Counterfeit Shrek Academy, Infirmary.
The air was thick with the heavy smell of medicine, mixed with the scent of blood and disinfectant, making one's chest feel tight.
On several hospital beds lay figures wrapped in bandages; some were unconscious, some were groaning softly, and others were simply staring blankly at the ceiling with hollow eyes.
Elder Xuan lay on the innermost bed, his abdomen wrapped in thick bandages that were faintly stained with blood.
His face was as pale as paper, his eyes tightly shut, and his lips slightly purple; he looked as if he had aged ten years.
Even in his coma, his brow was furrowed deeply, as if he were trapped in a terrible nightmare.
Yan Shaozhe lay on the adjacent bed. The space where his right arm should have been was empty, wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages. The blood had already dried, turning a dark brown.
His face was equally pale, his lips parched and cracked, and he occasionally let out a low groan.
Qian Duoduo, Elder Song, Lin Huiqun, Elder Zhuang... the elders of the Sea God Pavilion were all there, every single one of them lying in a hospital bed.
Although their injuries were not as severe as those of Elder Xuan and Yan Shaozhe, each of them required a long period of recuperation.
The entire top-tier combat force of Shrek Academy was currently lying right here.
Bei Bei stood by the bedside, his gaze falling upon his Ancestor Mu, Mu En.
Mu En lay quietly on the hospital bed. Ever since falling into a coma, he had remained like this, showing no signs of waking up.
Bei Bei's hands were clenched tightly into fists inside his sleeves.
In his heart, two voices were in a constant state of conflict.
One voice said: Ancestor Mu, please wake up. Shrek Academy needs you. Only you can take charge of the situation.
But the other voice said: Don't wake up. Whatever you do, don't wake up. If you wake up and see Shrek Academy in this state, would you be able to bear it?
Bei Bei closed his eyes.
He didn't dare imagine if Mu En really woke up and saw all this, would he be so overcome with grief and anger that he would just...
He didn't dare think further.
"Bei Bei."
Tang Ya's voice came from beside him, tinged with a hint of caution.
"Are you... okay?"
Bei Bei opened his eyes and turned his head. Looking at Tang Ya's worry-filled face, he forced a faint smile.
"I'm fine."
Tang Ya was silent for a moment, then she let out a soft sigh.
"Don't lie to me."
Her gaze fell upon Mu En on the bed, a flash of complexity in her eyes.
"When my Tang Sect was wiped out back then, I was the same way. I didn't know what I should do, nor did I know what I could do."
She paused, her voice growing lower.
"That feeling of helplessness... I understand it."
Bei Bei didn't say anything, just listened quietly.
Tang Ya looked up at Bei Bei.
"Now, a new Shrek Academy has appeared, and a new Tang Sect has appeared. They are stronger than us, have more heritage than us, and have more of a future..."
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.
Bei Bei's hands clenched even tighter.
He didn't know how to respond, and besides, their Shrek Academy had already made an enemy of that other academy.
With their current strength, there would surely be constant trouble ahead. He had heard that the news was being suppressed, but how could such information possibly be contained?
Everyone in Shrek City had seen it. So many onlookers, so many outsiders... it would spread from ten to a hundred, and before long, the entire Douluo Continent would know that Shrek Academy had been attacked at its gates, that fifteen Titled Douluo were defeated by one person in just two moves, and even the statue of Tang San, one of the Original Shrek Seven Monsters, had been smashed to pieces.
Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year reputation had, at this moment, become a joke.
Bei Bei took a deep breath, suppressing the frustration in his heart.
"Teacher Fan Yu is handling the situation; he should be able to stabilize things."
He spoke in a low voice, as if comforting Tang Ya, but also as if comforting himself.
"Teacher Fan Yu is indeed reliable."
Tang Ya nodded.
"He is the strongest combat force in the academy now, and he has always been prudent. With him here, at least there won't be any major chaos in the short term."
The two looked at each other, both seeing the same concern in the other's eyes.
But what about the future?
Just then, a sudden argument broke out outside.
"What did you say?!"
A man's voice rang out, filled with disbelief.
"I made myself very clear!"
A woman's cold, sharp voice replied.
"Do you not understand?"
Bei Bei and Tang Ya exchanged looks, both frowning simultaneously.
"It's Teacher Fan Yu's voice."
Bei Bei said in a low voice.
"The other one seems to be... Teacher Zhou Yi?"
Tang Ya nodded.
"They're arguing too?"
Bei Bei did not hesitate and turned to walk out the door.
Tang Ya followed behind him. The two quickly walked through the corridor and arrived in the courtyard outside the Infirmary.
In the courtyard, two figures were facing off.
Fan Yu stood on the steps, his brow furrowed and his face full of helplessness, though he still seemed to be in good spirits.
Zhou Yi stood opposite him, her arms crossed, her cold face filled with dissatisfaction.
Several nearby students and teachers stood at a distance, not daring to approach or speak.
"Fan Yu, are you coming with me or not?"
Zhou Yi's voice was not loud, yet it carried a sharp Aura.
"You've seen the state of the academy. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave even if we want to later!"
Fan Yu took a deep breath, his tone patient.
"Zhou Yi, don't be impulsive. The academy is in a difficult position right now; how can I just leave?"
"Impulsive?"
Zhou Yi sneered.
"This isn't impulsiveness, it's clarity!"
Her voice rose a few notches.
"Fan Yu, look at Shrek Academy now. What's left? The strongest among us are all lying in the Infirmary, the academy's treasury has been emptied, and a ten-thousand-year reputation has been ruined in a single day! Tell me, what hope is there for an academy like this?"
Just as Bei Bei stepped out of the Infirmary door, he heard these words.
His steps came to a sudden halt, and his heart felt as if it had been violently seized.
Every word Zhou Yi spoke was like a knife, stabbing deep into his heart.
Shrek Academy was finished. What was left? What hope was there?
Bei Bei's face instantly turned pale.
Although he had known this in his heart for a long time, hearing it spoken so bluntly and clearly was still difficult to accept.
"Teacher Zhou."
Bei Bei stepped forward, striving to keep his voice calm.
"What... what do you mean by saying these things now?"
"What do I mean?"
Zhou Yi turned her head to look at Bei Bei, her cold, sharp eyes showing no sign of backing down.
"It means I am taking Fan Yu and leaving this academy."
Bei Bei was stunned.
"Leaving?"
"Yes, leaving."
Zhou Yi nodded, her tone crisp and decisive.
"I already stated the reason just now. Shrek Academy is finished. Continuing to stay here is just a waste of time and life."
Bei Bei opened his mouth to say something, but found his throat blocked as if by something, unable to utter a single word.
"Bei Bei, don't mind her."
Fan Yu quickly spoke up, his tone apologetic.
"Zhou Yi just has this kind of temper; she's blunt. I won't leave Shrek Academy, don't worry."
He looked at Bei Bei and added earnestly,
"I studied and grew up in Shrek Academy. It was the academy that nurtured me. Now that the academy needs me, how could I possibly abandon it?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yi's face darkened instantly.
"Fan Yu, can't you see the situation?"
There was a hint of frustration in her voice, as if she were disappointed he wasn't living up to expectations.
"Shrek Academy has become a joke! Do you know what the people outside are saying about us?"
She pointed toward the Infirmary, her voice growing louder.
"The elders of the Sea God Pavilion, fifteen Titled Douluo, were all knocked down by a single person in just two moves!"
"Tell me, what future does an academy like this have? What is there left that's worth you staying for?"
Her gaze swept over Bei Bei and Tang Ya, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.
"You're still here guarding it? Guarding what? Guarding an empty shell?"
Bei Bei's hands were clenched tightly into fists inside his sleeves.
He knew that everything Zhou Yi said was the truth.
But it was precisely because it was the truth that it hurt even more.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
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