Chapter 270: Flender

Half an hour later, Shi Quan returned to the woods once again.

"Zhuang Zhou, how is Shi Quan?" Shi Quan said with a feigned relaxed expression: "He is fine, he will recover after resting for a period of time."

Oscar had an annoyed look on his face, "If we hadn't listened to the nonsense of that scoundrel Yu Xiaogang back then, we wouldn't be in this state today."

"Fortunately, everything can still be remedied." Shi Quan patted Oscar on the shoulder comfortingly, "What are your plans after returning this time?"

"We want to rescue the Dean and the others," Oscar said after a pause.

"Flender and the others?" Shi Quan nodded, "If I remember correctly, they should be imprisoned in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, right?"

"Yes."

"Flender and the others are actually in this situation because they were implicated by Yu Xiaogang. In fact, as long as you find Yu Xiaogang, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family should no longer make things difficult for Flender and the others. However, according to investigations, Flender knows where Yu Xiaogang is, but he would rather suffer himself than reveal Yu Xiaogang's location. If you really find Yu Xiaogang and he goes to trade for Flender's freedom, do you think Flender would be willing?"

"In my eyes, Flender is incompetent, whether as a Dean or a teacher. If it weren't for his blind trust in Yu Xiaogang, he wouldn't have ended up like this. Pangzi is still his direct disciple, right? As a result, he was sabotaged by Yu Xiaogang to this extent, yet he still clings to old feelings and protects the Yu Xiaogang who harmed you all. When he protects Yu Xiaogang like this, has he ever thought about you students?"

Shi Quan's words immediately caused Oscar to fall into deep thought.

"I can let you go to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family to meet Flender; you can have a good talk after you meet." Shi Quan patted Oscar's shoulder lightly, "I didn't want to comment on your affairs, but because you are my brother, I am saying these few words of critique. As for the specific decision, wait until you have seen Flender before talking about it."

Shi Quan said no more, his gaze falling quietly upon Ma Hongjun.

Oscar's expression shifted, clearly caught in a deep internal struggle.

Time passed second by second.

Suddenly, a clear Phoenix cry broke the silence of the forest.

Crimson flames were suddenly released from Ma Hongjun's body, soaring into the sky; everything the flames touched turned to ash.

Ma Hongjun's body stretched within the flames; although he still looked chubby, the fat on his body had visibly shrunk a lot.

The mohawk-style long hair on his head grew several times longer, already hanging down to his back. A pair of small eyes shone with brilliance, and as his body moved slightly, flames swirled around his entire body, with a Phoenix pattern vaguely appearing on his back, as if he were reborn from the ashes.

At this moment, Pangzi lacked his usual lewdness.

"So hot."

Ma Hongjun suddenly let out a loud cry, opened his mouth and inhaled wildly. The crimson flames around his body immediately turned into silk-like threads and condensed toward his mouth, disappearing in a short while. His hair also gradually returned to its original color, only his small eyes remained sparkling with brilliance.

"How is it, Pangzi?" Oscar hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

"So refreshing!" Ma Hongjun laughed loudly, "I feel my fire has become purer, and my whole body feels unprecedentedly light."

Upon hearing this, joy appeared in Oscar's eyes, "Haha, that's good."

Ma Hongjun patted the dirt off his buttocks and hurriedly stood up to look around. Not seeing Shi Quan's figure, he hurriedly asked: "Where is Shi Quan? I still want to thank him."

"Shi Quan consumed quite a lot this time and went back to rest. If you want to thank him, wait until later."

Ma Hongjun's expression was slightly stunned. He could clearly feel the changes in his body; his Evil Fire had now become very pure, and it seemed he would no longer need to worry about the influence of the Evil Fire on him in the future.

This act of Shi Quan was equivalent to directly changing his constitution; he must have paid a considerable price.

Thinking of this, Ma Hongjun's heart was filled with gratitude.

"Let's go, I have already had people arrange accommodation for you at the academy. Stay at the academy for these few days; it will also allow us to confirm Pangzi's situation. If there are any other problems, it will be convenient to solve them together. I have also arranged a banquet for you. Since we haven't gathered for so long, we should have a good get-together."

Shi Quan greeted the two and walked out of the woods.

Three days later.

Ma Hongjun finally saw Shi Quan again. Even after three days of cultivation, Shi Quan still had an air of exhaustion at the bottom of his eyes that he could not hide, even though he tried to cover it up.

Seeing this scene, Ma Hongjun was moved to tears and almost knelt down to Shi Quan.

If you are going to act, you must do it thoroughly.

Shi Quan pretended to be exhausted but still very concerned about them, which moved the two even more. Especially when he heard that the two wanted to go to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family to see Flender, Shi Quan arranged it for them directly.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family was eager to improve their relationship with Shi Quan. With Shi Quan stepping in, and it being just a visit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family agreed immediately.

As soon as the news from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family arrived, Ma Hongjun and Oscar set off for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family at the first opportunity.

On the way.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Oscar told Ma Hongjun what Zhuang Zhou had said to him earlier.

Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun's expression also became very complicated, "Let's talk after we see the teacher."

"That's all we can do." Oscar leaned against the carriage and said no more.

Another few days of travel.

The two finally arrived at the base of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.

"The two of you, follow me." The people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family naturally knew the purpose of their visit and led them to a remote courtyard.

"Go in, the person you want to see is inside." The guard at the door opened the room door.

The two walked into the courtyard; it was not large and was very simple.

"I will not reveal Xiaogang's whereabouts, give up." A weathered voice came from the room to the side.

Upon hearing this, Oscar and Ma Hongjun's expressions stiffened. Oscar sighed slightly and called out softly toward the room: "Dean/Teacher."

"Xiao Ao? Hongjun?" A flustered voice came from the room. Having not seen them for many years, Flender still distinguished their voices in an instant.

Clang, the door suddenly opened, and Flender walked out of the room anxiously, looking at the two familiar figures before him.

Flender's figure trembled slightly, his eyes turned red, and he stepped forward to hug them, "Did the people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family capture you too? They actually laid hands on the younger generation? It is the teacher who harmed you, letting you suffer just like me..."

Hearing this, the two figures stiffened slightly, because Flender's words were a bit meaningful. If they were really captured, would Flender continue to shield Yu Xiaogang and let them be trapped here?

"Teacher, we were not captured. We found some connections, so the people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family let me come to visit you," Ma Hongjun explained.

Hearing this, Flender's expression turned joyful, and he released them, "Really, that's good, that's good."

At close range, they finally discovered that in just a few short years, Flender had aged a lot; his temples were frosted with white, his eyes had become cloudy, and he looked very haggard.

Seeing Flender in this state, Ma Hongjun was immediately furious, "Teacher, how could the people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family treat you like this? This matter clearly has nothing to do with you."

Flender sighed, "He shook his head gently and said, 'It's nothing for me to suffer; I am at ease seeing that you are all fine.'"

"Teacher, that Yu Xiaogang sabotaged you like this, is it worth it for you to still protect him?" Ma Hongjun asked unwillingly.

"Xiaogang is my brother, and he..." Flender's expression paused, and he said softly: "As long as he is happy, that is enough."

Him? Her? Only Flender understood the meaning behind his words just now.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar were both stunned, because they both noticed that when Flender said "her," there was a bit more tenderness in his eyes.

Yu Xiaogang? Tenderness?

The two of them couldn't help but shudder.

"Teacher, are you serious?" Ma Hongjun said uncertainly.

Flender quickly realized that what he had said was a bit ambiguous and hurriedly said, "What are you thinking about, you brat? Xiaogang and I just have brotherly love!"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Ma Hongjun nodded hurriedly; he hadn't thought much of it originally, but Flender's explanation only made them misunderstand even more deeply.

"You stinky brat." Flender glared at Ma Hongjun and couldn't help but shake his head, "Forget it, forget it. Tell me, how did you get here? You didn't agree to any conditions from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, did you?"

Oscar spoke directly, "Dean, we have been looking for traces of Yu Xiaogang. As long as we find him, the people from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family will definitely let you go."

"No, Xiao Ao." Upon hearing this, Flender hurriedly waved his hand, "There is no need to look for him; I am here of my own free will."

Oscar questioned, "Dean, you know where Yu Xiaogang is, right?"

Flender's expression sank, "Xiao Ao, what do you mean by that?"

Oscar clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and growled, "Dean, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San have harmed us so miserably, are you really going to shield him like this? Do you know how we have been living out there these past few years?"

Flender's figure stiffened slightly, and he said slowly, "It is I who have failed you. If you want to blame someone, blame me. It was I who let Xiaogang come to the academy, it was I who let him teach you, and it was I who trusted Xiaogang too much."

Hearing this, Oscar shook his head repeatedly, "Dean, do you know? Because of Yu Xiaogang's training, Pangzi was almost burned to death by his Evil Fire. If we hadn't met a benefactor, what you would be seeing right now is Pangzi's corpse!"

"What?!" Flender's figure trembled slightly, and he looked at Ma Hongjun nervously, "Hongjun, is what Xiao Ao said true?"

After a moment of silence, Ma Hongjun said, "Teacher, everything Xiao Ao said is true. The training back then depleted my origin and squeezed out my potential. The influence of the Evil Fire on me kept intensifying, and now that I am a Soul Ancestor, I am completely unable to suppress it. If I am alive, it is all thanks to Xiao Ao; otherwise, I would already be dead..."