His fist clenched—Tang San's fists had hardened.
Even though he knew his disciple was just pretending to be a playboy right now, the moment he saw that disciple casting an unrestrained gaze toward Xiao Wu, Tang San felt like grass was sprouting from his head—ready to set the entire field on fire.
Dai Mubai leaned toward Tang San and whispered, "Tang San, want me to teach that brat a lesson?"
"No need," Tang San grinned sinisterly. "I just happen to be itching for a fight. Let me personally deal with this blind idiot."
The situation with Er Ming and Yu Tianheng had already left Tang San fuming inside. But for Xiao Wu's sake, he had been suppressing his anger. Now, with Xue Beng jumping out like this, it was the perfect outlet.
Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps to flash in front of Xue Beng and landed a punch straight to his face.
Xue Beng was sent flying.
Tang San didn't stop there—he pounced forward and unleashed a brutal flurry of punches and kicks. Outside the campus, the air was instantly filled with Xue Beng's blood-curdling screams.
"Stop it, Ah San-gege! Why are you beating him up for no reason!" Xiao Wu shouted, displeased.
Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Tang San immediately froze mid-strike and turned to her, explaining, "Xiao Wu-meimei, you don't know—he was leering at you just now! I'm punishing him on your behalf!"
"Which of your eyes saw him leering at me?!" Xiao Wu pointed at Tang San's nose in frustration. "I know exactly how he was looking at me! Stop projecting your own dirty thoughts onto everyone else, okay? And besides, he was looking at me—doesn't that just prove that I'm attractive? Are you going to beat up everyone who looks at me? Ah San-gege, don't you think that kind of behavior makes you look uncultured and brutish?!"
I'm dirty-minded? I'm brutish?
Tang San felt like two arrows had been stabbed into his heart.
In that moment, regret flooded him. If he had known things would turn out like this, he would've let Mubai handle Xue Beng instead.
"Xiao Wu, I…" Tang San lowered his head. "I was wrong."
"Should you be apologizing to me?" Xiao Wu pointed at his nose again. "You should be apologizing to the person you beat up."
Tang San froze. He looked at Xiao Wu, then at Xue Beng, who was lying battered on the ground.
"You want me to apologize… to him??"
Xue Beng—his disciple in his previous life—had looked up to him, even licked his boots, just to climb to the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire. Tang San had always looked down on him. Facing Xue Beng filled him with a superior sense of detachment.
And now? She wanted him to apologize to this kind of person?
Tang San's soul cried out in grief.
If anyone else had asked this of him, that person's name would already be in Tang San's "Death List" notebook.
But this was Xiao Wu. He didn't dare show even the slightest anger—only grievance and sorrow.
"What else can you do?" Xiao Wu said. "Ah San-gege, if you do something wrong, you admit it—isn't that right? You don't have to apologize, of course… but Xiao Wu doesn't like rude people. If you don't apologize, then I won't acknowledge you as my 'gege' anymore."
Nearby, Er Ming and Yu Tianheng's ears twitched—they seemed to pick up a signal.
Yu Tianheng joined in, fanning the flames: "Exactly! Beating someone up without even talking first? You clearly have no manners. Guys like this always end up being domestic abusers. Xiao Wu, you should stay far away from people like that. Him calling you 'meimei'? Totally sus."
"Xiao Wu-jie, he beat someone up just for glancing at you. We shouldn't accept someone like that as a 'gege'. He's just plain violent. Not like me—I only want to care for you," Er Ming chimed in.
"You… you guys…"
Tang San looked at the two who were stirring trouble, instantly hearing the insidious tone in their words. His eyes began to redden, and his breathing grew rough.
Dai Mubai put a hand on Tang San's shoulder and quietly advised, "Tang San, just admit it. You saw how Xiao Wu reacted—if you keep being stubborn, she'll only hate you more."
Oscar also placed a hand on Tang San's shoulder. "Yeah, man. You don't want Xiao Wu to resent you over this, right?"
Ma Hongjun did the same and added, "Dai boss and Oscar are right. Just eat it. A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. Let's endure for now—deal with Xue Beng later."
Tang San finally calmed down after hearing their reasoning. Thinking it over, he realized they were right.
If he kept pushing, it would only damage his image in Xiao Wu's heart.
He couldn't let her think he was a rude brute.
Tang San looked at the bruised and swollen Xue Beng on the ground and muttered internally: I'll endure. Just you wait, Xue Beng. I'll remember this. One day I'll settle this debt with you.
He swallowed his pride and stiffly said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you without explanation."
But Xiao Wu still wasn't satisfied. She pointed at Tang San and scolded, "Ah San-gege, that's not what an apology is supposed to look like! Who's that angry face for? Can't you be a bit more sincere? That just makes you seem fake!"
Sincerity. A sincere apology.
Tang San could only force himself to put on a "sincere" expression and say to Xue Beng:
"I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have attacked you without reason."
Xue Beng felt a chill under Tang San's gaze and quickly responded, "N-no worries! I forgive you!"
"Is that good enough now?" Tang San asked Xiao Wu in a low, embarrassed voice.
"That's more like it. But you still beat someone up—you can't just walk away with no consequences," Xiao Wu said.
"Then I…"
Tang San was just about to offer to take care of Xue Beng. That way, he could conveniently dish out a bit of personal revenge while pretending to help.
"No need," Xiao Wu cut in. "You're always forging stuff with those clumsy hands. What if you make him worse? I'll take care of it. Tch, seriously—your mess, and I have to clean it up."
She rolled her eyes and reached out toward Oscar, who quickly conjured two large sausages.
Xiao Wu picked up Xue Beng and gently fed him the sausages. "Here you go. Open up. Oscar's sausages will heal you."
Xue Beng listened to her gentle voice, felt her soft touch… he stared blankly at her and obediently opened his mouth to eat. It was as if he'd forgotten everything—like the world contained only the two of them.
Tang San, watching from the sidelines, took it all in with jealous green eyes.
Inside, he was seething—like a bull ready to charge. He'd already "breathed fire through his nose" ten thousand times.
Xue Beng… very good. You've officially entered the path of death.
I can't move against you for now—at least not until the Spirit Hall is destroyed. But after that… we'll see what you're really made of.
In your last life, you ended up with "Mei". Fine. In this life, I'll make sure you get "Ai" instead.
Xue Beng glanced at his master's wife, then looked at his master who was groveling before her, and suddenly, a rebellious and blasphemous idea began to form in his mind.
On the other side, Flender brought the seven Shrek members to report in at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. There, they met the three head professors of the Royal Academy. Even though Tang San no longer had the Eight Spider Lances, he was still recognized and appreciated by them.
While the three head professors and Flender were negotiating over the possibility of merging Shrek Academy into the Royal Academy, the four reincarnated members kept glancing toward the corridor.
Having experienced this life once before, they knew what was supposed to happen next. Just earlier, they had beaten up Xue Beng. According to the original course of events, Xue Beng would complain upon returning, and that would trigger the appearance of Dugu Bo.
Although they could seek out the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well on their own, forging a connection with a Titled Douluo like Dugu Bo was still seen as essential by the reborn four.
Tang San believed that while Dugu Bo's combat strength might not be impressive compared to other Titled Douluo, he was extremely useful.
In their previous life, they proposed a de-urbanization strategy for Jialing Pass, essentially suggesting that Dugu Bo poison the entire area.
The poison wiped out tens of thousands of Spirit Master soldiers and countless rebels loyal to the Spirit Hall, turning the whole city into a sea of green toxins. It was far more efficient than using his own divine Seagod powers to flood the place.
Moreover, Dugu Bo had been a key source of combat power for their side during the early stages when manpower was lacking.
Yet no matter how long they waited, Dugu Bo never showed up.
Dai Mubai nudged Tang San with his shoulder and whispered, "Where's Poison Douluo? Why hasn't he appeared yet?"
Tang San frowned. "I don't know. Logically, Prince Xue Xing should have brought that old poison freak with him to stop us from joining the Crown Prince's faction. So why..."
The meeting dragged on. By the time Flender and the three professors reached the fine print of integrating Shrek into the Royal Academy, Dugu Bo still hadn't made his appearance.
"San, could it be because you sincerely apologized earlier and that made Xue Beng drop his complaint?" Ma Hongjun asked.
Tang San nodded thoughtfully. "You might be right. If that's the case…" A glint of murderous frustration flashed in his eyes. Xue Beng, you traitorous brat—you've ruined my plan again.
"So what do we do now, San?" Oscar asked.
Tang San replied calmly, "No worries. I've already made arrangements on Dugu Yan's side. Now we just need to wait for Dugu Bo to act."
The negotiation between Shrek Academy and the Royal Academy hit a stalemate.
Shrek wanted to retain its independence, using the Royal Academy's resources as a springboard, and aimed to stay autonomous after future success.
The three professors, however, wanted to fully absorb Shrek Academy, making it a sub-department under the Royal Academy's control. They couldn't come to an agreement on this crucial point.
After Shrek Academy left, Zhi Lin slammed his fist on the chair and said angrily:
"Does Shrek Academy think we're idiots? They want to use our facilities and resources, take one of our spots for the tournament, and compete under the name 'Shrek Academy'—then split from us after the event? What is Flender playing at?!"
Bai Baoshan added, "That Flender guy clearly isn't the type to serve under others. And more importantly, he already poached Yu Tianheng from us. That's a total of seven students!"
Meng Shenji looked grim and silent. He turned to Qin Ming and asked, "Qin Ming, what's your opinion on all this?"
They couldn't really stop Yu Tianheng from leaving, as he was a direct descendant of one of the former top three clans.
Even though those clans no longer held their former power, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan still wasn't a force to trifle with. In fact, they now had two Titled Douluo in their ranks.
Ever since Qin Ming returned, the other three professors had been pressuring him for answers. In their view, he lost the Royal Academy's most promising battle team member, and he owed them an explanation. Qin Ming had managed to convince them temporarily by saying he was working on getting Shrek Academy to merge into their institution.
Facing Meng Shenji's question, Qin Ming quickly responded, "Professor, my former teacher's lifelong dream was to develop and expand Shrek Academy. If the Royal Academy insists on full assimilation, he will never agree. Why can't we accept his terms? If Shrek Academy wins some rankings in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament using Royal Academy resources, wouldn't that also bring glory to the Royal Academy?"
Zhi Lin: "…"
Bai Baoshan: "…"
Qin Ming still wanted to continue persuading them, but Meng Shenji had already lost interest. Waving his hand, he said, "Enough. You may go."
"Yes, Professor." Qin Ming turned and left.
As soon as he was gone, Zhi Lin growled in frustration, "I think Qin Ming has already chosen a side."
Bai Baoshan added, "Who knows what kind of dumb luck he had to recruit so many gifted students. With talents like those, any academy could've developed them into elites."
Meng Shenji said, "Well, maybe it's for the best. Flender may lack other skills, but he's a master at brainwashing.
He's got those students of his completely obsessed with this so-called 'monster academy' ideology. If he joins our Royal Academy, he might just become our biggest threat. Even though we've already lost Yu Tianheng, we still have Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and the Shi brothers.
But if the Shrek brainwashing team joins, who knows how many of our students will end up shouting they want to become 'Shrek Monsters' too?"
On the way back…
Yu Xiaogang asked, "Why didn't you agree to their terms?"
Flender replied, "Shrek Academy is my bottom line. If the Royal Academy wants to merge with us, I absolutely cannot accept that."
"But don't you think that, more than anything else, the Royal Academy's resources are important? Even if our little monsters join their school, as long as they still consider themselves Shrek students at heart, isn't that enough?" Yu Xiaogang asked.
The two of them had differing views. Flender prioritized the school itself, while Yu Xiaogang only cared about Tang San. Tang San was his golden ticket, his future, and he would use any and all resources necessary to turn him into a top-tier powerhouse so he could make a name for himself.
"Resources? If we had no other options, maybe you'd be right. But Xiaogang, we do have better alternatives. We don't need to grovel for those three old geezers' scraps," Flender said.
Then he turned to Li Yusong and instructed:
"Li Yusong, contact Qin Ming and tell him Shrek Academy has made its decision. We will not join the Royal Academy. We've found a better place. Also, invite him to return to Shrek Academy for his position."
"Yes, Headmaster Flender."
After Li Yusong left, Flender pushed up his glasses, a sly glint flashing across the lenses. He said leisurely,
"Qin Ming used the Royal Academy as a stepping stone. Now that he's become the youngest Soul Emperor on the continent, how can such a promising talent waste his life at the Royal Academy? He should return to his alma mater, where his talents can truly shine."
"Tss~ That hurts."
In a hotel room, a faint groan came from Xue Beng.
"Don't move. I'll help you clean your wound."
Xiao Wu's gentle voice came from behind him.
After a while, Xue Beng's injuries were all bandaged up.
"Thanks~" Xue Beng looked at Xiao Wu with admiration in his eyes, silently adding in his heart: Teacher's wife.
"There's no need to be so formal. Don't forget, we have a Martial Soul Fusion Technique between us. Technically, there shouldn't be any boundaries between us."
Xiao Wu smiled with pursed lips.
Watching her enchanting expressions and listening to her soft, sweet voice that felt like it could make his ears pregnant, Xue Beng fell silent.
No boundaries with Teacher's wife, heh heh. No boundaries!
"Ah Beng~ Wanna try our Martial Soul Fusion Technique together?"
Xiao Wu asked at just the right moment.
"Uh…" Xue Beng scratched his head, thinking of his strict teacher and that endless list of death-seeking behaviors one must never do. He was conflicted.
Of course, he longed to cultivate the fusion technique with Xiao Wu, but he didn't want to be added to his teacher's death list. What to do? It was truly a dilemma for poor Xue Beng.
"You're a man, why are you being so wishy-washy?"
Xiao Wu impatiently grabbed his hand. Their palms touched, and her soul power flowed into him.
At the moment their soul powers connected, all of Xue Beng's hesitation vanished.
From then on, his world had only Xiao Wu in it. All he wanted was to dual cultivate with her, share intimacy beneath the clouds and rain.
As for his teacher?
Long forgotten in the heavens above.
Their soul powers resonated, forming the "Collapse-Dance Force," and under this power, both of their soul powers began increasing at a speed several times faster than normal cultivation.
The next day, Xiao Wu left refreshed, while Xue Beng watched her departing figure with longing. He reached out… then withdrew his hand.
Our dear Fourth Prince Xue Beng had always lived in the shadow of Xue Qinghe (or rather, Qian Renxue?), forced by Xue Xing to pose as a debauched, immoral playboy—bullying the weak, robbing girls, and ruining countless innocent women. Counting his past life, he was quite the experienced man.
But his view of women had only ever been carnal—never emotional—until the moment he laid eyes on Xiao Wu.
That first night cultivating together, he realized:
He'd found true love.
He loved Xiao Wu.
No other woman could ever enter his heart again.
To him, other women were nothing but cheap rouge and powder.
What's more, sneaking around behind his teacher's back, secretly meeting with his teacher's wife, living on the razor's edge of death—it was a thrilling and addictive feeling for Xue Beng.
That rebellious, insane plan from yesterday had already taken firm root in his mind.
Since his teacher was henpecked, why not win over his teacher's wife?
In the future, when his teacher ascends to godhood, he could have Xiao Wu force him to take Xue Beng along!
If he remembered correctly, wasn't Xiao Wu the Sheath of the Asura God's Sword?
If his teacher dared refuse, then Xiao Wu could simply refuse to let him draw the sword—what could he do?
Once in the God Realm, Xue Beng would enjoy eternal youth, and also secretly fool around with Xiao Wu.
Heh heh.