Liu Erlong's chest was heaving, too.
That old Poison Freak had abducted Little San without so much as asking what had happened.
Now he wanted them to do the labor and make amends. What kind of logic was that?
She had always been hot-tempered, the sort who flared up at the slightest provocation. How could she stand by while someone pushed her around?
She immediately stepped forward—
"Yes, yes, yes! No problem!"
"Don't worry, Senior. We'll restore this place to the way it was!"
Flender knew his two old friends' tempers all too well.
Before either of them could speak, he hurriedly stepped in,
nodded and bowed, readily agreeing.
Seeing how sensible they were, Dugu Bo gave a cold snort through his nose and turned away, disappearing into the morning mist.
"Flender, how can you have no backbone? He's only a Titled Douluo. At worst, we die!"
Yu Xiaogang had held back his anger for a long time. Now he finally let it out, berating Flender in a torrent.
Flender's face turned pale, then red, as Yu Xiaogang's words hit him.
"Ah, forget it, forget it."
"Xiaogang, calm down. Boss Fu just doesn't want to start a fight..."
Liu Erlong instead offered a few words in Flender's defense, reaching over to pat Xiaogang on the shoulder.
She might have a fiery temper, but she knew better than to be unreasonable.
A head-on clash in that situation wouldn't have done them any good.
Only then did Flender's expression ease a little. He turned his gaze to Tang San,
his expression growing stern,
and put on the imposing air of a dean:
"I don't care how you managed to offend Senior Dugu."
"But... you made the mess, so you clean it up."
"You'll be restoring this valley to its original state!"
"Don't worry. The motto of Shrek Academy is 'Together, through thick and thin'!"
"We'll stay here and keep an eye on you!"
Flender said solemnly.
Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong frowned.
But then they considered that if Tang San didn't do it, the three of them would be next.
In that case...
They had no choice but to make Little San suffer!
Tang San gaped, wanting to say something in his defense.
But when he caught sight of the silent expressions on Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong's faces,
he knew there was no room for discussion.
He gritted his teeth,
and swallowed down all the grievance and resentment he felt.
"Yes, Dean!"
With the poisonous mist gone, the first rays of morning sunlight fell over the valley,
revealing the scene in all its glory—
it was breathtaking!
At the mountaintop,
Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong sat shoulder to shoulder, watching the sunrise, the orange-gold light falling across their profiles.
Halfway down the mountain,
Flender had somehow produced a chair. With one leg crossed over the other, he lounged in the sun.
Only at the bottom of the valley,
a little black figure was huffing and puffing as he shoveled dirt, filling one pit after another.
He was covered in dust, drenched in sweat,
looking just like a dung beetle pushing a ball of filth!
"My Immortal Herbs!"
"Damn it!"
"Dugu Bo, you old thief! I'll never let this go!"
Tang San clenched the shovel in his hands, his hatred for Dugu Bo soaring to the heavens.
"No—"
"How can I let my emotions control me?"
"Article 93 of the Tang Sect's ancestral rules: no matter the circumstances, one must remain absolutely calm."
"Calm. Calm."
"Looks like things have been going too smoothly for me lately, and I've grown complacent."
"Right, right! Dad must have noticed the change in me, so he arranged this trial on purpose!"
"Stealing the Immortal Herbs was a trial, and leaving me alone to face Dugu Bo was a trial too!"
"Making me fill these holes and work here is an even greater trial of my state of mind!"
"Dad loves me!"
At the thought, Tang San's heart filled with guilt. He had misunderstood his dad again.
Then that guilt transformed into nuclear-powered resolve!
"Dad, don't worry. I won't let you down!"
By midday,
Qian Renxue and her party arrived in Heaven Dou City at a leisurely pace.
There to welcome them
were Princess Xue Ke and Prince Xue Xing.
As for the sixth prince, Xue Beng, no one knew where he'd gone to drink and visit courtesans.
"Imperial Brother! You're finally back! You have no idea how worried I've been about you!"
As soon as she stepped down from the carriage,
a soft, fragrant figure threw herself into Qian Renxue's arms.
It was Princess Xue Ke of the Heaven Dou Empire, her only younger sister.
"You're all grown up now, yet you're still so flighty. You don't act like a princess at all!"
Qian Renxue looked down at the fluffy little head, and her gaze softened without her realizing it.
"If Father finds out, he'll lecture you again!"
She reached out and rubbed Xue Ke's little head, her voice filled with the same indulgence as always.
"As long as Imperial Brother doesn't tell Father, I'd like to see who dares report me!"
Xue Ke lifted her face from her arms and put her hands on her hips, her almond-shaped eyes sweeping threateningly around the area.
Prince Xue Xing, who was approaching from a short distance away, was unfairly caught in her glare.
His expression stiffened slightly,
but he couldn't be bothered to argue with a little girl.
Prince Xue Xing straightened his robes,
then stepped forward and looked Qian Renxue over, smiling as he said:
"The Crown Prince looks to be in fine spirits. It seems your illness has improved greatly. That's truly cause for celebration."
"His Majesty has been waiting in the palace for quite some time. Let's hurry inside!"
"Uncle is quite right!"
Qian Renxue nodded.
"While I was away, you took on the burden of helping Father. I'm truly grateful for all your hard work, Uncle!"
"You flatter me, Crown Prince. It's a subject's duty."
Prince Xue Xing smiled.
"Though it seems I'll have to trouble the Crown Prince again from now on!"
The two exchanged barbed pleasantries, smiling without warmth as they headed into the palace.
In the study,
Emperor Xue Ye was bent over his desk, reviewing memorials, his brows knitted into a deep furrow.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Prince are here!"
Hearing the attendant report that the Crown Prince and Prince Xue Xing had arrived,
he immediately set down his vermilion brush, and even the wrinkles between his brows relaxed.
"Your son and your younger brother pay their respects, Your Majesty!"
"There's no one else here. There's no need for formalities!"
Emperor Xue Ye raised a hand to excuse them, then turned his attention to Xue Qinghe.
"Have you found the cause of your headaches?"
Xue Qinghe suffered from frequent headaches. They had consulted countless physicians and Soul Masters, but none had been able to find the root cause.
This time, the headaches had struck with even greater force, leaving her no choice but to travel thousands of miles to Spirit Hall and try her luck.
"Sorry to trouble you with worry, Father!"
Qian Renxue had already prepared her explanation. She replied without the slightest hurry:
"His Holiness the Pope personally examined me and concluded that my physique hadn't kept pace with the growth of my cultivation.
"It had affected my Martial Soul,
which in turn had acted upon my body and increased the strain on my mind, causing the headaches.
"After His Holiness the Pope treated me, I've improved greatly. From now on, I only need to build up my physique, and the headaches won't return."
She had carefully prepared this explanation.
Once Martial Souls and souls were involved, there were few people on the entire continent who could explain them clearly, let alone find fault with her story.
Sure enough, Emperor Xue Ye's brows first drew together, but when he heard there was a solution, he let out a long breath of relief.
"Good, good, good. In that case, you should devote more of your attention to cultivation from now on!"
He paused, his tone turning more reflective:
"The Pope of Spirit Hall truly is unfathomable. Something our Heaven Dou Empire could do nothing about was resolved with ease!"
"By the way, I've also heard about the strange phenomenon in Spirit City a few days ago!"
He changed the subject, his gaze passing over Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing.
"You must keep your subordinates in check. Don't let them come into conflict with Spirit Hall!"
There was no way to keep such a major event secret.
The confidential reports had reached the leaders of the major powers long ago.
Just a short while earlier,
Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had also spoken with him about it. They had agreed to respond to change by remaining unchanged.
At this,
Qian Renxue and Prince Xue Xing both furrowed their brows, then nodded solemnly.
The three of them chatted about recent affairs,
and just as Qian Renxue was preparing to take her leave, Emperor Xue Ye asked a seemingly casual question.
"By the way, that Poison Douluo brought his granddaughter to your residence early this morning. I wonder what that was about..."
Before you continue