Execution of Zhou Yi

By the time Yan Shaozhe reached this point, his voice had begun to tremble. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his cheeks.

The meeting room was dead silent.

Every elder present wore an expression of utter ugliness.

They knew Zhou Yi's teaching style was harsh, but they had never imagined it was harsh to this extent.

What they had not expected even more was that so many students expelled under her had met such tragic ends.

Two hundred and seventy-six people.

Eleven lives lost.

Thirty-five people permanently unable to cultivate.

Fifty-two people left with lifelong illnesses.

Nineteen people permanently disabled.

Forty-two people forced into prostitution.

Behind these figures were living, breathing lives and shattered families.

And all of it was because of one person.

Zhou Yi.

Mu En set down his teacup and fixed his gaze on Yan Shaozhe. His eyes were as still as a pool of dead water, yet they sent a chill through Yan Shaozhe's entire body.

"Shaozhe, is this how you manage the Martial Soul Department?"

Yan Shaozhe dropped to his knees with a thud, his knees slamming heavily against the floor with a dull sound.

"Teacher, I was wrong."

His voice trembled with fear and deep regret.

The moment Xian Lin'er saw Yan Shaozhe kneel, her simp instincts immediately kicked in. She shot to her feet, intending to speak for him.

"Elder Mu—"

Before she could finish, a cold shout cut her off.

"Lin'er, shut up!"

The speaker was a gray-haired old woman—Xian Lin'er's mother, a Shrek elder and a Rank 97 Super Douluo, Song Yunzhi.

Hearing her mother's words, Xian Lin'er opened her mouth, but ultimately obediently shut it and sat back down.

Mu En did not look at Xian Lin'er. His gaze remained on Yan Shaozhe as he stayed silent for a long time.

Then he slowly spoke, his voice carrying traces of exhaustion and disappointment.

"That little fellow Xuan Xiao was right. If the lower beam has already gone crooked, how can the upper beam still be straight?"

After Mu En said those words, the entire meeting room fell into a long silence.

His gaze settled on the tabletop, his eyes slightly unfocused, as though he were seeing through it into memories from many years ago.

He thought of Zhang Lexuan.

Back then, the entire Zhang Clan had been slaughtered. By the time he received the news and rushed over, he was already too late. Blood had flowed like a river through the Zhang residence, and corpses lay everywhere.

He had indeed killed those evil soul masters and avenged her, but he had also made her agree to become Beibei's child bride.

He did not know what had possessed him at the time. Perhaps it was because Beibei's parents had died, leaving him all alone.

Looking at the young Beibei, an indescribable panic had risen in his heart.

He feared that Beibei would grow up alone as well. He feared that he would have no family, no one to rely on, and no support in this world.

Perhaps he had been out of his mind then, but no matter what, what he had done was wrong.

At first, he had felt rather good about it. Zhang Lexuan was obedient and sensible, talented as well, and took excellent care of Beibei. Everything had seemed so perfect.

But as Beibei got along better and better with that little girl named Tang Ya,

and as he grew older and older, he began to regret it.

He regretted making such a request back then. No, he should never have made any request at all.

He was an old man who had lived for more than two hundred years, yet he had placed conditions on a little girl who had just lost her entire family. How was that any different from taking advantage of someone in their hour of need?

The upper beam really was crooked, so the lower beam followed suit!

Mu En gave a bitter laugh inwardly, then took a deep breath and steadied his emotions.

He raised his head, his gaze becoming clear once more. He swept his eyes across the elders present before slowly speaking.

"Zhou Yi's matter is only a microcosm. As long as it does not threaten Shrek Academy's very survival, I do not care how many benefits you have gained from it."

His voice was not loud, but every word carried weight.

"But this matter has already crossed the bottom line of life and death."

He turned to Yan Shaozhe, who was kneeling on the floor, and asked, "According to the academy rules, how should she be dealt with?"

Yan Shaozhe raised his head, his face pale as paper. His lips trembled a few times before he forced out a sentence.

"There are two options. First, cripple her cultivation and imprison her permanently in Shrek Academy's dungeon. Second, preserve her cultivation and expel her from Shrek."

As soon as those words were spoken, the meeting room fell silent again.

Everyone understood what those two paths meant.

Having one's cultivation crippled was, for a soul master, more unbearable than death.

But at least one could keep their life, though they would have to spend the rest of it in a lightless dungeon.

Being expelled from Shrek while retaining one's cultivation sounded more merciful, but in reality, it was an even crueler punishment.

Zhou Yi herself knew how many people she had offended over the years.

The students she had expelled, the families destroyed because of her, and those who wanted nothing more than to skin her alive and tear out her tendons were all waiting for this chance.

With her Soul Emperor cultivation, which had only been raised through medicine, the moment she dared step out of Shrek Academy, she would be chopped into mince.

No, perhaps not chunks that large. She should be sliced into fragments.

Mu En was silent for a moment before making his decision.

"Then the first option. She has no choice anyway. At least that way, she can keep her life."

Of course, he was not being so kindhearted.

Keeping Zhou Yi alive was merely meant to give the Soul Guidance Department a shot in the arm.

Fan Yu was Zhou Yi's husband. If he learned that his wife had been crippled and locked in a dungeon, what would he think?

Would he still remain at Shrek with peace of mind?

But if he were told that Zhou Yi would be pardoned as long as he broke through to become a Rank 9 soul engineer, it would be different.

That would become Fan Yu's motivation, making him devote his life to researching soul tools and raising his rank.

If Fan Yu truly broke through to Rank 9 soul engineer, pardoning Zhou Yi would not be impossible.

That was killing two birds with one stone.

It would soothe the Soul Guidance Department, give Fan Yu something to hope for, and make Zhou Yi pay for what she had done.

Mu En lifted his teacup and took a sip, then set it down and continued.

"No matter the cost, not a single bit of compensation owed to those people may be withheld."

His gaze swept over every elder present, his voice carrying a hint of resolve.

"This old man does not have many years left, but before I die, I still want to do something for Shrek."

As soon as he said this, all the elders present were moved.

They knew of Mu En's physical condition. This old man truly did not have much time left.

Yet he was still worrying over Shrek's future and still fighting for compensation for those who had been harmed.

Zhuang Yusen was the first to state his position. "Rest assured, Elder Mu. I will personally follow up on this matter and make sure every bit of compensation reaches its intended recipients."

Lin Huiqun also nodded. "The Treasure Pavilion will cooperate fully. Just say the word if you need resources."

Gong Changlong was silent for a moment before saying, "The Beast Fighting Area has some savings as well. If necessary, we can contribute a portion of them."

The other elders also voiced their support, declaring that they would provide their full assistance.

Seeing this, Mu En revealed a faint, gratified smile.

He waved his hand and said,

"Alright, we'll end things here today. You have all worked hard. Go back and rest early."

The elders rose one after another. After paying their respects to Mu En, they gradually left the meeting room.

In the end, only Mu En remained seated there.

He gave a bitter laugh, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Xuan Xiao's young face involuntarily surfaced in his mind, those clear eyes carrying a lucidity that did not belong to someone his age.

That boy was right. When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will follow suit.

But he still had a chance. Before he died, he could straighten this beam once more.