The moment Yu Xiaogang's eyes met theirs, his tightly suppressed emotions completely collapsed.
Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
His lips trembled as if he wanted to speak, yet no words came out. Instead, he instinctively tried to turn away—his shoulders hunched, his body swaying as he attempted to stand and flee like a frightened animal.
"I… I can't…" he choked.
Before he could take even a single step, Flender's hand shot out and firmly grabbed his arm.
"Xiaogang!"
That familiar voice finally broke through Yu Xiaogang's mental defenses.
His legs gave out. If not for Flender holding him, he would have collapsed to the ground right there.
Seeing his current state, none of the Shrek group spoke.They quickly brought Yu Xiaogang to a nearby tavern.
The tavern was small and plain, but the warmth from the fireplace slowly drove away the chill clinging to Yu Xiaogang's body. After being given hot soup and wrapped in a blanket, his shivering gradually subsided.
Only then did Yu Xiaogang finally calm down enough to speak.
His voice was hoarse, broken, as if each word was dragged out from the depths of humiliation.
He spoke of how Spirit Hall had stripped him of dignity, how he had been mocked, and repeatedly humiliated.
"They…" Yu Xiaogang clenched the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.
"They never intended to give me a chance."
Some Shrek students erupted in righteous fury. Zhao Wuji stood silently his face grim , the other teachers also had serious faces.
"That's too much!" Dai Mubai slammed his fist on the table.
"They went too far!" said Oscar.
Tang San listened silently. His expression remained calm, but deep inside, cold ripples spread.
'Spirit Hall…Yu Xiaogang you are also a little useless. You went to take back my Eight Spider Lances and come back in a condition that require our consolation.'
He did not speak, yet the calculation in his eyes grew deeper.
After the initial outrage subsided, the tavern fell into an uneasy silence.
Reality pressed down on them. They had traveled all the way from Soutou City to Heaven Dou City, And yet—
They now stood at a dead end.
Ning Rongrong was thinking whether she should go back to the clan.
'Ah! Should send a letter to father!'
"Should we go back?" someone asked hesitantly.
Before anyone else could speak, Flender slammed his palm against the table.
"No."
His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
"We came this far to find better opportunities. If we retreat after just a little hardship, then all of this would have been meaningless."
His sharp eyes swept over the students one by one.
"Shrek does not bow its head so easily."
The room fell silent again.
Yet despite Flender's determination, no immediate solution presented itself. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was no longer an option, and returning to Soutou would only be a step backward.
Time passed., Finally, Flender's brows furrowed as if he had made up his mind.
"I know a place," he said slowly, his tone carrying weight, "that can provide even better opportunities for the children here."
Yu Xiaogang raised his head sharply.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, his eyes burning with a rekindled spark.
"Then what are you waiting for?" he said hoarsely. "Let's go."
Flender stared at him.
For a brief moment, countless memories surged in his mind—A thousand words hovered at the tip of his tongue.
Yet in the end, he only said—
"Let's go."
----
Standing before the towering gates of Blue Tyrant Academy, Flender finally stopped.
He looked up at the imposing academy plaque, his expression complicated—part nostalgia, part bitterness, part resolve.
"So," he said slowly, "we are here."
Ning Rongrong blinked in surprise, then quickly spoke, unable to hide her curiosity.
"Dean, I didn't know you had connections here."
She glanced at the massive academy grounds beyond the gates and added seriously,
"Blue Tyrant Academy is one of the top academies in Heaven Dou City. Its teaching style is extremely rigorous, and it has a unique principle—it only accepts civilian students and rejects all nobles."
As they approached the entrance, they were immediately stopped by the guards.
Flender did not argue. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Yu Xiaogang.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's hesitant posture, Flender sighed inwardly, then spoke in a calm but unmistakably deliberate tone:
"Deliver a message to your dean."
The guard frowned, but still listened.
"Tell her," Flender said, his voice steady,
"that the Flying Corner and the Wisdom Corner have come to meet the Slaughtering Corner—to make the triangle whole again."
The moment those words left Flender's mouth, Yu Xiaogang's entire body stiffened.
His pupils contracted violently, because he understood. His breathing unconsciously quickened, and cold sweat formed on his palms.
Flender noticed instantly.
He turned his head and fixed Yu Xiaogang with a sharp gaze.
"Xiaogang," he said sternly, "I hope you don't plan on running away like a coward in front of the students."
The word coward struck like a hammer.
Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth.
He instinctively looked toward Tang San and the others. Their expressions were filled with curiosity rather than judgment, yet that only deepened his unease.
He straightened his back forcibly.
"…I won't," he said hoarsely.
Tang San, however, was thinking of something else entirely.
'So this is how it goes…'
A faint glint passed through his eyes.
'We'll have a foothold in Heaven Dou City soon.'
His thoughts shifted seamlessly.
'Father has already gone to meet Aunt Yuehua at the Moon Pavilion. I'll need to see him soon—there's still the matter of planning the raid on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.'
To Tang San, the reunion between Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong was already a foregone conclusion.
In his memories, that woman had waited fourteen years for this man.
The rest of the group remained unaware of the deeper entanglements, merely sensing that there was an old story buried here—one that none of them fully understood.
Not long after, the guard returned.
This time, he was accompanied by a middle-aged man with a calm and capable demeanor.
"I am Yin Shu," he introduced himself politely. "A teacher of Blue Tyrant Academy."
He glanced at Flender and Yu Xiaogang with a meaningful look before continuing,
"The dean asks that you follow me."