"Xiaotao! Are you all right?"
Over the lake not far from the inner courtyard, Yan Shaozhe belatedly caught Ma Xiaotao, who came flying back like a cannonball. Then, heedless of appearances, he held her tightly in his arms and checked her condition.
Soon, after tearing open Ma Xiaotao's clothes, he saw the rather ghastly wounds on her fair skin, along with traces of burns.
"How is this possible? Xiaotao's Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix. Her flames may not have reached the level of Ultimate Fire, but their quality is still quite high. How could she have been burned by flames?
"And judging by the shape of these wounds, they seem to have been left by a Dragon Claw.
"A Fire Dragon Martial Soul... Could she be descended from that senior who, four thousand years ago, led Shrek Academy and the three nations of Douluo Continent to defeat the evil Sun Moon Empire?
"But when did they emerge from seclusion? Why haven't I received so much as a hint of information?"
After examining Ma Xiaotao's wounds, Yan Shaozhe had Elder Zhuang treat her while he sank into thought.
Although the current members of the Sea God Pavilion no longer had a place among them, the family of that Shrek Academy dean from four thousand years ago, who possessed a Martial Soul with the Ultimate Fire attribute, still maintained some contact with Shrek Academy.
If one of their experts had struck Ma Xiaotao and left her in this state with a single claw, that would make sense.
But as the dean of the Martial Soul Department, I can keep tabs on the little princess from the Clear Sky Sect who's disguised as a boy, as well as the next heir to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect when they come to Shrek Academy. So how did I lose track of the Fire Dragon Family?
Investigate!
I have to investigate!
Damn that Fire Dragon Family! How dare they lay such a heavy hand on Xiaotao!
She's still a child!
"Dean Yan, something's not right with Xiaotao's condition."
Elder Zhuang's voice pulled Yan Shaozhe back from chasing shadows, and his expression grew even more grim.
"What happened?"
"Her Martial Soul seems to have been injured, and a strange energy is currently suppressing her abilities. Her Soul Power is also circulating much more slowly.
"Perhaps for at least the next six months, she'll need extra time just to release her Martial Soul.
"However, in misfortune there's a blessing: the Evil Fire inside Xiaotao has also been suppressed by that strange energy. If she doesn't use her powers too often, her Evil Fire won't flare up for at least a year."
Elder Zhuang reported his findings to Yan Shaozhe with great seriousness, and Yan Shaozhe's expression shifted between light and dark.
In the end, Yan Shaozhe sighed and reluctantly accepted the outcome.
Although Ma Xiaotao wouldn't be able to fight for the next six months, she had also gained about a year without having to worry about her Evil Fire. Perhaps this really was a blessing in disguise, just as Elder Zhuang had said.
Even so, though Ma Xiaotao was unconscious, her expression was still troubled. She seemed to have fallen into a nightmare.
But it didn't matter. In Yan Shaozhe's eyes, having nightmares was a minor problem.
As long as she returned to the invincible Sea God Pavilion, everything would be all right!
"She certainly won't be all right. Does he really think a King's power is so easy to resist?"
When You Jie was having dinner with Zhang Lexuan and heard her talk about Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao, he couldn't help marveling at Yan Shaozhe's vivid imagination. At the same time, he was amazed by his blind confidence.
Tamashii's power wasn't so simple. The original card didn't describe it, but its attacks actually had an effect that dispelled evil, as well as a mental attack.
However, if one had to explain how it dispelled evil in terms that the backwater hicks of Douluo could understand, it was a case of fighting poison with poison.
For a Soul Master whose purity was lacking, like Ma Xiaotao, when the Evil Fire inside her took the brunt of Tamashii's attack, her mind would also be tormented by the Dark Red Demon Dragon, subjecting her to an ordeal like being trapped in a nightmare.
In short, in this torment, she was the one who would be burned to death by her own Evil Fire, not the one who couldn't suppress her Evil Fire and burned someone else to death.
Perhaps she could numb herself with thoughts like, "They're weaker than me, so they deserved to be burned to death." But when their positions were reversed, she wouldn't be able to accept it with a clear conscience.
The Golden Ancient Tree's calming effect wouldn't dispel this "nightmare." If anything, it would only make the trauma it inflicted on Ma Xiaotao worse.
And that was the power of a King—the power of a bluff!
As for Yan Shaozhe pinning the blame on the Fire Dragon Family, which might not even exist anymore, all You Jie could do was strike a helpless bear-paw pose.
As far as You Jie knew about Douluo II, the only named Fire Dragon Soul Masters in the story were Wu Feng, who could be considered a member of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Xing Yan from the Heavenly Dragon Gate, who had been used as a punching bag and defeated by Wu Yifan during the tournament held in the Sun Moon Empire.
If Yan Shaozhe suspected Wu Feng because of this and started a battle of wits with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it would be downright hilarious.
Wu Feng: Huh? I slapped Ma Xiaotao flying? Seriously?
"You should be careful too, You Jie. If Dean Yan discovers that the Dark Red Demon Dragon summoned by your Second Martial Soul is yours, there's no telling what he might think.
"I know your Martial Soul isn't an Evil Martial Soul, and Elder Mu will certainly believe you. But there's no guarantee that other people won't see the Dark Red Demon Dragon and mistake it for an Evil Martial Soul."
Thinking of Yan Shaozhe's overactive imagination, Zhang Lexuan's eyes filled with worry, and she spoke up to warn him.
You Jie's Dark Red Demon Dragon could cause misunderstandings, both because of its name and its appearance. That was especially true of Yan Shaozhe. To take Ma Xiaotao's side, he might even disown his own family and strike down his teacher's great-grandson too.
"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan. I already have a solution for this.
"Besides, if that's the case, shouldn't every Dark Attribute Soul Master in the world kill themselves, or band together with Evil Soul Masters for warmth?"
You Jie just smiled at Zhang Lexuan's concern and said nothing more.
The Dark Red Demon Dragon might sound a little alarming, but after a few more Synchronizations, there wouldn't be any problem.
Take the simplest example: who would mistake the Savior Demon Dragon for an Evil Martial Soul?
Besides, there was another resident in You Jie's Sea of Consciousness.
Once Electrolux woke up, his mastery of necromancy and Ultimate Light would surely resonate in fascinating ways with the Dark Red Demon Dragon series of card monsters. He might even print a few new variants for the Dark Red Demon Dragon series.
That would be interesting...
Before you continue