Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire (Part 1)

Not long after the New Year, on a morning just like any other, Le Bai was jogging around the Academy to warm up with Oscar.

Halfway through, they ran into Flender, accompanied by a figure they hadn't seen at the Academy before.

"Le Bai, look, is that the Dean?"

Oscar suddenly pointed at Flender and asked.

"Who else would it be if not the Dean?"

Le Bai said expressionlessly, quickly adjusting his breathing once he finished speaking.

"Then do you recognize the person behind the Dean?"

To get a better look, Oscar stopped: "That person has no Soul Power fluctuations, so he shouldn't be a Soul Master. Also, look at the case he's carrying; I bet he's a doctor!"

"He is indeed a doctor."

Le Bai glanced over to confirm his identity: "His clinic is in Suotuo City, right near that shop of the Dean's. I saw him when I went to the Martial Soul Hall to collect my Gold Soul Coins last time. But you're wrong about one thing: he is a Soul Master. You can't feel his Soul Power only because your perception is too poor. His Soul Power should be around... level thirty-two."

"Eh, really?"

Oscar looked skeptical: "Le Bai, is your perception really that sharp?"

"Believe what you want."

Le Bai didn't care: "If there's nothing else, keep running. We still have ten laps left to reach today's target."

"Whoa, I don't want to hear it! Don't say that terrifying number!"

Oscar covered one ear with a hand and refused.

After a while, Oscar noticed that Le Bai really wasn't going to continue, just staring at him expressionlessly, so he shrank his neck: "Well, uh, I think we should go see why the Dean brought a doctor here."

"Looking for a doctor is obviously to treat an illness."

Le Bai's tone was normal, but it sent a chill down Oscar's spine: "What else could it be for?"

"Right, looking for a doctor is definitely for treating an illness. But—"

Oscar held up his index finger and shook it: "The point I want to make isn't about the illness, but who is sick. Haven't you noticed where the Dean and the doctor are heading?"

Le Bai hadn't actually paid attention.

So he turned his head to look again: "That direction is... Ma Hongjun's dormitory?"

"Exactly!"

Oscar spread his arms dramatically: "Le Bai, think about it. Fatty is with us all day; he's our good friend, right? Now that he's sick, shouldn't we go visit him out of reason and sentiment? Besides, what if he has some contagious disease and we get infected without knowing it? While the doctor is right there, we might even save on the consultation fee for a clinic visit!"

"Hmm... that makes sense."

Le Bai nodded, mainly feeling that Ma Hongjun was indeed their friend and they should visit when a friend was ill, definitely not to save money: "Let's go."

"Let's go, let's go!"

The two jogged forward, catching up just as Flender and the doctor arrived at the door of Ma Hongjun's dormitory.

"Hmm?"

Flender sensed their presence, turned his head to look at them, and asked: "Weren't you two just exercising? What are you doing here?"

"Dean, the person behind you is Doctor Wang from the Suotuo City Health Clinic, right?"

Le Bai explained simply: "Oscar and I guessed that Hongjun might be sick, so we came to check on him."

"I see."

Flender's expression softened a bit: "You two are worried. Hongjun is actually fine, it's just... sigh, forget it, come in and take a look together."

The four of them walked into Ma Hongjun's dormitory one after another.

Upon entering the room, what they saw was Ma Hongjun looking at his own "towering" brother with a look of utter bewilderment.

"Teacher! You're finally here!"

Seeing Flender, Ma Hongjun ran over as if he had seen a savior, crying: "My... it's almost lost all feeling! Am I going to die like this?"

"You won't! How could you die from such a small ailment?!"

Flender glared, patted Ma Hongjun's head gently, and introduced the doctor behind him: "This is Doctor Wang, an old friend of mine for many years. His medical skills and ethics are top-notch. Let him take a look at you."

After speaking to Ma Hongjun, Flender turned to Doctor Wang and nodded: "Old Wang, I'll leave my disciple to you."

Doctor Wang had already silently set down the case in his hand, opened it, and was checking his various medical tools. Hearing Flender's words, he looked up: "I will do my best."

Only then did Le Bai get a clear look at Doctor Wang from the front.

This Doctor Wang had a kind face and a slightly chubby build; at first glance, he gave off the impression of a "good person."

But the next second, Le Bai watched him say to Flender with a cold expression: "Even if you say nice things about me in front of the children, not a single Copper coin will be deducted from the consultation fee later. Also, remember to pay the outstanding fees from when you came to see me before."

"Got it, got it! It's just a small fee, as if I wouldn't pay you."

Flender's voice grew quieter as he spoke, his face pained.

Doctor Wang didn't say anything more.

After all these years, he had long known exactly what kind of person Flender was.

Doctor Wang walked to the side of Ma Hongjun's bed: "Child, come, lie down on the bed, let me examine you. Don't worry, it won't hurt, and it won't be uncomfortable."

"Okay."

Ma Hongjun obediently lay down on the bed.

Once he lay down, the "pillar reaching the sky" situation became even more obvious.

"This is indeed not a normal situation."

Doctor Wang frowned and asked Flender: "How old is this child this year?"

Flender did a quick calculation: "He just turned eight after the New Year."

"Eight? Even for a Soul Master, that's too early."

Doctor Wang muttered to himself, the fluctuations of his Soul Power suddenly intensified, a pair of glasses appeared on his right hand, and three Soul Rings—white, yellow, and purple—appeared around his body: "Second Soul Skill: Life Fire Observation Mirror."

The yellow Soul Ring emitted a soft glow, and Doctor Wang put on his Martial Soul glasses, staring intensely at Ma Hongjun.

"Strange..."

Doctor Wang took off his glasses and said to Flender: "You know the effect of my Second Soul Skill. Based on the results, your disciple is perfectly healthy."

Flender frowned: "But you saw it too, this child's... it has been in this state since yesterday, and this is clearly not normal."

"That is also a fact."

Doctor Wang fell into deep thought. After a while, he remembered something, activated his Second Soul Skill again to stare at Ma Hongjun for a moment, and confirmed: "I might know the reason."

Flender perked up: "What is the reason? Tell me quickly!"

"Because it wasn't very obvious the first time I looked, I almost missed it."

Doctor Wang briefly explained why his first diagnosis hadn't found the cause: "Because of some reason outside of his body, your disciple's kidneys have been stimulated. Although they are temporarily showing stronger vitality than other parts of his body, it is a facade. To use an inappropriate metaphor, it's like a man who is clearly suffering from kidney deficiency, yet is surrounded by women and still acting vigorous and fierce."

"A reason outside of his body?"

Flender could only think of one thing: "Are you saying that Hongjun's state is related to his Martial Soul?"

"It is very likely."

Doctor Wang began to pack his tools: "First, I am certain his body is fine, and you can also be certain that he hasn't been attacked by any other Soul Master, so the only possibility for this situation is himself. Excluding the body, all that remains is the Martial Soul."

"But, why would a Martial Soul have such an influence?"

Flender couldn't understand: "A Phoenix isn't some kind of lewd or evil Martial Soul."

"That is not something I can understand."

Doctor Wang finished packing his equipment: "I can only treat physical illnesses; you should know more about Martial Soul matters than I do."

"That's true."

Flender shook his head: "Sorry for the trouble of having you come all this way."

Doctor Wang said indifferently: "As long as you settle the consultation fee, it won't be a trouble."

"What happened to the 'benevolent heart of a healer' we talked about?!"

Flender said unhappily: "You really are obsessed with money!"

Doctor Wang remained calm and composed: "Parents have to eat too."

Flender was immediately left speechless: "Follow me."

Just as Doctor Wang was preparing to follow Flender to collect the money, Le Bai, who had been watching for a while, suddenly asked: "Dean, when we use Soul Power to perform Soul Skills, is it possible to fuse other energies from the body into it as well?"

Flender was caught off guard and didn't hear Le Bai's question clearly: "What did you say?"

Le Bai repeated it.

"Yes."

Flender didn't know why Le Bai suddenly asked this, but he still gave a definitive answer: "Mental power is one of the most common types of energy that can be fused with Soul Power."

"If that's the case,"

Le Bai pointed at Ma Hongjun: "Is it possible that Hongjun's condition is because the parts inside his body—I mean, the parts related to that area—have been affected by his Martial Soul? Because his flames seem a bit different from ordinary flames."

The brand-new perspective Le Bai proposed left both Flender and Doctor Wang stunned.

Afterward, the two of them immediately fell into deep thought.

A few minutes later, Flender and Doctor Wang both snapped back to reality, exchanged a glance, and without saying a word, nodded in tacit understanding.

Then Flender turned to Le Bai and said: "Le Bai, this idea of yours is excellent; it's something Old Wang and I overlooked. Now, I need to take Hongjun to verify it."

"I also hope his problem can be solved soon."

Le Bai said very sincerely: "After all, we are friends."

"Hahaha! It is Hongjun's good fortune to have met you!"

Flender laughed and pulled Ma Hongjun toward the door: "We're leaving now!"

Oscar and Le Bai said in unison: "Take care, Dean!"

Watching the three of them leave, after they had walked quite a distance, Oscar withdrew his gaze and turned to Le Bai...

"Huh? Where's Le Bai?"

Oscar was dumbfounded. The large Le Bai who had been standing right beside him just a moment ago had suddenly vanished: "Le Bai, where are you?!"

"Over here."

Outside the house, in the opposite direction from where Flender and Doctor Wang had left, Le Bai was already performing high-knee lifts in place: "How long were you planning on watching the Dean and the others? You're still ten laps short of today's training goal."

"What did you say?! We only spent a little time checking on Fatty, shouldn't that mean we get to reduce the training load a bit?"

"It was only ten minutes or so, just run a little faster and you'll be fine."

"Hey! Le Bai, slow down! I can't keep up..."