Soon, the four of them, along with Xu Sanshi, were taken by the patrolling teachers to the office of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, where Cai Mei'er, the Vice Dean of the Martial Soul Department, was in charge.
She immediately noticed the dark circles under Xu Sanshi's eyes and exclaimed in shock and anger, " Xu Sanshi! Who beat you up like this?"
Xu Sanshi lowered his head and said, " Dean Cai, it was my own fault for being less skilled and being beaten by Qian Guyi." Then, in front of everyone, he recounted the whole story. In front of Jiang Nannan, he didn't want to tell a single lie. Seeing that he was honest and didn't make things up, Qian Guyi secretly nodded in approval. This Xu Sanshi was actually quite a character.
Upon hearing Xu Sanshi's account, Cai Mei'er's face turned green. Publicly causing trouble in the academy and assaulting a lower-grade student—multiple offenses warranted immediate expulsion. Yet, Xu Sanshi's talent was undeniable; he was a designated member of the next Shrek Seven Devils within the Martial Soul Department. She frowned and turned to look at Qian Guyi, the classmate who had fought Xu Sanshi. She saw she was unharmed, her breathing steady, and her condition wasn't too bad.
Then she looked at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong and asked directly, " Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, how are you two doing?"
Before Wang Dong could speak, Huo Yuhao blurted out, "Teacher, it hurts."
Where does it hurt?
"It hurts, my whole body aches. And I'm terribly scared," Huo Yuhao said without batting an eye. Having spent this time with Qian Chen, he had long since learned that he should never hesitate to ask for favors when necessary.
Wang Dong immediately understood Huo Yuhao's intention. The academy probably wouldn't really do anything to Xu Sanshi. Compensation was their best option, especially since they hadn't suffered any real harm. She immediately added, " Dean Cai, I'm in pain too, and I'm scared."
Cai Mei'er's lips twitched. These two little guys' intention to seek compensation was too obvious. But it was fine this way, since Xu Sanshi would pay the compensation himself, and it had nothing to do with the Shrek Academy.
To be fair, she still put on a stern face and threatened Xu Sanshi, " Xu Sanshi, given the severity of your violation, the academy could expel you."
"Dean, please! I know I was wrong, please give me a chance!" Xu Sanshi panicked immediately upon hearing this.
"Don't tell the academy you know you were wrong. You hurt them first. Here's what we'll do: if you get the forgiveness of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, the academy can handle the matter leniently depending on the circumstances," Cai Mei'er said bluntly.
"Alright, alright! Thank you, Dean Cai!" Xu Sanshi immediately turned to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong and said, "You two, tell me your requests."
Qian Guyi was afraid that the two men's demands were too low, especially Huo Yuhao's. Her uncle had said that Huo Yuhao had suffered too much in the past and his perspective was still very limited. She quickly took over the conversation and directly stated her price. " Xu Sanshi, since you want to compensate them, then compensate them with 100,000 Gold Soul Coin."
Xu Sanshi's face darkened upon hearing this. The Xuanming Sect was indeed very wealthy due to its pill-refining business, but that was the sect's money; Xu Sanshi was not yet the sect leader. He usually only had tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coin, which was just enough to get by. How could he possibly come up with 100,000 Gold Soul Coin all at once? Even if he could scrape together that amount, he didn't know how long he would have to endure hardship. Xu Sanshi was used to a carefree life; how could he possibly survive like that?
"Can you make it cheaper?" Xu Sanshi asked with a pained expression.
"No!" Qian Guyi, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong reached a tacit understanding almost simultaneously and said in unison.
Qian Guyi added insult to injury, " Xu Sanshi, if you can't gain Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's understanding, you can expect to be expelled from the academy."
Hearing Qian Guyi's threatening words, Xu Sanshi became truly anxious. He couldn't be expelled from the academy, otherwise how could he face returning to the Xuanming Sect, and what qualifications would he have to compete for the position of sect leader? Suddenly, he remembered that he still had four Mystic Water Pill on him, which were actually worth about 100,000 Gold Soul Coin.
"I'll compensate you with pills of equal value," Xu Sanshi said.
Qian Guyi paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Okay."
Xu Sanshi pulled out a jade bottle in front of everyone and explained, "Inside are four Mystic Water Pill, as compensation for you."
Qian Guyi glared at him. " Xu Sanshi, the Mystic Water Pill is only priced at 10,000 Gold Soul Coin each. Don't try to fool us with something so cheap."
Xu Sanshi's face darkened further. Just then, Cai Mei'er spoke up to help him out, " Qian Guyi, you've misunderstood Xu Sanshi. The compensation he offered is indeed worth 100,000 Gold Soul Coin. Although the Mystic Water Pill is priced at 10,000 Gold Soul Coin each, it's practically impossible to buy; you'd actually need to spend 20,000 to 30,000 to obtain it."
Then, Cai Mei'er looked at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's rosy complexions and added, "Actually, Xu Sanshi's compensation is already quite generous."
Hearing Dean Cai's persuasion, Qian Guyi knew the time was right and said without hesitation, "Okay, we accept."
After leaving the dean's office, Qian Guyi handed four Mystic Water Pill to Huo Yuhao and said, " Yuhao, this is compensation from Xu Sanshi for you and Xiao Dong. You two can divide it among yourselves."
Huo Yuhao accepted the Mystic Water Pill and said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Guyi. However, I have a suggestion. There are exactly four of us, and exactly four Mystic Water Pill. Why don't we each take one?"
"Hehe, no need. I already ate it." Qian Guyi said with a smile. When she was eight years old, after being rescued by Qian Chen and sent back to the Angel Mountain Manor, her fourth uncle, Pan Long, gave her the Mystic Water Pill.
After some discussion, the four reached an agreement: Huo Yuhao would receive two tokens, as his aptitude was too poor and even with two tokens, there would still be room for improvement; Wang Dong and Jiang Nannan would each receive one token.
Above the Divine Realm, Tang San watched this scene with satisfaction. "Excellent, this is the result I wanted. Child of Destiny, quickly improve your talent and strength. With your mother's soul and the bond with my daughter, obediently become my loyal hound."
While Tang San was gloating, he was completely oblivious to the terrible disaster that his impulsive order in a fit of rage had brought to the Douluo Continent.
At this moment, Heaven Dou City had become a living hell. The God of Plagues, a mere Third-Level God, acting on the orders of God King Tang, had brought this year's calamity upon the Douluo Continent Heaven Dou City, one of the most densely populated cities on the Douluo Continent. Moreover, according to Tang San's request, this plague would not end until Emperor Wei Qing of the Heavenly Soul Empire died. Every day, large numbers of people fell ill, and every day, people died from the plague. Because Soul Master were physically strong and difficult to succumb to the disease, the vast majority of those who died were ordinary people without Soul Power.
Although Soul Master are powerful, there are exceptions. Tang Ya, the sect leader of the Tang Sect Clan, was inherently lacking in talent. After avenging herself and restoring the Tang Sect, she stopped cultivating diligently and spent her days eating, drinking, and having fun. Shortly after the outbreak of the plague, Tang Ya became one of the most unfortunate Soul Master. A persistent high fever had left her somewhat delirious. She could only lie in bed, incoherently muttering, " Bei Bei... Bei Bei... Where are you? Save me... I don't want to die... I want you to stay with me..."
Bei Bei sat by Tang Ya's bedside, holding her hand tightly, unwilling to leave her side for even a moment. " Xiao Ya, I'm here. Don't worry, I, Bei Bei, will never leave you."
Bei Bei also wanted to take Tang Ya back to Shrek City for treatment, but he knew that Shrek City was mostly populated by ordinary people. If he took her back, Xuan Zu would definitely not let Tang Ya go. He could only stay in Heaven Dou City, hire the best healing Soul Master for Tang Ya, and buy the most expensive medicinal herbs.
But these measures were far from sufficient for Tang Ya, and could not stop the life force within her from constantly ebbing away.