Why on earth did he give me twenty gold soul coins when the debt was only ten? And what does he mean, Tang San will have nothing to do with my shop anymore? It's not like they had anything to do with each other in the first place.
The blacksmith shop owner was confused, but not for long. "Alright, then. You can take Tang San with you," he said, a genuine smile spreading across his face. He quickly pocketed the twenty gold soul coins. There was no way he was giving back money that was freely offered. Twenty gold soul coins was not a small sum, even for him, and ten of them were pure profit. Who in their right mind would turn down free money?
Yu Xiaogang nodded, turned, and led Tang San out of the blacksmith shop.
The sun had just risen, and its warm light spilled across the streets, bathing Tang San in a gentle glow. The warmth felt incredible on his skin. He let out a long, deep breath, and the fresh morning air filled his lungs, making him feel particularly comfortable, as if he had been reborn. He looked at the people coming and going on the familiar street, which now seemed more beautiful than ever before. The thought that he would no longer have to sleep like a rat in that damp, sewer-like hut filled him with an immense sense of joy.
"Teacher, how did you find me here?" Tang San asked, looking at Yu Xiaogang. He guessed that Huo Feng and his group must have told his teacher after seeing him yesterday, but he wanted to hear it for himself.
"That doesn't matter right now. Look at the state you're in!" Yu Xiaogang said, dismissing the question. "And I can see you haven't made any progress in your cultivation. The most important thing now is to recover, catch up on what you've missed, and start practicing again."
Hearing his teacher's words, Tang San realized with a pang of guilt that he hadn't practiced properly in a long time. It had been nearly a month since they had left Notting City, yet his spirit power was still stuck at level 25, completely stagnant. He even felt that his rank-25 spirit power was unstable and weak, not solid at all. He feared he might not even have an advantage against a strong level 22 or 23 Spirit Master.
He nodded sincerely. "Teacher, I promise I'll practice hard." With his teacher by his side, Tang San felt a renewed sense of hope.
"Where are we going now?" he asked cautiously. After leaving the shop, they had been walking steadily along the street. Following this direction, they would soon be out of the city.
At his question, Yu Xiaogang suddenly stopped. He stood by the side of the road and turned to look at Tang San, his expression complicated. "Tell me, Little San, do you still want to study at an academy?" His voice was calm as he watched his disciple intently.
Tang San's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of panic washed over him. What does he mean by that? He had just told his teacher that he'd failed the entrance exam to Shrek Academy. But he also knew that Yu Xiaogang had a connection with the dean, and it wasn't a shallow one. Dai Mubai's words last night had confirmed that much. Could it be that his teacher was going to help him re-enroll?
His heartbeat quickened, but he deliberately suppressed his excitement, trying to keep his face calm. He looked at Yu Xiaogang and gave a slight nod, not knowing what he should say.
"Good!" Yu Xiaogang declared, his voice ringing with pride. "You are worthy of being my disciple! In that case, I will put my reputation on the line to get you into Shrek Academy! Let's go. We're heading back to Shrek now!"
He had been hesitant at first, but now his mind was made up. Even though Tang San had failed the exam, he was confident he could still get him in. Relying on his old friendship with Flanders, he believed the dean wouldn't refuse him.
"Really? Teacher?" Tang San asked, his hands trembling with excitement.
"Of course. Don't worry," Yu Xiaogang said simply, continuing to walk forward.
In Tang San's eyes, his teacher's figure suddenly seemed to grow taller. Bathed in the morning sunlight, his whole body seemed to glow with a golden light, making him appear tall and majestic. In that moment, Yu Xiaogang's status in Tang San's heart was elevated once again.
Before they knew it, they had reached the city gate. They left the city and headed straight for Shrek Academy.
Back at the Shrek Academy playground, the seven students had gathered early as usual. Dean Flanders walked out to address them, just as he did every morning. Normally, he would announce the day's training regimen. But today, he stood before them in silence for a long time, as if lost in thought. The students looked at each other, confused.
After a long pause, Flanders finally spoke. "Take a day off today. Everyone can practice on their own. Dismissed!" After saying that, he turned and left without another word.
???
The students were stunned into silence. Such a good thing can happen? A sudden day off? Though they were confused, smiles quickly spread across their faces.
"What do you say, Boss Dai? Let's go have some fun in the city?" Ma Hongjun asked, looking at Dai Mubai with a lewd grin and rubbing his palms together in anticipation. Due to the nature of his Evil Fire Phoenix spirit, he needed to find… special ways to vent his excess energy from time to time, and Dai Mubai had often been his companion.
Dai Mubai immediately understood what he meant. He glanced at the three girls not far away, who were looking at them with disgust, and quickly put on an act of refusal. "If you want to go, go by yourself. Don't drag me into your mess!" After saying that, he turned and walked away, doing his best to draw a clear line between himself and Ma Hongjun to show that he was not like him.
"Tsk, tsk, Fatty, you're getting more and more shameless," Oscar said as he walked past Ma Hongjun, shaking his head before leaving as well.
Ma Hongjun was left standing there for a moment, stunned, before he hurriedly followed Dai Mubai. This guy is really putting on an act, he thought. It's hard to convince him in front of everyone, but maybe in private…
"Huo Feng, do you want to go for a walk in Soto City?" Ning Rongrong's voice suddenly rang out. She looked at Huo Feng with a slight blush on her face, seeming a little embarrassed.
"Huh?" Before Huo Feng could react, Xiao Wu spoke first. "I'm going too!"
Huo Feng scratched his head. Since he had nothing else to do, going for a walk sounded like a good way to relax.
"Um… can I go with you?"
A somewhat hesitant female voice sounded nearby. Huo Feng, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong turned around at the same time.
The person who had spoken was Zhu Zhuqing.
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