Lin Yan curled his lip and hurriedly fled the scene, coming to stand beside Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. He helped Zhu Zhuqing up first, discreetly signaling to the girl with his eyes, then summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and began treating Xiao Wu.
Before long, Xiao Wu, who had fainted from the shock, woke up.
The moment she regained consciousness, Xiao Wu tried to run over and check on Tang San.
"Brother!"
Lin Yan grabbed Xiao Wu and shook his head, his expression incredibly conflicted.
His look said: He's in terrible shape. Don't go look.
Understanding what he meant, Xiao Wu immediately burst into tears and clung to Lin Yan's arm.
"Lin Yan, please, save Third Brother! I'm begging you. You must have a way, right..."
Seeing Xiao Wu in such utter despair, Lin Yan, the nearest healing Soul Master, naturally had to comfort her.
He patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder.
"Xiao Wu, it's not that I don't want to save him. I'm truly powerless."
"I'm only a Blue Silver Grass healing Soul Master. You know what my first three Soul Skills can do. They're versatile, but none of them is particularly effective at healing."
"When it comes to parts of the body that are already missing, no matter how much Soul Power I use, all I can do is stop the bleeding and close the wounds."
"Besides, it looks like his wounds have already stopped bleeding, so..."
Lin Yan didn't continue, but no one there was a fool. Judging by the blood seeping from Tang San's waist, they could guess that he'd most likely be crippled for the rest of his life.
Xiao Wu knew it too, so Lin Yan's silence only made her cry louder...
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing walked over to Xiao Wu.
"Don't be sad. No one could have expected yesterday to turn out like that. At least he's still alive."
Lin Yan continued explaining.
"Actually, Tang San's vital signs have stabilized. Even without my treatment, he won't die."
"Ah..."
"I wonder what kind of Soul Beast did this. It went straight for a man's most vulnerable spot..."
Before long, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar each went to take a curious look at Tang San. As expected, all three turned deathly pale with fright, their bodies tensing up.
The Three Scoundrels were notorious womanizers in Suotuo City. Seeing such a horrifying sight would naturally hit them even harder.
Ma Hongjun sighed.
"If I remember right, Tang San was a virgin too."
"Now he's really done for..."
"Boss Dai, do you have any connections? Can you find a way to save Tang San..."
Dai Mubai curled his lip. "What connections? Even a healing Titled Douluo couldn't do anything for him in this state. What am I supposed to do, bring him a god?"
Clearly, Dai Mubai treated Lin Yan and Tang San differently.
The crowd began to buzz with discussion. At the very back, Lin Yan narrowed his eyes, a hint of murderous intent flashing through them.
"Why would Tang Hao let Tang San get hurt this badly? Could that guy not be nearby? Should I take this chance to get rid of Tang San..."
Ever since Tang San enrolled at Shrek Academy, Tang Hao had basically been lurking around the academy all the time. Lin Yan had assumed he would come along on this trip to the Star Dou Forest too.
He hadn't expected Tang Hao not to be there. Otherwise, Tang San could never have been hurt this badly.
If he got rid of Tang San right now, then...
"No, that's too risky!" Lin Yan let out a long breath, putting aside the thought of killing Tang San.
"The main problem is that I don't know whether he has a resurrection card right now. My attacks can only destroy someone's body, not harm their soul."
"If the Asura God is already watching Tang San at this point and, after Tang San dies, puts his soul into someone else's body, things could slip out of my control."
"I'd not only lose my foresight into the future, I'd also have no idea where Tang San had gone."
"Besides, killing Tang San now would definitely affect my Favorability mission with Xiao Wu. I'd better wait and see. At the very least, I should wait until I've maxed out Xiao Wu's favorability, then think carefully about what to do with Tang San..."
Thinking of the future, Lin Yan gave up on killing Tang San for the time being.
Back in the forest, after Lin Yan and Tang San rejoined the group, everyone rested for a while. In the end, afraid something else might go wrong, Zhao Wuji urged Oscar to use Flying Mushroom Sausages to carry them all out of the Star Dou Forest in a hurry.
And with that, Oscar's Soul Hunting Operation finally came to an end.
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.
In the dean's office, Flender looked at the dusty, travel-worn, flat-topped man standing in the doorway and immediately broke into a delighted smile.
"Xiaogang! You're finally here. Have you been well all these years?"
He covered the distance in three strides and pulled Yu Xiaogang, who had come from Nuoding City, into a big hug.
Yu Xiaogang's lips curled up. Feeling the warmth of his old friend, he found that the exhaustion of the journey had eased a little.
"Flender, you've met my disciple, haven't you? What do you think? Isn't he outstanding?"
Flender nodded. "Outstanding! Absolutely outstanding!"
"But now I have something even more important to ask of you. For the sake of our many years of friendship, you must agree, no matter what."
Seeing how serious Flender looked, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help growing curious.
Flender needed his help? A level 78 Soul Saint like Flender had something to ask of him? Could it be... a question about Martial Soul Theory?
That was right. Everyone knew his Martial Soul Theory was unrivaled. Flender must have said that because of it.
Suppressing the joy of being recognized, Yu Xiaogang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? Tell me!"
Three words, full of Grandmaster's bearing!
They preserved his dignity while still making him seem approachable... or so Yu Xiaogang thought.
Flender didn't hold back. He began telling him about the academy.
"Xiaogang, you know I've been running an academy here in Suotuo City for many years. Over that time, the academy has taken in several outstanding students..."
Flender went on to tell Yu Xiaogang about the students. Finally, he turned to the main issue: the Evil Fire troubling Lin Yan and Ma Hongjun.
In short, Flender greatly admired Yu Xiaogang's theories and wanted him to help the two boys solve their Evil Fire problem...
"Xiaogang! That's why I'm asking you to find a way to save Hongjun and Lin Yan. I believe that once their Evil Fire problem is solved, the quality of both their Martial Souls will improve in a way never seen before."
"They're sure to soar to incredible heights in the future!"
Before you continue