Dai Mubai ground his teeth in fury, his back teeth nearly cracking from how hard he clenched them. He wanted nothing more than to beat Xiao Yexuan to a pulp and send him crawling across the floor.
But with a teacher backing him up, he had no way to make a move. He could only force himself to swallow his anger.
In the end, he could only grit his teeth and shoot Xiao Yexuan a venomous glare. The hatred in his eyes was almost tangible, and it clearly said:
"Just wait until class is over."
Then, looking thoroughly disgruntled, he retreated to his group, his face full of resentment.
At that moment, however, Xiao Yexuan stepped forward, his stride firm, his expression stubborn, and an unyielding fire in his eyes. He spoke with conviction:
"Brother, your strength may be formidable, but I'm no pushover."
"You challenged me in front of everyone. If I hide behind the teacher and cling to life..."
"Even if I survive, a flaw that can never be erased will remain in my heart."
"Even if I can't beat you, I'll show you through my actions that Xiao Yexuan is not someone to be trifled with!"
"I accept your challenge!"
Xiao Yexuan snapped his folding fan shut with a crisp clap. A sharp glint shone in his eyes, brimming with the resilience to rise after every setback and the resolve to press forward without hesitation.
He stood like a green pine rooted against a raging gale, his back ramrod straight. No matter how crushing the pressure, he remained as immovable as a mountain.
"Your Young Master truly... hasn't let me down!"
Zhu Zhuqing resolutely took her place beside Xiao Yexuan. Her steps were light, her gaze blazed as she looked at Dai Mubai, and her voice rang with determination. Soul Power stirred quietly around her.
"Your perseverance has completely inspired me. You've shown me the way forward."
"Whether you're a Soul Master or an ordinary person, this is how we should be: unyielding and unafraid of the powerful!"
"If anyone dares to provoke us, we should strike back with the force of thunder!"
"Dai Mubai, I have never acknowledged our engagement, and I certainly don't accept that I'm weaker than you and need to depend on you!"
"If you dare bring up our engagement again, I'll let you hear it from my Martial Soul."
"Even if you defeat me—or beat me to death—I will never bow my head!"
Dai Mubai was so furious that his head spun and smoke seemed to pour from his ears. His vision darkened in waves, and even his breathing grew ragged.
He had long wanted to teach Xiao Yexuan a proper lesson. Now that Xiao Yexuan had challenged him of his own accord, things couldn't have worked out better. A sinister smile curled involuntarily across his lips.
He couldn't help laughing, his voice hoarse, as if the words were squeezed through clenched teeth. "Hahaha... good, very good! Since you're looking for death..."
"Then don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"Dai Mubai, have you no shame?"
Ning Rongrong planted her hands on her hips, her brows drawn together and her chest heaving as she scolded him angrily, her voice brimming with indignation.
"You really dare accept this challenge? Have you even considered your Soul Master rank, or whether you have an ounce of honor?"
"You just love picking on the weak, don't you? Then I'll go back and get Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa. They can spar with you!"
"Xiao Wu, where are you going?"
Tang San reacted swiftly and immediately stepped in front of Xiao Wu, spreading his arms to block her path completely.
Seeing Xiao Wu glare at Dai Mubai in righteous anger, looking ready to rush over and help Xiao Yexuan, he was instantly alarmed. An inexplicable dread welled up inside him.
Something felt wrong. He had the strange sense that if Xiao Wu stepped forward, he would lose his little sister forever. Cold sweat even broke out in his palms.
He absolutely couldn't let Xiao Wu follow in Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong's footsteps, so he stood firmly in her way.
Xiao Wu didn't give Tang San so much as a friendly look. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, anger shining in them as she pointed at Dai Mubai and demanded:
"San, can't you see he's throwing his weight around and bullying the weak?"
"Your Sister Xiao Wu hates people like that most of all."
"He dares bully the weak right in front of me? I'll smash his head in!"
As she spoke, Xiao Wu waved her fist, looking eager to take him on.
"Xiao Wu, do you even know who you're talking to?"
Tang San frowned, his brows knitting into a deep crease. His voice was stern, with a note of reproach.
"Dai Mubai is our captain, our leader. Why are you taking the side of an outsider?"
At his words, Xiao Wu's face filled with undisguised disgust and disdain, and her brows furrowed even more deeply.
"San, just because he's our captain, does that mean you should let him bully the weak?"
"I was wrong about you. I don't have a brother like you!"
With that, she flung her sleeve and strode straight over to Xiao Yexuan, taking her place in front of him as well.
Xiao Wu glared at Dai Mubai, her almond-shaped eyes wide and her face fierce.
"Dai Mubai, what kind of ability is it to bully the weak?"
"How about a few rounds with your Sister Xiao Wu?"
"I won't go easy on you!"
Dai Mubai's brows knitted sharply, his eyes darkening beneath his thick brows. He addressed the girls gathering around them in a low voice:
"Fine, fine. Since you all want to die, don't blame me for disregarding our past friendship!"
"Please, stop! Miss, this is between him and me. Please don't interfere with our duel, in case you get hurt."
Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Yexuan saw Xiao Wu hurry over, her pink figure heading straight to his side.
His heart felt as though he had swallowed a lump of honey, sweet to the core. He secretly reckoned that in the end, not a single one of these girls would escape his clutches.
Not only had Xiao Wu stepped forward to protect him, she had also drawn Tang San's hatred over from the side.
Tang San's face, however, was so gloomy it looked as if water might drip from it. His dark eyes were fixed on Xiao Yexuan, full of hostility.
Xiao Yexuan didn't have to think twice to know Tang San was grinding his teeth in hatred.
He wanted nothing more than to see Xiao Yexuan dead at once and take back Xiao Wu's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
When Xiao Wu saw Tang San joining Dai Mubai in pressuring Xiao Yexuan, her disgust deepened until it practically spilled from her eyes.
"San, I knew I was right about you!"
Xiao Wu's brows shot up and her almond-shaped eyes widened as she questioned him sharply.
"Your Sister Xiao Wu told you ages ago that Dai Mubai was nothing but a bully who picked on the weak."
"And you're still stubbornly taking his side, bullying people right along with him!"
Tang San's brows drew tight, helplessness and urgency filling his eyes.
That wasn't what he meant at all. His expression grave, he looked at Xiao Wu and said:
"Xiao Wu, haven't you noticed that something is off?"
"You, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong are all defending someone you've never met. There must be something strange about it."
"He must have used some evil method to twist your thoughts without you even realizing it."
"Xiao Wu, don't go near him. Come over here, quickly."
"I can help you break through the illusion and regain your senses."
"Heh, San, you think I've been bewitched?"
Xiao Wu let out a cold laugh, her eyes full of disdain and disappointment.
"Open your eyes and look. Dai Mubai is throwing his weight around and bullying people here. You're not stopping him; you're letting him do whatever he wants."
"I just want to do what's right and put a stop to this bullying."
"And you turn around and say I've been bewitched? When I did good deeds before, did you think other people had bewitched me then, too?"
"Do you think this young master, who only has one ring of Soul Power, could bewitch me?"
"Or that the ordinary people I've helped could bewitch me?"
"Do you take me for a fool, ready to believe such nonsense?"
Xiao Wu's cold snort was full of disappointment in Tang San. Her look—the look of someone who had misjudged him—pricked at Tang San's heart like needle after needle.
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