After the people from Canghui Academy had retreated, Yun Chuan looked down at the three sorry figures of Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun sprawled on the ground.
"I actually saw your whole little clash from beginning to end…" he said slowly.
"What? Then why didn't you step in earlier, Teacher?" Ning Rongrong blurted out in open dissatisfaction.
The revelation that their teacher had been secretly watching while they were beaten — and had done nothing — made Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, and even Xiao Wu look at him with distinctly different expressions.
"What? You're blaming me for not stepping in?" Yun Chuan raised an eyebrow, glancing at their bruised and swollen faces. "Do you know why I didn't act?"
"Why?" Ma Hongjun, still simmering with anger, couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Because you were strutting around looking so damned arrogant you deserved a beating. Even I thought you looked like you needed to be taken down a peg. I figured you needed that lesson to understand the value of keeping a low profile."
As he spoke, he extended a hand, summoning a stalk of Blue Silver Grass. With a casual flick, a scatter of fiery-red sparks fell onto the frozen bodies of those on the ground.
Zzzzt!
Steam hissed up from them, their stiff limbs loosening until they could stand again.
They'd looked pitiful a moment ago, but in truth, given a soul master's bodily toughness, these were just surface wounds. The Canghui students, wary of their backgrounds, hadn't dared hit too hard. Yun Chuan had no intention of healing them either — better to let them walk around with those bruises for a while, so they'd remember.
"But Headmaster Flender says that a soul master who doesn't dare cause trouble isn't a good soul master. If you never stir up anything, you're just mediocre. We were just living the headmaster's teaching," Ma Hongjun argued stubbornly, dusting himself off.
"Not daring to cause trouble makes you mediocre — but looking for trouble when there's none makes you an idiot! What you just did wasn't 'causing trouble,' it was looking for a beating!"
Yun Chuan's tone turned sharp. "What Flender meant was that you shouldn't fear combat — when you face a strong enemy or real adversity, you should have the courage to act decisively.
"He did not mean for you to provoke others without cause and throw your weight around. Doing that, you're no different from thugs who rely on a bit of strength to bully the weak."
It had been Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai who'd picked the fight in the first place, and they still thought they were in the right — they actually saw themselves as righteous for doing it. Yun Chuan looked at them and thought, So this is why Tang San turns into such a two-faced hypocrite later on and does so many bastard things. Seems Shrek's 'education' has a lot to answer for… or maybe this whole Douluo Continent is just a twisted society.
His sharp rebuke finally shut Ma Hongjun up. Even Dai Mubai had no answer, while Tang San fell silent, expression pensive as he began mulling things over.
Off to the side, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar all found themselves nodding unconsciously. They'd already thought provoking Canghui was going too far, but as members of the same team, they hadn't spoken up. Xiao Wu, meanwhile, clearly hadn't taken any of it to heart — she still looked ready to spit fire.
Yun Chuan sighed inwardly. A soul beast will always be a soul beast — no matter how cute the face or human the mannerisms, the nature remains unchanged. And spoiled by Tang San — who's just as warped — she's even worse.
"Go back and think about your actions!" he barked, leaning on his status as teacher. "And you, Oscar — no healing sausages for them. Let them keep those bruises and remember why."
Heads down, knowing they'd been in the wrong, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun didn't dare talk back. They trailed after Yun Chuan in dejected silence back to the inn.
The night passed without incident.
—
At first light, Yun Chuan began fulfilling his duties in his own… direct way — by kicking everyone's doors open to drag them out of bed. Tang San hardly minded; he was used to rising early and liked his disciplined routine. For the rest — especially a sleep-lover like Oscar — it was torture. Most of them were still half-asleep over breakfast.
The sun's golden line grew in the east, washing away the pale pre-dawn glow. Tang San, who saw this sight every morning, still felt that small thrill whenever darkness gave way to light.
The day had begun.
Once they left the town, their pace quickened — the Star Dou Forest was close now. Everyone pushed themselves, and no one was more excited than Oscar, finally about to get his third spirit ring. He was eager to see what new boost it would give his sausages.
He knew without asking that Tang Teacher would make sure they bagged at least an easier thousand-year spirit beast for him.
The Star Dou Forest lay in the extreme south of the Heaven Dou Empire, spanning the borders of two great nations. Because of the sheer abundance of spirit beasts, its borderlines were fuzzy — and frequently disputed.
On maps, most of it sat in Star Luo territory. Naturally, Heaven Dou never admitted that. As one of the three great wild spirit beast habitats, it was a prime destination for soul masters — every trip here meant a chance to advance.
No one knew how many centuries, millennia, the Star Dou Forest had stood, but stepping onto its edge, the vast canopy blotting out the sky spoke of an age older than memory.
From afar, they could feel soft, pure currents drifting over them, scented with the green fragrance of living plants, refreshing to the very soul.
Breathing deep, it seemed every pore in their bodies relaxed.
Yun Chuan looked out toward the endless expanse of green — a living ocean rolling to the horizon — and felt invigorated by the clean breath flowing from it.
At last, they stood at the forest's edge. Even the outermost trees towered twenty meters high, their dense growth leaving no visible paths. Heavy shadows hid whatever lay within.
The air here was even lovelier, cool as if the temperature itself had dropped. Moist earthy perfume filled every breath.
For Yun Chuan, wielder of the Plant Ruler — the Goddess of Life herself — it was like coming home.
This is a world for plants… and in here, this is my domain!
No one can kill me in this forest.
(End of Chapter)