Compensation

Yan Shaozhe looked lean and refined, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He sat casually on the sofa, yet the aura of someone long accustomed to authority was impossible to conceal.

When he saw Lin Yaoyang enter, he smiled and raised a hand in greeting. "Hello, Student Lin. I'm Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department. Come, have a seat first."

Lin Yaoyang nodded and sat on the sofa opposite him, his back straight and posture proper.

Yan Shaozhe's gaze lingered on him for a moment, and a trace of appreciation flashed through his eyes.

"No need to be nervous," he said with a smile. "Don't take today's matter to heart."

Lin Yaoyang did not respond, merely waiting quietly.

He knew Yan Shaozhe had not called him here simply to say, "Don't take it to heart."

Sure enough, Yan Shaozhe lifted his teacup for a sip before setting it down. In a relaxed, casual tone, he said, "We've investigated what happened this morning. Zhou Yi was indeed in the wrong, but it was entirely her personal conduct and had nothing to do with the academy. Please rest assured."

Lin Yaoyang nodded.

Investigated it thoroughly? More like weighed the situation thoroughly.

Zhou Yi's teaching methods had not been going on for only a day or two at Shrek. Would the academy really not have known? They had merely turned a blind eye. Now that something had happened, they were simply pushing her out to take the blame.

Of course, he would not say any of that aloud.

"Fine, then." Lin Yaoyang looked at Yan Shaozhe with calm eyes. "May I ask, Dean Yan, how do you intend to handle this matter?"

Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly, seemingly unsurprised by his directness.

"We've already dealt with her."

Dealt with her?

Lin Yaoyang blinked.

That phrasing... why did it sound like they had silenced her?

Seeing his expression, Yan Shaozhe coughed lightly and hurriedly added, "We've expelled her. Another teacher will take over as your class teacher."

Lin Yaoyang remained expressionless, but he understood perfectly well.

Expelled? It probably was not that simple.

Zhou Yi's husband was the deputy dean of the Soul Tool Department, an eighth-rank Soul Engineer and a well-known figure at Shrek. Yan Shaozhe was not afraid of him, but neither would he completely offend him.

This so-called "expulsion" was most likely for show. Once things blew over, she would change identities, switch classes, or perhaps even head over to the Soul Tool Department.

But none of that mattered to him. As long as Zhou Yi was gone, that was enough.

Lin Yaoyang nodded to show that he understood.

Seeing how indifferent he was, Yan Shaozhe nodded inwardly.

This kid really knew how to keep his composure.

An ordinary twelve-year-old, after beating up their class teacher on their first day of school and then being summoned to the dean's office, would be trembling with fear—or at the very least, uneasy. Yet this Lin Yaoyang had remained as calm as if he were listening to someone else's story from beginning to end.

Neither servile nor overbearing, neither flustered nor hurried.

Such temperament was even rarer than his talent.

Yan Shaozhe withdrew his thoughts and waved a hand. A black card engraved with the Shrek Academy emblem and patterned with gold appeared on the coffee table out of thin air. A faint glow of Soul Power shimmered along its edges, making it obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

"This is a gold card with a limit of fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Yan Shaozhe gently pushed the card toward Lin Yaoyang, his tone still mild. "Consider it the academy's compensation to you. You've only just enrolled, and you'll be able to use it later to purchase cultivation resources and daily necessities."

Yan Shaozhe had his own careful calculations.

Lin Yaoyang's talent was unmatched among this year's new students, and was exceedingly rare even across the entire continent. He was a top-tier prospect Shrek had to hold firmly in its grasp.

But on his very first day, he had clashed with his class teacher and even injured her. It was inevitable that he would harbor some resentment toward the academy.

Yet if they directly gifted him something as valuable as a Soul Bone, it would seem too deliberate and might instead make Lin Yaoyang wary.

Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins was no small sum. To an ordinary Soul Master, it was already an enormous fortune. It could genuinely compensate for today's unpleasantness without seeming overly calculating. It was just enough to soothe and win him over gently, gradually binding this promising seedling firmly to Shrek Academy.

After weighing the pros and cons, this was his safest choice.

"Later, once Student Lin breaks through to Soul King, you can come find me, and I'll take you hunting Soul Beasts!"

Lin Yaoyang said nothing. He simply reached out, picked up the card, and stored it in his storage Soul Tool.

"Then thank you, Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and waved a hand. "It's only proper. Study here at ease. If you have any reasonable needs in the future, you may also relay them to the academy through your class teacher."

"Then thank you, Dean Yan."

Yan Shaozhe smiled and waved a hand. "It's only proper."

Lin Yaoyang rose to his feet and looked calmly at Yan Shaozhe. "Is there anything else, Dean Yan? If not, I'll be leaving."

Yan Shaozhe was slightly taken aback.

He had originally prepared a whole set of remarks, intending to chat with the boy a little longer and build their relationship. He had not expected the other party to leave as soon as he received the compensation, so decisive that he gave him no opening at all.

"Alright." He nodded with a smile. "Go back and get some proper rest."

Lin Yaoyang turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

The office fell silent.

Yan Shaozhe leaned back on the sofa, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers as he remained silent for a moment.

"What do you think of this Lin Yaoyang?" he asked.

Du Weilun thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Arrogant yet steady, clever yet sly."

After a pause, he added, "It may take some effort to make someone like him truly integrate into Shrek Academy."

Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, a thoughtful glint flashing through his eyes.

"That is indeed the case."

He picked up his teacup and looked at the tea leaves drifting inside. Slowly, he said, "But he is still human. As long as someone is human, they have weaknesses and desires. As long as we can grasp those, we can control him."

Du Weilun said nothing.

He knew Yan Shaozhe was better at this sort of thing than he was.

After all, this dean had always been skilled at scheming.

Dormitory.

When Lin Yaoyang pushed the door open, Wang Dong was sitting cross-legged on her bed with a book in her hands, pretending to read. The instant she heard the door, she looked up, her eyes lighting up briefly before she quickly put on an indifferent expression.

"You're back?" she asked in a flat tone, as if she were merely asking casually.

Lin Yaoyang glanced at her, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"Mm."

He walked over to his bed and sat down, beginning to undo the buttons of his school uniform.

Wang Dong waited for a few seconds. When she saw that he was not going to say anything else, she finally could not hold back.

"So? Was there any trouble?" she asked, with a faint urgency in her voice.

Lin Yaoyang turned to look at her with a half-smile. "Are you worried about me, Little Wang?"

Wang Dong: "..."

Little Wang? What kind of ridiculous nickname was that?

Her face flushed slightly. She turned her head away and snorted. "Who's worried about you?! I was just... just curious! Don't flatter yourself!"

"And don't call me Little Wang! It sounds awful!"

Lin Yaoyang could not help laughing at her stubborn act.

"Didn't we agree during our match that whoever won got the final say? You lost, so you have to listen to me."

Wang Dong clenched her fists, her teeth grinding audibly.

She took a deep breath, then another, doing her best to make her expression look less murderous.

"...Brother Lin." She forced out a smile. "What exactly happened?"

Lin Yaoyang nodded in satisfaction. "That old hag was expelled. We're getting a new class teacher."

Wang Dong was slightly startled.

Expelled?

She had thought Zhou Yi would at most receive a reprimand and have some of her pay deducted. She had not expected the academy to actually expel an old teacher for the sake of a new student.

"Besides that, there's this." Lin Yaoyang took out the black-and-gold card from his storage Soul Tool and tossed it lightly in his hand.

"That's a Gold Soul Coin card?"

"Mm. It has a limit of fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins. It's compensation from the academy."

"Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins?!"

Wang Dong's eyes widened at once, her voice jumping an octave as she shot upright.

"Fifty thousand?! That much?"

She was completely stunned.

For a student, that was practically an astronomical sum—enough to buy a great deal of cultivation resources.

Wang Dong looked at the card, then at Lin Yaoyang's unruffled expression. She felt both admiration and envy, and her gaze toward him gained a little more conviction.

"The academy actually gave you that much money directly..."

Lin Yaoyang casually stored the card back in his storage Soul Tool, his tone calm. "Who do you think I am?"

"Tch, look at you showing off!"

Wang Dong curled her lips and turned away, though she secretly glanced at Lin Yaoyang from the corner of her eye. A hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

Still... he really was impressive!