Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire (Part 1)

Not long after the New Year, on another ordinary morning, Le Bai was leading Oscar on a warm-up run around the Academy.

Halfway through, they ran into Flender and someone they had never seen at the Academy before.

"Le Bai, look. Isn't that the Dean?"

Oscar suddenly pointed at Flender and asked.

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

Le Bai replied expressionlessly, then quickly adjusted his breathing.

"Do you know the person behind the Dean?"

To get a better look, Oscar stopped running. "There's no Soul Power fluctuation from him, so he probably isn't a Soul Master. And look at the case he's carrying—I bet he's a doctor!"

"He is indeed a doctor."

Le Bai glanced over and confirmed his identity. "His clinic is in Suotuo City, near the Dean's shop. I saw him last time I went to Spirit Hall to collect my Gold Soul Coins. But you got one thing wrong: he's a Soul Master. You can't sense his Soul Power because your perception is too weak. His Soul Power should be... around rank thirty-two."

"Eh, really?"

Oscar looked utterly unconvinced. "Le Bai, is your perception really that good?"

"Think whatever you want."

Le Bai did not care. "If there's nothing else, keep running. We still have ten laps left before reaching today's target."

"Waaah, I don't want to hear it! Don't say such a terrifying number!"

Oscar covered one ear with a hand while holding up the other in refusal.

After a while, Oscar realized that Le Bai truly had not continued. He was simply staring at him expressionlessly. Oscar shrank his neck. "Well, um... I think we should go see why the Dean brought a doctor here."

"If he found a doctor, then obviously it's to see a patient."

Le Bai's tone was perfectly normal, but Oscar somehow felt a chill from it. "What else could it be for?"

"That's right, finding a doctor definitely means someone is sick. But—"

Oscar raised his index finger and waved it. "The point isn't that someone is sick, but who is sick. Haven't you noticed where the Dean and the doctor are heading?"

Le Bai truly had not noticed.

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

"Exactly!"

Oscar spread his arms dramatically. "Le Bai, think about it carefully. Fatty is with us all day long, so he counts as a good friend, right? Now that he's sick, shouldn't we visit him no matter what? And if he has some contagious illness, what if we got infected without knowing? Since the doctor is there right now, we might even save the consultation fee at the clinic!"

"Mm... that makes sense."

Le Bai nodded. He mainly felt that Ma Hongjun really was their friend, and when a friend was sick, they should visit him. It was absolutely not to save money. "Let's go."

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

The two jogged over and caught up just as Flender and the doctor reached Ma Hongjun's dormitory door.

"Hmm?"

Flender sensed the two approaching and turned to look at them. "Weren't you two training just now? What are you doing here?"

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

Le Bai explained briefly. "Oscar and I guessed that Hongjun might be sick, so we came to see him."

"I see."

Flender's expression softened somewhat. "You two were worried about him. Hongjun is actually fine. It's just... sigh, never mind. Come in and take a look with us."

The four entered Ma Hongjun's dormitory one after another.

What they saw upon entering was Ma Hongjun, looking completely at a loss as his brother stood tall and proud before him.

"Teacher! You finally came!"

The moment Ma Hongjun saw Flender, he ran over as though he had seen a savior and cried, "My... it's almost gone numb! Am I going to die like this?"

"You won't! How could such a minor problem kill you?!"

Flender glared, then lightly patted Ma Hongjun on the head as he introduced the doctor behind him. "This is Doctor Wang, an old friend of mine for many years. His medical skills and ethics are both first-rate. Let him take a look at you."

After speaking to Ma Hongjun, Flender turned and nodded at Doctor Wang. "Old Wang, my disciple is in your hands."

Doctor Wang had silently set down the case in his hand, opened it, and begun checking his various medical tools. Hearing Flender's words, he raised his head. "I'll do my best."

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

Doctor Wang had kind features and a slightly plump build. At first glance, he gave off the impression of being a good person.

But the next second, Le Bai saw him coldly tell Flender, "Even if you praise me in front of the children, you won't be getting even one Copper off the consultation fee later. And remember to make up the fees from all those times you came to see me before."

"Got it, got it! It's just a little consultation fee. You make it sound like I won't pay."

Flender's voice grew quieter as he spoke, his face full of pain.

Doctor Wang said nothing more.

After all these years, he already knew exactly what kind of person Flender was.

Doctor Wang walked to Ma Hongjun's bedside. "Child, come lie down on the bed. I'll examine you. Don't worry, it won't hurt or feel uncomfortable."

"Okay."

Ma Hongjun obediently lay down on the bed.

The moment he lay down, the situation of his towering brother became even more obvious.

"This really isn't normal."

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

Flender calculated briefly. "He just turned eight after the New Year."

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

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

The yellow Soul Ring emitted a gentle glow. Doctor Wang put on his Martial Soul glasses and stared intensely at Ma Hongjun for a while.

"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 extremely healthy."

Flender frowned. "But you saw it too. This child's... has remained like this since yesterday. That obviously isn't normal."

"That is also true."

Doctor Wang fell into thought. After a while, he seemed to recall something. He used his Second Soul Skill again and stared at Ma Hongjun for a moment before confirming, "I may know the cause."

Flender perked up. "What is it? Tell me quickly!"

"When I checked the first time, it wasn't obvious, so I almost overlooked it."

Doctor Wang briefly explained why he had missed it during his first examination. "For some reason outside his body, your disciple's kidneys have been stimulated. Although they are temporarily displaying greater Life Force than the rest of his body, it is all surface strength with inner weakness. To use an inappropriate metaphor, it's like a man who is clearly suffering from kidney deficiency, yet is soaking in a crowd of women and still acting vigorous and virile."

"A reason outside his body?"

Flender could think of only one possibility. "You mean Hongjun's condition is related to his Martial Soul?"

"Very likely."

Doctor Wang began packing up his tools. "First, I can confirm that there is nothing wrong with his body. Second, you can confirm that he has not been attacked by another Soul Master. Then the only possibility behind this condition is himself. Excluding his body, only his Martial Soul remains."

"But why would his Martial Soul have such an effect?"

Flender could not figure it out. "The Phoenix isn't some lewd Martial Soul."

"That is beyond my understanding."

Doctor Wang finished packing his equipment. "I can only treat physical illnesses. You should understand Martial Souls better than I do."

"That's true."

Flender shook his head. "Sorry to make you come all this way."

Doctor Wang said blandly, "As long as you settle the consultation fee, it wasn't any trouble."

"What happened to a healer's compassion?!"

Flender said unhappily. "You've got money on the brain!"

Doctor Wang remained calm. "Parents need to eat too."

Flender immediately had nothing to say. "Come with me."

Just as Doctor Wang was about to follow Flender to collect the money, Le Bai, who had been watching for quite some time, suddenly asked, "Dean, when we use Soul Power to cast Soul Skills, is it possible to fuse other energy from the body into it?"

Flender was caught off guard and did not hear Le Bai's question clearly. "What did you say?"

Le Bai repeated himself.

"Yes."

Flender did not know why Le Bai was suddenly asking this, but he still gave a definite answer. "Spiritual Power is one of the most common forms of energy that can fuse with Soul Power."

"If that's the case,"

Le Bai pointed at Ma Hongjun. "Could Hongjun's condition be because a part inside his body—I mean, the part related to that—was affected by his Martial Soul? His flames seem different from ordinary flames."

Le Bai's entirely new perspective made both Flender and Doctor Wang freeze.

Then the two immediately fell into deep thought.

Several minutes later, Flender and Doctor Wang came back to themselves at the same time. They exchanged a glance, said nothing, and nodded in mutual understanding.

Then Flender turned to Le Bai. "Le Bai, that is a very good idea. It was something Old Wang and I had overlooked. Now I need to take Hongjun somewhere to verify it."

"I also hope his problem can be resolved sooner."

Le Bai spoke with complete sincerity. "After all, we are friends."

"Hahaha! Hongjun is lucky to know you two!"

Flender laughed as he grabbed Ma Hongjun and headed outside. "We'll be going first!"

Oscar and Le Bai spoke in unison. "Take care, Dean!"

Watching the three leave and walk quite a distance away, Oscar finally withdrew his gaze and turned it toward Le Bai...

"Huh? Where's Le Bai?"

Oscar was dumbfounded. Le Bai had been standing right beside him just moments ago, and now he had suddenly vanished. "Le Bai, where are you?!"

"Over here."

Outside the room, in the direction opposite to where Flender and Doctor Wang had gone, Le Bai was already doing high knees in place. "How long are you going to keep watching the Dean? We still have ten laps left before reaching today's training target."

"What did you say?! Didn't we spend some time visiting Fatty? Shouldn't we reduce the amount of training a little?"

"It was only ten-odd minutes. Just run faster."

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