For six years, Flender's Cat-Eagle Martial Soul had circled over his head without a moment's rest.
He would never forget that feeling of being watched, not for the rest of his life.
But now, that feeling was gone.
Was Flender really not here?
Ji Ye frowned slightly.
In the original story, when Ning Rongrong and Oscar were running laps, didn't Flender keep watching her while she secretly slipped off to Suotuo City to eat, drink, and have fun?
Why wasn't he here?
Ji Ye spread his spiritual power out again and searched every inch of the area.
Still nothing.
He withdrew his senses, a guess taking shape in his mind.
Had Senior Lion really hit that hard?
Had he beaten Flender so badly he couldn't get up?
Meanwhile.
Shrek Academy, the dean's lounge.
The room was small, with a bed, a table, and a chair.
A few bottles of medicine sat on the table, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of ointment.
Someone lay on the bed.
Flender.
Bandages covered him from head to toe, leaving only one eye exposed.
He looked like a mummy.
Zhao Wuji stood by the bed, holding a bowl of medicine. He let out a deep sigh.
"Dean, it's time for your medicine."
Flender's one visible eye shifted. The bandages around his mouth moved, and a muffled voice came out.
"Put... it on the table."
Zhao Wuji set the bowl down and shook his head at the sight of Flender.
That beating from the Titled Douluo had left Flender in a terrible state.
Six broken ribs, fractures in both arms, torn ligaments in both legs—there wasn't a single patch of uninjured flesh on him.
The fists of a Titled Douluo landed with bone-crushing force. The fact that Flender hadn't been killed on the spot meant the man had shown restraint.
Zhao Wuji left the room and gently shut the door behind him.
A chubby boy stood outside, around twelve or thirteen years old, with a round face and small eyes.
Ma Hongjun.
"Teacher Zhao, the dean..."
"He won't die," Zhao Wuji said.
"But he won't be getting out of bed anytime soon."
Ma Hongjun peeked through the crack in the door and shrank back.
A Titled Douluo was terrifying.
Good thing he hadn't been at the academy that day.
Zhao Wuji looked at the students training in the courtyard.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu.
"Where are Ning Rongrong and Oscar? Are those two still not back?" Zhao Wuji asked.
As soon as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps sounded at the academy gate.
Oscar ran in.
His head was drenched in sweat, his clothes stuck to his back, and he braced his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Hah... hah..."
When he'd caught his breath, he looked up and found everyone staring at him. He froze, then scratched the back of his head.
"E-everyone's here?"
Zhao Wuji looked at him sternly, then glanced up at the sky.
The sun was already sinking in the west. Had he really made those two run laps for the entire afternoon?
"Where's Ning Rongrong?" Zhao Wuji's voice turned cold.
"Wasn't she with you?"
Oscar opened his mouth, then closed it again. His expression shifted from awkwardness to panic, then from panic to guilt.
"She..."
"She what?"
"She..."
Oscar was sweating bullets. He struggled for a long while but couldn't manage a single complete sentence.
He couldn't exactly say that Ning Rongrong had taken off for Suotuo City to eat, drink, and have fun after barely running two laps, could he?
Then how would he ever be able to talk to Rongrong again?
Just as Oscar was at a loss for an answer, a clear young woman's voice rang out from the academy gate.
"Your young miss isn't late, is she?"
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Ning Rongrong stood at the gate, her green dress without a speck of dust.
A smug smile played on her face, her chin tilted slightly upward.
She looked every bit like a young miss arriving with a grand flourish, expecting everyone to get out of her way.
But no one was looking at her.
They were looking at the person behind her.
He wore plain gray clothes, with black hair falling over his shoulders and a lean, upright frame.
His features were striking, his skin pale, his eyelashes long, and his nose straight.
He simply stood there, doing nothing, yet drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.
Xiao Wu's mouth hung open, her eyes wide as she stared fixedly at Ji Ye's face. She didn't blink for a long moment.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze rested on Ji Ye's face for three seconds, then quickly darted away to look elsewhere.
Two seconds later, though, it secretly slid back.
A faint blush spread across her face.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's reaction, Dai Mubai felt a little jealous.
He shot Ji Ye an annoyed look.
This guy!
Was he seriously a little too handsome?
Dai Mubai was considered one of the most handsome men in the Star Luo Empire!
His hand then unconsciously went to his chin, checking whether his jawline was still there.
The moment Zhao Wuji saw Ji Ye, his pupils contracted sharply.
Ji Ye!
Why had he come back?
Images from several days ago flashed through Zhao Wuji's mind.
That Titled Douluo had descended from the sky and pounded Flender with one fist after another, each blow landing with bone-crushing force as blood sprayed everywhere.
Zhao Wuji would never forget that sight for as long as he lived.
And that Titled Douluo had come to stand up for Ji Ye.
Zhao Wuji swallowed and tried to look calm, though sweat was already starting to bead on his back.
Ji Ye noticed Zhao Wuji's gaze. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he spoke first.
"Long time no see, Teacher Zhao Wuji."
Zhao Wuji's Adam's apple bobbed.
"L-long time no see, Ji Ye."
He paused, trying to make his voice sound normal.
"You're here to..."
Before he could finish, Ning Rongrong cut in.
"Teacher Zhao, he wants to enroll in our academy!"
Her voice was brimming with excitement.
"Hurry up and accept him!"
Zhao Wuji looked at her, then at Ji Ye, and frowned.
Enroll at Shrek Academy?
Flender had spent six years trying to recruit Ji Ye, using every method he could think of, both gentle and forceful, but had never managed to get the boy to join Shrek.
And now the boy had shown up on his own?
Zhao Wuji wasn't convinced.
"You really want to join Shrek Academy?" he asked cautiously.
Ji Ye shook his head slightly.
"No. I'm here to learn how your academy teaches."
He paused, considering how to put it.
"You could call it... auditing classes."
Zhao Wuji fell silent.
Auditing classes.
Not joining.
That meant the boy could leave whenever he wanted.
But Zhao Wuji didn't dare refuse him.
After all, the dean was still lying in bed.
"Fine." Zhao Wuji nodded, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"Shrek Academy welcomes you."
Zhao Wuji looked at Oscar.
"Oscar, take Ji Ye to find a dormitory."
Oscar froze, then nodded.
"Oh... okay."
He looked at Ji Ye's face, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.
"Come with me," Oscar said, his voice lower than usual.
Ji Ye nodded and followed him.
He had never met Oscar before.
Back when Flender had kept pestering him, he'd never once set foot inside Shrek Academy.
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