What Had Happened to Yu Xiaogang?

Yu Xiaogang suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and tears. His voice rose sharply, filled with a sob and a desperate accusation.

"He blames me for disgracing Shrek Academy! He blames me for dragging everyone down with me! He just stormed into my room and humiliated me in every way imaginable... He... He..."

He pointed to the wound on his forehead, his voice trembling with fear.

"He... he actually attacked! He said... he said I had to finish my last meal and get out of here, or else... or else he'd make me disappear from Heaven Dou City forever!"

"Third Brother, the way he looked at me... was full of murderous intent! I have no doubt that the moment I left the academy, it would be my death! He's Spirit Saint, if he wants to kill me, I... I have nowhere to escape!"

Yu Xiaogang's desperate, fear-filled accusations still echoed in the cramped dormitory, the air thick with the pungent smell of lies and despair.

Looking at the face before him, streaked with tears, bleeding from the forehead, and etched with weakness and helplessness, Tang San felt a surge of complex emotions, like a jumble of mixed flavors.

Disgust, like a maggot clinging to a bone, stubbornly occupies the deepest part of the heart.

The person before him was no longer the Grandmaster he once looked up to, regarded as a pillar of support, and who even vaguely replaced the image of his father.

The exposed fabricated theories, the despicable means of exploiting Liu Erlong and Flender's relationship, and the cowardly retreat in the face of power and truth have already shattered that glorious image.

Every time I see Yu Xiaogang, it's like a reminder of how he once worshipped such despicable people as gods. The shame brought by this realization is far stronger than any sympathy.

However, six years of living together day and night, countless days and nights of teaching, those repeated terms of endearment for a mistress, and those seemingly insignificant yet real acts of care, have ultimately left a lingering connection in my heart that is difficult to sever completely.

It was more like a habit, a lingering sense of responsibility towards the "teacher-student" relationship, than genuine respect.

It's like seeing a stray dog you once fed, now dirty, ugly, and biting people on the roadside. Even though you know it's dangerous and disgusting, a corner of your heart is still touched by an untimely Limber when it wags its tail and trembles—even if this touch is fleeting, covered by strong reason and vigilance.

Especially Yu Xiaogang's current miserable state.

The wound on his forehead was gruesome, with bloodstains mixed with sweat and dust winding down. His tattered clothes reeked of sourness, and the fingers gripping Tang San's arm were icy cold with white knuckles from excessive force, conveying a real, trembling feeling of impending collapse.

This appearance truly resembles that of a pitiful creature driven to the brink of despair and with nowhere else to turn.

'Would Dean Flender really kill him?'

Tang San's Purple Demon Eye narrowed slightly as he calmly Analytic the situation.

Flender could certainly utter harsh words in a fit of anger.

Given Flender's fiercely protective and prideful nature, the fact that Yu Xiaogang caused Shrek to lose face in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy could indeed have pushed his pent-up anger to its peak.

It's possible he pushed or even hit him. But would Flender really go to such lengths, risking complete disgrace, to kill a defenseless Yu Xiaogang?

Tang San gently shook his head.

Flender was a ruthless and impulsive man, but also pragmatic. Killing Yu Xiaogang would only bring him temporary anger, with no benefit whatsoever and the risks far outweighing the rewards.

Yu Xiaogang's description is 99% exaggerated, or even deliberately fabricated.

Purpose?

It's nothing more than taking advantage of the last bit of affection and guilt they have left.

A cold sense of alienation spread through Tang San's heart.

He looked into Yu Xiaogang's eyes and saw not entirely fear, but a deeper, urgent, almost greedy, calculating glint.

Those tears seemed to be shed more to elicit sympathy.

'Teacher, oh teacher, even in this situation, are you still resorting to scheming?'

Tang San sighed silently in his heart.

This sigh was not for Yu Xiaogang's predicament, but for the completely collapsed and irreparable bond between master and disciple, carrying a hint of weariness as the dust settled.

Looking into Yu Xiaogang's bloodshot, pleading eyes, Tang San remained silent for a few breaths. This silence was not hesitation, but rather a rapid weighing of the pros and cons.

Completely ignore?

Yu Xiaogang is right; after all, he was his teacher, at least nominally, who had taught him for six years.

Yu Xiaogang really dies out there under mysterious circumstances, especially at the hands of Flender, it would be a stain on his reputation among the Shrek Academy students and even in the future Soul Master World.

People will accuse him Tang San being ungrateful and standing by while his mentor suffers.

This is inconsistent with his self-image as someone who is "deeply affectionate and respectful of teachers and elders."

Moreover, Yu Xiaogang is like a powder keg about to ignite, pushing him to the brink of despair. It's hard to guarantee he won't do something even more outrageous and implicate others.

Help him?

That's absolutely impossible. To aid and abet evil will lead to endless trouble.

Yu Xiaogang's current state exuded a dangerous aura, and Tang San's keen intuition was issuing a warning.

So, it seems there's only one path left.

Give him something to "protect himself" and send him away.

This way, the last vestige of the master-disciple relationship could be maintained on the surface, silencing any gossip, while also pushing him away and reducing trouble. More importantly, having the item under one's control meant managing the risks.

"Well..."

Tang San finally let out a long, heavy sigh.

That sigh contained so much—disappointment, helplessness, and Sisi lingering trace of pity overshadowed by a stronger sense of alienation, ultimately transforming into a cold, self-serving decision.

He gently freed himself from Yu Xiaogang's hand, which was gripping his arm tightly, his movement carrying an undeniable sense of distance.

"Teacher."

Tang San's voice returned to its usual calmness, even carrying a hint of deliberate aloofness.

"Please calm down. Dean... the Dean may have just been angry for a moment and his words were too harsh. After all, you know that everyone is facing a difficult situation lately."

Yu Xiaogang, however, seemed to have grasped at a straw, shaking his head frantically, his face streaked with blood and tears, making him look even more miserable.

"No! You don't understand! His eyes... those are truly murderous eyes! I know him, he hates me to the core! He wants nothing more than to grind me to dust! I... I just want to live, you little devil! For... for the sake of the six years I've taught you, give me something to protect myself! Just a little bit!"

He once again used the phrase "six years of teaching" to break down Tang San's psychological defenses, his tone humble to the point of being servile, yet his eyes revealed an undisguised anxiety.

Time!

Time is running out for the God of Wrath's test!

He needs the poison, and he needs it immediately!

Tang San stared intently at Yu Xiaogang.

Those eyes that he once trusted were now filled with murky desire and fear, devoid of any trace of their former wisdom.

He could clearly sense the abnormally restless energy fluctuations deep within Yu Xiaogang's soul, filled with a destructive aura; though weak, they were extremely pure and evil.

This made him even more vigilant.

What happened to Yu Xiaogang?

Why does it feel so... unusual?