Yu Xiaogang Barbecue

"Ah—!!"

Flames instantly engulfed Yu Xiaogang's entire body!

His black robe caught fire, his hair gave off a burnt smell, and searing pain tore through his skin!

He scrambled up from his chair in a panic, frantically beating at the flames on his body. Then he grabbed a book from the desk, trying to swat out the fire with it.

But the flames were exceptionally stubborn, and scorching hot.

The moment the pages touched the fire, they curled up and blackened. They were utterly useless for putting it out.

Worse still, after torching Yu Xiaogang, the crimson figure made a nimble turn in midair and aimed at the bookshelf against the wall, spewing another blast of fire!

"Boom—!"

The bookshelf instantly caught fire!

Those precious books, notes, and materials rapidly turned to ash in the flames!

Thick black smoke billowed upward!

The Fire Dragon looked with satisfaction at its "masterpiece." With a thought, it instantly vanished.

The entire process, from breathing fire to disappearing, took only two or three breaths.

Inside the office, only the burning Yu Xiaogang and the burning bookshelf remained.

"Help—!!!"

Yu Xiaogang screamed hoarsely, rolling madly across the floor in an attempt to smother the flames.

But his black robe was made of cotton and highly flammable. The more he rolled, the fiercer the flames became.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the office.

Tang San had originally intended to find his teacher and have lunch together.

The moment he reached the third-floor corridor, he heard his teacher's screams, followed by a strong burnt smell.

"Teacher?!"

Tang San's expression changed dramatically. He rushed to the office door in a few strides and violently pushed it open!

The sight before him made him suck in a sharp breath.

The bookshelf was blazing fiercely, black smoke filled the room, and Yu Xiaogang lay on the floor, his entire body on fire as he rolled about in agony,

screaming!

"Teacher!"

Tang San's eyes nearly split open! Almost instinctively, he activated his Soul Power. His first Spirit Ring lit up, and Blue Silver Grass vines surged wildly from his palms!

"Blue Silver Entanglement!"

Several vines shot out like spirit snakes, wrapping around Yu Xiaogang's legs as they tried to drag him out of the flames.

But Tang San's control over Blue Silver Grass was not yet skilled enough.

The vines did seize Yu Xiaogang's legs, but as they dragged him, the Datura Snake's paralytic venom seeped into Yu Xiaogang's body through the vines.

Yu Xiaogang was already frail, and now the flames had burned him into unbearable agony.

The instant the paralytic venom entered his body, his limbs stiffened. His movements nearly stopped, and he could not even roll anymore!

"Not good!"

Tang San noticed the abnormality as well. His face turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly withdrew the Blue Silver Grass vines.

Watching his teacher struggle amid the flames, he was frantic with worry. His eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like an ox!

This was his teacher!

He had personally said that a teacher for a day was a father for life!

And he had nearly harmed his teacher!

What should he do?! What should he do?!

Tang San's mind raced.

Water! He needed water to put out the fire! But where could he find water in the office?!

He suddenly remembered that there was a restroom at the end of the corridor! There should be water there!

Tang San turned and rushed out of the office, sprinting toward the restroom at the end of the corridor as fast as he could.

He pushed open the door. The space inside was small, with several wooden buckets placed against the wall. He rushed over to inspect them, and his heart immediately sank.

Only half of one bucket contained clean water. It looked like it had been left there for the cleaning staff to mop the floor.

The other buckets—were all urine buckets, giving off a pungent stench.

But he could not worry about that now!

Tang San gritted his teeth. He lifted the half-bucket of clean water in one hand and a urine bucket in the other, then rushed back to the office!

The flames had already spread to the ceiling, and the thick smoke stung people's eyes shut.

Yu Xiaogang lay on the floor. The flames on his body had weakened somewhat, but they were still burning, and he was already barely clinging to life.

"Teacher! Hold on!"

Tang San rushed to Yu Xiaogang's side and poured the half-bucket of water over his head first!

"Splash—"

The water hit the flames with a hissing sound, sending up white steam.

The flames visibly weakened, but they had not gone out completely.

Tang San looked at the urine bucket still in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he dumped the entire bucket over him too!

"Psh—"

The yellow liquid poured over Yu Xiaogang, mixing with the water and ashes and giving off an indescribably strange smell.

But the effect was obvious. The flames went out completely.

Ignoring the pungent smell, Tang San tossed aside the wooden buckets, grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the arm, and dragged him out of the office with all his strength.

A number of students and teachers had already gathered in the corridor after hearing the commotion. Seeing this scene, they were all stunned.

Yu Xiaogang lay on the floor, soaked from head to toe and giving off a bizarre mixture of burnt stench and urine smell.

His black robe had burned into tatters, exposing the scorched, blistered skin beneath.

More than half his hair had burned away, and his face was blackened, making him look like a century egg.

He looked utterly miserable. But he was still alive.

Tang San knelt beside him and shouted hoarsely, "Someone, come quickly! There's a fire! Put it out! Get a healing-type Spirit Master!"

Several teachers came to their senses and hurried off to fetch buckets of water.

Soon, several buckets of water were thrown into the office. The flames on the bookshelf were extinguished, but the bookshelf and the books on it had already been reduced to half a charred frame and a pile of ashes.

The thick smoke gradually dispersed.

Yu Xiaogang struggled to sit up.

He first looked at his burned hands and tattered clothes, pain flashing through his eyes.

Then, as if remembering something, he abruptly turned to look into the room.

When his gaze fell upon that pile of ash and charred frame, his entire body froze.

Those—were his research notes, the crystallization of his many years of painstaking work, the foundation of his theories—

Gone.

All gone.

"No—!!!"

A shrill, beastlike howl rang through the entire corridor!

Yu Xiaogang scrambled into the office and threw himself before the pile of ashes. His hands trembled as he tried to gather something up, but his fingers touched only charred fragments and drifting ash.

"My research—my—my theories—"

His voice was utterly broken. For the first time, that zombie-like face showed such intense, such profound agony.

"Why—why did this happen—"

He suddenly turned around, his bloodshot eyes fixed fiercely on the teachers holding buckets at the door. His voice was as sharp as a blade.

"Why didn't you come earlier?! Why?! If you had come sooner, my books wouldn't have burned! It was you! You caused this!"

The teachers looked at one another, their expressions all turning ugly.

One middle-aged male teacher snorted coldly and slammed his bucket onto the floor. "Yu Xiaogang, can you be reasonable? We came as soon as we heard the commotion, and we even helped put out the fire! Your own office caught fire, and you're blaming us for arriving late?"

Another female teacher frowned as well. "Exactly. And this fire started under suspicious circumstances. We haven't even asked you what happened yet."

"You—" Yu Xiaogang wanted to say more, but a sharp pain pierced his chest, and he began coughing violently.

His burns were not fatal, but they were far from minor. Combined with his emotional agitation, they had aggravated his injuries.

Tang San hurriedly stepped forward to support him. "Teacher, don't get worked up! Your injuries are more important!"

Yu Xiaogang gave a miserable laugh. Tears slid from the corners of his eyes, carving two trails through the soot on his face.

"Gone—they're all gone—they're all gone—"

He slumped limply onto the floor, as though his soul had been ripped away.

Seeing this, the teachers shook their heads. They said nothing more and turned to leave.

The students in the corridor were dispersed as well. Only Tang San remained, supporting the devastated Yu Xiaogang beside that smoke-filled, wrecked office.

In the distance, behind the window of a private room on the third floor of the restaurant, Jiang Bai slowly withdrew his gaze.

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