Ma Xiaotao: Yu Xiaogang, What a Coward!

Ma Hongjun looked at the wisp of flame and immediately shut his mouth.

Dai Mubai's face darkened.

"Shrek Academy isn't a place where anyone can bully us, either."

"You forced us to apologize today. One day, you'll regret it."

Qian Renxue raised her eyes to him.

"You're still threatening us, even now?"

The phantom of a Six-Winged Angel slowly rose behind her.

Sacred radiance lit the long street once more.

"Zhao Wuji can no longer fight."

"Even together, you can't stop Ma Xiaotao."

"Who exactly are you going to make regret this?"

Dai Mubai stiffened.

There was still a Six-Winged Angel Soul Emperor before him.

And Tang Ya had never truly made a move.

If the clash continued, Shrek's side had no chance of winning.

Zhao Wuji leaned against Oscar's shoulder.

He glanced at Ma Hongjun, then at the flames blocking the way ahead.

"Apologize."

Ma Hongjun whipped his head around.

"Teacher Zhao?"

Zhao Wuji's face was pale.

"You were the one who provoked them in the first place."

"Apologize. Now."

Ma Hongjun stood rooted to the spot, his plump face shifting through one expression after another.

Every passerby was watching him.

Lowering his head in front of so many people felt worse than taking another beating.

But the Phoenix Flame at Ma Xiaotao's fingertips had not gone out.

And Zhao Wuji could no longer protect him.

Ma Hongjun lowered his head.

"I'm sorry."

Tang Ya looked at him.

"Who are you apologizing to?"

Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth.

"Ma Xiaotao, Tang Ya, and Qian Renxue."

"I was wrong just now."

"I shouldn't have said those things, and I shouldn't have asked Boss Dai to take you away by force."

Ma Xiaotao did not respond at once.

"What else?"

Ma Hongjun looked up.

"What else is there?"

Tang Ya said earnestly:

"You can't use Evil Fire as an excuse to harass other women again."

"If someone says no, you cannot force her."

"That's the most basic rule."

Ma Hongjun glanced at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang did not speak up for him.

He could only lower his head again.

"I understand."

"It won't happen again."

Ma Xiaotao stared at him for a moment.

"Remember what you said today."

"If I catch you doing it again, I won't stop at burning off your hair."

Ma Hongjun touched his bald head and immediately shrank back.

Tang Ya turned to Yu Xiaogang and Dai Mubai.

"Ma Hongjun has apologized."

"What about Shrek Academy?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted.

He had never imagined three women would corner him on a long street in Heaven Dou City and demand an apology.

Still less had he imagined Zhao Wuji would be defeated so thoroughly.

After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"We didn't look into what happened today."

"Zhao Wuji was too rash in making a move."

"Shrek Academy apologizes to you."

Dai Mubai stood to one side without a word.

Tang Ya turned to him.

"You too."

"Ma Hongjun wasn't the only one who wanted to take us away by force."

Dai Mubai clenched his fists.

He glanced at the badly injured Zhao Wuji, then finally lowered his head.

"I was wrong earlier."

"I apologize to you."

Only then did satisfaction show on Tang Ya's face.

"That's more like it."

Ma Xiaotao waved a hand.

The Phoenix Flame blocking the street dispersed.

"Get lost."

"We'll settle the rest at the Soul Master Tournament."

The Shrek group did not linger.

Dai Mubai and Oscar supported Zhao Wuji as they hurried toward the academy.

Yu Xiaogang walked beside them without looking back.

Ma Hongjun brought up the rear.

He did not dare look at Ma Xiaotao again. He could only keep his head down and follow closely.

Tang Ya watched them disappear into the distance.

"I hope Ma Hongjun really remembers."

"If he dares do it again, Sister Xiaotao can burn him once more."

Ma Xiaotao looked away.

"If once isn't enough, I'll burn him twice."

"I'd like to see how much hair he can grow."

Ma Hongjun walked at the back of the group with his head down.

The apology had already cost him every scrap of dignity.

Especially in front of so many people in Heaven Dou City.

Whenever he thought of his promise not to use a flare-up of Evil Fire as an excuse to harass women again, his chest tightened.

"What kind of apology was that?"

Ma Hongjun finally stopped walking.

"She burned me like this, and I still had to apologize to her?"

Dai Mubai looked back at him.

"Fatty, leave it alone."

"Why should I?"

Ma Hongjun pointed at his bald head.

"She burned off my hair and beat me into this state."

"If Teacher Zhao hadn't stopped her, who knows how else she would've humiliated me?"

"And now Teacher Zhao tells me to apologize. You all tell me to apologize, too."

"Who's going to answer for what she did to me?"

Dai Mubai's face darkened.

"We didn't do anything wrong."

"We only teased them a little. We didn't actually do anything to them."

"Why should we apologize?"

Yu Xiaogang stopped as well.

He looked back toward the far end of the street.

Ma Xiaotao and the other two had turned around and were looking their way.

"Mubai is right."

Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back.

"Hongjun may have spoken first, but they went too far and injured Zhao Wuji as well."

"Both sides bear responsibility."

"Shrek Academy had no need to bow its head to them over this."

Confusion appeared on Tang Ya's face when she heard this.

She looked at the Shrek group, then at Ma Xiaotao beside her.

"Wasn't Shrek Academy in the records a symbol of justice and light?"

"The Tang Sect Records even say Shrek Academy trained countless powerful people who protected the continent."

"Why won't they admit what they did wrong?"

Ma Xiaotao folded her arms.

"Not everything written in the records is necessarily true."

Tang Ya nodded earnestly.

"But Sect Master Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple."

"If Yu Xiaogang was recorded as the Theoretical Master, he should understand the most basic principles."

"Once someone refuses, you can't keep harassing her."

"And if you start trouble, you can't blame someone else just because you lost."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned ugly.

He looked at Tang Ya.

"Just because you come from Ten Thousand Years Later, you think you can judge the people of this era however you please?"

Tang Ya shook her head.

"I'm only judging what you did today."

"The Shrek Academy in the historical records wasn't this unreasonable."

Dai Mubai stepped forward.

"We weren't wrong. Why should we apologize?"

Ma Xiaotao raised her eyes.

"You say you weren't wrong?"

"Ma Hongjun harassed us in the street."

"After we refused him, he still wanted you to take us away by force."

"Zhao Wuji attacked us without even asking what had happened."

"And Yu Xiaogang stood by, assuming we were to blame from the start."

"Now tell me again that you did nothing wrong."

Dai Mubai opened his mouth.

He wanted to argue, but could find no words.

Ma Hongjun immediately said, "My Evil Fire was just flaring up."

"So a flare-up of Evil Fire gives you the right to harass women?"

Tang Ya looked at him.

"If you hurt someone in the street later, will you say your Soul Power flared up?"

"If you steal someone's things at the academy, will you say you were hungry?"

"Anyone can make excuses."

"But when you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences."

Ma Hongjun's face flushed crimson.

"Don't push us too far."

Ma Xiaotao stepped forward.

Crimson flames rose in her palm.

"We already gave you a chance."

"Apologize, or keep taking a beating."

Ma Hongjun instinctively backed away.

He glanced at Yu Xiaogang, as though hoping for help from him.

Yu Xiaogang did not look at him.

Zhao Wuji had been defeated too quickly.

Yu Xiaogang did not want to admit it, but Ma Xiaotao's strength had exceeded his expectations.

Even so, he could not bring himself to admit fault in front of so many people.

"This ends here."

Yu Xiaogang said, "Zhao Wuji is injured, and Hongjun has already apologized."

"What more do you want?"

Tang Ya raised a hand and pointed at him.

"When you left earlier, you said Shrek Academy had done nothing wrong."

"Now you say this ends here."

"Do you think that as long as you refuse to admit it, your mistake ceases to exist?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned.

"I told you, both sides bear responsibility."

"Then apologize first."

Tang Ya looked at him.

"Shrek Academy owes us an apology."

Dai Mubai immediately said, "Impossible."

Tang Ya turned to him.

"Then you aren't leaving today."

Dai Mubai's expression darkened.

"You think the three of you can stop Shrek Academy?"

Qian Renxue stepped forward.

The phantom of a Six-Winged Angel appeared behind her.

Six Soul Rings rose one after another.

Holy light enveloped the entire long street.

"Zhao Wuji is badly wounded."

"Ma Hongjun has no will to fight."

"Yu Xiaogang has only level twenty-nine Soul Power."

"Who among the rest of you can get them out of here?"

Dai Mubai stared at the six Soul Rings, his expression shifting.

He knew Qian Renxue was right.

If they kept fighting, they had no chance of winning.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath.

"What exactly do you want?"

Tang Ya held up three fingers.

"First, Shrek Academy apologizes for what happened today."

"Second, Ma Hongjun apologizes for his behavior."

"Third, he stops using outbreaks of Evil Fire as an excuse to harass women who want nothing to do with him."

Ma Hongjun immediately said, "I can agree to the first two."

"Not the third."

Ma Xiaotao looked at him.

"Why not?"

Ma Hongjun stiffened his neck.

"I can't control when my Evil Fire flares up."

"You can control whether you harass other people."

Tang Ya said, "If you can't control it, find a way to deal with it."

"Other people shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of your problem."

Ma Hongjun's expression grew uglier.

"You have no idea what the Evil Fire does to me."

"Why should I?"

Ma Xiaotao raised a hand and pointed at him.

"That's your problem, not our responsibility."

"If you dare use an outbreak of Evil Fire as an excuse again, I'll burn you every time I see you."

Ma Hongjun promptly shut his mouth.

He watched the flames in Ma Xiaotao's palm, his expression shifting.

After a moment, he said quietly, "I understand."

Tang Ya looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"Now it's your turn."

Yu Xiaogang said nothing.

He was a teacher at Shrek Academy and a Theoretical Master.

If he apologized in front of so many people, how could he hold his head up afterward?

Dai Mubai said nothing either.

He had already apologized once.

The thought of making all of Shrek Academy apologize again left him deeply resistant.

Ma Xiaotao watched them remain silent, and the flames in her palm rose higher.

"Looks like you're still unwilling."

Tang Ya raised a hand and rested it on Ma Xiaotao's arm.

"Don't rush, Xiaotao."

"If they won't apologize, we'll give them a little longer to think."

"Zhao Wuji hasn't gone far anyway."

Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened.

"Don't go too far."

"You're the ones who went too far."

Tang Ya said, "All we're asking is that you admit your mistakes."

"If you can't even do that, don't blame us for keeping you here."

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted.

He glanced at Zhao Wuji, who had made it some distance away.

Zhao Wuji leaned on Dai Mubai and Oscar, and the Phoenix Flame on his chest had still not completely faded.

The longer this dragged on, the worse Zhao Wuji's injuries would become.

Yu Xiaogang finally looked away.

"Shrek Academy apologizes to you for failing to establish what happened today."

Tang Ya did not respond at once.

"And?"

Yu Xiaogang's fingers curled tight.

"Zhao Wuji should not have attacked without first asking what happened."

"Dai Mubai should not have joined Ma Hongjun in harassing you."

"Ma Hongjun should not have used outbreaks of Evil Fire as an excuse to make lewd advances toward women."

"Will that do?"

Tang Ya nodded.

"It will."

Ma Xiaotao looked at Ma Hongjun.

"And you?"

Ma Hongjun lowered his head.

"I already apologized."

"Say it again."

Ma Hongjun went rigid.

He looked at the flames in Ma Xiaotao's palm and had no choice but to speak again.

"Ma Xiaotao, Tang Ya, Qian Renxue."

"I was wrong today."

"I shouldn't have harassed you or said those things."

"From now on, I'll watch myself. I won't use outbreaks of Evil Fire as an excuse to harass anyone else."

Only then did Tang Ya step aside.

"All right."

"You can go."

Ma Xiaotao extinguished her flames.

"See you at the Soul Master Tournament."

Dai Mubai looked at her.

"We won't hold back in the arena."

Ma Xiaotao raised her eyes.

"Neither will I."

The Shrek group turned and left.

Ma Hongjun took a few steps, then glanced back at Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao immediately raised her hand.

A wisp of flame danced between her fingers.

Ma Hongjun's expression changed, and he hurriedly quickened his pace.

The long street gradually fell quiet again.

Tang Ya watched the Shrek group recede and sighed softly.

"They're nothing like the people described in the history books."

"Especially Yu Xiaogang."

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow.

"You're disappointed in him?"

"I'm just curious."

Tang Ya said, "He's the teacher of Tang San, the Tang Sect Master, and a Grandmaster of soul master theory."

"From what the records say, he ought to be quite formidable."

Ma Xiaotao looked in the direction Yu Xiaogang had gone.

"He certainly is formidable."

Tang Ya nodded.

"Right?"

"At least when it comes to having a thick skin."

Tang Ya froze for a moment.

Ma Xiaotao continued, "He's only level twenty-nine, yet he dared stand before a Soul Emperor and offer to guide her cultivation."

"He couldn't win a fight himself, so he had a Soul Saint fight for him."

"And after he lost, he still refused to admit he'd done anything wrong."