Yu Xiaogang's Fury! Tang San in His Hands! Dad Loves Me! Meeting Emperor Xue Ye!

Liu Erlong's chest heaved violently as well.

It was clearly this old poison master who had abducted Tang San without rhyme or reason, yet now they were the ones expected to act as laborers to make amends; what kind of logic was that?

She had always possessed a fiery temper that ignited at the slightest provocation, and with someone bullying them to their faces, how could she possibly endure it?

She stepped forward immediately—

"Yes, yes, yes, no problem at all!"

"Rest assured, Senior, we guarantee we will restore this place to exactly how it was!"

Flender knew the temperaments of his two old companions all too well.

He stepped in ahead of them before either could speak, nodding and bowing as he agreed to everything.

Seeing that the other party was so sensible, Dugu Bo let out a cold snort through his nose, turned around, and vanished into the morning mist.

"Flender, how can you have so little backbone? It's just a Title Douluo; at worst, we die!"

Yu Xiaogang, having held back his anger for so long, finally let it all out, berating Flender head-on.

Flender's face turned a shade of green and white as he was choked by those words.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it."

"Xiaogang, calm your anger; Flender is just trying to avoid unnecessary conflict..."

Liu Erlong actually spoke up to defend Flender, reaching out to pat Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder.

Although she had a violent temper, she was not someone who couldn't tell right from wrong.

In that situation just now, clashing head-on would have brought them no benefit whatsoever.

Flender's expression softened slightly. He turned his gaze toward Tang San, his face turning stern as he assumed the dignity of a Dean:

"I don't care how you provoked that Senior Dugu."

"But... one must take responsibility for one's own actions."

"This valley shall be left to you to restore to its original state!"

"Rest assured, the motto of Shrek Academy is to never abandon or forsake!"

"We will be watching you from right here!"

Flender said solemnly.

Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong frowned.

But upon second thought, if Tang San didn't do this, it would fall to the three of them to do it instead.

In that case...

They would just have to let Tang San suffer a little!

Tang San opened his mouth, wanting to offer a defense.

But after catching a glimpse of the silent expressions on Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong's faces, he knew there was no room for negotiation.

He gritted his teeth, swallowing all his grievances and unwillingness back into his stomach.

"Yes, Dean!"

With the poisonous mist gone, the first rays of the morning sun spilled down, revealing the scene within the valley in its entirety—

It was breathtakingly beautiful!

On the mountaintop, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong sat side by side, admiring the sunrise, the orange-gold light reflecting off their profiles.

Halfway up the mountain, Flender had produced a chair from who knows where, crossing his legs and leisurely basking in the sun.

Only at the bottom of the valley, a small, dark figure was huffing and puffing as he pushed dirt, filling one pit after another, covered in dust and grime, sweat pouring down like rain, looking for all the world like a dung beetle rolling a ball of waste!

"My immortal herbs!"

"Damn it!"

"Dugu Bo, you old thief! I will not rest until you are destroyed!"

Tang San gripped the shovel in his hands, his hatred for Dugu Bo soaring to the heavens.

"No—"

"How could I let my emotions control me?"

"The ninety-third rule of the Tang Sect: no matter the situation, one must maintain absolute calm."

"Calm, stay calm."

"It seems things have been going too smoothly for me lately, leading me to become lax."

"Yes, that's it! Father must have sensed this change in me and specifically arranged this trial!"

"Stealing the immortal herbs is a trial, and leaving me here to face Dugu Bo alone is also a trial!"

"Making me fill in these pits and do manual labor is an even greater test of my state of mind!"

"Father loves me!"

Thinking of this, Tang San's heart was filled with guilt; he had misunderstood his father once again.

And then, this guilt transformed into nuclear-powered motivation!

"Father, rest assured, I will certainly not let you down!"

At noon.

Qian Renxue and her entourage swayed their way into Heaven Dou City.

Greeting them were Princess Xue Ke and Prince Xue Xing.

As for the Sixth Prince, Xue Beng, he had long since gone off to who knows where to drink and carouse.

"Imperial Brother! You've finally returned! You have no idea how worried I've been about you all this time!"

Just as she stepped off the carriage, a soft, fragrant figure collided into Qian Renxue's arms.

It was none other than the Heaven Dou Empire's Princess Xue Ke, her only younger sister.

"You're so grown up now, yet still so impulsive; you don't look like a princess at all!"

Qian Renxue looked down at the fuzzy little head, her gaze softening involuntarily.

"If Father knew, he would surely lecture you again!"

She raised her hand to ruffle Xue Ke's hair, her tone filled with the usual indulgence.

"As long as Imperial Brother doesn't tell Father, let's see who dares to tattle!"

Xue Ke lifted her face from her chest, hands on her hips, and swept a threatening gaze around with her almond-shaped eyes.

Prince Xue Xing, who was walking over from not far away, was innocently caught in the crossfire of that look.

His expression stiffened slightly, but he couldn't be bothered to bicker with a little girl.

Prince Xue Xing shook out his robes, stepped forward, and after sizing up Qian Renxue, said with a smile:

"The Crown Prince looks to be in excellent health; it seems your condition has improved significantly. This is truly a joyous occasion."

"His Majesty has been waiting in the palace for quite some time, let us head in at once!"

"Imperial Uncle is right!"

Qian Renxue nodded.

"While I was away from the country, I relied entirely on Imperial Uncle to share the burden for Father; it must have been exhausting!"

"The Crown Prince is too kind; this is merely the duty of a subject."

Prince Xue Xing laughed.

"Though, from here on out, the Crown Prince will have to shoulder the labor once more!"

The two exchanged barbs, walking toward the palace with insincere smiles.

Inside the study, Emperor Xue Ye was hunched over his desk reviewing memorials, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Prince have arrived!"

Upon hearing the attendant report the arrival of the Crown Prince and Prince Xue Xing, He immediately set down his vermilion brush, the furrows between his brows relaxing slightly.

"Your son, your younger brother, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"There are no outsiders here, no need for such formalities!"

Emperor Xue Ye raised a hand to excuse them, then turned his gaze toward Xue Qinghe.

"Have you found the source of your headaches?"

Xue Qinghe suffered from recurring headaches, and despite consulting numerous physicians and Spirit Masters, none had been able to pinpoint the root cause.

This latest bout had been particularly fierce, forcing him to travel thousands of miles to Martial Soul Hall to try his luck.

"Thank you for your concern, Father Emperor!"

Qian Renxue had long since prepared her explanation and replied unhurriedly, "After a personal diagnosis by His Holiness the Pope, it appears my physical constitution has failed to keep pace with my cultivation growth, which in turn affected my Martial Soul, causing a backlash on my physical body and increasing the burden on my spirit, thus triggering the headaches.

After treatment by His Holiness the Pope, I have improved significantly; as long as I focus on strengthening my physique from now on, it will not recur."

This explanation was one she had meticulously crafted.

Whenever matters involved Martial Souls and the soul, few on the entire continent could speak with authority, let alone find fault in such a claim.

Sure enough, Emperor Xue Ye's brows first tightened, but upon hearing there was a solution, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Good, good, good. Since that is the case, you should focus more of your efforts on your cultivation from now on!"

He paused, his tone filled with a touch of emotion:

"The Pope of Martial Soul Hall is truly unfathomable; a matter that left our Heaven Dou Empire helpless was resolved with such ease!"

"By the way, the strange phenomenon in Martial Soul City a few days ago... I have heard of it as well!"

He shifted the topic, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing, "You must both keep your subordinates in check and ensure no conflict arises with Martial Soul Hall!"

A matter of such magnitude could certainly not be kept hidden.

Secret reports had long since reached the hands of the leaders of all major factions.

Just a short while ago, Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had also consulted with him, and both had agreed to remain unmoved and observe the situation.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing both frowned slightly before nodding solemnly.

The three of them chatted a while longer about recent events, and just as Qian Renxue was preparing to take her leave, Emperor Xue Ye asked a question that seemed casual.

"Oh, that Poison Douluo brought his granddaughter to your estate early this morning; I wonder what that was about..."