"What do you suggest we do then?"
Yu Xiaogang had run out of ideas and could only ask Salas for a solution.
As for Salas, he had already discussed the matter with Xue Qinghe beforehand and presented the explanation they had prepared.
"I know Tang San is Elder Yu's disciple. How about this? I'll step in and protect Tang San while Ma Hongjun bears full responsibility for the incident. That way, Tang San and Shrek Academy can be cleared of any involvement. What do you think?"
Liu Erlong looked at Yu Xiaogang, her eyes full of reluctance.
After all, Ma Hongjun was Flender's disciple. The three of them had been through life-and-death situations together. How could they simply disregard Flender's feelings?
Yu Xiaogang pondered for a moment.
"Can't we save both of them?"
Salas forced a bitter smile and shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. I'm only able to protect Tang San because he wasn't the one who actually killed Wang Teng."
"What do you mean?" Yu Xiaogang demanded. "If Xiao San isn't the killer, why did you have him arrested? Is there something you're not telling us?"
Salas then explained exactly what had happened.
Tang San had merely beaten Wang Teng until he was no longer able to fight back. By itself, that did not violate the tournament rules.
Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, was the one who had actually killed Wang Teng.
The reason Salas had ordered Tang San detained as well was to satisfy public opinion.
From an outsider's perspective, if Tang San had not struck Wang Teng so severely, Wang Teng would never have been killed.
Salas's plan was simple. After the case was investigated and witness testimonies were collected, Tang San could be cleared of responsibility.
As for whether Shrek Academy would be allowed to keep its tournament qualification, Salas made no promises. That decision would require further discussions with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
"This..."
Yu Xiaogang hesitated.
In his opinion, Tang San truly wasn't responsible. He had simply been dragged into the incident because of Ma Hongjun.
He had always considered Ma Hongjun incompetent, but he never expected him to drag Tang San into such a disaster. As far as Yu Xiaogang was concerned, Ma Hongjun deserved whatever punishment came his way.
Of course, he couldn't say that aloud. At the very least, he had to show some consideration for Flender's feelings.
Heaven Dou Imperial Prison
Ma Hongjun was completely terrified.
He sat there in a daze. It wasn't until he was thrown into his prison cell that he finally came back to his senses.
Tang San, by comparison, remained much calmer as he quietly considered how to get himself out of this predicament.
If necessary, Ma Hongjun could take the blame while he cleared his own name.
After all, that was the truth. Had Ma Hongjun not lost control of his attack, none of this would have happened.
Just as Tang San was thinking, Ma Hongjun's desperate pleading reached his ears.
"Third Brother, please think of something! I don't want to die. I..."
"Enough!"
Tang San shouted angrily.
Back then, he should have trusted his teacher and let Tai Long replace Ma Hongjun in the lineup, leaving the latter on the bench.
His soft-heartedness had come back to haunt him. The arrow he had once fired had now struck himself instead.
Unwilling to give up, Ma Hongjun continued crying and begging, treating Tang San as his only hope of survival.
Tang San ignored him.
Instead, Ma Hongjun's constant wailing caught the attention of the prison guards.
Xue Qinghe had specifically instructed them not to mistreat Tang San, but he had said nothing about Ma Hongjun.
Annoyed by Ma Hongjun's endless shouting, the guards dragged him out of the cell and gave him a severe beating.
After leaving the Spirit Hall, Yu Xiaogang was stopped by Tang Hao on his way back to the academy.
Turning to Liu Erlong, he said, "Erlong, I'm going to take care of something. Wait for me here."
After leaving her behind, he slipped into a nearby alley and met with Tang Hao.
With Bone Douluo guarding the tournament venue, Tang Hao had been unable to enter, so he knew very little about what had actually happened.
All he knew was that Tang San had been arrested, along with the many rumors surrounding the incident.
Yu Xiaogang quickly warned him, "Your Majesty, whatever you do, don't break into the prison."
Salas had already promised that all responsibility would be placed on Ma Hongjun while Tang San would certainly be protected. There was even a chance Shrek Academy could keep its place in the tournament.
If Tang Hao broke Tang San out now, it would only make matters worse.
At that point, Tang Hao and Tang San might escape safely, but Shrek Academy would certainly face the full wrath of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Fortunately, Tang Hao wasn't an impulsive man.
Breaking into the prison was only a last resort. If there was another solution, he naturally preferred that.
After all, he didn't want Tang San to lose the opportunity to continue gaining experience and compete for the tournament's rewards.
After a brief pause, Yu Xiaogang continued,
"Your Majesty, I used the Pope's Decree to pressure Bishop Salas into standing on our side. Saving Xiao San shouldn't be a problem, but as for Ma Hongjun..."
He was worried that Flender would turn against him. Flender was the strongest among them, and he also had Zhao Wuji and several other old comrades at his side.
If things completely fell apart, he and Liu Erlong would be the ones to suffer.
Tang Hao immediately understood what he meant and let out a cold snort.
"I'd like to see who dares complain. That fat brat can die if he has to. Dying for a member of the Tang family is an honor he could never earn in a hundred lifetimes."
With a Titled Douluo backing him, Yu Xiaogang instantly regained his confidence.
"Since Your Majesty is willing to trust me, I won't let you down."
"That's settled. I'll go deal with this now. We'll stay in contact."
After speaking, Yu Xiaogang quickly departed with Tang Hao's silent approval.
Flender negotiated with the tournament organizers for a long time, but they refused to budge.
Moreover, until the matter was resolved, Shrek Academy was prohibited from competing.
After all, there had already been the incident involving Shi Nian attacking tournament participants.
Now the Heaven Dou Empire Qualifiers had been rocked by two major incidents in succession. It was a serious embarrassment for the imperial family.
The other regional qualifiers were undoubtedly waiting to laugh at them.
Unless someone could present a reasonable solution, the imperial family would never back down so easily.
Flender grew increasingly anxious.
If the investigation dragged on for three days and Shrek was forced to forfeit more than three consecutive matches, the academy would automatically lose its qualification to advance.
On top of that, the result of their match against Blazing Glory Academy had been suspended. If it were ultimately ruled as a loss, their situation would become even more dire.
If that happened, everything they had worked so hard for would have been meaningless.
If Tang San and Ma Hongjun were officially convicted of killing Wang Teng, could Shrek Academy even continue to exist?
While some despaired, others celebrated.
If Shrek Academy's qualification was revoked, Elephant Armored Academy would take their place and advance to the next round.
Huyan Li and the others, whose fighting spirit had all but vanished, suddenly found hope once more. They silently prayed that the investigation would drag on long enough to hand them advancement by default.
For the spectators, this year's qualifiers had been filled with one dramatic twist after another.
At this point, no one dared predict which team would ultimately claim the fifth qualifying spot.
On the arena, several teams that still had a chance of advancing became even more determined.
The remaining matches were bound to become even more exciting.
Inside the imperial palace, Emperor Xue Ye received the news with mixed emotions.
On one hand, he was pleased.
This incident gave him the perfect opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Shrek Academy and settle old scores.
It might even force the Spirit Hall to make concessions on behalf of Yu Xiaogang in exchange for the imperial family's cooperation.
On the other hand, he was troubled.
Two major incidents had occurred in succession during the Heaven Dou Qualifiers, and people would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to spread rumors about the imperial family's incompetence.
That said, Spirit Hall had suffered the greatest damage to its reputation.
Yu Xiaogang's attempt to use special privileges to shield Shrek Academy was bound to draw widespread criticism.
To a certain extent, it helped divert public pressure away from the imperial family.
Xue Qinghe's proposed compromise was indeed reasonable. The only question was whether Spirit Hall would follow the script.
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