was out of the question—no establishment would let him stay for free. So, he had no choice but to change his plans and head straight to Shrek Academy. His current appearance was far from ideal, but he had no other option. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have a place to eat or sleep.
The distance from Soto City to Shrek Academy wasn't too far, about three or four kilometers. But Yu Xiaogang's steps felt heavy, each one weighed down by his thoughts and sorrow.
By the time he arrived, it was almost noon. Flender was leisurely lounging in the courtyard office, taking a nap.
Zhao Wuji had taken Tang San, Oscar, and the others to hunt for soul rings. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.
Shen An's sword energy had been incredibly sharp, and Tang San's injuries would normally have taken a long time to heal. But thanks to Shao Xin's treatment, the process of injury and recovery had actually helped Tang San's soul power break through to level 30. Coincidentally, Oscar had also reached level 30, so they went together to hunt soul beasts.
As for Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun, Flender had sent them along as well, thinking it would be a good way for them to relax and relieve some stress. With Zhao Wuji around, nothing too serious could happen.
With all the students gone, Flender was enjoying the peace and quiet.
Xiaogang should arrive before the little monsters return, Flender thought to himself.
Just then, the door creaked open. Flender glanced over casually. The teachers at Shrek Academy were all his old friends, and they were used to being informal, so rules weren't strictly enforced.
But when Flender saw who it was, his eyes lit up with surprise. "Xiaogang! You're here so soon! I missed you so much! I knew you had me in your heart to rush here without stopping!"
Flender quickly got up from his chair and hurried over to hug Yu Xiaogang. As a speed-type Soul Sage, his movements were too fast for Yu Xiaogang to react.
The moment Yu Xiaogang opened the door, Flender was already embracing him. Even though Flender wasn't using much force, the sudden impact left Yu Xiaogang feeling short of breath and coughing repeatedly.
For those with beast-type martial souls, any damage to the martial soul would reflect on the host. Luo Sanpao had been toyed with by Tom and crashed into walls multiple times, and the effects had already taken a toll on Yu Xiaogang. Coupled with the physical exhaustion from the journey and the mental strain, Yu Xiaogang was in a terrible state.
Flender quickly noticed this and let go of Yu Xiaogang. He had been too excited to see his old friend and hadn't noticed his condition earlier.
Flender took a good look at Yu Xiaogang. His once pristine clothes were now covered in dust, his stiff face looked pale, his usually straight posture seemed slightly hunched, and his deep black eyes were filled with anger.
The two had been friends for many years, and Flender could easily tell that something had happened to his old friend.
Flender's tone turned serious. "Xiaogang, did something happen on your way here?"
Yu Xiaogang avoided the question and asked instead, "How is Tang San? Is he still training at the academy?"
As for what had happened in Soto City, Yu Xiaogang's pride wouldn't allow him to tell Flender. If he did, Flender might have rushed over to settle the score for him.
For Yu Xiaogang, his reputation was everything. His entire life had been spent trying to prove himself, even going so far as to call himself "Master." Being bullied by a teenage girl and a cat, and then having a Soul Sage fight his battles for him, was too humiliating. Since he couldn't handle it himself, Yu Xiaogang placed his hopes on his star disciple, Tang San.
Let Tang San, a peer of that girl, show her and that cat just how powerful his disciple is. Let them witness his exceptional teaching abilities and make them regret their actions. That's what I truly want, Yu Xiaogang thought.
Flender answered without hesitation, "Tang San has already broken through to level 30. I sent Zhao Wuji to take them to hunt spirit beasts and gain some experience."
"Good. Then take me to a place where I can clean up. I'm covered in dust, and it's embarrassing," Yu Xiaogang said.
Hearing Flender's words, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up slightly. He hadn't expected Tang San's soul power to grow so quickly. It gave him some comfort. As expected of my star disciple, he thought.
Once Tang San returns, that girl will get what's coming to her. She must have been lying—that cat is a mutated martial soul. If they beg for forgiveness and kneel before me, I might consider taking them on as nominal disciples. After all, mutated martial souls like Luo Sanpao are rare, even across the entire continent.
Yu Xiaogang did not doubt that Tang San could settle the score for him. His disciple had always been exceptional. Once Tang San returned and took action, it would be a done deal. A twelve-year-old Soul Master—just thinking about it was terrifying.
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was avoiding the topic, Flender couldn't help but say, "Ah, we've grown so distant over the years. You don't even share anything with your old friend anymore."
Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Once Xiao San returns, everything will be resolved."
"Alright, alright. Come on, I'll take you to the bathing area. I have some clothes here from a teacher who's about your size. You can use them."