The two left the office.
"Yu Cheng, the headmaster is a Soul Ancestor. Why didn't he dare fight City Lord Xiao?" Xiao Wu said with a pout.
Xiao Chenyu was dead, and she could not help applauding inwardly.
She could not understand the headmaster's "cowardice."
"As the saying goes, the dead deserve respect. Though the headmaster is strong, the academy is a place where reason prevails."
Yu Cheng poked Xiao Wu on the head. "Don't think brute force can solve everything. If they started fighting, you would definitely be the first one hurt."
"Me? Why wouldn't you be the first one hurt?"
Xiao Wu snorted and clenched her delicate fist, waving it before Yu Cheng's eyes.
"Xiao Wu is a Soul Master now!"
Yu Cheng shook his head. The Rogue Rabbit's reputation truly was well deserved.
But if a fight really broke out, he would certainly protect Xiao Wu in front of him.
With a thought from Yu Cheng, Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng's soul form floated out.
"Brother, can you take down Xiao Dachuan?"
Yu Cheng asked inwardly.
"He's merely a Soul Elder. At my peak, crushing him would have been as easy as crushing an ant."
Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng said disdainfully.
"But your meridians are too weak right now and cannot withstand my Soul Power. Using too much of my strength will leave hidden injuries in your body and may even damage your foundation."
"Fine, understood."
Yu Cheng nodded, unsurprised by the result.
Inside the office.
"Lin Dashan, how could you let them throw Xiao San into prison?!"
Yu Xiaogang pointed at the headmaster's nose and called him by name.
"Xiaogang, don't be angry. There was nothing I could do about this either. Xiao Chenyu is dead, after all. We really have no grounds to stand on."
Lin Dashan spread his hands.
"Hmph. If anything happens to Xiao San, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life."
Yu Xiaogang said angrily.
Lin Dashan patted his old friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. I fought for three days because I wanted to resolve this matter."
He cleared his throat and continued, "Hurry to Suotuo City and find Flender. With a Soul Saint like him backing us up, Xiao Dachuan won't dare do anything to Tang San."
"Fine. This is the only way now."
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
After pondering for a while, he said, "Dashan, send someone to notify Tang San's father."
"Tang San's father? He's just an ordinary blacksmith. Why drag him into this too?"
Lin Dashan asked in confusion.
"Do as I say," Yu Xiaogang said solemnly.
A suspicion lingered in his heart: Tang San's father might be that Clear Sky Douluo!
On the official road outside Nuoding City.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter."
Urgent hoofbeats kicked up clouds of dust along the road.
Yu Xiaogang lay sprawled over the horse's back, his face filled with anxiety.
There were only three days.
As long as he found Flender, with that Soul Saint backing him up, Xiao Dachuan would never dare act recklessly again.
As he raced onward, Yu Xiaogang began to think.
Xiao San really does have a fierce temperament, and he struck far too heavily.
Yu Xiaogang sighed inwardly.
No matter what, Tang San could not escape blame for Xiao Chenyu's death.
Perhaps this disaster will also be a good thing for him.
Power needs restraint. What is too rigid breaks easily!
It seems that from now on, I must not only teach him theory, but also teach him the principles of being a person.
Yu Xiaogang felt a lingering fear.
This time, they had only provoked a city lord, so there was still room for negotiation.
If they had run into a major sect, they might have attacked outright.
Having been born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Yu Xiaogang knew all too well what those great powers were like.
Just as his mind drifted--
Whoosh!
A thick hemp rope suddenly sprang up from the roadside, stretched across the horse's path.
"Neighhh--"
The horse let out a shrill cry as its front legs were violently caught.
Yu Xiaogang had no time to react. The world spun around him, and he was flung away like a kite with its string cut.
Thud!
Pain wracked Yu Xiaogang's entire body, especially his nose, which stung and throbbed. Warm liquid instantly poured out, staining his lips red.
"Cough, cough..."
Yu Xiaogang struggled to rise, but his vision was blurred and his head was spinning.
"Hahaha!"
Four tall figures emerged from both sides.
"It's you!"
Yu Xiaogang's heart sank. The man at the front was Liu Shan, the city guard commander.
"Master Yu, we've been waiting for you for quite a while."
Liu Shan crossed his arms and slowly walked forward.
This road was the only route to the provincial city. They had long guessed that Yu Xiaogang would seek reinforcements.
Yu Xiaogang got to his feet, enduring the agony as his Soul Power surged wildly.
"Luo Luo!"
Luo Sanpao appeared before him, and two Century-Year Soul Rings rose into view.
Liu Shan stopped wasting words. A hard wooden staff as thick as an arm appeared in his hand, while one white and one yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.
The other three Soul Grandmasters also released their martial souls.
Blades, spears, and axes gleamed coldly as they closed in on Yu Xiaogang from both sides.
The battle ended quickly.
Luo Sanpao's attack power was formidable, and one fart knocked two men down. But Yu Xiaogang was struck in the waist by a staff and instantly lost his ability to fight.
Liu Shan walked over, roughly pried open Yu Xiaogang's mouth, and stuffed a pill inside.
"Cough, cough... What did you make me swallow?"
Yu Xiaogang coughed violently.
He felt an icy current rush into his dantian. His Soul Power seemed frozen, and he could no longer draw upon even a trace of it.
"Hmph. Take him away!"
Bang!
A heavy impact rang out.
Yu Xiaogang's body slammed hard into the ground. The pain made him grunt, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Only after quite a while did he recover from his dizziness.
He struggled to prop up his upper body and began looking around.
This was the Nuoding City dungeon.
The light was dim, and the air was mixed with mildew and the sour stench of excrement, making him nauseous.
"Urgh..."
Yu Xiaogang's stomach spasmed violently, and he retched dryly.
"Teacher!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Yu Xiaogang turned his head. Tang San was in the neighboring cell!
"Teacher, are you all right?"
Tang San's voice was urgent.
This was already the second time he had seen his teacher in such a miserable state. The first had been in the Soul Hunting Forest, when his teacher had been unable to defeat a Century-Year Mandala Snake.
"Cough, cough... Xiao San, are you hurt?"
Yu Xiaogang coughed and anxiously examined his disciple.
Seeing that Tang San's clothes were disheveled but that there were no obvious wounds on him, Yu Xiaogang breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"I'm fine, but they took my Soul Tool."
Tang San shook his head.
"Teacher, why were you captured too? Does City Lord Xiao intend to..."
A faint, barely perceptible tremor colored Tang San's voice.
No matter how calm he was, he was still a child.
In his previous life, the Tang Sect had been a major sect. But Tang San had been taught from childhood that no matter how powerful a martial arts sect was, it could not stand against the imperial court.
At this moment, a deep sense of crisis enveloped Tang San.
Yu Xiaogang leaned against the iron bars and took several breaths.
"I intended to leave the city to find a friend, but Xiao Dachuan ambushed me. Your teacher was useless. I was no match for them..."
Yu Xiaogang's voice was low and full of self-reproach.
"Teacher, what should we do now?"
Tang San looked through the bars at his teacher's exhausted face, his heart aching with both pain and anxiety.
"Don't worry. The headmaster has gone to find others as well."
Yu Xiaogang spoke.
He was only trying to comfort Tang San.
He and the headmaster had split up. The headmaster had gone to find Tang San's father, Tang Hao.
But...
What if Tang San's father merely shared the same name as that man and truly was an ordinary blacksmith?
The headmaster did not know that he had been captured.
Even if he discovered it afterward, it would surely be too late!
After some time, Xiao Dachuan would secretly execute them in the dungeon!
Once their bodies were buried, there would be no evidence left.
The headmaster might suspect something, but without evidence, what could a Soul Ancestor like him do?
Yu Xiaogang turned his head, and a tear of despair silently rolled down his face.
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