Chapter 258: Dai Mubai Seriously Injured, Dugu Yan's Good Intentions

Su Ming was more concerned about something else—when had Bone Douluo started eavesdropping on their conversation? Had he overheard everything? If so, that could be tricky to handle. After all, Gu Rong wasn't as easy to deal with as Ning Rongrong.

Considering Gu Rong's doting nature toward Rongrong, if he learned that Su Ming wasn't just interested in her, he might not approve of their relationship.

Su Ming had initially planned to keep things under wraps for as long as possible, waiting until his relationship with Rongrong was firmly established and his strength had grown enough to have more influence. At that point, he would confess everything to Ning Fengzhi, Gu Rong, and Chen Xin. By then, they would have no choice but to accept it. However, now...

Well, Su Ming thought, it's best to take things one step at a time. Ultimately, the most important factor was Rongrong. As long as she didn't mind, given how much Ning Fengzhi and the two elders adored her, Rongrong could likely smooth things over with some sweet talk. After all, Su Ming was certainly no Oscar.

Still feeling a bit guilty, Su Ming glanced cautiously toward the spot where Gu Rong was hiding.

Gu Rong: …

Gu Rong silently acknowledged Su Ming's sharp instincts—it was impressive that he had sensed his presence. Still, Gu Rong felt he had to demand justice for Rongrong. His frustration was rising, and he figured a good beating would relieve his anger.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing, who had just dodged Dai Mubai's attack, coldly scolded him, "Dai Mubai, you've become even worse. You claim you've changed, but we're still in a public place—a restaurant. What if your reckless attacks hurt innocent people?"

Without giving Dai Mubai a chance to respond, Zhu Zhuqing unleashed her speed again, instantly closing the distance and activating her second spirit ability, Nether Hundred Claws.

Dai Mubai, unable to dodge in time, instinctively raised his arms to defend himself, but it was useless.

Zhu Zhuqing followed up with a powerful kick to Dai Mubai's stomach, sending him flying.

To prevent Dai Mubai from crashing through the walls of the private room, Su Ming quickly raised a wooden wall in the path of his flight.

Boom!

Dai Mubai slammed into the wooden wall hard, fell to the ground, and coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body felt weak and dizzy.

But more than his physical pain, Dai Mubai was tormented by the fact that he had been defeated by Zhu Zhuqing. This shouldn't have happened! In the history of the Star Luo Empire, the Hell Civet had always been the weaker of the two. Otherwise, the imperial family wouldn't have forced arranged marriages with the Zhu family.

Every generation, a prince of the Star Luo Empire was required to marry a woman from the Zhu family—this was a mandatory royal marriage.

So it was easy to imagine how difficult this defeat was for Dai Mubai to accept, especially since he was three years older than Zhu Zhuqing.

During the attack, Zhu Zhuqing had also infused a bit of icy energy into Dai Mubai's body. While she hadn't yet mastered the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, she was skilled enough to use a bit of icy energy.

Even after Dai Mubai's physical wounds were healed, unless the healer was highly skilled, the lingering cold energy would continue to torment him, leaving him weak for a while.

The private room fell into a heavy silence. Qin Ming noticed something unusual—Dai Mubai's arm wounds were slowly expanding. Was this the result of a special spirit ability? He realized he had underestimated Zhu Zhuqing.

Qin Ming quickly turned to Ye Lingling and said, "Lingling, release your spirit and heal Dai Mubai."

To his surprise, Ye Lingling's typically cold expression tightened, and she shook her head. "Teacher Qin, I must refuse. Dai Mubai disgusts me. His character is so vile—why should I heal him?"

As a fellow woman, Ye Lingling understood Zhu Zhuqing's frustration. What woman would want to live under someone else's control?

And Dai Mubai's earlier behavior had certainly left a bad impression.

Dugu Yan chimed in, "Teacher Qin, I can't believe you. Can't you see who's in the right and who's in the wrong here? Are you helping Dai Mubai just because he's your teacher's student? You've really disappointed us!"

Qin Ming felt the weight of Dugu Yan's words—she was right. He had been biased, not wanting his teacher's students to look bad.

Seeing Dai Mubai defeated, Oscar hurriedly made a recovery sausage. Although his sausage's healing effect was the weakest in the room, it was better than nothing. After all, neither Ye Lingling nor Su Ming would help heal Dai Mubai, leaving Oscar as his only option.

Su Ming was also impressed by Zhu Zhuqing's strength—she was truly formidable!

As for Qin Ming, Su Ming merely glanced at him. Was Shrek really worth all this? Even after learning so much, Qin Ming still defended them! It seemed he was of the same ilk as the rest of them—if not, then he wasn't far off.

Su Ming spoke up, "Let's leave it at that. Dean Flender, you'd better find a good healer for Dai Mubai soon. Oscar's recovery sausages won't be enough."

Then, turning to Qin Ming, Su Ming asked, "Teacher Qin, are you still planning to recommend Tang San and the others to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

Qin Ming hesitated for a moment, glancing at Dean Flender before making up his mind. Despite the tension between Su Ming and Tang San, he couldn't turn his back on his teacher, and Tang San's talent was undeniable. He couldn't let it slip away.

"Yes, despite your differences with Tang San, I'll still recommend them to Heaven Dou Royal Academy! Without Dean Flender, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Su Ming nodded indifferently. This Qin Ming was really stubborn. Fine, if he loved Shrek so much, let him stick with them. Once Su Ming made contact with Dugu Bo, he would make sure Qin Ming was removed.

Unexpectedly, Dugu Yan stepped forward and said, "Teacher Qin, after what you've done tonight, I don't think you're fit to be our teacher anymore. You should resign on your own, or things will get ugly when my grandfather steps in."

Her statement shocked everyone in the Emperor Team, except for Ye Lingling. Was Dugu Yan really going to make Teacher Qin quit over this?

Yu Tianheng, puzzled by Dugu Yan's unusual behavior, asked, "Yan, what are you doing?"

Ignoring him, Dugu Yan turned to the rest of the Emperor Team and asked, "What do you all think of my decision?"

Realizing that Dugu Yan wasn't asking for their input but informing them of her decision, the team nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly. They knew it wasn't worth offending Dugu Yan over a teacher—her grandfather was a titled Douluo, after all.