The newcomers finally saw Mu En. His face was filled with anger.
The middle-aged man in white walked shakily up to Mu En and lowered his head. "T-Teacher."
"This is how you handled it? If you hadn't seen Bei Bei here too, would you have refused to offer even compensation?"
Every one of the newcomers lowered their heads, not daring to say a word.
Mu En closed his eyes in pain. "It's my fault. It seems I've neglected the academy's management lately.
"All of you, go back. Take Xiaotao with you and lock her up. Without my orders, she is not to be let out."
Only then did they hurry away. Once they were far off, Mu En said to Huo Yuhao, "Child, I've disappointed you."
"You have," Huo Yuhao said flatly, the color having returned to his face. But that only made Mu En feel worse.
"It seems they've done quite a lot of bullying students over the years, and not one person reported it to me!" Mu En was in great pain. He had reached a conclusion about Wang Dong's complaint as well.
"Those who bully the people below them inevitably deceive the people above them-that's human nature."
Huo Yuhao understood these people's mentality very well. He had dealt with quite a few people who bullied those below them, deceived those above them, and corrupted the Imperium.
"Also, when you find one cockroach in a room, you need to watch out-you may have moved into a cockroach nest."
"Thank you."
Mu En's figure seemed even more stooped as he slowly wheeled himself away.
Everyone watched him leave. After a long while, Tang Ya suddenly asked Bei Bei, "Come clean, Bei Bei. What's your relationship with that Elder Mu?"
Jiang Nannan was curious too. Her close friend's boyfriend seemed to have quite an extraordinary background.
"Well..." Bei Bei found it a little difficult to speak.
Seeing this, Tang Ya did not press him. "Forget it. Tell me when you feel ready."
"Teacher Xiaoya really is the best."
But Bei Bei was somewhat worried.
They did not stay much longer and soon dispersed.
That very night, Mu En dug out the academy's records from recent years. As he looked through one shocking tragedy after another, every single one filled his heart with pain.
Mu En had originally thought that incident a few years ago had merely been an accident. Now it seemed they simply hadn't managed to cover it up!
It took a long while for Mu En to recover. Taking the documents with him, he went to the meeting room.
Everyone in the meeting room had already been waiting for a long time. Unlike the delighted people from the Soul Tool Department-the knowledge Huo Yuhao had shared over the past two months had opened an entirely new door for them, sparking a flood of inspiration lately-everyone from the Martial Soul Department looked dejected.
The entire room instantly fell silent when Mu En entered.
Mu En simply flung the documents in his hands onto the table.
"Look at what you've been doing behind my back all these years!"
"Elder Mu." A slovenly old man beside Mu En tried to say something.
"Xuan Zi, shut your mouth!" Mu En snapped at the old man.
"T-Teacher," said Yan Shaozhe, the middle-aged man in white. "We just didn't want you to overwork yourself at your age."
"You didn't want me to overwork myself? I'd say you were hoping I'd die."
At these words, everyone present instantly straightened their backs, cold sweat streaming down them. Yan Shaozhe, in particular, turned pale.
By now, even the slowest among them realized that something seemed to have happened.
After a long while, Mu En slowly spoke:
"I know everything that's happened over the years. I don't want to hear any explanations from you. I will now pronounce the following judgments:
"Yan Shaozhe will be removed from his position as dean of the Martial Soul Institute, with Cai Mei'er taking his place. Zhang Lexuan will serve as vice dean. In addition, all matters concerning the Martial Soul Institute, major or minor, must receive both deans' unanimous approval before being implemented.
"Yan Shaozhe will spend this period confined in self-reflection. Without my permission, no one may meet him by any means, nor may anyone plead on his behalf.
"Du Weilun will provisionally retain his position as the outer court's director of studies. However, he may not act on his own authority in any matter, major or minor. He must obtain the joint signatures of five teachers I select.
"The teachers led by Zhou Yi who abused their authority and arbitrarily expelled students will be dismissed and never hired again. As for Zhou Yi, Shrek Academy must give those victims an accounting."
"But Elder Mu, Zhou Yi is Fan Yu's wife, after all," Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Tool Department, pleaded from his seat.
"Then let him find another one." Mu En glanced at him and said nothing more.
"Yes, I'll explain it to him." Qian Duoduo lowered his head and hurriedly answered.
Mu En continued, "Those victims who were expelled through abuse of authority, or even left with lasting problems, will receive sufficient compensation and be asked whether they are still willing to return to the academy.
"Xian Lin'er, you will take charge of this. As for the resources for compensation, take them from the Martial Soul Department. Remember, the compensation must be sufficient. Don't just hand over a couple of pills and call it done."
With that, he glanced at Yan Shaozhe.
"Yes!" Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Tool Department, was very excited. From what Elder Mu meant, she could take quite a lot herself in addition to the compensation.
Mu En also knew how severely the Martial Soul Department had suppressed the Soul Tool Department over the years. He was clearly using this matter to compensate the Soul Tool Department.
Yan Shaozhe understood this too. He raised his head and gave Xian Lin'er a bitter look, only to see the way his teacher was looking at him, and lowered his head again.
"If their injuries have affected their cultivation, ask whether they would be willing to join the Soul Tool Department.
"And you, Xuan Zi."
Mu En looked at the old man beside him.
"Huh?" Xuan Zi looked blank. Was this about him too?
"You still remember that incident a few years ago, don't you? Those children knelt to plead on your behalf!"
Hearing Mu En mention that incident, Zhang Lexuan clenched her fists. That was her pain! Several younger schoolmates had been killed by Soul Beasts before her eyes, while Xuan Zi, the person responsible for them, had forgotten them because he had gone to raid a bird's nest!
And after they returned, Yan Shaozhe had even made the other surviving younger schoolmates kneel and plead on his behalf! After that, they had all left the academy one after another.
"Tomorrow, you will go to those children's homes and apologize. You may return when you have been forgiven. Also, if I hear that you've threatened them, or if anything happens to those families, just you wait."
After saying all this, Mu En paused.
"That's all for now. Those from the Martial Soul Department may leave. Lexuan, you stay."
They all slunk away.
Only then did Mu En finally stop wearing a stern expression, looking quite amiable instead.
"From now on, when you want to learn more, you won't need to go through that boy Caitou. I spoke with Huo Yuhao today. You can go directly to him. And tomorrow, I'll be going too. Lexuan, come along as well."
"Huh?"
Everyone was astonished to hear Mu En say this, especially Zhang Lexuan. She had not expected Huo Yuhao to merit such attention.
"Haha, the value of the knowledge that child possesses isn't nearly as simple as you think."
Mu En had been deeply pained to see what the Martial Soul Department had done over the years. He knew his time was nearly up, yet Shrek Academy had no one to carry on after him. Xuan Zi could not be relied on at all!
Zhang Lexuan, in whom he had placed his hopes, had yet to mature. For the first time, he was this afraid of death. He had pondered for a long time, not knowing what would become of Shrek Academy's future.
Suddenly, that calm face surfaced in Mu En's mind. Huo Yuhao! That handsome youth with black hair and black eyes. Perhaps he could help him!
That youth possessed wondrous knowledge. No matter what, no matter how great a price he had to pay, he had to obtain from him a way to live another twenty years.
And he absolutely could not let him lose faith in the academy! That child had ideas of his own. If that child became the academy's enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What if... No, I can't think that way. I mustn't become a sinner!
Mu En sighed. How could he make Huo Yuhao and the academy friends? He looked at everyone present, feeling somewhat helpless.
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