Flender dashed up to the healing Spirit Master.
"Quick, quick! Heal me!"
Seeing the urgency on his face, the healing Spirit Master didn't ask any questions.
He immediately released his Martial Soul.
His Martial Soul was a little green flower that shimmered with a faint light.
One white and two yellow Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.
He was clearly a healing-type Soul Elder.
The instant he released his Martial Soul, all three of his Spirit Rings lit up almost at once.
Then he thrust both hands forward.
A soft green glow poured from his palms and seeped into Flender's body.
Before long, the green light began to take effect.
Flender could clearly feel his wounds healing rapidly, though the blood and clothes covering them kept him from seeing it directly.
The Soul Skill's effect soon wore off.
The healing Spirit Master examined Flender's condition.
"Your external wounds have healed, but I can't repair the damage to your meridians. You'll need to find a higher-ranked healing Spirit Master."
"Fortunately, your student's condition is much like yours."
"He urgently needs a high-ranked Spirit Master to treat his internal injuries, or he'll probably be stuck at the Soul Grandmaster level for the rest of his life."
Flender nodded, his mood heavy.
"Where is he?"
Though Dai Mubai had killed his disciple, there had been a reason for it.
Besides, of the people he'd brought along, only Dai Mubai was still alive.
If he could save him, he should.
"Come with me."
The healing Spirit Master turned and headed toward the room he'd just come from.
Flender hurried after him.
They entered the room.
Dai Mubai lay quietly on the bed with his eyes closed.
Though his body was covered by a blanket, his face, fully exposed to the air, had returned to normal. He looked as if nothing were wrong.
"The flames that burned him were extraordinary and highly focused. They burned his entire lower body to ashes."
Flender abruptly turned to the healing Spirit Master, disbelief filling his eyes.
"By 'lower body,' do you mean what I think you mean?"
The healing Spirit Master nodded. "Exactly what you think."
"He's lost the ability to have sex."
"And as far as I know, there's no one who can make that thing grow back."
Flender: "..."
For a moment, he felt that there might not be any point in saving him after all.
Given Dai Mubai's nature, he would never be able to accept this.
Even if his internal injuries were healed, he'd probably choose to end his own life.
So be it.
Saving him was his responsibility as the dean; taking his own life was Dai Mubai's right.
He'd let Dai Mubai decide for himself.
"All right. I'll take him with me."
"Please tell Grandmaster that I'll be waiting for him at Shrek Academy."
Flender felt that this place was far too sinister.
If he stayed any longer, he and Dai Mubai probably wouldn't live much longer either.
Better to return to Shrek Academy.
He swore he'd never go near this godforsaken Nuoding City again.
"Understood."
After the healing Spirit Master agreed, Flender picked Dai Mubai up and left the academy, without even going to see Ma Hongjun.
Many students had died at Shrek Academy, including gifted Spirit Masters he'd taken as disciples. He was already used to these sudden partings.
The dead were gone. There was no need to mourn them.
At dawn, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang finally reached Holy Soul Village.
"This is your village?"
Yu Xiaogang looked over Holy Soul Village, then couldn't help glancing at Tang San.
What village had every household living in a Western-style villa, with even its roads paved with some unknown, durable stone slabs?
Anyone who didn't know better would think this was the home of some Spirit Master clan.
"Uh..."
Tang San stared at the completely unfamiliar village, just as baffled.
He'd only been away for two years. How had the village changed so much?
They hadn't taken a wrong turn, either.
The village's dramatic transformation was naturally thanks to Lin Chen.
Every year during his break, he returned to stay for a few days.
Since he had more money than he knew what to do with, he'd paid to build a Western-style villa for every household and had the village roads renovated as well.
Old Jack was now the envy of all the nearby village chiefs.
There was no helping it. The village's children had made something of themselves.
Lin Chen might not be a high rank yet, but to Holy Soul Village, he was far more useful than a Soul Douluo, let alone a Titled Douluo.
The Spirit Saint who'd left Holy Soul Village all those years ago had never returned.
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang was just as baffled, Tang San couldn't help shaking his head.
"Never mind. Let's go find your father first."
They soon reached the western end of the village.
When they saw the earthen house in the distance, so strikingly different from the Western-style villas around it, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San both fell silent.
Why did the whole village have Western-style villas, while only Tang San's family lived in an earthen house?
It looked so out of place.
It really wasn't because Lin Chen was stingy. Every time he came back, Tang Hao was away.
He'd assumed Tang Hao was still absent from the village, as in the original story.
There'd be no one living in the house after it was rebuilt, so he naturally wouldn't waste the money.
Besides, the villagers all knew that Tang Hao had never helped Lin Chen, so they certainly wouldn't ask him to fix up Tang Hao's house too.
The villagers had only received their reward because they'd helped Lin Chen.
Why should that lazy drunk Tang Hao get anything?
"Dad!"
The two of them reached the house, and Tang San immediately called out.
"Bang... clatter..."
At Tang San's shout, all sorts of strange crashing sounds rang out inside.
A moment later, the door opened.
Tang Hao stood in the doorway, reeking of drink, with bottles scattered all over the floor behind him.
"What happened?"
Seeing the two of them, Tang Hao sobered up a little at once.
Something had to have happened, or Yu Xiaogang wouldn't have brought Tang San back to find him.
Seeing his father again, Tang San could no longer hold back his sorrow.
"Dad!"
With a cry, he threw himself into Tang Hao's arms.
His tears streamed down uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Tang Hao's eyes turned icy. He fixed Yu Xiaogang with a burning stare.
It was as if he were saying, "You'd better give me an explanation."
Yu Xiaogang looked helpless as he briefly explained what had happened.
He didn't mention how things had become even more difficult.
He only said that Tang San had gotten into a dispute with a Spirit Saint. By the time he'd brought Flender and Zhao Wuji over, the other side had called in a Soul Douluo.
Then Zhao Wuji had been beaten to death.
At this, Tang Hao's expression grew even darker.
Hadn't that damn Lin Chen said that if he left Xiao San, his bad luck would lessen? Where the hell was the reduction?
You little brat, just you wait. I'll teach you a lesson.
Tang Hao cursed Lin Chen inwardly, then looked at Yu Xiaogang.
"Are they still in Nuoding City?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "After we escaped, we came straight to Holy Soul Village. I don't know what's happening in the city now."
"Let's go back."
Tang Hao didn't hesitate. He immediately led the two of them toward Nuoding City.
Before you continue