Chapter 253: Tang San's Proposal, Ning Rongrong Out of Control
"Zhu… Zhu… Qing."
Dai Mubai spat out her name, enunciating each syllable slowly, his voice thick with resentment and malice.
The sheer hatred in his tone made Xiao Wu and Oscar instinctively shrink back.
At the same time, Tang San's expression darkened. A faint pain pulsed through his hands again even though his injuries had long healed, his Mysterious Jade Hand…
He had imagined countless times what it would be like when they met again.
Yet only half a year had passed, and now, here she was.
And from the looks of it, she seemed to be doing just fine something he could not accept.
She was a murderer.
Why was she still walking free?
And what about her former comrades?
Did she even spare a thought for their feelings?
Did she deserve the support of their teacher and headmaster?
After all, Flender personally took her to hunt for her third spirit ring!
The more he thought about it, the more Tang San convinced himself that they were in the right.
They were the ones betrayed.
And for her to hurt Dai Mubai, her fiancé, was unforgivable.
Of course, this wasn't his personal matter.
But Dai Mubai was his brother.
How could he stand by and do nothing?
Besides, Zhu Zhuqing's departure had cost their team a powerful fighter.
And as the core of the team, he had been forced to hold back his true strength because of it.
She had already chosen her path to death.
Tang San turned to look at Dai Mubai, only to find Dai Mubai staring back at him.
With just one glance, they understood each other.
Their goals were aligned.
They had no reason to hesitate anymore.
"Let's go, Mubai. We need answers today."
Tang San's voice was cold, filled with restrained fury.
Dai Mubai nodded without a word and took a step forward.
But before they could move, a figure appeared in front of them with lightning speed, raising a hand to block their way.
"You two need to calm down."
Flender's voice was stern, offering them no room for argument.
"Headmaster "
Dai Mubai barely got a word out before Flender cut him off again.
"If you two want to humiliate yourselves, get punished by the academy, and be abandoned by the Crown Prince, then go ahead. I won't stop you."
Flender stepped aside and pointed toward the entrance.
"Have you two completely lost your minds? Have you lost your ability to think? Tell me what does the uniform she's wearing represent?"
"Tianshui Academy," Tang San answered instinctively.
Then, his eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him, and a look of shock flashed across his face.
"Exactly. Tianshui Academy. You remember the information the academy gave you, don't you? Do you need me to remind you what that means?"
Spirit Hall.
At Flender's words, everyone's minds immediately conjured up those two words.
Or, more specifically
Spirit Hall's Holy Son, Han Li.
After all, Spirit Hall had never publicly acknowledged that Tianshui Academy had become their affiliate.
And Tianshui Academy had never officially admitted it either.
However, in the past few years, Spirit Hall had continuously provided support to Tianshui Academy.
And Tianshui Academy's stance toward the outside world made it clear there was no difference.
But more importantly
All intelligence reports confirmed one thing.
Shui Bing'er had been forcibly taken by Holy Son Han Li and his Super Douluo master.
Yes, this was widely believed.
Even though Tianshui Academy later clarified the situation, no one believed them.
"So that slut Zhu Zhuqing really did throw herself at Han Li?"
A cold voice cut through the air, and everyone turned to see Dai Mubai's eyes had turned blood red.
"Mubai, don't say things you can't prove especially right now."
In a flash, Flender appeared directly in front of him, gripping his shoulders tightly.
He quickly scanned their surroundings, afraid someone had overheard.
To his relief, everyone's attention was still fixed on Tianshui Academy's entrance.
Flender exhaled.
"I know what you're thinking, but do you want to get us killed?"
"First of all, Han… the Holy Son has never crossed paths with you. Zhu Zhuqing might have gone to Tianshui Academy on her own."
Flender lowered his voice and looked around again.
"But even if it was him what can you do?"
"Don't forget, you're still under the Crown Prince's command. You've heard about his relationship with Han Li, haven't you? Do you plan to throw away your last chance?"
"Even though our backup members didn't come, their names are on the official roster."
Clearly, seeing Zhu Zhuqing among Tianshui Academy's ranks made Flender realize one thing
Han Li had been involved all along.
But he wouldn't dare say that openly.
He knew his own limits.
A mere Spirit Sage like him, in front of Spirit Hall, was no different from a Blue Silver Grass
Completely insignificant.
Even if there were connections, they didn't seem to matter. Wasn't Tang Hao still living in hiding? Xue Qinghe was already the Crown Prince in power, yet he still treated Han Li with great respect. Let alone Dai Mubai, the discarded prince of the Star Luo Empire.
Hearing Flender's words, Dai Mubai dropped his head powerlessly, his nails digging into his palms.
"Are we really just going to let that slut get away with everything?"
His low growl carried pure rage.
Flender didn't respond.
"There's always a way. The tournament rules don't allow for crippling injuries, but in the heat of battle, accidents can happen… right?"
Flender hadn't even reacted when Tang San's icy voice came from behind him.
"Tang San, are you trying to get everyone killed?"
Flender turned around abruptly, both shocked and furious, locking eyes with Tang San.
To be honest, Tang San's words sent chills down his spine.
As far as he knew, Zhu Zhuqing had only exchanged a few words with Tang San, and they had merely fought briefly. The most she had done was injure him lightly. He had recovered in just a week, so where was all this killing intent coming from?
Zhu Zhuqing had been their teammate.
Among them, aside from Xiao Wu, she had been Tang San's strongest partner in battle.
So why?
Why was he now fueling Dai Mubai's rage?
Why was he pushing him toward this kind of act?
And did he not realize that if this happened, everyone here except Ning Rongrong would be held responsible? Their futures would be ruined, and they could even face serious consequences.
Or… had he learned the truth about himself?
Did he now know that he and Xiao Wu would be fine, no matter what happened?
Just as Flender was about to speak again, Tang San's voice cut through the air once more.
"Apologies, Headmaster. That was thoughtless of me. I misspoke in the heat of the moment while trying to help Mubai."
A hint of shame crossed Tang San's face as he bowed deeply to the group, as if he truly regretted his words.
"Ah, come on, that's too much, Teacher. Brother San didn't mean it. Don't be so hard on him, right, Oscar?"
Ma Hongjun, standing closest to Tang San, quickly helped him up, glancing at Oscar for support.
Tang San's recent power surge had left a deep impression on them. To them, he was already at the level of a powerful Battle Spirit Master.
And they were counting on him to win matches.
Oscar hesitated for a moment. He looked between Tang San and Flender before sighing and muttering a reluctant "Yeah."
He wanted no part of this mess.
Damn that fatass, dragging him into it. But at this point, he couldn't just stay silent.
Flender glanced at his useless students before fixing his gaze on Tang San.
He had seen this so called "good brother" of his student act before.
He wouldn't be fooled.
"This time, I'll let it go. But don't ever say something like that again."
Flender waved him off. He couldn't afford to be too harsh on Tang San lest he end up like Zhao Wuji.
"Enough about that. Right now, the only thing that matters is the opening match. Zhu Zhuqing can wait until later."
He forced the conversation back to the tournament.
As for "later", well…
If he ever brought this up again, he'd be Yu Xiaogang's grandson.
Honestly, he wanted to run away.
He deeply regretted not pleading with Yu Xiaogang to stay as the team leader.
The pressure was crushing him. He felt like he was sitting on a powder keg, just waiting for it to explode and take him with it.
And as if his luck couldn't get any worse
Their first match was against Blue Tyrant Academy.
Recently, Tai Long had just transferred from Blue Tyrant to their team.
Flender had barely managed to convince Liu Erlong to let it go.
And now?
They were about to crush her students in the very first match.
What kind of nightmare was this?
Meanwhile, Tang San and Dai Mubai exchanged a wordless glance.
Flender pretended not to notice.
He couldn't stop them.
The only thing he could do was warn the others to be extra cautious when facing Tianshui Academy.
He needed to keep these two from doing something reckless.
Flender sighed deeply.
How the hell did things turn out like this?
Why were his students so damn dumb?
They had already suffered once.
And yet, they still trusted Tang San.
Did they have a death wish?
"Alright, let's head back to the rest area. Rongrong is waiting for us."
Flender exhaustedly signaled for them to move.
Right now, he just wanted to stay as far away from Tianshui Academy as possible to avoid any accidents.
But before he could even finish his sentence
A familiar, irritated voice rang out.
"What took you all so long? That guy didn't listen to me, did he?"
Ning Rongrong.
Damn it.
The princess is here.
Everyone, clear the way!
Flender's heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
He had made a grave mistake.
He hadn't considered her personality.
She had been left waiting too long, and now…
He had lost control of the situation.
"You guys were so slow! I told you to hurry. Don't tell me that guy ignored me?"
Ning Rongrong's displeased voice was already drawing attention.
And then
"Eh? What's happening over there? Which team is entering now?"
"It's so loud everyone's running in that direction!"
Ning Rongrong took a few steps forward, glancing toward the entrance.
Flender didn't have time to stop her.
And even if he had it was too late.
Because Tianshui Academy was approaching.
Flender shut his eyes in despair.
And started praying.
(End of Chapter)
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