Yan Shaozhe's Fury, Bei Bei's Misfortune

Inside the stone chamber, Yan Shaozhe felt his brain buzz.

Huo Yuhao?

That recommended student of the Tang Sect?

The outer court freshman whose first soul ring was only ten years old?

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as he rapidly pieced together the events of the past few days.

Ma Xiaotao had gone to the outer court a few days ago and didn't return until nightfall.

Upon returning, she immediately announced she was going into seclusion, only to end up in this wretched state, on the verge of self-detonation.

Thinking about it this way, everything made sense.

It was absolutely that brat named Huo Yuhao who had said something he shouldn't have!

Yan Shaozhe gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could drag that ignorant freshman over right now and give him a beating.

Absurd!

Simply absurd!

If the problem of the Evil Fire Phoenix could be solved by sheer willpower, would he, as the Dean, need to scour the world for unconventional remedies?

Could his vision as the dignified Bright Phoenix Douluo, Yan Shaozhe, really be inferior to a newly enrolled freshman?!!

But as Yan Shaozhe looked at his disciple suffering in agony on the stone platform, he had to swallow his burning rage.

In just this short span of time, the evil fire on Ma Xiaotao's body had intensified once more.

Even if he went to fetch that outer court student named Xu Sanshi now, it likely wouldn't be of much use.

Was he really going to have to pin his hopes on that brat named Huo Yuhao?!!

Yan Shaozhe had no time to think.

Given the current situation, he could only grit his teeth and treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

He pressed both hands onto Ma Xiaotao's back, converting his Bright Phoenix soul power into its gentlest, most primal form to forcibly protect her heart meridian for the time being, preventing the evil fire from completely breaching her defenses.

"Hold on, I'm going to bring him to you right now!"

Leaving those words behind, Yan Shaozhe turned and rushed out of the stone chamber, transforming into a streak of white light as he headed straight for the outer court.

Outside the outer court gate, at the grilled fish stall.

The air was thick with the scent of smoke and fire, the aroma drifting far away on the evening breeze.

Xu Sanshi held two freshly grilled fish in his hands, juggling them from hand to hand because they were scalding hot, yet his face was beaming with joy.

"Yuhao, thanks! Nannan will definitely love this. I'm heading off, I'll come back to patronize your stall tomorrow!"

With that, the guy sprinted back into the academy without looking back, his speed even faster than when he fought on the arena stage.

Wang Dong sat on a small stool, rubbing her slightly bulging belly, lacking even the strength to collect the money.

Tang Ya was even more exaggerated, slumped over in her chair, muttering about how she couldn't eat another bite while her hand still clutched a used skewer tightly.

They had clearly agreed to help Huo Yuhao sell the grilled fish, but once the fresh fish were actually ready, they couldn't help but take a few bites themselves.

Huo Yuhao didn't mind; he simply flipped the fish in his hands, skillfully sprinkling a dash of seasoning over them.

The fragrance exploded instantly.

Honestly, he quite enjoyed this process now.

When grilling fish, he could completely empty his mind; he didn't have to think about anything.

He didn't have to guess what kind of mischief the Ghost Demon Venerable was brewing in his head, nor did he have to worry about when God King Tang's leash would suddenly tighten.

In front of this smoky, fire-lit stall, he was just an ordinary freshman earning a living with his craft.

Life was actually pretty good.

Although Huo Yuhao knew deep down that this was only a temporary escape.

He placed the grilled fish onto a plate and looked at the few raw fish remaining.

After he finished grilling these last few, he would go burn some incense before the Sea God Statue.

He used to prefer burning incense before grilling fish, hoping that the God King would manifest a miracle and solve the big trouble in his Sea of Consciousness.

Not anymore.

Now, he preferred to grill the fish first.

He would go through the motions only after he was full and satisfied.

After all, offering incense to the God King was physically demanding; it lacked sincerity to do it on an empty stomach.

There were still a few people waiting in line at the stall.

Just as Huo Yuhao picked up a raw fish to thread onto a skewer, a gust of wind swept past.

A figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, bypassing the queue and standing firmly right in front of the grill.

The man was dressed in white, his expression so grim it was terrifying, and the aura radiating from him made everyone nearby afraid to even breathe.

Tang Ya had been lounging in her chair digesting her meal, but seeing this, she immediately sat bolt upright. Her young mistress temper flared instantly, and she pointed a slender finger, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, you uncle, go to the back of the line if you want to buy grilled fish! Don't you know the rules—mmph, mmph..."

Before she could finish, a hand reached out from the side and clamped tightly over her mouth.

Bei Bei's forehead was covered in cold sweat; he signaled frantically to Tang Ya with his eyes, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Xiao Ya, don't talk nonsense!"

Tang Ya's eyes widened, and she let out two muffled protests, her face full of indignation.

Bei Bei didn't have time to soothe her; he quickly bowed, his attitude so respectful that not a single flaw could be found. "Dean Yan, why are you here?"

Dean Yan?

As soon as those three words were uttered, the area around the stall fell deathly silent.

The students in line looked at each other and quickly retreated several steps, terrified of inviting trouble.

Huo Yuhao held a skewer in his hand, his gaze fixed on the middle-aged man.

Since he was the Dean Yan that Bei Bei spoke of, the man's identity was obvious.

Yan Shaozhe.

Dean of the Martial Soul Department.

And Ma Xiaotao's teacher.

Huo Yuhao was clear-headed.

Since Yan Shaozhe had appeared here, it meant that something must have happened to Ma Xiaotao.

And judging by the man-eating expression on Yan Shaozhe's face, the problem was likely quite severe.

Yet, even having guessed the man's purpose, Huo Yuhao remained outwardly calm, even brushing a layer of oil onto the grilled fish with a steady hand.

Yan Shaozhe didn't even acknowledge Bei Bei; he stared fixedly at the youth behind the grill, his voice low and laced with a fury that could erupt at any moment. "You are Huo Yuhao?"

Huo Yuhao put down the brush, wiped his hands with a towel, and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Come with me."

Yan Shaozhe couldn't be bothered with pleasantries and reached out to grab him.

Even if Huo Yuhao were unwilling, he would be taken by force.

But to his surprise, Huo Yuhao didn't dodge.

He didn't even ask where they were going; he simply untied his apron and tossed it onto an empty chair nearby. "Alright."

Huo Yuhao knew he had no right to refuse.

He agreed so readily that Yan Shaozhe was stunned for half a second.

Could this kid have guessed what I'm about to do?

And for a one-ring freshman to face the pressure of a Super Douluo without even a tremor in his hands?

But Yan Shaozhe had no time to ponder; Ma Xiaotao could not wait.

He grabbed Huo Yuhao by the shoulder, surged his soul power, and the two vanished from the spot instantly.

They left behind only a crowd of bewildered people at the grilled fish stall.

The event happened too suddenly; it took two seconds for the crowd to realize what had occurred.

Wang Dong stood up abruptly, knocking over her stool, and asked anxiously, "Where did he take Yuhao?! Can a Dean just grab people whenever he wants!"

She was frantic, instinctively wanting to summon her martial soul to give chase.

Bei Bei quickly stopped her. "Wang Dong, don't be impulsive! That is Dean Yan Shaozhe of the Martial Soul Department; he won't do anything to Yuhao."

"Then why did he grab him? Yuhao hasn't done anything lately except grill fish!"

Wang Dong was pacing in agitation, her mind filled with dark thoughts.

Could the incident with Wu Feng have been exposed?

Is the academy leadership planning to execute Yuhao in secret?

No way?!!

They say concern leads to chaos, and right now, Wang Dong's mind was racing with every possible thought.

For a moment, she even considered running back to call Big Uncle and Second Uncle to come and save him.

Seeing this, Bei Bei could only offer a bitter smile while his own mind spun rapidly.

With Yan Shaozhe stepping in personally and looking that anxious, it clearly wasn't a trivial matter.

Connecting this to the fact that Ma Xiaotao had been coming by every day for grilled fish, only to suddenly go missing recently.

The answer seemed ready to emerge.

"It's likely that Senior Ma Xiaotao is in trouble."

Bei Bei sighed and patted Wang Dong on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Yuhao isn't someone who gets taken advantage of so easily. We'll just wait here for him to return."

Although Wang Dong was still uneasy, she knew she couldn't catch up, so she could only huffily right the overturned stool and sit back down.

Tang Ya finally managed to break free from Bei Bei's hand, gasping for air.

"Bei Bei, you almost suffocated me! Was that uncle really the Dean?"

"Genuine and authentic."

Bei Bei felt a bit helpless regarding Tang Ya's reaction.

When would their Sect Master ever change that careless personality of hers?

Since Bei Bei had said as much, Tang Ya could only let out an "oh" and turn her gaze back to the grill.

The charcoal in the stove was still burning bright, and there were seven or eight raw fish left on the side.

She rubbed her stomach, feeling that after being startled just now, she was hungry again.

Tang Ya suddenly thought of something; her eyes lit up as she turned to look at Bei Bei, smiling brilliantly.

"Bei Bei, since Yuhao was dragged away, these fish shouldn't go to waste."

Bei Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he was suddenly struck by an extremely dangerous premonition.

"Xiao Ya, what are you planning?"

Tang Ya shoved a handful of raw fish into Bei Bei's hands, patted his shoulder, and spoke with righteous confidence.

"Isn't it simple?"

"You grill them!"

Bei Bei stared at the raw fish in his hands and swallowed hard.

This task felt even more life-threatening than going to the Colosseum to have a brawl with Xu Sanshi.