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Dai Mubai was completely stunned. He stood there for a second, his mind racing. He realized he had almost been fooled by Su Yan's calm and reasonable way of speaking. He knew very well that Su Yan was not just good at arguing; he was also incredibly strong and hit very hard.
"I'm sorry!" Dai Mubai finally said, choosing to yield. He turned toward the students and the teacher from Canghui Academy and bowed to apologize. He didn't want to end up like Ma Hongjun, especially since his own injuries had only just finished healing.
Ma Hongjun wasn't necessarily ungrateful; he simply didn't understand who he was dealing with. If he had known Su Yan's true strength, he probably would have backed down even faster than Dai Mubai did. The academy's philosophy of "not being a good Spirit Master if you don't dare to cause trouble" often just led to bullying the weak while fearing the strong.
The group from Canghui Academy was surprised by Su Yan's actions. Seeing Dai Mubai actually apologize made it hard for them to stay angry or keep causing a scene. Su Yan then raised his hand to catch the attention of the staff.
"Waiter, please put the bill for those two tables over there on our tab," Su Yan called out, gesturing toward the Canghui Academy students.
The students looked at their teacher, a middle-aged man who stood up and cupped his fists toward Su Yan as a sign of respect. With that, the conflict was settled, and both sides were able to save face. Su Yan sat back down at a nearby table, and Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and the others quickly followed, sitting beside him with smiles on their faces.
Su Yan poured tea for everyone and looked at Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu. "You know, there's an old saying," he began. "At home, you rely on your parents, but outside, you rely on your friends. More friends mean more paths to take, while more enemies just mean more walls blocking your way. You don't have to be friends with everyone, but you shouldn't go out of your way to make enemies."
At a table nearby, Tang San silently gave a thumbs-up to Su Yan's words. However, in his mind, he added a thought from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: "Once you confirm someone is an enemy, if they deserve to die, don't show mercy. Otherwise, it will only bring more trouble later ." He thought back to the gatekeeper at Nuoding Academy and wondered if he had followed that rule well.
Ning Rongrong pouted slightly and whispered, "It doesn't seem like that big of a deal. After all, their strength isn't even that great."
Su Yan smiled and shook his head. "Think about where we are. The Spirit Masters here are all going into or coming out of the Star Dou Great Forest. That forest is full of danger. If you make enemies here, aren't you afraid someone might stab you in the back while you're distracted by a spirit beast? "
He continued, "Even if no one attacks you, imagine you get hurt or pass out while escaping a beast. If you've made a friend here, they might stop to help you and bring you back for treatment."
Ye Lingling nodded and added, "At the very least, having someone to collect your body or report your death is better than being left in the wilderness where no one cares."
Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but laugh softly. She realized that Ye Lingling really thought the same way she did.
Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted to the group chat.
[Hu Liena: Image (Bibi Dong's jade feet).JPG.]
[Seven Treasures Little Princess: Hu Liena, what are you doing? We are trying to eat! Why are you sending photos of smelly feet?]
[Loves Eating Carrots: I'm speechless.]
[Liu Erlong: Wait, these couldn't be Bibi Dong's claws, could they?]
Su Yan was also speechless. He wondered why they kept testing him with things like this. He felt a bit conflicted—would it be better for Bibi Dong to wash his feet, or for him to wash hers?
[Tang Yuehua: If I'm not mistaken, Hu Liena is actually teaching Bibi Dong how to wash feet! Hahaha! This group chat is getting more fun every day.]
[Ah Yin: I'm just glad I didn't die. Now I can stay in this happy group and even get the chance to see the Pope of the Spirit Hall wash a man's feet.]
[Hu Liena: My teacher's feet aren't smelly at all! They're actually fragrant!]
[Yanzi is not a Swallow: Really? I don't believe you.]
[Group Member Number Nine: Unless you take a bite to prove it, we won't believe it.]
Su Yan and the others burst out laughing at Ye Lingling's shocking remark.
[Hu Liena: ???]
[Liu Erlong: Hahahaha!! Number Nine, you're going to kill me with laughter! Hu Liena, hurry up and take a bite!]
[Cat in the Shadows: Sometimes I feel like I don't fit in here because I'm not perverted enough.]
[Hu Liena: You bastards! My teacher is just honoring a bet, and I'm teaching her how to do it properly!]
[I Am an Orphan: Bibi Dong, oh Bibi Dong, you've truly disgraced yourself. You're actually going to wash a man's feet! If it's really come to this, just stop being the Supreme Pontiff. Go find a mountain somewhere and plant sweet potatoes!]
Inside the Crown Prince's Mansion, Qian Renxue's mood was hard to describe. She thought about Bibi Dong and realized that the "crazy woman" had no idea whose feet she was about to wash. She was going to wash her own son-in-law's feet. The thought of a mother-in-law doing that made her feel very uneasy.
[Bibi Dong: Orphan, shut up! This is none of your business!]
Back in the Pope's bedchamber, Bibi Dong's face was red with anger. She glared at Hu Liena. "You little ingrate! You just love making me look foolish in front of everyone, don't you?"
Hu Liena looked back with a very serious face. "Absolutely not, Teacher! Think about it: if you don't honor the bet and show Su Yan your sincerity, will he ever bet with you again? If he doesn't, then you lost the first bet for nothing, and all this practice will be in vain."
Bibi Dong became even angrier. She felt like she, the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall who usually manipulated everyone else, was being manipulated by her own student. She kept her face gloomy and didn't say a word.
Hu Liena finished massaging Bibi Dong's feet, then stood up and moved behind her to massage her shoulders. "Teacher, how do you feel now?"
Bibi Dong grumbled, "Not good at all. At most, I will wash his feet. There is absolutely no way I am going to massage him too."
Hu Liena smiled. "That's fine. You can wash his feet, and I will be the one to massage him. Between the two of us working together, we will definitely make him comfortable!"
Bibi Dong froze. "Hu Liena! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" She was so angry her chest was practically bursting. "Make him comfortable? Do you hear yourself? I am the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, a Titled Douluo! Do you think I'm some kind of high-end technician?"
Hu Liena explained earnestly, "Teacher, you still don't understand the real goal. We need to win Su Yan over! He has Zhu Zhuqing and the others around him already. How can I influence him all by myself? You must also show him some goodwill. Only then will we have a chance to get him onto Spirit Hall's warship and have him help us."
Bibi Dong's face remained grim, but she didn't argue. She knew she couldn't refute what Hu Liena was saying. Hu Liena was great, but the other girls around Su Yan were impressive too. Relying only on Hu Liena's charms might not be enough to win him over.
"But... does that mean I have to step in myself?" she thought. She quickly shook her head to get rid of the idea. She decided that showing him goodwill and not arguing with him anymore actually made sense.