A threat. This was a naked threat!
At Su Zui's words, Flender's face turned completely black as the bottom of a pot.
In all his years as a teacher, Flender had seen plenty of troublemakers, but never one so arrogant!
Oh, Su Zui was probably the second. Tang San was the first.
Even so, Su Zui had clearly pushed Flender past his limit.
"Su Zui, don't push your luck!"
Flender roared in anger.
"I've been a teacher for so many years, and I've never seen a student like you."
Flender roared so loudly that the surrounding trees shook three times.
Nearby, smiles curled at the corners of Ma Hongjun's and Dai Mubai's mouths.
It was the first time either of them had seen Flender this angry. This Su Zui was definitely in for a world of trouble.
Flender burned with rage. He raised a finger and angrily pointed at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
"The moment you arrived at school, you beat two of your classmates into this state. What do you take the students of Shrek Academy for? Your personal targets?"
In his fury, Flender dragged up the past.
What he failed to notice, however, was that the moment he said this, Zhu Zhuqing turned her gaze toward Su Zui.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression was complicated. There was some surprise in it, and some... delight?
Hearing Flender dredge up the past again, Su Zui spread his hands, his face the picture of innocence.
"Dean Flender, didn't I already explain this? I misunderstood and thought those two were abducting a woman first thing in the morning, so I stepped in. Who knew she was his girlfriend?"
Dai Mubai panicked at Su Zui's words. Zhu Zhuqing was watching right beside him, and if a charge that serious were pinned on him, he wouldn't be able to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Star Dou Great Forest.
In his panic, Dai Mubai promptly sold Ma Hongjun out. "Wait, Su Zui, what do you mean, the two of us were abducting a woman? It was the fatty alone, all right?"
Ma Hongjun stared at his good brother in shock.
"Dai Mubai, you bitch, who are you calling a woman abductor? That was my girlfriend, my girlfriend!"
Hearing Ma Hongjun curse him to his face, Dai Mubai flew into a rage too!
Who had he gotten all these injuries for? Wasn't it because of Ma Hongjun that Su Zui had beaten him up? And now this damned fatty had the nerve to curse him!
"Ma Hongjun, is your skin itching for a beating? If you hadn't failed to keep your third leg under control and gotten into a fight with Cuihua, would I have been dragged into it and beaten up?"
As soon as Dai Mubai finished speaking, piercing gazes from all around fell on Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun was so angry he almost laughed, and his tone turned sarcastic.
"Oh, oh, oh, Boss Dai, you've got the nerve to talk about me? With that bitch face of yours, you switch between three different women a day. You've freeloaded off every pretty girl in Suotuo City, and you still have the nerve to criticize me!"
In an instant, everyone present turned to look at Dai Mubai.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had already been through the incident with the twins, so they didn't show much surprise.
Ning Rongrong's face turned red. She spat and muttered, "Shameless."
Naturally, Zhu Zhuqing reacted the most strongly.
Her fingers dug into her palms, her sharp nails piercing deep into her skin.
If she had still harbored any hopes before, she was now utterly disappointed.
The moment Dai Mubai heard Ma Hongjun's words, he thought, This is bad.
Sure enough, as soon as he looked up, he saw Zhu Zhuqing's icy gaze.
At that moment, the last glimmer in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes went out completely, leaving only profound disappointment.
Her cold eyes looked at Dai Mubai as though he were a stranger.
"Ah... damned fatty, I'll fight you to the death!"
Like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, Dai Mubai tackled Ma Hongjun to the ground. He landed several punches with a thud, and Ma Hongjun immediately began howling like ghosts and wolves.
"Ah... Teacher, help! Dai Mubai's gone mad! He's going to kill me! Argh~"
Ma Hongjun scurried about with his head in his hands as he was beaten, his ghostly howls for help ringing throughout the academy.
What had started as a mere verbal dispute had unexpectedly turned into a street brawl in the blink of an eye.
"Enough! Are all of you trying to rebel?"
Looking at the chaotic scene before him, Flender finally lost it.
He strode forward and pulled Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai apart, one in each hand.
Overcome with rage, he raised his hands and gave each of them a hard slap across the face.
Smack! Smack!
After the two crisp slaps, the entire place fell silent.
Ma Hongjun was naturally the one who felt most wronged.
He was the one getting beaten up, so why did he have to get an extra slap across the face?
Dai Mubai's cheek burned too. His anger had been forcibly suppressed, and he looked as bedraggled as could be.
"You two disgraceful things! Cause any more trouble, and I'll throw you out of the academy!"
"And you... Su Zui! You, you..."
Flender scolded him sharply and turned his gaze back to Su Zui. His chest heaved violently with anger, and he pointed at Su Zui and repeated "you" several times, but couldn't get a complete sentence out for a long while.
That brat Su Zui was downright uncanny. With just a few words, he had gotten Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai fighting each other.
If he were allowed to say a few more words, he might tear down the entire academy.
Su Zui read the situation and knew Dean Flender was now burning with rage, having lost face in public.
He was the dean, after all, and deserved the respect due to him.
So Su Zui immediately shut his mouth and stood obediently to one side, looking every bit a kind, well-behaved student.
It was as though the one who had just gone head-to-head with Flender had been Dai Mubai, not him.
Seeing how quickly Su Zui changed his tune, Flender grew even angrier, yet there was nothing he could do.
When it came to Su Zui, Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and the other children, he dared neither hit nor scold them.
After all, the incident with Tang San's parent coming to the academy yesterday was still fresh in his mind. Poor Zhao Wuji was still lying in bed.
If he beat up these second-generation heirs, several Titled Douluo would come knocking, and his academy would definitely be torn down.
Right, what had he gathered them here for again? It seemed he had wanted to put them in their place and then test Su Zui's strength.
It was all Su Zui's fault. He was simply too infuriating!
As things stood, he couldn't put them in their place anymore. That brat Su Zui was too good with words, and Flender couldn't outtalk him.
Still, he had to test Su Zui's strength.
He had finally come across such a promising seedling, and he was determined to find out just how deep his abilities ran.
At that thought, Flender put on his airs again and swept a cold glance over everyone. A complete plan immediately took shape in his mind.
"All of you, quiet down."
Flender was, after all, a level seventy-eight Soul Master. As soon as he released his imposing presence, he brought everyone under control.
"Su Zui, didn't you say you wanted me to improve the school cafeteria? Do you dare make a bet with me? As long as you win, I'll renovate the cafeteria immediately, no questions asked!"
"Oh? A bet?"
Su Zui looked at Flender strangely.
He hadn't expected the dean of an academy to take the lead in gambling right in front of all the students.
But considering that the customs of the Douluo Continent really were different from those of his own world, Su Zui said nothing.
"What's the bet? If it's especially outrageous, I'm not taking part."
Flender smiled faintly.
"It's not outrageous, absolutely not. Su Zui, since you could beat Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, you must be confident in your own strength."
Su Zui nodded at Flender's words.
"Among people my age, there's no one who could possibly defeat me."
The corner of Flender's mouth twitched at Su Zui's words.
He knew Su Zui was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this cocky.
"All right, Su Zui. Then what do you think of the strength of the students at my Shrek Academy? How do they compare to you?"
Su Zui answered honestly again. "Among people their age, they're certainly top-tier. But as I said before, no one my age is a match for me."
By this point, Su Zui was beginning to catch on, and a guess surfaced in his mind.
Sure enough, the next second, a smile appeared on Flender's face, as though his scheme had succeeded.
"Since you're so confident, fine. You and I will make a wager."
"Today, you'll team up with Ning Rongrong and fight all the other students present at the same time."
"As long as you win, I'll immediately renovate the cafeteria! I guarantee you'll eat and drink well!"