Hearing Yingfeng's mockery, Zhuoshi felt his vision go dark.
Zhuoshi felt that accepting Wu Changkong as his disciple had been a blind choice. At his age, he had been tricked and ambushed.
"Father."
Long Bing quietly reminded him, exchanging a glance with Yingfeng Douluo, silently pleading with him to remain silent for now.
Seeing Huo Yuhao and the others arriving, the latter stopped his mockery and turned to greet them.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Long Bing's face. She stepped forward to speak with Zhuoshi.
"Teacher Zhuoshi, do not think about going back. The experts from the Spirit Transmission Tower, the military, Mingde Hall, and the War Temple have arrived. You cannot leave."
Zhuoshi also noticed the commotion on the other side. Upon hearing this, he glared at her and snorted coldly. "The idea to lure me out definitely was not something that kid Changkong could come up with. It was you, girl, was it not?"
Recently, Wu Changkong had been constantly contacting him, trying to persuade him to leave Shrek Academy. And as the deadline set by the Federation approached, the impatience in Wu Changkong's voice became more and more apparent.
This instinctively worried him.
Then, just over ten minutes ago, Duoqing Douluo suddenly contacted him. As the time left for Shrek by the Federation gradually drew near, Wu Changkong, having lost his emotional balance, tried to enter Shrek City to speak with him face to face in order to save him. But the Federation did not allow others to enter Shrek City, lest they become hostages or pass information to Shrek.
In his anxiety, Wu Changkong had come into conflict with the military, breaking through the blockade outside Shrek, and ended up severely injured. Moreover, the crime of breaking through the blockade meant that Wu Changkong, who should have stayed out of it, would be sent by the Federation to Duoqing Douluo, effectively under house arrest.
His worry became reality. Even though he knew there was something fishy about this, the news of Wu Changkong's serious injury was like a barbed hook, accurately piercing the softest flesh of his heart.
He had been so decisive precisely because he hoped Wu Changkong would not get involved in these matters. Suddenly hearing such news naturally unsettled him.
And this unease reached its peak when Duoqing Douluo sent him a video recording of Wu Changkong's injury.
In the picture, Wu Changkong's face was as pale as paper. His ice blue eyes were dull. The spirit power fluctuations around him were chaotic.
Although he had seen him before, his impression of Wu Changkong had long been fixed on the scene from back then, when he had charged into the aftermath of a battle between Super Douluo. Seeing a similar scene now, he could no longer stay calm.
His heart was both warmed that his disciple was willing to risk danger again for him, this old man, and filled with anger at this heavy concern. This brat, how could he be so irrational.
In the end, with Duoqing Douluo's reminder that "you had better meet him and make things clear," he chose to come to the blockade to see his disciple and make things clear face to face.
The result. All his sincerity was for nothing.
When he arrived, Wu Changkong walked out unharmed. Yingfeng blocked his way.
At this point, how could he not know that he had "fallen into a trap"?
With Wu Changkong's personality, he would not use such methods. That kid's personality was somewhat serious. He would not use such roundabout methods, let alone pretend to be injured and deceive him.
This was also the main reason he had been fooled.
But he had forgotten that there was someone who could make Wu Changkong do these things, and even gladly do so.
Facing Zhuoshi's "questioning," Long Bing awkwardly averted her gaze. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.
"You were unwilling to leave Shrek. We had to find a way to lure you out first."
"Hmph. First, you kept contacting me, presenting Changkong's anxious state before my eyes. Then, when I was feeling uneasy, you hit me with the news of his injury, and had His Majesty Duoqing pass the information to increase credibility. Finally, you used the meeting as bait to lure me out. You were aimed at my concerned confusion about this unworthy disciple."
Zhuoshi snorted coldly, clearly dismantling this crude but effective plan.
"I did not account for you. And I never imagined that His Majesty Duoqing would help you do such a thing. Otherwise, I would not have been fooled."
That Duoqing Douluo would participate in such a thing truly surprised him. In his view, even if Duoqing Douluo had returned to the Federation military, he would not do such a thing.
Where was your prestige as a Limit Douluo?
But the facts proved he still did not know Duoqing Douluo enough.
Before Long Bing could continue persuading, Zhuoshi sighed again.
"So what if you tricked me out? Shrek was wrong. I understand that. But my friends, my life's work, my destination are all there. To me, it is not just simple buildings and land."
His gaze toward Shrek
was very complicated.
"I cannot go against my own conscience. I truly cannot just watch Shrek be destroyed."
Long Bing listened quietly, not speaking for a moment.
"Many people in this world cannot act according to their own conscience."
At this moment, Yingfeng, who had returned with some people, glanced at Zhuoshi and said indifferently, "The reason you have not been immediately taken down is that Wu Changkong vouched for you. He promised he could keep you in line."
"If you continue to defy Federation orders, it will not only affect you alone. Wu Changkong's future and prospects will also be affected by you. He might even end up in prison."
"Do not think that Ice and I will protect him in this matter. He chose to vouch for you. If something happens, we cannot help him either."
Zhuoshi's movements froze.
He understood. Yingfeng was not exaggerating.
He was being threatened. In the same way.
Were you trying to use the same trick for everything?
When someone had your weakness, it was truly uncomfortable.
Among the "people" who had come with Yingfeng, the burly man transformed by Bear Lord stepped forward without ceremony, patted Zhuoshi on the shoulder, like a Social Butterfly.
"Zhuoshi, life is like that thing. If you cannot resist, just enjoy it."
"Moreover, there is a saying that the wise build bridges, the foolish build walls. Those old stubborn fools at Shrek narrowed their own path, built the walls higher, and trapped themselves inside. What you need to do now is not collapse together with that wall, but to find a way, outside, to build a new bridge for them, and for those who are not yet foolish."
Cultured Bear online persuasion.
The corner of Zhuoshi's mouth twitched. He quietly looked at Bear Lord.
He did not know if this fellow was doing it on purpose, but in his eyes, he was also an old stubborn fool, was he not? He was including him in the innuendo as well to persuade him to surrender.
Was that right?
But he could not beat this fellow, so naturally he did not dare to refute.
After all, Cai Yue'er's fate was before his eyes.
Bear Lord looked at Wu Changkong and Long Bing again, then continued, "Besides, you just talked for a long time. The gist of it was that the things you care about are mostly inside Shrek, and you cannot let them go. But now, your disciple is here, and your disciple's wife is here."
"Do you not want to see your disciple's future, and his children and such?"
Zhuoshi was stunned.
Changkong and Long Bing's child?
A picture formed in his mind.
A boy, perhaps with Wu Changkong's ice blue eyes, or a girl who inherited Long Bing's gentle smile, toddling, babbling, calling him "Grandmaster" in a baby voice.
Himself, as a grandfatherly elder, watching that little one grow up, teaching him a few things, or just watching their family from the side.
Ah, that life was so promising.
Suddenly, the academy's place in his heart seemed to fade.
As if seeing Zhuoshi's interest, Yingfeng snorted coldly. "I have not agreed to them getting married."
Amidst Long Bing's helpless expression, Yingfeng gave Wu Changkong a fierce glare.
"To be with Long Bing, he must at least have the strength to defeat me, strength comparable to a Limit Douluo."
Wu Changkong thought to himself, That was not what you said back then.
But, these years had indeed been wasted. Improving his strength was only right. Otherwise, he would not even have the ability to protect those around him.
"Heh." Zhuoshi snapped back from his fantasy and sneered. "As if you can control them."
Yingfeng was not annoyed. Instead, he hugged his arms and spoke slowly, his tone practically dripping with sarcasm. "Whether I can control them is my family's business. As for you, Zhuoshi, speaking of losing control, you people at Shrek are the ones who truly cannot control yourselves, are you not? Full of holes."
Zhuoshi's brow twisted. His tone was low. "What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?"
Yingfeng chuckled mockingly. "Do you really think the Federation is surrounding Shrek City just to force you to surrender? Do you really think those so called foundations and back up plans of yours are invisible to others, that they cannot be found out at all? Does the back up plan left by the Sea God make you that confident?"
Zhuoshi's pupils sharply contracted. He could not help exclaiming in a low voice, "How do you know?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized something was wrong. But it was too late.
He had let it slip.
Yingfeng's gaze turned cold. His heart sank.
He had not forgotten his duty. The mockery and emotional words were all false. He had just been Bluffing, trying to Extract Information.
But the result of the temptation was the worst case scenario.
Beside them, seeing Zhuoshi's slip of the tongue, a War God from the War Temple also frowned. "Zhuoshi, I imagine you have also thought it through. So tell us Shrek's follow-up plans and back up plans. Things have reached this point. Why still resist?"
Zhuoshi's expression changed uncertainly.
Leaving Shrek Academy at such a critical moment and telling the Federation about Shrek Academy's bargaining chips.
Oh no. He had become a Mole placed by the Federation in Shrek.
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(End of Chapter)