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The Aftermath at Shrek Academy
Seeing that everyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had finally left, Dugu Bo placed his hands behind his back. His gaze briefly flickered over the unconscious Yu Xiaogang lying on the ground, and he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"I truly didn't expect Yu Luomian to be so ruthless; he actually castrated that useless guy right in front of everyone," he muttered.
At this point, Dugu Bo suddenly looked up, a flash of green light in his eyes. His gaze landed on the man drinking wine on the roof not far away, who was tilting his head back to take a swig. The evening breeze blew gently, carrying the heavy scent of wine through the air. The man's posture was utterly decadent, yet he exuded a subtle, elusive sense of oppression.
A hint of solemnity crossed Dugu Bo's face. He quickly withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice to Tang Chen beside him, "Let's go. The show is over; it's time for us to head back."
"Oh?" Tang Chen didn't move. Instead, he glanced at Tang San, who had already fainted on the ground. A slight curve appeared on his lips as he asked teasingly, "What, weren't you always interested in his external Spirit Bone? Are you just going to leave it now?"
Dugu Bo irritably snorted at the question. "Hmph, this old man isn't blind. I took the opportunity to observe carefully just now. That kid's external Spirit Bone seems to be completely fused with his body; I won't be able to take it, even if I kill him."
He then swept his gaze back toward the rooftop and lowered his voice. "Besides, there's someone watching over there. Today, you and I might have more troubles than we expected to deal with."
Frowning slightly, Tang Chen looked up, his gaze fixing on the drunkard on the roof. Using his mental force, he immediately recognized the person before him with just a glance—his biological father, Tang Hao!
The thick scent of wine, carried by the breeze, stirred the slightly disheveled, gray hem of Tang Hao's robe. At this moment, Tang Hao was looking down at Tang Chen with a face full of doubt. Due to the significant change in Tang Chen's appearance, Tang Hao clearly hadn't recognized his estranged son.
"Let's go. Don't worry about him," Dugu Bo said, gently patting Tang Chen's shoulder. His voice was low and reassuring. "If he dares to approach us, we'll just fight him. After all, I'm not the only Titled Douluo standing by your side."
Tang Chen nodded slightly, took one last glance at the unconscious Tang San on the ground, and then followed Dugu Bo. They slowly left Shrek Academy and disappeared into the night.
Inside the Academy
Immediately after Dugu Bo and Tang Chen's figures vanished outside the academy gate, Tang Hao slowly stood up on the rooftop. His gaze was fixed solemnly on the direction they had taken. A moment later, his figure flickered, and he silently followed them.
… … … …
Half an hour later, inside a large room at Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San lay unconscious on two separate beds. Yu Xiaogang's lower abdomen was tightly wrapped in white bandages that were already stained blood-red. A healing Spirit Master stood by his bed, completely focused on guiding their spirit power with a scepter to slowly treat the wounds.
Liu Erlong and Flender stood nearby, their brows tightly furrowed, their faces grim. They fixed their gazes on the two on the beds, creating an atmosphere so heavy it was suffocating.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang. Xiao Wu rushed in anxiously, her eyes wide with panic and worry. She hurried to Tang San's bedside, her hand gently resting on the bed frame, and asked in a trembling voice, "Dean, Ge… Ge and Yu Xiaogang—what happened to them?"
Hearing this, Flender lowered his head, looked at Xiao Wu, and questioned her with a hint of doubt. "Xiao Wu, where were you just now? Mubai and the others were all at the academy gate. Why didn't I see you there?"
"I… I was sleeping in my room just now. I didn't hear anything about the commotion at the academy gate," Xiao Wu stammered softly, biting her lip.
Liu Erlong frowned slightly, her voice tinged with suspicion. "Xiao Wu, if you were sleeping just now, how would you know about what happened at the academy gate?"
Xiao Wu's face instantly paled. She lowered her head, her two fingers awkwardly poking at each other in front of her. She stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word, completely silenced by the question.
Seeing her reaction, Flender sighed, choosing not to press the issue further. He slowly began to explain, "Yu Xiaogang is in this state because people from his family came and attacked him. Even if his body recovers, he probably won't be able to live like a normal person anymore. As for Little San, he's not in any serious danger; he simply fainted from exhaustion."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu suddenly threw herself onto Tang San's bed, hugging him tightly. Her voice was trembling and choked with emotion. "Ge, you can't be in trouble!"
At the same time, Liu Erlong's eyes filled with sadness, and she whispered, "Yu Xiaogang, now that you've become like this… what are we going to do in the future?"
Seeing Liu Erlong's emotional state, Flender gently stepped forward, patted her shoulder, and comforted her. "Sister Erlong, don't be too sad. Don't forget, you still have me."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong instantly lost control, crying even more fiercely. Her choked sobs echoed continuously in the room, making the air heavy with sorrow and sadness. Surprisingly, Flender laughed, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes.
The Street Encounter
The moon was like a silver disk, and the sky was full of stars. The night wind caused the streetlights on both sides of the road to flicker unsteadily. Dugu Bo and Tang Chen walked down the chilly street, their long shadows stretching out in the moonlight.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed from an alleyway not far ahead. Dugu Bo's brow furrowed slightly. He clearly sensed something abnormal and shouted in a deep voice, "Since you're here, why are you being so sneaky? Why don't you dare to show yourself?"
As soon as he spoke, a gray figure slowly emerged from the fork in the road ahead. Under the faint moonlight, one could only vaguely make out a man of extremely robust build.
Seeing the newcomer, Dugu Bo immediately and instinctively shielded Tang Chen behind him, then asked coldly, "Your Excellency, why have you been following us all this way?"
The gray-robed man did not answer directly. Instead, he simply laughed up at the sky, saying, "When the young are beaten, the old naturally come out to seek justice. I haven't stretched my muscles in a while, and today I just want to have a proper spar with you, Poison Douluo."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand, and a thick, black light began to condense in his palm. In an instant, a giant hammer with a head the size of a water barrel appeared in the gray-robed man's hand. Its heavy aura was so intense it almost caused the surrounding air to tremble.
Immediately after, two yellow, two purple, four black, one red—a total of nine Spirit Rings—slowly spiraled up from beneath the gray-robed man's feet.
"You… you are Tang Hao?"
Looking at the nine Spirit Rings released by the gray-robed man and the giant hammer in his hand, Dugu Bo's face suddenly changed. Two yellow, two purple, and five black Spirit Rings, totaling nine, instantly rose from beneath his own feet. Instantly, the oppressive aura released by Tang Hao was greatly suppressed.
Regarding Dugu Bo's question, Tang Hao merely snorted coldly, not admitting his identity.
"You seem to be poisoned? And it's the potent venom of the Death Spider Emperor!" Dugu Bo's nose suddenly twitched, as if he had detected something. Having dealt with poison for many years, his sensitivity to it had become an instinct, and he said in a deep voice. "If you forcibly fight me, aren't you afraid of the poison attacking your heart?"
"Hahahaha! Poison attacking the heart? To deal with you, it won't even stir my old injuries within!" Tang Hao sneered, hearing this. His Clear Sky Hammer in hand slowly rose, his gaze shifting from Dugu Bo to Tang Chen behind him, and he said in a deep voice, "I can see that you both seem eager to try. In that case, let's both of you come at me. What difference does one or two opponents make?"