In the blink of an eye, the two girls were transported to the Distortion World, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was released as well.
"Rawr~"
The little creature looked around and let out a fierce but babyish howl.
"Wow! She's so cute!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes instantly lit up. She rushed forward and scooped the Three-Eyed Golden Lion into her arms, rubbing her head against that soft fur over and over, utterly delighted.
Zhu Zhuqing was tempted too, but her reserved nature left her too embarrassed to join Ning Rongrong. She could only gaze longingly at the little creature.
"This little one is the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Of course, you can also call her Wang Qiu'er."
Chen Yang walked over and gently tapped Wang Qiu'er's head with a finger.
The long golden tail behind Wang Qiu'er swished gently back and forth as she let out soft little grunts of pleasure.
Wang Qiu'er? Is that my name? It sounds lovely~ Thank you.
"Little one, stay here and have fun with them. I have other things to take care of."
"Go ahead, Master. Leave Qiu'er to me, and everything will be fine! Sniff-! Ah~~"
Ning Rongrong hugged Wang Qiu'er tightly, buried her entire face in that fluffy, silky golden fur, and inhaled deeply. Clearly, she adored her.
6
Chen Yang paid no further attention to Ning Rongrong, who was behaving like an infatuated fangirl.
He looked at Zhu Zhuqing and nodded to her before returning to the Real World.
Meanwhile, in the Shrek boys' dormitory.
Hurried footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor. Yu Xiaogang and Flender strode to the door with Tang San in tow. Without another word, the three kicked the wooden door!
Crash-!
The entire dorm room shook.
Ma Hongjun, who had been sprawled out asleep on his bed, jolted in fright at the noise. He slipped and tumbled hard onto the floor, quilt and all.
Even Oscar was roused from his cultivation, staring in bewilderment at the imposing group.
Grimacing from the fall, Ma Hongjun groggily pushed himself up from the floor and opened his mouth to curse. "Who the hell was that?! Got a death wish...?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he looked up and recognized Flender and Yu Xiaogang standing in the doorway. Ma Hongjun instantly fell silent. The hostility vanished from his face, replaced by a fawning smile as he scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.
"Hehe! Dean, Teacher, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
Flender strode over irritably and slapped the back of his head.
"You spend all day slacking off instead of cultivating, and your taste is awful too! Even if you're blowing off steam, you should at least find someone decent! Not only did you catch a disease, you even passed it to Xiao San! Apologize to him right now!"
Ma Hongjun clutched the back of his head in confusion.
"Dean, what disease? Don't make things up. When did I catch a disease?"
Flender narrowed his eyes.
"That kind of filthy disease. Are you saying you don't have it?"
"Believe me, Dean! I really don't! Ask Oscar if you don't believe me!"
"That's right, Dean. If Fatty had caught something, I'd have requested a different room immediately. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
Flender refused to take their word alone. He used his Soul Power to pull Ma Hongjun's belt loose and inspect him personally.
"He really doesn't have it. Then, Xiao San, you..."
Flender turned to look at Tang San suspiciously.
Yu Xiaogang exploded at once. His face filled with anger as he fixed Flender with a fierce stare.
"Flender, what are you implying?! My disciple is upright and honest. Xiao San would never lie!"
"Xiaogang, calm down. I'm not accusing Tang San of lying. I just want to get to the bottom of this."
Flender hurried to soothe him, afraid that Yu Xiaogang might harm his health by getting too worked up.
Watching Tang San's dark expression, Ma Hongjun suddenly put the pieces together and understood.
"I get it! It must've been that girl Tang San snatched from me last time! No wonder she agreed so readily and charged so little. Turns out she was poisonous!"
At those words, the dorm room fell deathly silent.
Flender frowned and asked gravely.
"Hongjun, tell me exactly what happened."
Ma Hongjun was about to speak when Oscar tugged at his sleeve.
"Fatty! If it's your fault, just own up to it. All you have to do is apologize. I'm sure Xiao San will forgive you."
Oscar winked at him, placing extra emphasis on "forgive."
But Ma Hongjun immediately grew angry. He shook off Oscar's hand, stiffened his neck, and shouted.
"Why should I?! It's his fault, so why should I take the blame? Dean, last time I went to blow off steam, I found a girl who was young and cheap, so I thought I'd bring Tang San and Oscar along for some fun.
"But once we got there, Tang San snatched her straight away. I suggested we have fun together, but he refused and even kicked us out so he could keep her all to himself.
"Now that he's caught something, he remembers me? Where was he before?!"
Oscar slapped his forehead in despair and quietly shuffled aside, distancing himself from Ma Hongjun.
Fatty, don't blame me for not warning you. You're the one who wouldn't listen. Don't come looking for me if anything happens later.
He stood off to one side with his neck tucked in like a quail, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
He could clearly feel Tang San's murderous gaze. All he could do was hope Tang San would let him off because he had spoken up for him.
"Xiaogang, you see? This really wasn't Hongjun's fault."
Flender spoke helplessly.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned blue, then purple. He whipped his head around to glare at Tang San.
"Xiao San! Is what he said true? You clearly told me you were going out to temper your body and mind through arduous blacksmithing practice!"
Tang San lowered his head, his shoulders slumping slightly. His posture was a perfect display of contrition, and his voice brimmed with guilt.
"Teacher... it was my fault. I couldn't resist Mubai and Hongjun's temptations. I deceived you. I'm sorry."
His admission seemed sincere, but deep within his lowered eyes lurked a trace of bone-chilling coldness, without the slightest genuine remorse.
Seeing his disciple admit his mistake so obediently, most of the anger in Yu Xiaogang's heart instantly dissipated. He sighed heavily, raised a hand, and gently patted Tang San's shoulder, soothing him in a soft voice.
In the end, Tang San was always sensible and outstanding in his eyes. His own disciple was never the one at fault.
"It's not your fault. I was negligent as your teacher."
His face full of regret, he said angrily,
"If I'd known Shrek harbored those two malignant tumors, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, spreading their foul influences, I would never have brought you here!"
Flender's face darkened. Yu Xiaogang's words left a breath trapped in his chest, unable to go up or down.
What did he mean, two malignant tumors?
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were students he had personally taken in. Calling them malignant tumors that harmed others was no different from saying he had taught them poorly!
He wanted to retort that this was Tang San's own fault, but he also knew how fiercely proud his old friend was.
If he truly said that, Xiaogang would surely leave Shrek Academy with Tang San, and the newly reunited Golden Iron Triangle would fall apart once more.
Flender drew a deep breath and looked at Ma Hongjun wearily.
"Hongjun, apologize."
Ma Hongjun's eyes widened instantly. He stared blankly at Flender in utter disbelief, his voice catching in his throat. "Dean...?"
He had done nothing wrong. He had been made the scapegoat from beginning to end, so why should he apologize?
Flender's gaze hardened, his tone stern and brooking no refusal. "Apologize!"
Ma Hongjun seethed with anger and resentment, but he dared not disobey the dean.
He lowered his head and forced out the words in a low, hoarse voice, bitterly unwilling. "I'm sorry."
Oscar was filled with astonishment, as though he were seeing Flender for the first time, but he did not dare say anything either.
And upon seeing Ma Hongjun apologize, Yu Xiaogang's expression softened, as though this were only right and proper. Only Tang San kept his head lowered, the cold gleam in his eyes growing ever more indifferent, without a trace of remorse.
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