Watching Yu Xiaogang retreat with his shoulders slumped, Flender couldn't help but smile. That Zhao Wuji was getting better and better at hitting where it hurt.
He had noticed the growing tension between Yu Xiaogang and his Vice-Dean for a while now. In the beginning, he had hoped to prevent any conflict. After all, he still considered Yu Xiaogang a brother, and Zhao Wuji was an indispensable part of his academy. He wanted them to get along.
But Yu Xiaogang's recent behavior had thoroughly disappointed him. It seemed their brotherhood meant little to him anymore; he was more interested in using their past friendship to get what he wanted without giving anything in return. After a while, Flender simply stopped trying to mediate.
Yu Xiaogang only ever dared to act that way with me, Flender thought with a private sigh. He relied on their shared history, using their old friendship as a shield. But when faced with Zhao Wuji's blunt power, he wouldn't dare say a word out of line. If Flender had said what Wuji just did, Yu Xiaogang would have argued endlessly. But with Wuji, he just tucked his tail and left.
"It's time for us to go, too," Flender said, standing up. "The team did an excellent job today. They even exceeded my expectations."
Zhao Wuji rose as well. "I agree completely, Dean. But I have a suggestion."
"Fighting the Berserker Team put everyone under a lot of pressure," he continued. "I think we should let them rest tomorrow. And maybe we should treat them to a good meal when we get back."
Flender paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. Zhao Wuji had a point. The battle today had been incredibly intense. He'd seen the exhaustion on the students' faces as they came off the stage. Though they were all smiling, he could see the weariness underneath. It was especially true for Dai Mubai and the others who were defeated early. Ironically, Huo Feng, who fought one against six to secure their victory, seemed to have the most energy left.
A reward after a hard-won victory was only proper. It would be a good way to boost morale.
Back at the hotel, Flender called everyone to his room for a meeting. Even Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were summoned. Knowing they wouldn't come willingly, Flender had sent Zhao Wuji to fetch them personally. As a result, the master and disciple now stood in the room, their expressions grim.
Yu Xiaogang was at least awake when Zhao Wuji found him, though he was clearly unhappy. Tang San, however, had already gone to bed. He had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep due to the discomfort from his earlier match, and was just about to drift off when he was abruptly woken up and dragged to the meeting.
A hot flash of anger went through him, but he quickly suppressed it. His teacher stood beside him, his face a thunderous mask, not saying a word. If the Grandmaster didn't dare to object, what right did he have?
On the way over, Yu Xiaogang had told him that the Shrek Team had won their team battle. However, he conveniently left out the most important detail: that their victory was only because Huo Feng had single-handedly defeated the last six opponents. Yu Xiaogang knew that such a thing would undoubtedly damage his disciple's confidence. He would keep it a secret for as long as he could.
So, all Tang San understood was that out of all the matches Shrek Academy participated in today, there were only two losses. The first was Oscar and Ma Hongjun's two-on-two match. The second was his own one-on-one match.
Every other fight had been a victory.
What made it worse was that his loss wasn't a simple matter of being overpowered. If he had lost like Oscar and Ma Hongjun, who were clearly outmatched, it would have been easier to accept. But Tang San hadn't just lost; he had lost in a humiliatingly spectacular fashion. Right now, the only person in the Soto Spirit Arena whose fame could match his was Huo Feng.
Some people had already realized they were from the same team, making the contrast even starker. One student represented the team's most embarrassing defeat, while the other represented its most glorious victory.
Tang San risked a sideways glance at his teacher, only to see him staring at the floor with a dark expression. He quickly lowered his own head, feeling a hot wave of shame. He couldn't face anyone.
Looking at his tired but excited students, Flender began the debriefing. "Tell me," he asked calmly, "what were your takeaways from today's matches?"
At the question, Tang San lowered his head even further. If Flender asked him that question directly, he would rather die on the spot. His feelings about the match were not only strange, but they were also completely unspeakable.
After a moment of silence, Dai Mubai spoke first. "The one-on-one matches were fine," he began, his voice serious. "But in the team battle, our initial coordination was a mess. We weren't working together smoothly. If Huo Feng hadn't been there to turn things around at the end..." He trailed off, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Well, we all know what would have happened."
Though they had won, he knew that at least half the credit belonged entirely to Huo Feng.
After him, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun each shared their thoughts. Even Vice-Dean Zhao Wuji added a few words. Without exception, every single one of them mentioned Huo Feng, and it was always with praise.
This left Tang San deeply confused. Since no one went into detail, all he knew was that the team had won, and it was thanks to Huo Feng turning the tide. He understood that Huo Feng's contribution was huge, but he was now desperate to know what exactly had happened.
He risked another quick glance at Yu Xiaogang, but his teacher was still staring at the floor, completely silent. Seeing this, Tang San didn't dare look around anymore and obediently lowered his head again.
He didn't know that his teacher hadn't just heard about what Huo Feng had done; he had been there in the stands, watching it all unfold. He had witnessed Huo Feng lead the team to victory and had been utterly humiliated in front of both Flender and Zhao Wuji. But how could he ever admit something like that to his own disciple?
Just then, a faint smile spread across Flender's face. His gaze drifted across the room and landed directly on the two bowed heads of Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.
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