Just Deduct the Medical Expenses from My Salary

Flender came striding through the night.

The smile he had worn during the day was gone. His eyes lay hidden behind his lenses, deep as an ancient well, without a ripple.

"Teacher Li, I need an explanation."

Li Hanqiu withdrew his soul power. The Dragon Armor receded layer by layer, and Holy Light Ao returned to his side, the light on his golden scales slowly dimming.

"An explanation?" He smiled. "Didn't you say earlier today that you'd arrange for Teacher Zhao and me to have a proper exchange sometime, Headmaster Flender?"

He tilted his head and glanced at Zhao Wuji.

"I was merely worried that the headmaster might forget amid his many duties. So here I am, seeking out Teacher Zhao for a little 'sparring and exchange' myself."

Flender's expression darkened.

"Li Hanqiu! Don't play dumb with me! You injured an academy teacher this badly in the dead of night, and you think you can explain it away with 'sparring and exchange'?"

Zhao Wuji clutched the right side of his chest, leaning against a tree and gasping for breath. Blood had already soaked half his sleeve.

He glared furiously at Li Hanqiu, wishing he could devour his flesh and drink his blood on the spot!

Li Hanqiu glanced at Zhao Wuji, then unhurriedly spread his hands. "Since Headmaster Flender is displeased, I shall offer compensation."

"Hmph, compensation, compensation! Old Zhao is my brother. No amount of compensation could..."

"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"What?!" Flender froze, then his eyes gleamed. "Really?"

Li Hanqiu watched Flender with the ghost of a smile. Only then did Flender realize how excited he had become.

He coughed awkwardly twice, but could only stammer, unable to explain himself.

At the sight, another dull ache struck Zhao Wuji's chest. If he had been able to stand, he would have gotten up and given Flender a thorough tongue-lashing.

Flender seemed like a different person now, rubbing his hands like a fly and chuckling ingratiatingly. "If Teacher Li is willing to pay compensation, everything can be settled. Absolutely."

But Li Hanqiu's next words made his expression stiffen.

Li Hanqiu said slowly, "Just deduct the medical expenses from my salary."

"What?" Flender blurted out, his face darkening further. Hadn't he just committed himself to settling this "privately"?

Besides, deducting it from his salary-how was that any different from letting Li Hanqiu get away without paying a thing?

Li Hanqiu gave him no chance to back out, adding, "Surely you aren't going to say that sparring between colleagues needs to be reviewed at a headmasters' meeting?

"Then by tomorrow, the entire academy will know that Teacher Zhao was in the woods at midnight, and the newly arrived Teacher Li..."

He paused, a teasing smile appearing on his face.

"...sparred him into this state."

The corner of Flender's eye twitched.

Zhao Wuji felt even more mortified and turned his face away.

After a long silence, Flender forced a few words through his teeth. "Fine. You win. This matter... is settled for now."

Li Hanqiu cupped his hands. "A wise judgment, Headmaster."

With that, he turned and left, his blue robes brushing over the grass. Holy Light Ao followed beside him, and man and dragon soon vanished into the night.

Only Flender and Zhao Wuji remained in the woods.

"Old Zhao, how are you?" Flender crouched to help him up.

"I won't die." Zhao Wuji spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and gritted his teeth. "Flender, this isn't over! Once my injuries heal, I'll make that brat..."

"Enough." Flender pressed down on his shoulder.

"Do you still not understand? If Li Hanqiu had truly wanted to kill you tonight, your body would already be cold. He held back because he didn't want to take things that far."

Zhao Wuji stiffened his neck and said nothing for a long while.

Flender spoke steadily. Just moments ago, he had looked every bit the slick, crooked street merchant, but now he seemed like an entirely different person.

His words came at an even pace, his expression composed. The contrast was stark.

"What happened tonight wasn't as simple as it looked."

Zhao Wuji remained unconvinced. "What's so complicated about it? Didn't Li Hanqiu just want to vent those two kids Tang San and Xiao Wu's anger? I only made a momentary mistake..."

"Enough. Beating you to vent Tang San and Xiao Wu's anger was only part of it."

Flender cut him off irritably. "Li Hanqiu's deeper purpose was to beat you for me to see. To tell me, Flender, that he isn't someone I can push around."

He stood, his lenses flashing in the moonlight.

Zhao Wuji craned his neck, still defiant. "So what? However hard he is to push around, he's still only a Soul King!"

"Old Zhao." Flender turned back to look at him, his eyes utterly serious.

"You underestimated him first, yes. But Li Hanqiu, a Soul King, fought you, a Soul Saint, and nearly kept you from even activating your Martial Soul Avatar."

"Think about it. With talent like that, combat strength like that, what will either of us have to measure up to him in ten years?"

Zhao Wuji took several ragged breaths, but ultimately offered no rebuttal.

Flender gazed into the depths of the woods, his voice lowering.

"We'll keep this debt in mind for now. Li Hanqiu may be arrogant, but his strength does give him the right to be.

"More importantly, he's powerful, yet he didn't strike to kill. That shows he's also measuring how far to go.

"If we break with him now, we'll only play right into his hands."

"Then... what about Yu Xiaogang..."

"Leave him hanging for now." Flender snorted coldly. "Don't listen to everything he says from now on. Half of tonight's mess was thanks to that rotten idea of his."

The thought of everything Yu Xiaogang had done filled Flender with anger, but as that anger simmered, it finally dissolved into a helpless sigh.

There was nothing he could do. He had ended up with a friend like that.

Flender looked up at the moon, melancholy washing over him.

Much as he hated to admit it.

Both had external martial souls, yet placing Yu Xiaogang beside Li Hanqiu was like comparing clouds to mud. They simply weren't in the same league.

"If the person I'd befriended at the start had been Li Hanqiu instead of Yu Xiaogang..."

The more Flender thought about it, the more complicated his expression became.

In the end, he shook his head, cast the thought aside, and stopped dwelling on it.

Elsewhere.

Li Hanqiu had just returned to his quarters. He pushed open the door and lit a candle.

Holy Light Ao coiled up beside the door, closing his eyes to doze.

Li Hanqiu sat at the table, poured himself a cup of cold water, and drank it slowly, turning over the thoughts in his mind one by one.

After what had happened today, Flender should have understood his message.

From now on, Flender probably wouldn't readily agree to Yu Xiaogang's rotten ideas.

That would give Li Hanqiu relatively free rein, without interference from others.

It would also spare him a great deal of trouble as he recruited disciples.

At that thought, he breathed a sigh of relief and began considering his prospects for taking disciples.

Among the remaining five girls, Dai Mubai had a deep misunderstanding of him.

His prejudice was a stubborn ailment. As though he had taken the wrong medicine, he was convinced that Li Hanqiu was a pervert.

Reconciling their relationship in the short term was probably impossible.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun, meanwhile, clearly followed Dai Mubai's lead. As long as he took Dai Mubai as a disciple, those two would practically be in the bag.

But given Dai Mubai's stubborn temperament, he could also work backward: take Ma Hongjun and Oscar first, then Dai Mubai afterward.

Aside from those three, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing remained.

Of those two, Ning Rongrong was the harder one to handle.

The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had two Titled Douluo protecting her, both closer to her than her own grandfather.

Getting her to bow her head and accept a master would be harder than killing her.

Li Hanqiu couldn't find a way to break down Ning Rongrong's pride anytime soon, so he simply ruled her out as well.

All things considered, the answer lay right before him. Of all these girls, Zhu Zhuqing was undoubtedly the easiest to take as a disciple.

She seemed cold by nature, but she was actually the easiest to get along with.

In particular, her thoughts were straightforward and her goal was clear. Zhu Zhuqing had come to Shrek for nothing other than becoming stronger.

As long as you had genuine ability, she would draw closer to you. Cold though she was, she took the fewest detours.

Li Hanqiu set down his cup and made up his mind.

That settled it. Zhu Zhuqing first!