Flender left the office and paced back and forth in the hallway.
The old fox pushed up his crystal glasses, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off.
No matter how he listened to Yu Xiaogang's screams, they didn't sound like screams of pleasure. They sounded more like a pig being slaughtered.
Besides, it was his office. If those two left bloodstains and unspeakable fluids everywhere, what a disgrace that would be.
"No, I need to go check again. At the very least, I have to make sure they've put down some paper!"
Flender slapped his thigh and turned back toward the office.
As soon as he went in, he froze again.
Yu Xiaogang lay sprawled in a pool of blood, frantically foaming at the mouth. His crotch was so bloodied it had turned black—a truly ghastly sight.
And Tang San?
Because the Bad Luck Talisman was still working its magic, the boy had tried to stand up after his sliding kneel, only to twist his ankle.
Trying to keep his balance, he hopped frantically in place on one leg, flailing both arms.
Seeing this, Flender's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He pointed at Tang San's nose and started cursing.
"You ungrateful wretch! You bit your master like this, and now you're dancing right next to him?!"
Tang San was so frantic he nearly cried. Still hopping, he tried to explain, "Dean, I didn't! I wasn't! I can't control myself! My leg has a mind of its own!"
"Get out of the way!"
Flender couldn't be bothered to listen to his excuses. Actions spoke louder than words.
He was the Four-Eyed Owl. Could all four of his eyes really be blind?
He rushed forward, scooped up Yu Xiaogang, and bolted outside.
"Shao Xin! Old Shao! Help! Someone's going to die!"
Flender shouted at the top of his lungs as he raced through the academy.
The commotion was so loud that it startled Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and the others, who had been sunning themselves on the training field.
They gathered around. The moment they got close, the gruesome sight in Flender's arms left them stunned.
Zhao Wuji sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively covered his crotch. "Sheesh, Flender, your friend's into some freaky stuff. More hardcore than anything I'd try, and I'm Old Zhao!"
"Shut your mouth!" Flender was sweating bullets. "Where's Old Shao? Hurry up and get some Sugar Beans!"
Shao Xin came running over in a white apron. He looked down at Yu Xiaogang's bloodied lower half, and his face turned green on the spot.
"Th-this is quite the unique injury!"
"Flender, my Sugar Beans restore stamina and Soul Power. They can't cure eunuchs!"
"Cut the crap. Just keep him alive!"
"I've got a big cigar—no, wait, wrong script. I've got a Recovery Candy Bean!"
With a helpless sigh, Shao Xin formed several Sugar Beans and stuffed them into Yu Xiaogang's mouth.
Once the beans were in his mouth, Yu Xiaogang's breathing finally steadied, and the bleeding slowed for the time being.
Flender wiped away his cold sweat and settled Yu Xiaogang onto a bed.
Looking at his old friend in such a state, Flender was furious.
"That little beast Tang San treated his teacher like this? It's an outrageous betrayal!"
Oscar and Ma Hongjun, who had been watching from the sidelines, exchanged glances.
Tang San was a ruthless one! He'd even done that to his own master's family jewels.
Not someone to mess with!
The angrier Flender got, the more he ranted. "Come on! Let's settle the score with that little brat! He's gone too far!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his fists until they cracked. "Let's go. I hate disciples who don't respect their teachers. I'll loosen his bones for him today!"
The group stormed back to the office.
Just as they reached the door, they heard a series of clattering crashes from inside.
Flender kicked the door open.
Everyone peeked inside and collectively froze.
Tang San was starring in Final Destination: Shrek Edition.
He had just reached down to pick up the Hidden Weapon Box when the chandelier overhead fell without warning, hitting him squarely on the head.
Tang San screamed and stumbled backward. His left foot landed on his right, and he toppled backward.
The back of his head smacked against the corner of the desk. He clutched his head and writhed across the floor in pain.
As he rolled, he landed on the poison needles he'd dropped. In an instant, more than ten of them had stuck into his buttocks.
"Ow! I'm numb! I'm numb!"
Half of Tang San's body stiffened in an instant. He writhed on the floor like a maggot.
Zhao Wuji scratched his head and turned to Flender. "Dean, has this kid been possessed by the God of Misfortune? He's so unlucky, I almost feel bad laying a hand on him."
Flender's face twitched violently, and his heart bled.
He wasn't worried about Tang San. He was worried about his expensive solid-wood desk and crystal chandelier!
He'd originally planned to hang Tang San up and beat him. But seeing the situation now, if no one stepped in, the kid would kill himself today.
Flender activated Martial Soul Possession, flashed behind Tang San, and brought down a heavy-handed chop.
Smack!
Tang San's eyes rolled back, and he powered down.
Flender lifted Tang San like a dead dog and tossed him onto his dormitory bed.
At that moment.
Outside Shrek Academy, in the branches of a large tree.
A hulking black silhouette watched everything coldly.
Tang Hao had just finished smashing a Spirit Branch Hall and had stopped by to check on his precious son.
But as soon as he arrived, he saw Flender activate Martial Soul Possession and slap Tang San unconscious.
Tang Hao's anger flared in an instant.
I'm out there smashing Spirit Hall, and you're beating my son here?
"You Four-Eyed Owl, taking advantage of my absence to bully my son!"
Did he really think the Clear Sky Douluo was made of clay?
"I'll loosen your bones today and teach you why the flowers are so red."
Tang Hao clenched his fists and glared at Flender.
Late that night.
Flender sat in the dormitory, frantically using an abacus to calculate how many Gold Soul Coins to dock from Tang San's pay.
"Two Gold Soul Coins for the chandelier, five silver coins for the desk corner, one Gold Soul Coin to clean the carpet. That little brat will have to work off this debt!"
Suddenly, a low voice sounded beside him.
"Come out."
Flender jolted upright.
He was a seventy-eighth-level Soul Saint. How could someone have approached him without making a sound?
"Who's playing ghost?"
Flender opened the window and leaped outside. Following that faint aura, he made his way to the woods behind the academy.
As soon as he landed, he saw a burly man in a tattered cloak, standing with his back to him.
"Who are you? Why summon me out here in the middle of the night? What do you want?"
Flender pushed up his glasses and secretly gathered Soul Power, ready to run at a moment's notice.
Tang Hao slowly turned around and pulled down his hood, revealing a weathered face full of murderous intent.
"You beat my son today, and you're asking who I am?"
Flender froze, his mind racing. "Your son? Who's your son? I only hit Tang San once today..."
Before he could finish speaking, Soul Rings rose beneath Tang Hao's feet.
All nine Soul Rings blazed in the night. The glaring red Soul Ring nearly made Flender drop to his knees on the spot.
"A T-Titled Douluo!"
Flender's voice cracked with terror. His glasses nearly fell off.
"Clear Sky Douluo! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Your son bit his teacher first. He chewed him up horribly. I was only trying to stop him..."
At last, Flender realized who Tang Hao was and hurriedly pleaded and explained.
"Shut up!" Tang Hao wouldn't listen. He swung a fist the size of a sandbag and smashed it toward him.
That Four-Eyed Owl bastard had beaten his son, and now he even dared to accuse him of biting Yu Xiaogang in the family jewels?
That useless fool had been a eunuch for ages. How could he bite him?
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The woods filled with muffled blows landing on flesh and Flender's pig-slaughtering screams.
In the brush nearby.
Zhao Wuji had his big rear end sticking up as he parted the grass to spy on them.
He'd come out to pee in the middle of the night and happened to see Flender heading toward the hill behind the academy, so he'd quietly followed.
Seeing a mysterious powerhouse pin Flender to the ground and beat him one-sidedly, Zhao Wuji could barely keep from laughing out loud.
"Good! That miser docks our pay every day. He had it coming."
"Heh heh heh, left hook, beautiful! Right front kick, perfect!"
Zhao Wuji watched with relish. He was one small stool and a bag of sunflower seeds away from cheering them on.
Suddenly, the commotion in the woods stopped.
Holding the bruised and swollen Flender by the collar, Tang Hao slowly turned his head and looked toward the brush where Zhao Wuji was hiding.
"Hey, shorty in the bushes. Having fun watching?"
The smile on Zhao Wuji's face froze.
"What are you looking at?" Tang Hao asked coldly.
Zhao Wuji swallowed and instinctively replied, "What are you looking at me for?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could slap himself twice.
Damn this mouth!
Tang Hao sneered. "Good. You've got plenty of spirit. Get over here too!"
A gigantic black hand made of Soul Power shot through the air and grabbed Zhao Wuji, yanking him over.
"Senior! I was just passing by! I'm a good citizen!!!!"
Thud!
A fist smashed into Zhao Wuji's eye socket.
His screams soon echoed through the woods.
Half an hour later.
Tang Hao dusted off his hands, feeling refreshed. It really was satisfying to beat people up without using Soul Power.
Even more satisfying than those few seconds as a wage slave.
Flender and Zhao Wuji lay side by side on the ground, both beaten into pigheads.
Even their own mothers would have needed a DNA test to recognize them.
Tang Hao looked down at them. "Remember, Tang San is my son. If he loses even one hair, you know what'll happen."
The two men nodded frantically, perfectly in sync.