Can't Eat It, Feed It to the Dogs

Arriving at the Suotuo Hotel, Lu Fan followed the room number Qin Ming had provided when they parted ways yesterday and successfully met with him, who had been waiting for quite some time.

"Good afternoon, Senior Qin." Lu Fan greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Junior Lu. And these two are?" Qin Ming returned the greeting, then looked at the two people beside Lu Fan and asked.

Lu Fan smiled and introduced them: "These two are students from our Shrek Academy, in the same year as me. This is Dai Mubai, and this is Ma Hongjun—you can just call him Fatty. Fatty is the personal disciple of our Dean."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming smiled at the two of them: "So you are my juniors. I am Qin Ming; you can just call me Senior Qin."

The two nodded: "Senior Qin."

Born into royalty, Dai Mubai looked at the high-quality material of Qin Ming's clothing and immediately understood that he was no ordinary person.

"Where are Sister Yanzi and the others? Aren't you bringing them along?" Lu Fan peered into the room, noticing that Qin Ming was alone.

Qin Ming shook his head: "I told them to go explore Suotuo City on their own. Just I will be returning with you."

Lu Fan nodded. It made sense; Dugu Yan and the others had no connection to Shrek Academy, so there would be nothing for them to do there.

"Fatty, Mubai, you two go find Xiao Ao and Teacher Zhao. I'll take Senior Qin to see the Dean first." Lu Fan said to them.

At this hour, Flender should still be at a grocery store in Suotuo City.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun nodded in agreement.

Lu Fan looked at Qin Ming beside him and smiled: "Senior Qin, follow me. The Dean is likely still at his grocery store earning some extra money."

Qin Ming nodded: "That sounds exactly like Dean Flender's style."

When the two arrived at the grocery store, they saw Flender lying on a recliner, resting with his eyes closed.

"Don't touch if you aren't buying; if you touch it, you have to buy it." Hearing someone enter the shop, Flender didn't even lift his eyelids, merely speaking in a flat tone.

"Dean, I'm back." Lu Fan's voice was very calm, as if he were stating something entirely ordinary.

But upon hearing these words, Flender's eyes snapped open, and he looked toward the source of the voice in disbelief.

"Xiao Fan!" Flender jumped up from the recliner and gave Lu Fan a hug.

"It really is you! You're back!" Flender looked at the Lu Fan before him, still in disbelief.

Lu Fan nodded with a smile: "Well, we had a break over there. You know me—every year during the break, I go back to the village to stay for a few days. Since I had some time, I thought I'd drop by to see you."

As he spoke, Lu Fan took a gift box from his Soul Tool and handed it to Flender. "This is a specialty I brought from Martial Soul City. It's a pastry made by a Food-type Soul Douluo from Martial Soul Hall. I bought it specifically to honor you."

Flender took the gift box, which looked quite expensive, and laughed heartily: "You've always been a filial kid. The Dean didn't waste his time doting on you!"

Flender gave Lu Fan another hug.

Seeing this, Qin Ming, who was standing to the side, also smiled: "Dean Flender, I have returned as well."

Hearing this, Flender looked at the person behind Lu Fan. At first, he thought it was a guard assigned to Lu Fan by Chrysanthemum Douluo, but the more he looked, the more familiar the man seemed.

"You... you are Qin Ming!" Flender's eyes widened, even more shocked than when he saw Lu Fan.

Seeing that Flender still recognized him, Qin Ming was very happy: "It is me, Dean. I have returned."

Flender looked at Qin Ming and nodded with a smile: "Good, good, good. I never expected you two would still be willing to come back and see this old man."

Observing the fabric of Qin Ming's clothes, Flender asked: "Looking at you, you must have done quite well for yourself since graduating, right?"

Qin Ming nodded: "I am currently employed at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, serving as the head coach of the Heaven Dou First Team."

Seeing his student turn out so successful, Flender, as his teacher, felt a sense of pride and laughed heartily: "Good, very good! As expected of someone who walked out of our Shrek Academy, you truly are a dragon among men."

Flender grabbed Qin Ming with one hand and Lu Fan with the other.

"Come, come, let's head back to the academy and let old brothers like Zhao Wuji see you two."

With Flender, a Soul Saint of the agility-attack system, leading the way, the short distance was covered in just a few minutes.

Looking at the academy's still dilapidated gate, the corner of Lu Fan's mouth twitched involuntarily.

Qin Ming, on the other hand, acted as if he had returned home, stretching out his arms and breathing in the fresh country air.

At this moment, at the academy entrance, many people were already waiting there.

Upon seeing Lu Fan, Oscar immediately stepped forward in excitement and hugged him.

"Brother Fan, you're finally back! I've missed you to death!"

Zhao Wuji, standing to the side, also stepped up and gave Lu Fan a big bear hug.

"You brat, your body has gotten much sturdier. It seems you've been living the good life these past six months~"

"Old Zhao, look at who this is."

Flender pointed toward Qin Ming beside him.

Zhao Wuji looked at Qin Ming, feeling a sense of familiarity, but for a moment, he couldn't recognize him.

To this, Qin Ming only smiled and said: "Teacher Zhao, it's me, Qin Ming."

"Qin Ming?!"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji looked at Qin Ming as if he had seen a ghost.

He and Qin Ming hadn't seen each other in probably ten years.

Flender laughed from the side: "Qin Ming has really made something of himself now. He's working at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy as the head coach of the Heaven Dou First Team."

Seeing his student so successful, Flender was genuinely happy for him.

Zhao Wuji asked: "To be the head coach of the Heaven Dou First Team, your cultivation level must be quite high now, right, Qin Ming?"

Qin Ming nodded: "I broke through to become a Soul Emperor a few years ago. The three Education Committee Members of the academy valued me, which is how I earned my current position."

"Good heavens, your cultivation is almost catching up to mine!"

Zhao Wuji laughed.

He was only at level 69 himself, still a tiny bit away from being a level 70 Soul Saint.

However, breaking through this year shouldn't be a problem.

Flender announced to everyone: "Go call the others out! Let's go, let's go! I'm in a good mood today, we're going into the city to eat, and it's on me!"

Flender was feeling a bit uncharacteristically generous.

After all, Chrysanthemum Douluo had left him fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins half a year ago, and Flender, having been poor for so long, hadn't dared to spend a single cent of it.

Looking at the furnishings inside the academy, which hadn't changed at all since he left, Lu Fan knew that the money had likely all gone into Flender's own pocket.

He secretly nudged Flender: "Dean, isn't that a bit dishonest of you?"

As he spoke, Lu Fan pointed at the ragged-looking items in the academy to hint at Flender.

Flender naturally understood, but he only coughed twice: "Ahem, Xiao Fan, given our relationship, you must keep this a secret for me. Otherwise, Old Zhao and the others won't let it go."

Lu Fan nodded and made an OK gesture, but he made up his mind that in a moment, he would choose the best restaurant and order the most expensive dishes.

He would definitely order the Four Beauties and Eight Vajras, and if they couldn't finish it, he'd feed it to the dogs.