I've recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Name: 'Pokémon But Stardew Valley'
----------------------
"Damn evil soul masters!"
Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Dean's Office.
Jing Hongchen looked at the report, gritting his teeth!
But soon, he let out a long, satisfying sigh.
"Good riddance, serves him right!"
However, just then,
"Dean! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!" Dean of Students Lin Jiayi rushed in, his face filled with terror.
"What's the panic!"
Jing Hongchen scolded, "Of course I know something terrible has happened, but the responsibility for this should lie with the Mingdu Guard, it has nothing to do with our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
"No, Dean!"
Lin Jiayi was terrified, even kneeling on one knee in fear.
"Dean, news just came from the medical office that the girl who visited Huo Yuhao is unconscious and has been hospitalized. And according to the security guard's registration information, Huo Yuhao and that girl seem to have gone shopping in Mingdu last night."
He swallowed hard, then, trembling, continued, "I'm worried..."
"What did you say?!"
Before Lin Jiayi could finish speaking, Jing Hongchen's eyes widened. He already knew what Lin Jiayi was about to say.
Almost instantly, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his face turned ashen.
His mind was filled with Fan Yu's warning.
He didn't believe that warning was a joke.
To think so would be to be a complete idiot!
Even now, he wondered if the fate of those evil soul masters in Mingdu was a warning from Shrek Academy.
Thinking of this, his face paled.
"Damn those evil soul masters! You've done things, and now I have to clean up your mess!" Cursing, Jing Hongchen quickly stood up and walked towards the medical room at lightning speed.
"Jiayi, aside from confidential information, whatever compensation you offer, you must appease Shrek Academy's anger to avoid collateral damage."
"Master, this isn't that simple."
Recalling the news from the medical room, Lin Jiayi timely reminded him, "I heard from them that Wang Dong'er's family has also arrived. Judging from their titles, they seem to be the second sect master of the Hao Tian Sect, with astonishing strength!"
"Hao Tian Sect..."
Jing Hongchen's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly recalling this ancient sect that almost didn't exist in his memory. Until…
"The Hao Tian Sect that the Sea God is from!?"
…
Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, medical room.
At Tai Tan's request, most of the visitors had left, leaving only Chen Junting and Huo Yuhao.
However, the entire room was silent.
Tai Tan crossed his arms, staring at the two.
But his gaze was mostly directed at Huo Yuhao.
Under his intense gaze, pressure suddenly erupted.
This pressure wasn't just from his aura; it was accompanied by a terrifying mental pressure. Huo Yuhao felt as if that immense power was about to crush him.
His mental sea surged like a raging torrent in an instant.
Chen Junting, standing beside him, was also affected.
Clearly, this effect was intentional on Tai Tan's part.
However, Chen Junting, despite experiencing Tai Tan's oppressive aura, remained unfazed, as if sitting on a fishing platform. His aura flowed, the essence of nature, the essence of the heavens, and the essence of vastness intertwined, their light flickering slightly. No matter how much Tai Tan exerted pressure, Chen Junting remained unmoved, his straight back still standing tall.
On the contrary, he even used the pressure exerted by Tai Tan to gradually merge the three different auras, evolving towards a unified whole.
"Oh."
This action clearly did not escape Tai Tan's notice.
A surprised exclamation escaped his lips, and his gaze gradually shifted from Huo Yuhao to Chen Junting.
But the pressure had only been applied for less than a breath…
"Second Father!"
A furious shout immediately caused Tai Tan to smile sheepishly. The previously exerted pressure, like ice and snow in spring, gradually melted away.
Noticing something amiss, Wang Dong'er glared angrily at Tai Tan, exclaiming indignantly.
"Second Father, you're bullying my friends!?"
Tai Tan scratched his head and chuckled.
"Little Dong, this isn't bullying. I'm just..."
"I say it is!" Wang Dong'er showed no mercy to her second father, shouting loudly, "Besides, my injury is my own fault. It has nothing to do with Yuhao and the others!"
Tai Tan merely chuckled, offering no rebuttal.
The love and doting in his eyes were self-evident.
This scene was naturally witnessed by Chen Junting.
This love didn't seem fake.
However, upon reflection, it did make sense. Tai Tan was Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape from ten thousand years ago. As a soul beast isolated from the world, he was straightforward and lacked the cunning of humans.
Love is love, hate is hate, with little ulterior motive.
When Wang Dong'er first descended to the mortal realm, Da Ming and Er Ming treated her like Xiao Wu's daughter, as their own children. The bond they developed over the next ten years is self-evident.
Perhaps in the original story, after Wang Dong'er's complete disappearance, the most heartbroken were not others, but Da Ming and Er Ming, who knew the "truth." They might not have known Tang San's methods, but they only knew that the girl who called them "Big Daddy and Second Daddy" was gone.
This is probably why Niu Tian and Tai Tan's killing intent was so real when Huo Yuhao came knocking. After all, they weren't unaware that Tang San possessed resurrection abilities, and besides, Wang Dong'er's death wasn't caused by anyone else.
"If we follow your logic, then they were far more responsible fathers than the Sea God, her biological father."
Electrolux's voice rang out in the Sea of Spirit.
"Indeed."
Chen Junting nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Compared to humans, beasts' emotions are sometimes more genuine."
"That's a good quote. Who said that?"
"Hmm… I think it was the Sea God's father."
"…"
Meanwhile, outside.
"…Yuhao, you can just call him Second Uncle."
Hearing Wang Dong'er's words, Huo Yuhao glanced at Tai Tan with slight trepidation. For some reason, Huo Yuhao felt a strange sense of guilt, as if he were doing something wrong.
"Second Uncle."
He called out tentatively, immediately earning a glare from Tai Tan.
"Xiao Dong is still young and doesn't understand. At least I think it's a bit too early for you to call me Second Uncle, so please just call me Uncle."
"Second Father!"
However, no matter how angry Wang Dong'er was, even if she put on a sullen face, Tai Tan, who doted on her, remained firm. He absolutely couldn't compromise on this matter.
Otherwise, who knows when his Xiao Dong would end up in this brat's bed! Wouldn't that be even worse!
Faced with Wang Dong'er's anger, the tongue-tied Tai Tan didn't know what to say. He could only change the subject and chat with Chen Junting.
"Young man, you are Chen Junting."
"Senior, that is me."
Chen Junting replied respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Alright, you don't need to call me 'senior' anymore. Just call me 'uncle' like that kid does." Tai Tan glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was awkwardly laughing, his displeasure evident on his face, and muttered.
"You're much more pleasing to the eye than that kid."
"Second Father!"
Wang Dong'er said coquettishly, "If you keep muttering those pointed remarks about Yuhao like that, I'll never speak to you again."
"Fine, fine…"
Looking at his daughter who was clearly siding with outsiders, Tai Tan sighed helplessly, forced to suppress his thoughts about that "blond-haired guy."
He looked at Chen Junting, his gaze sweeping over him, and rarely praised him, saying, "Young man, to possess such cultivation and strength at your age is truly a once-in-a-millennium achievement. And you even have a soul ring comparable to one from two hundred thousand years ago… truly remarkable."
Before Chen Junting could reply, Tai Tan patted him on the shoulder, asking curiously, "I heard from Xiao Dong that you created something called a spirit soul. It sounds quite mysterious. Could you show it to me?"
You see, when he and his elder brother learned about spirit souls from Xiao Dong, and even heard about how it had prompted Di Tian to personally seek cooperation with Shrek Academy, they were greatly astonished. This gave them, as former Forest Kings, a naturally good impression of Chen Junting.
If it weren't for their special status preventing them from leaving Hao Tian Fortress without permission, they would have really wanted to see this spirit soul for themselves.
Now, he had seen it before his elder brother.
Chen Junting nodded. "Of course."
Spirit souls, once their influence spread, would gradually become less rare in the Douluo Three Kingdoms, so concealing them was naturally uncontroversial.
But just then, "Wait..."
Tai Tan's gaze suddenly turned towards the door, as if he could see something through layers of obstruction. "Looks like we have guests. And judging by their appearance, they're from this side. Perfect, hehe—"
A cold smile appeared on Tai Tan's lips.
"I was just about to settle accounts with them! So many evil soul masters in the capital of an empire! They caused my Xiao Dong to be injured."
To avenge his Xiao Dong, Tai Tan had already targeted the evil soul masters in Mingdu before coming. Under his terrifying mental power, no evil soul master could hide. Even with soul tools to shield them, they couldn't withstand the mental power at Tai Tan's level.
A branch altar, a fist.
Unsurprisingly, all traces of the Holy Spirit Cult were completely wiped out.
In total, he had unleashed ten punches. This showed that the entire Mingdu was practically a den of evil soul masters.
Under Tai Tan's watchful gaze, heavy footsteps approached from afar, only stopping abruptly at the door of the ward.
"Dean Hongchen."
Huo Yuhao's address confirmed Jing Hongchen's identity. Tai Tan crossed his arms and said coldly.
"Looks like you're in charge of this academy!?"
"Your Excellency..."
"Hmph—"
A cold snort, and a terrifying pressure swept out!
He had no intention of holding back against the people of the Sun Moon Empire.
Jing Hongchen's expression changed drastically. Almost instinctively, he wanted to activate his soul tool, but he sensed immense danger. If if he dared to make a move, he would be the first to fall!
Such strength made him too weak to even break out in a cold sweat.
Now, besides fear, he had no other thoughts.
Damn evil soul masters!
They've stirred up such a huge mess, and now they're dragging me down with them!
I've become a scapegoat for their vengeance!
Cursing inwardly, Jing Hongchen couldn't show any other emotion on his face, only managing a forced smile, "Your Excellency, this matter..."
"Enough! Let's talk about compensation!"
Tai Tan raised his eyes, his gaze icy.
"I heard from Shrek Academy that you're responsible for my Xiao Dong's safety here. Since that's the case, let's talk about compensation that will satisfy Xiao Dong. If Xiao Dong isn't satisfied... hehe—then I'll tear down this lousy academy of yours!"
Hearing this, another thought surfaced in Jing Hongchen's mind.
Damn Shrek Academy!
…
Bleeding!
Jing Hongchen's heart bled again!
Rare metals, level nine soul tools...
Every compensation was like a knife scraping flesh from his heart.
But no matter how unwilling he was, he had to pay!
Because that person was definitely a Limit Douluo!
Otherwise, he would never have been without a chance to make a move! How could there be such a terrifying guy in the original Douluo Three Kingdoms besides the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy!
"This matter must be explained to His Majesty... the Crown Prince."
"And..."
Jing Hongchen's eyes hardened, "The Holy Spirit Cult caused this trouble themselves, making me a victim of their schemes. This matter cannot be left unresolved!"
------------------------------------------------------
Join my Patreon to read an exclusive novel – 'Douluo: Rebuilding Hao Tian Sect'
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)