Ma Xiunuo gave Yang Ming a heavy pat on the shoulder. Yang Ming swayed, and a trace of pallor flashed across his face, but he quickly forced it down without showing any sign of it.
Though Yang Ming had seemed to defeat Cao Mengyun with ease just now, in truth, every second had been like dancing on the edge of a blade. One moment of carelessness, and Cao Mengyun's wolf claws could have struck him, with unimaginable consequences.
The drain on his energy was one issue; the other was his lack of Soul Power.
After using the Green Lotus Core Flame only once, Yang Ming felt completely hollowed out. Not a trace of Soul Power remained in his body. It truly deserved to be the first Heavenly Flame acquired by the Flame Emperor—its power was formidable indeed.
Unaware of the situation, Ma Xiunuo gave Yang Ming a thumbs-up and praised him.
"I've seen plenty of talented young men, but young people like you are truly rare—clearly gifted beyond measure, clearly burdened by injustice, yet still able to exercise restraint and leave others a way out."
Yang Ming rolled his eyes inwardly. If my Soul Power hadn't been exhausted and I weren't too tired to move, and if you staff members weren't here, I would've gone over and killed Cao Mengyun long ago, cutting the weeds out by the roots.
Seeing that Yang Ming did not respond, Ma Xiunuo understood that Spirit Hall and its staff had handled things poorly earlier and had likely offended him. He hurriedly put on a pleasant expression, utterly different from his previous cold demeanor.
Why?
Wasn't it because Yang Ming had already demonstrated his value?
Dual Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and exceptional combat talent!
All of this was enough for Ma Xiunuo to abandon Cao Mengyun and make every effort to win Yang Ming over. Even if he failed to recruit him, he still needed to dispel Yang Ming's resentment.
If Yang Ming had merely been an ordinary person, who would have cared about him?
Rules were made by the strong, and rules obeyed the strong!
Ma Xiunuo returned to his desk and quickly approved a brand-new Spirit Hall certificate. He solemnly handed it to Yang Ming, then bowed slightly in apology.
"On behalf of the Notting City Spirit Hall branch, I apologize to you for the matter involving Cao Mengyun. Cao Mengyun neglected his duties, abused his authority for personal gain, and used public power to settle private grudges. Our Notting City Spirit Hall branch will investigate this thoroughly and impose severe disciplinary action for his major misconduct."
As for dismissing Cao Mengyun?
That was not something their branch could decide. It had to be reported to a higher authority for a ruling.
As he spoke, Ma Xiunuo took out a pouch of Gold Soul Coins from his robe. They were all things Cao Mengyun had previously used to bribe him. Now, they felt like a hot potato in his hands, so he simply used them to do Yang Ming a favor and handed them over.
"I also know that you come from the impoverished Holy Soul Village and are about to attend the Junior Soul Master Academy. To show our sincerity, here are 100 Gold Soul Coins. Consider them tuition sponsored by Spirit Hall."
"Also, your Holy Soul Village only has one school admission slot each year. I've already written an introduction on the certificate. Once you hand it to the academic affairs office, they won't make things difficult for you for Spirit Hall's sake."
It had to be said that Ma Xiunuo was skilled at handling people, and his service was thorough.
1 Gold Soul Coin = 10 Silver Soul Coins = 100 Copper Soul Coins.
For an ordinary household, one Gold Soul Coin was enough to cover several months of expenses, let alone 100 Gold Soul Coins.
Not to mention that Ma Xiunuo had also conveniently resolved the enrollment slot that had been giving Old Jack such a headache.
Even the resentment Yang Ming had felt toward Ma Xiunuo for standing by earlier vanished before such a generous sum.
"However..." Yang Ming raised one finger. "I have one more request."
Ma Xiunuo frowned, thinking Yang Ming was being greedy. The good impression Yang Ming had just made on him immediately faded considerably.
Unexpectedly, Yang Ming continued.
"My request is very simple. After you treat Cao Mengyun, he must apologize to Auntie Wang of Holy Soul Village! He rode his horse wildly through the village before and nearly ran her over, almost causing both her and the child in her womb to die."
To Yang Ming,
Spirit Hall's compensation was not important, nor was solving the issue of the school admission slot. The most important thing was to seek justice for that pregnant woman!
Never forget why he had started!
Ma Xiunuo had already prepared himself for Yang Ming to make an exorbitant demand. He had never expected such a request.
"That's all?"
Hearing Ma Xiunuo's question, Yang Ming shot him an unhappy glance.
"What, even such a small matter is beyond Spirit Hall's ability?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
Ma Xiunuo scratched his head, his face burning. He had judged a gentleman by his own petty standards just now, making himself seem narrow-minded. He had not expected his own heart to be inferior even to that of a child. It felt as though he had lived several decades like a dog.
Ma Xiunuo immediately thumped his chest and promised cheerfully.
"Don't worry. Once Cao Mengyun wakes up, even if he refuses, I'll drag him to your village and make him offer a proper apology!"
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Old Jack nodded repeatedly, his face full of relief.
Supported by Tang San, Old Jack limped over to Yang Ming and gave him a big hug. He was both relieved that his grandson had survived the ordeal and proud of him!
Old Jack rubbed Yang Ming's head and sighed.
"Yang Ming, you did well!"
Even Tang San, who had always been proud and dissatisfied with Yang Ming, always wanting to find another chance to spar with him, had no choice but to admit defeat at this moment!
Just then, Grandmaster, who had been standing silently in the background all along, suddenly approached.
Yang Ming felt a trace of gratitude toward Grandmaster. If Grandmaster had not led the way, they might not even have made it through Spirit Hall's doors.
"Grandmaster, we really have you to thank for earlier."
Grandmaster waved his hand repeatedly, signaling that Yang Ming need not be so polite.
Then, Grandmaster stared intently at Yang Ming, making his scalp tingle. Yang Ming had seen that look somewhere before. It seemed like the expression his biology teacher had worn while teaching the frog dissection lesson.
"Child, are you willing to take me as your teacher?"
Yang Ming had read the original story, so how could he not know Grandmaster's reputation?
It could be said that without Grandmaster, even with the Mysterious Heaven Skill at his side, Tang San would have taken many detours and wasted much time.
Moreover, no one could match Grandmaster's theoretical knowledge. He knew what others knew, and he also knew what others did not. Though his strength was not great, his knowledge and insight allowed him to guide others through confusion, helping students avoid many detours and even find shortcuts to becoming stronger.
Seeing Yang Ming remain silent, Tang San grew anxious and urged him.
"Yang Ming, just agree to it. I've already taken Grandmaster as my teacher too. That way, we can all study under Grandmaster together."
Yang Ming considered it carefully, yet still felt it was not appropriate.
Shaking his head, Yang Ming cupped his fist toward Grandmaster and said apologetically.
"Grandmaster, I'm afraid you are not qualified to be my teacher."
(Note: Some middle schools in Guangdong Province have practical classes involving frog dissection. If you don't believe it, you can look it up online.)
(Thanks to Jiu for donating 200 book coins! Thanks to Ye for donating 888 book coins! Thanks to Wen for donating 300 book coins! Thanks to Jin for donating 1,000 book coins!)
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