Upon hearing this, Mr. Ning's face darkened.
Why does it sound like my Rongrong is the one spending money to get married?
Forget it. I won't argue with this loudmouth.
He had heard a thing or two about this famously brash man in the soul master world. Otherwise, if it had been anyone else, Mr. Ning would've slapped him already.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ning, that's not what I meant!" Zhao Wuji scrambled to explain. "I wasn't saying the young lady should pay for herself. No, no, I mean—of course she wouldn't need to pay! I just meant—spending money to find a man sounds wrong—no, wait, that's not what I meant either..."
He was clearly panicking now, but his clumsy attempts to explain only made things worse. Mr. Ning's expression grew darker by the second.
"Enough. Stop talking."
Shao Xin covered Zhao Wuji's mouth and dragged him aside, ignoring his muffled protests. Then he turned to Mr. Ning and asked seriously, "Senior, is there someone from our academy you had in mind?"
Two hundred thousand gold soul coins was no small sum. But what truly shocked everyone was the fact that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had made such a proposal at all.
As the wealthiest sect in the entire soul master world, even if the offer had been for a mere maid, there would've been countless young nobles scrambling to marry her.
Because everyone knew—if you got attached to someone from that sect, your future was secure.
And this wasn't just any maid. It was the sect's young lady. Even imperial princes might not dare approach her lightly.
What's more, as far as they knew, the sect leader only had one daughter—Ning Rongrong.
So whoever married her… would be, for all intents and purposes, the heir to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Shao Xin racked his brain, but couldn't think of a single student in their academy worthy of that honor.
At least… not from among their current batch.
Dai Mubai had a high status and came from a powerful family, possibly even equal to Ning Rongrong in background. But his unfaithful, womanizing nature made him an impossible candidate.
Could it be… Tang San?
That kid was truly something else.
Talented, calm, and still young. But even so… still not a good match for Ning Rongrong.
As for Oscar, they didn't even bother considering him.
No one with common sense would pair an auxiliary-type soul master with a food-type soul master for marriage.
Which left only Tang San, maybe?
"Uh… Senior, while we'd love to accept this offer, there's just one issue…"
Shao Xin sighed and glanced regretfully at the black gold card on the table before slowly shaking his head.
"Tang San already has a childhood sweetheart. And he's an honest guy. He wouldn't do something like abandoning her."
"Hmm? Who's Tang San?" Mr. Ning asked, blinking in confusion.
Zhao Wuji: ?
Shao Xin: ??
Li Yusong: ???
The four of them stared at one another, stunned.
"Wait… Senior, weren't you talking about Tang San?" Shao Xin finally asked.
"Of course not," Mr. Ning replied, puzzled. "The boy I had in mind is named… Ma Hongjun, I believe?"
Ma Hongjun!?
The name exploded like a bomb in the room.
"Hongjun?!"
Shao Xin's eyes widened.
"Ma Hongjun?!"
Zhao Wuji's mouth fell open.
"From our academy?"
The teachers were speechless.
They'd turned the idea over and over in their minds… and had never once considered Hongjun.
"This… surely you're mistaken?" Zhao Wuji said awkwardly, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
He knew it sounded harsh, but honestly—what was Mr. Ning thinking?!
Was his standard of judgment based on how fat someone was, or how intense their lust was?
They still had the old image of Ma Hongjun in their minds and hadn't yet seen the changes he'd undergone.
"Yes, that's him," Mr. Ning confirmed. "Surely there's no other Phoenix Martial Spirit user here, is there?"
There was admiration in his eyes that he couldn't hide.
"This…" Zhao Wuji was at a loss for words.
Mr. Ning had specifically pointed out the Phoenix Martial Spirit. There was no arguing that.
Even if it was a mutated form, a phoenix was still a phoenix.
"But—" Shao Xin tried to interject, only to feel a hand press firmly on his shoulder.
"Everyone, quiet," Flander said with a sigh, stepping forward. He gently pulled Shao Xin back and motioned for Zhao Wuji and the others to stand down.
He looked seriously at Mr. Ning, then lowered his head and returned the gold card.
"Listen, there's something you need to know. Hongjun's Martial Spirit has a flaw. If he doesn't vent the evil fire within him regularly… he'll lose control. And by 'vent,' I mean… you know."
The dean had hoped he wouldn't have to say this aloud. But Mr. Ning's persistence had forced his hand.
Better to address the issue now than let it become a disaster later.
Sigh… I just hope Hongjun doesn't hate me for this.
"Evil fire? That's impossible," Mr. Ning replied, frowning. "That phoenix Martial Spirit is incredibly pure. I could feel it myself."
He understood what Flander meant—but he didn't buy it.
First, the phoenix flames had been clean, without any hint of corruption. Second, he had personally observed the boy. His manners and gaze were respectful, even when surrounded by beautiful girls.
If he really had some kind of uncontrollable lust, how could he stay so composed?
"Senior… it's the truth," Zhao Wuji said with a sigh. "We've known that child since he was young."
All of them felt a twinge of regret. It wasn't just about the two hundred thousand gold soul coins. They genuinely wanted to see the child succeed and marry someone like Miss Ning.
It would be a golden ticket. A lifelong shield.
But just as Flander said—this issue couldn't be ignored. And there was no way the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would accept such a flaw.
"This…" Mr. Ning's brows furrowed deeper.
It was difficult to connect the noble, handsome young man he'd met with such a vulgar-sounding problem.
Still, he knew these teachers were respected figures in the soul master world. They wouldn't lie about something like this.
No wonder that four-eyed owl had hesitated earlier.
But…
"How about this," Mr. Ning finally said after a moment of thought. "Take me to see him. Maybe there's a way to solve it."
He didn't want to give up on such a promising child over something so ridiculous.
And if nothing could be done…
Then get them married early and solve it that way!
"That works too," Flander replied, spreading his hands.
He didn't know how Hongjun had held himself back for so long, but the kid was probably at his limit.
If he ended up doing something reckless with the little princess… it would be over.
There are always other fish in the sea, kid. Don't blame your teacher.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the skies turned crimson.
At the gates of Shrek Academy, Ma Hongjun waited a long time—but no one returned.
"You guys are really unreliable… Oscar, Boss Dai…"
Feeling the violent heat rising in his body, and with "Little Hongjun" standing at full attention, he clenched his teeth, spread his wings, and took to the sky.
Fine! I'll go myself!
The night wind howled as red flames cut a brilliant path across the sky.