"Lu Yuan, thank you!"
"Thank you for saving my brother."
"I don't even know how to repay you. If there's anything you need, just say it, I absolutely—"
Before Huo Wu could finish, Feng Xiaotian suddenly stepped between them, his not-so-solid frame standing protectively in front of her.
"Brother Lu Yuan, thanks for saving my big brother-in-law!" he butted in. "If you want something, just tell me right away. I'll make it happen—no questions asked!"
He had cut her off right on time.
"Kid, what's going on in that head of yours?" Lu Yuan frowned. "We're all friends here!"
"Yes, yes… all friends!" Feng Xiaotian grinned sincerely.
No matter what the Martial Soul Hall thought about Lu Yuan, Feng Xiaotian had seen the truth with his own eyes—Lu Yuan had saved Huo Wushuang himself. That was proof enough in his book that Lu Yuan was a good soul master.
"Since we're all friends now, I won't be polite…" Lu Yuan leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Do you still have any of that wine you gave me before? The kind your dad wouldn't even open."
The mention of fine wine lit up Lu Yuan's face. He still remembered those two bottles Feng Xiaotian had given him back then—better than royal tribute wines.
"…He's back…" Feng Xiaotian twitched at the corner of his mouth. The familiar Lu Yuan is back.
"Got it," he said at once, though the thought stung. Still, gritting his teeth, he agreed.
"Then bring it out already!" Huo Wu flared up. "You just said you'd repay him—why hesitate now?"
"Right away!" Feng Xiaotian promised, turning into a streak of wind and vanishing into the distance.
If his father found out he'd been sneaking off with wine again, he'd probably have his legs broken this time.
But… this was for little sister Huo Wu. That alone made the risk worth it.
By midnight, a bonfire blazed bright and warm.
"Cheers!"
Several people sat together around the fire, raising their cups in unison.
"You youngsters never change… still a loud, lively bunch." Lu Yuan drank freely, savoring the taste. Feng Xiaotian's father truly had excellent wine—though sadly, Feng had only managed to bring four jars.
"I'm the Director of Academic Affairs at Kamikaze Academy now," Feng Xiaotian announced proudly. "If all goes well, I'll be promoted next year."
"Tianxin and Huo Wu have become the backbone of Thunder Academy and Blazing Academy."
"And of course, Shui Bing'er has the best position." He smirked. "She's now the deputy dean of Tianshui College."
As the wine circled, Feng Xiaotian—already tipsy—updated everyone on how their old circle was doing.
"Bing'er, you're making me jealous," Lu Yuan chuckled. "Come on, another drink."
"Brother, you're still recovering. Don't push it," Huo Wu cautioned, watching her brother's health with concern.
"Huo Wu's right," Feng Xiaotian agreed. "Brother-in-law, I'll drink that for you." He snatched Wushuang's cup and downed it in one gulp.
"You think I'm that fragile?" Huo Wushuang shot him a stubborn glare. "I can handle it."
"No." Feng Xiaotian's tone turned serious.
"The poison in him is unusual. Better not drink." A cold voice cut in—it was Dugu Bo.
"Old Poison," Lu Yuan raised a brow. "You recognize this?"
"No," Dugu Bo answered bluntly. "But I can tell it's from an evil soul master—and it's only a semi-finished product."
"Semi-finished?" Everyone's brows drew together.
"Yes," he said, leaning back. "It's designed to instantly push a soul master to their full potential. But, as you saw—his strength spiked right after being poisoned, then he almost died. That's not the effect they aimed for."
None of them argued—when it came to poisons, Dugu Bo's word was law.
"I don't know which lunatic is messing with something this warped," Feng Xiaotian growled.
"Evil soul masters are everywhere now," Shui Bing'er sighed. "We should make sure students stay inside the academies unless there's something absolutely urgent. Keep them away from the streets."
The truth was, the Four Element Academies weren't nearly as safe as people assumed. Evil soul masters roamed mostly in rural districts and small towns—but each academy sat outside Heaven Dou City. In recent years, several students had been attacked viciously.
As deputy dean, Shui Bing'er often lay awake at night, worry gnawing at her.
"Tang San is to blame for a lot of this," Yu Tianheng muttered bitterly. "What kind of man tries to blow up the City of Slaughter? Absolute madness."
Years of trouble had left their mark. Since Yu Tianheng's younger brother had clung to Lu Yuan's side and won the championship, his family had declared that brother—the "stupid little brother" as Yu called him—the new heir.
Yu Tianheng had been shoved aside. Even though his brother promised to make him second-in-command in the sect, resentment still simmered. He'd tried to make a name for himself again at Thunder Academy—only to find evil soul masters lurking everywhere.
Being the farthest academy from Heaven Dou City, Thunder Academy had suffered the most attacks—enrollment was dropping fast. He was already wondering if he should swallow his pride and return to the Blue Electric Overlord Sect.
"With evil soul masters prowling around, the City of Slaughter isn't much of a secret anymore," Feng Xiaotian said heatedly. "Tang San destroyed it just to spit in Martial Soul Hall's face and keep others from inheriting the Killing God Domain. Selfish bastard!"
His temper flared—if these evil soul masters weren't in the picture, Huo Wu and he would probably be married by now… maybe even with kids.
"We need to unite," he declared. "Our academies are too exposed. I say we move into the city."
"Feng Xiaotian, are you drunk?" Huo Wu shot back. "Move where? No place is big enough for all four academies!"
"If we could move, Blazing Academy would've already done it!" she snapped.
"Fire Dance Little Sister," he said slyly, "Heaven Dou City still has Shrek Academy's campus—it's huge, and idle."
"It's already reopened," someone pointed out. "Twenty students this semester."
"Without Yu Xiaogang—the fraud—some have returned. The deans there now are real Contras. Even Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar have come back to help."
"That doesn't mean they'll give us their grounds," Shui Bing'er said cautiously.
"We wouldn't be stealing," Feng Xiaotian countered. "We can suggest a merger. They're in a bad spot—they'd welcome new allies."
His gaze swept the group, waiting for a verdict.
"Good idea," Shui Bing'er decided at last. "Let's go and take a look."
Her words settled it—the plan was already in motion.
--
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