Tai Long scrambled back to the Strength Clan compound, followed closely by his father, Tai Nuo, who looked equally disheveled. The maddening itch on Tai Nuo's body had just receded, but his anger had not. News of the embarrassing spectacle at the entrance of Shrek Academy had already spread throughout the clan.
The moment Tai Nuo stepped through the main gate, the wicked itching sensation began to resurface. His eyes turning red, he lunged toward his son. "You little beast! This is all your fault!"
"Stop!" a thunderous roar commanded. Patriarch Tai Tan appeared just in time, grabbing his son's arm. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough for one day?! Are you going to keep fighting at our own doorstep?!"
Stopped by his father, the urge to hit his son seemed to weaken slightly. Tai Nuo gasped for breath. "Father! It's not that I want to hit him! It's… I was hit by some special spirit ability! My body went numb, and I… I couldn't stop myself from wanting to beat him!" He pointed a trembling finger at Tai Long, who was cowering in a corner.
Tai Tan was stunned. He carefully studied his son's pained expression and lingering twitches, which didn't seem faked. Recalling his grandson's previous "name sickness," his expression grew solemn. "A strange illness? You've caught it too?"
Tai Nuo nodded, still scratching at his arms. "The urge to hit him is gone for now, but my body is still numb. I don't know when it will disappear." It would, in fact, take another full day for the sensation to finally fade completely.
Tai Tan looked at his son with deep disappointment. "I sent you to get revenge for your son, and you ended up getting into trouble yourself!" He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump. "But this matter can't be left like this! The young clan leader and the clan leader of my Strength Clan were made fools of at the entrance of the academy. If I don't get justice for this, how will I, Tai Tan, ever hold my head high in the Spirit Master world again?!"
He waved his large hand, his voice booming with aggression. "Let's go! Tai Long, Tai Nuo! Come with me to the academy! I will personally get revenge for you! I want to see who is so blind that they dare to make a fool of someone from my Strength Clan!"
Hearing this, both Tai Nuo and Tai Long's faces turned green. "Father! No! Please, no!" Tai Nuo quickly waved his hands. "This whole thing… it's just too embarrassing! We're both fine now, let's just let it go!" He vividly remembered the judgmental stares of the crowd at the academy and wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Tai Long shook his head even more vigorously, like a rattle drum. "Grandfather! I'm begging you! Don't go! My… my injuries haven't even healed yet!" He still had to go to school there; he was genuinely afraid of the humiliation.
"Nonsense!" Tai Tan glared. "When has the Strength Clan ever suffered such a silent defeat? Embarrassing? Not getting revenge now is what's truly embarrassing! We must go! I want to see who did this! Anyone who dares to make my son and grandson look bad in public, I'll tear them limb from limb! Also, those girls he was with, we'll tie them up and bring them back to be Tai Long's wives!" The patriarch's stubborn temper had flared up, and not even nine oxen could pull him back now.
Tai Nuo and Tai Long exchanged a look of pure despair. There was no changing the old man's mind once it was made up.
"Sigh…" Tai Nuo resigned himself to his fate. Forget it. If we have to go, we have to go. At worst, Dad will beat up the culprit, and we'll get some of our dignity back. It'll be a way for me to vent some anger, too. Tai Long had a similar thought, a dejected look on his face as he followed his father and grandfather. Though, having three more wives doesn't sound so bad, he thought with a flicker of foolish hope.
The three of them, filled with aggressive momentum, marched once again towards Shrek Academy. Tai Tan strode at the very front, proud as a dragon, his Spirit Douluo-level pressure faintly emanating from his body. He looked like he was there to challenge the entire establishment. Tai Nuo and Tai Long, however, cowered behind him, their eyes darting about as if wishing they could become invisible.
Soon, Ye Yin received word of their arrival and, with Xiao Wu and the other two girls, went to meet them at the gate.
"Father! It's him! Ye Yin!" Tai Nuo pointed, gritting his teeth. "It was this brat who played tricks on us! He's the one who caused Long'er and me to make such a huge spectacle of ourselves!" Tai Long nodded vigorously beside him, his eyes filled with resentment.
Tai Tan looked in the direction his son was pointing. When he got a clear look at Ye Yin's handsome, aloof face, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His mind went completely blank. The towering rage and the thirst for revenge instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by extreme shock, disbelief, and even a hint of panic.
He stopped abruptly, his burly body swaying slightly. Tai Nuo and Tai Long were waiting for him to unleash his power and beat the kid named Ye Yin into a pulp, but after waiting for a long moment, nothing happened.
"Father? What's wrong?" Tai Nuo asked, confused. He realized his father's expression was completely wrong. He looked like he had just seen a ghost—no, it was even more complicated than that.
Tai Tan took a deep breath. The furious expression on his face melted away like snow in the sun, instantly replaced by a nearly fawning smile filled with reverence and excitement. He even subconsciously tidied his slightly disheveled clothes.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of his son and grandson, Patriarch Tai Tan took three quick steps, jogging over to Ye Yin. Then, to their absolute astonishment, he dropped to the ground with a loud thud.
Tai Tan, a renowned Spirit Douluo and the proud patriarch of the Strength Clan, actually knelt straight down before the young scholar who looked like he could be blown over by a gust of wind.
"Master! Your disciple, Tai Tan, greets you!" his voice boomed, filled with heartfelt respect and excitement.
Tai Nuo and Tai Long were completely petrified, their minds utterly unable to process what they were seeing. Master?! He knelt down! Has the entire world gone mad?!
Ye Yin seemed somewhat surprised by the grand gesture. Looking down at the kneeling patriarch, he frowned slightly. "Patriarch Tai? Why are you here? And why did you bring them? Also, don't call me Master. I haven't agreed to take you as my disciple, have I?"
"Grandmaster taught me, even if it was just one sentence, that makes you my Master!" Tai Tan replied quickly.
"Are you here to seek revenge for them?" Ye Yin asked.
Tai Tan's body trembled, and he hastily shook his head. "No, no, Master! I… I brought these two good-for-nothings here to apologize to you! I was ineffective in my discipline and allowed these two scoundrels to offend you! Please, punish me, Master!"
Apologize? Offend? Tai Nuo and Tai Long were even more bewildered. When had they offended him? It was clearly Ye Yin who had harmed them!
Seeing Ye Yin's confused expression, Tai Tan quickly explained, "Master! It was these two scoundrels! Especially this wicked grandson of mine, Tai Long!" He glared fiercely at the boy. "He… he actually dared to covet… covet the Mistress! He deserves to die ten thousand times!"
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