Zhang Lexuan: Me?

Zhou Yi was so overcome with rage that she felt her strength drain away, and she collapsed backward.

Fan Yu's expression shifted instantly; he hurriedly reached out to catch her in his arms, wiping the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, the atmosphere became stiflingly quiet.

Qian Duoduo and Yan Shaozhe were exchanging constant glances; years of tacit understanding—and rivalry—allowed them to communicate almost without a single word.

Qian Duoduo: Why hasn't Mu En arrived yet? What are we supposed to do now?

Yan Shaozhe: I suspect the old man is hiding on purpose.

Qian Duoduo: Every time there's trouble, he vanishes. I think we'd be better off letting Xuan Zi be the Pavilion Master!

Yan Shaozhe: ...Are you serious?

Seeing that there was no sign of Mu En, Qian Duoduo could no longer hold back. He gave a light cough and took the lead, saying, "Yaochen, now that this has happened, it is indeed due to poor management by Dean Yan and myself. How would you like us to handle this?"

Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened.

This bastard is dragging me into this too?

'Just tell me, is she part of the Spirit Master Department or not?' Qian Duoduo shot back a cunning look.

Yan Shaozhe: "..."

Watching the two deans making faces at each other, Long Yaochen decided to turn up the pressure.

"Teacher Zhou's intentions were good, perhaps it is simply that I am unable to adapt to life in Shrek," Long Yaochen said, ignoring Qian Duoduo's question.

As he spoke, an unnatural flush surged onto his face, as if he were forcibly suppressing something. After catching his breath, he continued:

"I have already notified my teacher. Once he arrives, I will pack my things and take Senior Sister Xiao Tao with me as I leave Shrek."

Are you kidding? Do you really think we can't tell you're acting?

And if you want to leave, fine, but why take Xiao Tao with you!

Yan Shaozhe grew furious at the mere thought.

Yet, looking at Long Yaochen's weak, pale complexion, the words Long Xiaoyao had spoken that day echoed in his ears once more.

Whoever dares to touch a single hair on my disciple's head, I will make the entirety of Shrek pay with their lives.

And so, even though he knew the boy was putting on a show, Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to bite the bullet and play along:

"This matter is indeed a result of my negligence in supervising the Outer Court." Yan Shaozhe's face darkened, his tone filled with undisguised anger. "To think that a black sheep like Zhou Yi could tarnish the reputation of my Shrek. Rest assured, I will certainly give you a satisfactory resolution."

A black sheep...

Zhou Yi closed her eyes in despair.

That is not what you said back then.

The next second, Yan Shaozhe's voice rang out again. He walked over to the couple and said coldly:

"During her tenure, Zhou Yi abused her authority as a teacher, maliciously harmed an important student of this academy, severely damaged the academy's reputation, and disrupted the normal order of instruction. Considering Fan Yu's years of hard work and dedication to Shrek, I will spare her life today. However, from this moment on, Zhou Yi is expelled from Shrek City and is forbidden from stepping foot into Shrek for the rest of her life. Furthermore, all of her temporary teaching positions are hereby revoked. From now on, she has no further connection to Shrek."

Each of Yan Shaozhe's words felt like a nail being driven into Zhou Yi's heart. By the time he finished, she had already fainted.

Long Yaochen's mouth twitched.

Zhou Yi has been reduced to a temp worker...

As expected of you, Yan Shaozhe! As expected of Shrek!

"Thank you for your mercy, Dean Yan."

Fan Yu held the unconscious Zhou Yi, his face pale, yet he gritted his teeth and bowed his head.

Afterward, he looked at Long Yaochen and said in a strained voice, "And many thanks... to you, student Yaochen, for your magnanimity."

He knew very well.

Given the mysterious background of the other party.

The fact that he hadn't taken Zhou Yi's life and allowed him to remain at the academy was already a massive act of grace.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with this result, Yaochen?" Yan Shaozhe looked at Long Yaochen, his tone returning to that gentle, spring-breeze warmth.

"This doesn't seem quite right..." Long Yaochen hesitated.

"It's perfect! It was only out of respect for Fan Yu that we allowed Zhou Yi to teach in the Outer Court in the first place. Now that she has committed such a grave error, expelling her from Shrek is entirely reasonable!" Qian Duoduo jumped in to answer.

"But..." Long Yaochen's face turned pale again, "I don't know when my teacher will return, and I fear I won't be able to recover in the short term."

"Feeling the warm care of the two deans, I truly have come to think of Shrek as my home, but..."

"I'll go ask Elder Zhuang to come and take a look at you right now..." Before Qian Duoduo could finish his sentence, he was stopped by Yan Shaozhe.

"Yaochen, your injury is related to your Martial Soul. Ordinary healing will certainly be useless. What do you need to treat your wounds?" Yan Shaozhe said indifferently, while also casting a "brainless" look at Qian Duoduo.

Long Yaochen glanced at Yan Shaozhe in surprise.

This old guy is quite sharp.

In that case, he wouldn't stand on ceremony.

"I heard there is a carving knife called the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. It would be very effective for my current injuries."

Long Yaochen stated his objective directly.

"The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife?!" Qian Duoduo's eyes widened instantly.

As an eighth-rank Soul Master, he had naturally heard of the infamous reputation of this carving knife.

If this thing ended up killing Long Yaochen, Long Xiaoyao would probably have him hanging from the walls of Shrek City like a weather doll...

"If you want to learn about Soul Tool crafting, I can find you another carving knife from the rankings." Qian Duoduo gritted his teeth, clearly prepared to pay a heavy price.

"No, I'm not interested in Soul Tools. I only want that carving knife." Long Yaochen shook his head and repeated himself.

Qian Duoduo's expression shifted, but in the end, he sighed helplessly.

"The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife is not in the Shrek treasury."

"However... there is a Soul Master Treasure Appraisal Fair in Shrek City recently. According to the information I've received, that cursed blade will likely appear there."

"If you are insistent, I can make arrangements for you."

"Then many thanks, Dean Qian." A genuine smile finally appeared on Long Yaochen's face.

Afterward, he glanced at Zhou Yi, who had yet to wake up, and silently offered his thanks in his heart.

Thank you, Hero Zhou Yi.

Looking at Zhou Yi, who still hadn't regained consciousness, Long Yaochen thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

Otherwise, if he had just asked for it directly, that old geezer Mu En might have forced him to do something else.

Perhaps because the matter had finally settled, Mu En was finally willing to appear.

At this moment, a recliner appeared silently not far from them.

"Teacher."

"Elder Mu."

The two deans hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

"Not bad..." Mu En's tone was uncharacteristically gentle. "The way you handled this actually had a bit of the demeanor of a Shrek Dean."

"Thank you for the praise, Teacher." Yan Shaozhe lowered his head, his tone devoid of any pride.

"Little Chen, you've been wronged this time." Mu En looked at Long Yaochen again, his voice gentle.

Long Yaochen shook his head. "This isn't a grievance. I also want to see Shrek 'thriving'!"

Mu En looked at him with some surprise; it seemed the environment of Shrek had not disappointed him.

It wouldn't be long before this god-tier disciple would be completely won over...

"Just do as Shaozhe said. By the way..." Mu En paused here, suddenly glancing at Zhang Lexuan, who was looking at the scenery in the distance, before continuing: "Since Freshman Class One no longer has a homeroom teacher, Lexuan, you should go and teach the class for a while."

Zhang Lexuan, suddenly called by name, was slightly stunned.

"Me?"