"You were way too rough. You scared that kid so badly he couldn't even speak."
Zhang Lexuan chided him. Even she had been a little shocked by that last strike. This kid was always coming up with strange moves that dazzled the eye. Just how many Self-Created Soul Skills did he have?
"You can't blame me. If he'd trusted me a little more, he wouldn't have been so scared. Look at Xiao Xiao—she wasn't afraid at all."
Facing Zhang Lexuan's eye roll, Su Qing spread his hands. This was a blatant injustice! A kind person like him would never strike a fellow student with murderous intent.
"He's never seen you use a fire-type Soul Skill. How was he supposed to know you could control it? Don't forget, last time you nearly got roasted by Ma Xiaotao. Maybe that left him with a bit of a psychological scar."
"Oh~ So it's all Ma Xiaotao's fault!"
After hearing Zhang Lexuan's explanation, Su Qing immediately changed his tune, completely ignoring the awkward expression on Yan Shaozhe's face as he still stood there.
"Shh, Dean Yan's still here..."
As soon as Zhang Lexuan finished speaking, Yan Shaozhe's voice reached them.
"Lexuan, could you let me speak with Su Qing alone?"
There was a hint of pleading in his voice, making Zhang Lexuan glance sideways at him. When had Yan Shaozhe ever acted like this? With all her years of experience handling the inner court's affairs, she could smell something very wrong.
"Dean Yan, what is it you don't want me to know?"
"Very well, then."
Seeing that Zhang Lexuan didn't want him alone with Su Qing, he had no choice but to explain his thoughts right there.
"It's like this. You know that my disciple Xiaotao has been tormented by Evil Fire for years, Lexuan. I recently learned by chance that Su Qing has a way to control Evil Fire, so I wanted to ask him to help Xiaotao. If possible, I'd like the two of them to spend more time together."
His voice grew quieter as he went on. Su Qing's eyes widened. He was just handing his disciple over to him? And poaching right in front of Zhang Lexuan?
"Dean Yan, how could you bring yourself to say something like that in front of me?"
Whether she was angry or simply speechless, Zhang Lexuan's tone was icy.
"But as far as I know, you're not the only girl involved with Su Qing."
Yan Shaozhe was thoroughly puzzled. Su Qing wasn't exactly the faithful type. If Zhang Lexuan could accept Xiao Xiao, there was no reason she couldn't accept Xiaotao, was there? Xiaotao was a fine girl, too—she had both the figure and the looks.
"I can accept Xiaoqing and someone else liking each other. But if that affection is mixed with scheming, I won't accept it. And neither will Xiaoqing."
If Yan Shaozhe had offered Su Qing something in return and asked him to help Ma Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, Su Qing probably wouldn't have refused. But using Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire as an excuse to get her together with Su Qing? Neither Su Qing nor Zhang Lexuan would agree. Wasn't that basically treating Su Qing like a tool?
"Uh..."
Yan Shaozhe didn't know what to say. So Mu En had been right. Who would have thought that a seasoned ladies' man like him would end up making things worse today?
Seeing that Yan Shaozhe had fallen silent, Zhang Lexuan led Su Qing away from the examination grounds.
"Sister Lexuan? Where are we going?"
Zhang Lexuan looked so set on her destination that Su Qing was baffled. It was broad daylight—she couldn't be taking him for a stroll around Sea God Lake, could she?
"To your dorm."
Zhang Lexuan looked back with a faint smile and said something shocking. Su Qing felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. What were they going to the dorm for in broad daylight?!
Before he could ask, Zhang Lexuan went on, "You know, I learned something from Bei Bei."
"What?"
Su Qing was a little lost. What could she possibly learn from a big, clueless guy like Bei Bei? Was she joking? If he really had something to teach her, would they still not have won Tang Ya over by now?
"When something hasn't been claimed yet, you have to get to it first!"
"What?"
The shock hadn't faded from Su Qing's face when she grabbed him and pulled him into the dorm. The moment Zhang Lexuan shut the door behind them, he was left speechless...
"Yuhao, do you think Teacher Zhou will really expel us?"
Xiao Xiao was a little worried. She was happy that Su Qing had beaten her, but seeing Zhou Yi's old, ugly, sour face had made her really unhappy! Would that old hag actually expel them? Su Qing's move had been far beyond anything they could withstand. Wasn't it normal to lose when they couldn't beat him?
"Probably not, unless she's an idiot."
Unlike Huo Yuhao, who was still tense, Wang Dong was relaxed. If Zhou Yi really dared to expel her, his two dads would come to school the next day and drag her out for a beating. He guaranteed that even if they left Zhou Yi unable to care for herself, not a single person in Shrek's leadership would dare complain.
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! I should've expelled you ages ago!"
As they talked, Zhou Yi's furious voice came from outside the classroom. How could she not be angry? She'd not only lost the championship but had also paid out a Soul Bone. What the hell was this? Losing both the wife and the soldiers?
She couldn't understand how Mu Jin had gotten so lucky as to have a powerhouse like Su Qing assigned to her class, while her own class didn't even have a Soul Elder. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the Martial Soul Department targeting her. And the reason had to be that she was Fan Yu's wife—that it was all part of their efforts to suppress the Soul Tool Department!
"Too bad, too bad. Now she's got Huo Yuhao, a treasure born to make a living with Soul Tools. I bet it won't be long before the Soul Tool Department makes a complete comeback."
In just a few minutes, Zhou Yi had blamed everything on the Martial Soul Department targeting her.
"Even though you didn't win the championship, making it to the final round was no small feat. I won't make you run today. Huo Yuhao, come with me for a moment."
The students in the class looked at each other. Was Zhou Yi really crazy? She hadn't talked like that outside just now. Why had she walked into the classroom looking so pleased with herself? But when they saw her call Huo Yuhao out alone, they couldn't help feeling sorry for him. They had no idea what this old hag was up to, but it definitely wasn't anything good.
"Poor Yuhao..."
Even Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong felt a little sorry for Huo Yuhao at the same time.
"Teacher Zhou, where are you taking me?"
Unlike everyone else, who disliked Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao reacted very differently. He felt that Zhou Yi had helped him break through his potential, and he was even faintly grateful to her.
"To the place where the Soul Tool Department trains. I think the Martial Soul Department is deliberately targeting us. Even though you made it to the finals this time, they probably won't make you a core disciple. Rather than that, you might as well join the Soul Tool Department early and become one of its core disciples, so your talent has room to shine."
Zhou Yi spoke earnestly. She hadn't read the script, but Huo Yuhao's performance on the stage made it clear: those people who didn't understand his Soul Skills would at most see him as Wang Dong's tagalong. Forget making him a core disciple—even core disciple benefits might be out of reach.
"So that's how it is."
Huo Yuhao felt his worldview being shaken. Weren't the Soul Tool Department and the Martial Soul Department both part of Shrek Academy? How could one side be suppressed by the other? Could the world really be one giant Duke Mansion?