Chapter 195: The Abandoned Pawn Ma Hongjun

"Then tell me what to do!"

Yu Xiaogang had no countermeasure and had to let Salas speak.

As for Salas, he had long since colluded with Xue Qinghe and brought out the pre-prepared rhetoric.

"This subordinate knows that Tang San is Elder Yu's disciple. How about this: I will step forward to protect Tang San and let Ma Hongjun bear all the blame. In this way, Tang San and Shrek Academy can be cleared of this. How does that sound?"

Liu Erlong looked at Yu Xiaogang, her eyes full of reluctance.

After all, Ma Hongjun was Flender's disciple, and the three of them shared a bond of life and death; how could they lose face for the other?

Yu Xiaogang pondered and said, "Can't we save both?"

Salas gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "There is no way. What I am saying is based on the premise that Tang San is not the murderer."

"What do you mean?" Yu Xiaogang questioned. "Since Xiao San is not the murderer, why did you order him to be taken into custody? Is there some hidden story here?"

Salas recounted what had happened at the time.

Tang San had only beaten Wang Teng until he lost the ability to fight back and had not violated any rules himself. In contrast, Ma Hongjun was the true murderer who killed Wang Teng.

Salas chose to take Tang San into custody to comply with public opinion.

After all, in the eyes of the outside world, if Tang San had not been ruthless, Wang Teng would not have been killed.

Salas's plan was also simple: after the case was tried and testimonies were reviewed, he would clear Tang San.

As for whether Shrek Academy's qualification for the tournament could be preserved, Salas could not guarantee it; that would only be known after communicating with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

"This..." Yu Xiaogang hesitated.

In his view, this matter indeed had nothing to do with Tang San; he was merely implicated by Ma Hongjun.

He knew Ma Hongjun was a good-for-nothing, but he didn't expect him to dare harm his disciple; he truly deserved to die.

But he could not say that, at least not if he wanted to save face for Flender.

Heaven Dou Empire prison.

Ma Hongjun was completely terrified, his whole person dazed, and it was only after being thrown into the prison that he snapped back to reality.

Tang San was relatively calm, calculating how to escape.

At worst, he would let Ma Hongjun take the blame and clear himself.

Moreover, this was the truth; if Ma Hongjun hadn't messed up, how could they be in this predicament today?

Just as he was pondering, Ma Hongjun's pleading voice came: "Third Brother, please think of a way. I don't want to die yet, I..."

"Enough!" Tang San shouted angrily.

Back then, he should have trusted his teacher, let Tailong replace Ma Hongjun's position, and kept the latter on the bench.

He blamed his own soft heart; the arrow he had shot back then was now piercing his own brow.

Ma Hongjun would not give up, treating Tang San as his only straw to clutch at, wailing incessantly.

Tang San did not answer; Ma Hongjun's actions instead attracted the attention of the jailers.

Xue Qinghe had given instructions beforehand that Tang San could not be touched, but he hadn't said anything about Ma Hongjun.

Plus, with the latter shouting and yelling, the jailers were annoyed and dragged him out for a beating.

Yu Xiaogang left the Wuhun Shengdian and was stopped by Tang Hao on the way back to the academy.

He turned his head and said to Liu Erlong, "Erlong, I'm going to relieve myself; wait for me here."

After leaving, he ducked into a nearby alley to meet with Tang Hao.

Gu Rong was guarding the arena, so Tang Hao could not sneak in and did not know the specific details of what happened.

He only knew that Tang San had been arrested and the various rumored versions of the incident.

Yu Xiaogang hurriedly warned, "Your Excellency Haotian, remember not to break into the prison."

Salas had just said that pushing all responsibility onto Ma Hongjun would inevitably protect Tang San, and there was even a possibility of saving Shrek Academy's spot.

If Tang Hao went to break into the prison now, wouldn't that just add to their crimes?

By then, even if the father and son were free and happy, Shrek Academy would certainly be liquidated by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Of course, Tang Hao was not a reckless person.

Breaking into the prison was only a last resort; if there were other ways, that would naturally be better.

After all, he did not want Tang San to easily lose the opportunity for training and to win the tournament rewards.

After a pause, Yu Xiaogang continued, "Your Excellency Haotian, I have already used the Pope Token to force Bishop Salas to stand on our side. Saving Xiao San is not a big problem, but Ma Hongjun..."

He was worried that Flender would turn against them, and the latter was the strongest among them, along with Zhao Wuji and the other old brothers.

If things reached an irredeemable point, he and Liu Erlong would definitely be the ones to suffer.

Tang Hao guessed his thoughts and snorted coldly, "I'd like to see who dares to have complaints. That dead fatty, if he dies, he dies. To die for the Tang family is an honor he has cultivated for a hundred lifetimes!"

With such a Title Douluo backing him, Yu Xiaogang instantly gained confidence.

"Since Your Excellency Haotian is willing to trust me, I will certainly not disappoint."

"That's it, I'll go handle things first, let's keep in touch."

After speaking, with Tang Hao's tacit approval, Yu Xiaogang walked away quickly.

Flender negotiated with the organizers for a long time but could not get them to budge.

Furthermore, until the matter was resolved, Shrek Academy was prohibited from competing.

One must know that before this, there was the incident of Shi Nian harming the contestants.

Two major events had occurred in succession in the Heaven Dou Empire's Preliminary Tournament; where could the Imperial Family put their face?

I fear that people in other competition zones were all waiting to see their joke.

If no one can come up with a reasonable solution, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family will certainly not easily let it go.

Flender was anxious in his heart.

If this drags on for three days, causing them to forfeit three or more consecutive matches, Shrek Academy will inevitably lose its chance to advance.

Furthermore, the result of this match against the Blazing Radiance Academy has been shelved; if they are judged to have lost, their time will be even tighter.

In that case, what would be the point of everything they have done before?

If the crime of Ma Hongjun and Tang San committing murder is confirmed, can Shrek Academy still continue to exist?

Some are happy while others are sad; once Shrek Academy's spot is revoked, the Elephant Armored Sect will replace them and successfully advance to the next round.

The fighting spirit of Huyan Li and the others, which had originally died out, was rekindled, praying that the investigation would drag on long enough to guarantee their advancement!

For the spectators watching the excitement, this Preliminary Tournament has been full of twists and turns.

No one even dares to predict who will end up with the fifth advancement spot.

On the competition field, some teams with a chance to advance have begun to stir, and the subsequent matches will only be more lively.

……

Inside the imperial palace, Xue Ye, having received the news, was both happy and worried.

What he was happy about was that he could use this opportunity to strike hard at Shrek Academy and avenge the past grudge.

Furthermore, for the sake of Yu Xiaogang, the Spirit Hall might even trade away certain interests to seek the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's leniency.

What he was worried about was that consecutive vicious incidents in the Heaven Dou Competition Zone would surely lead people to take the opportunity to spread rumors about the incompetence of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

Of course, the one losing the most face is still the Spirit Hall.

Yu Xiaogang wants to use special privileges to protect Shrek Academy, which will surely be criticized.

To a certain extent, this can be considered as sharing the pressure for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

The strategy of balance presented by Xue Qinghe is certainly good, but will the Spirit Hall follow the script?

(End of this chapter)