radicalducati Chapter 564 The Heart Has Changed, There Are No More Masters
Chapter 564 The Heart Has Changed, There Are No More Masters
Chapter 564 The Heart Has Changed, There Are No More Masters
"Oh, by the way, my name is Ye Qifeng. You've probably heard of me."
Seeing Flander's expression gradually turn to shock and disbelief, Ye Qifeng's smile deepened, and he then truthfully stated his name.
Flanders: "."
He had certainly heard of this name before, and it was a household name. It had been the talk of the town yesterday—this kid's name was, without a doubt, exactly the same as the name of the legendary Holy Son of the Spirit Hall.
It's obvious that they are the same person.
Despite the disbelief, at this moment, Flanders had to admit the truth.
After all, who would have a Title Douluo as a bodyguard when they have nothing to do? Who else could have such treatment but the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, who comes from the most powerful soul master force in the Douluo Continent?
I always have a feeling that nothing good ever comes from running into this kid. It's the same today, and it was the same back then.
I still remember that back then, this kid not only abducted one of my favorite students—that little girl from the Zhu family of the Netherworld Grand Duke's Mansion in the Star Luo Empire, whose martial soul was the Netherworld Spirit Cat—but also turned my Shrek Academy upside down. It seems that Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun were all beaten up by him.
Most importantly, he himself fell for this kid's trick. Not only did he fail to get any gold soul coins, he also suffered a huge loss and was forced to sell a crystal for a pittance of one gold soul coin.
I heard that later this kid extracted an extremely precious special crystal metal from that crystal—plate crystal gold—and wasted it by making it into a vicious hidden weapon like the Dragon Beard Needle, which he used against his own students.
—Dai Mubai was once seriously injured by the Dragon Beard Needle.
Alas, we've lost both our wife and our army.
Looking at Ye Qifeng's handsome face, tinged with a gentle smile, Flander opened his mouth as if to say something, but for a moment, his expression was awkward and complicated, and he didn't know where to begin. In the end, he could only turn his gaze to Liu Erlong beside him, his eyes seeming to say:
"Erlong, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Liu Erlong understood his look, sighed slightly, spread her hands, and explained with a hint of helplessness:
"I was going to go into detail earlier, but Xiaogang interrupted me."
Flander thought about it carefully and realized that it seemed to be true. After calming himself down slightly, he sighed softly, then looked up at Ye Qifeng and asked:
"Young Master Feng... uh, Brother Holy Son, could you please leave first? I have some private matters I'd like to discuss with Erlong alone."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qifeng did not immediately agree. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Liu Erlong, and only after seeing the latter nod at him did he smile and gently nod in agreement.
"no problem."
After saying that, he turned to look at Liu Erlong and said softly, "Sister Erlong, I'll go out first and wait for you outside."
Looking into Ye Qifeng's gentle and deep black eyes, Liu Erlong's bright face involuntarily flushed slightly, and she hummed softly, "Okay."
Then, Ye Qifeng nodded to Flander and left the reception room, leaving the space to the two old friends for the time being.
Seeing the harmonious yet ambiguous exchange of glances and words between Ye Qifeng and Liu Erlong, Flander was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized something and his eyes widened instantly.
…………
After Ye Qifeng left the reception room, Liu Erlong quickly composed herself, restoring her flushed face to its normal fair color. She then looked away and turned to look at Flander.
Seeing him still staring blankly in the direction Ye Qifeng had left, she couldn't help but smile, and spoke in a soft yet straightforward voice:
"Alright, Boss Fu, Xiao Feng is gone. Do you have anything to say to me? You can say it now."
"Ah, oh, oh," Flander was immediately jolted out of his daze upon hearing Liu Erlong's words, and instinctively wanted to ask a question:
"Erlong, you..."
But Flanders suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence.
"Me?" Liu Erlong looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong with me?"
"Ah, it's nothing." Flander instantly realized what was happening, swallowing back the question he was about to ask, and then forcibly changed the subject:
"Did the merger of Shrek Academy and Blue Tyrant Academy make things difficult for you?"
"I didn't expect that Blue Tyrant Academy wasn't owned by you alone. The demands that Xiao Gang and I made now seem very unreasonable, and very excessive and unfair to you."
"It's alright, after all, I didn't agree." Liu Erlong laughed heartily, waving his hand dismissively, then changed the subject, looking intently at Flander, and asked:
"So what are your thoughts? I definitely can't agree to the requests you and Xiaogang made, and it seems Xiaofeng won't agree either."
Flanders paused for a moment, then gave an awkward smile.
"Originally, I wanted to bring all the teachers and students of Shrek Academy to join you, but Xiao Gang had a different idea, and because I had my own selfish motives, I was quickly persuaded by him."
"After all, Shrek Academy is the culmination of my more than twenty years of hard work, and I don't want it to disband."
"I understand how you feel." Liu Erlong nodded gently. "Just like Blue Tyrant Academy is my life's work, if I were in your predicament, I would definitely try my best to protect it."
"However, there is one thing I think the same as you: if Blue Tyrant Academy belongs to me alone, I don't mind giving it to you and Xiaogang. After all, we were once the golden trio who went through life and death together, and we are sworn siblings with a bond stronger than gold."
"But not now, because Blue Tyrant Academy doesn't belong to me alone, and I can't make that decision. Sorry, Boss Fu."
Flander glanced at Liu Erlong in surprise. Sure enough, Erlong was still Erlong, still as loyal as ever. It was just that there were some things she couldn't make decisions about. How could he blame her?
After a moment, Flander shook his head to gather his thoughts:
"Erlong, you don't need to apologize to me. You did nothing wrong. The ones who were wrong were Xiaogang and me. We shouldn't have made those unreasonable demands of you."
"Just pretend we never said that, and forget about it."
"As for Shrek Academy's future plans, I'll figure something out."
Liu Erlong frowned slightly, somewhat worried about Flander's mood, and quickly suggested:
"You and your old buddies can join Blue Tyrant Academy. I happen to need some highly skilled and experienced teachers to help manage the academy."
"As you know, I've been living in seclusion for the past few years, recuperating and resting, and I've neglected the management of Blue Tyrant Academy. I urgently need someone to help manage the academy's affairs, and you are exactly the most suitable person."
"If you can help me, I can work with Xiao Feng and another master of Blue Tyrant Academy to make you the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy."
"What do you think?"
After Liu Erlong finished speaking, her dark eyes fixed on Flander, awaiting his answer.
"This..." Flander hesitated for a moment. To be honest, he was a little tempted, but in the end he shook his head and politely declined. "Let's talk about it later."
"Your little brother Feng seems to be quite unwelcoming to Xiao Gang and the few little monsters that Shrek Academy has trained, and as the dean of Shrek Academy, I can't just abandon them."
"Alright then." Liu Erlong understood what Flander meant, and a look of regret appeared on her face.
"Alright, Erlong, don't worry about me. Let's talk about you instead." Flander smiled nonchalantly and then turned the topic to Liu Erlong:
"By the way, you seem to have a pretty good relationship with that young man, Ye Qifeng. How does he treat you?"
Liu Erlong was taken aback at first, then an unexpected blush appeared on her beautiful and straightforward face:
"It's alright, Xiaofeng is very nice to me."
Noticing the fleeting blush on Liu Erlong's face, Flander was greatly surprised and suddenly asked, almost as if possessed:
"Is your relationship really just that of siblings?"
"Huh?" Liu Erlong's face flushed instinctively. Although she did have some special thoughts in her heart, it was better to remain reserved in front of her old friend.
"Of course they're just siblings, what else could they be?"
Noticing the blush on Liu Erlong's face, Flander sighed inwardly, suddenly becoming even more certain of the possibility he had just discovered.
Then his expression suddenly turned serious, and he stared into Liu Erlong's eyes:
"Erlong, tell me the truth, have you fallen for him?"
"Huh? Who? Who do you like?" Liu Erlong didn't react at first, but when she realized what Flander was asking, her expression froze instantly.
She quickly waved her hand, trying to argue:
"No, no, absolutely not, Mr. Francis, you must be joking. How could I possibly like a little one?"
However, Flander didn't believe her, not only interrupting her but also sighing:
"Erlong, there's no need to explain. I know you. You're not a liar. Although you're trying your best to cover it up, your actions have already betrayed you."
Upon hearing Flander's words, Liu Erlong's mouth gaped slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. After a long while, she forced a smile.
"Ah, Boss Francis, you found out?!"
As expected. At this moment, Flander received the answer and was certain that his guess was correct, but a pang of pain shot through his heart, followed by a heart shattering into pieces, which then turned into a bitter sigh:
"Don't forget that I've been your friend for over twenty years. I know you too well."
"From the moment you brought that young brother Ye Qifeng into this reception room, I noticed that your gaze was almost entirely fixed on him and never left him. Moreover, the tenderness and affection that unintentionally flowed from your eyes could not be faked."
"I've seen you in this state before, and I understand what that means better than anyone else, because you used to see Xiaogang the same way."
"Erlong, you..." Flander paused, looked up at Liu Erlong, his mood was melancholy and complicated, but he still said the words he didn't want to say but had to, "I've fallen in love with him."
"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Boss Fu." Liu Erlong's face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, straightened his expression, and put on a frank smile:
"Yes, I've fallen in love with him, with a boy who's more than twenty years younger than me, and he's also my adopted younger brother."
Flander was somewhat surprised to see Liu Erlong admit it so readily, but he didn't seem too surprised.
Because that's Liu Erlong's nature: direct, straightforward, frank, clear in her likes and dislikes, decisive, and swift. Once she likes or falls in love with someone, she will face it calmly and forge ahead.
Of course, except when in front of someone you like or love—you'll become awkward.
Although he was mentally prepared for this outcome, hearing Liu Erlong admit it herself still made Flander feel a pang of sadness. He then thought of another fellow sufferer—Master Yu Xiaogang—and couldn't help but ask:
"What about Xiaogang?"
"Xiao Gang?" Liu Erlong paused slightly, her gaze fixed on Flander, before asking, "Do you think there's any chance for me and him?"
Flanders opened his mouth in surprise: "Why is it impossible?"
"Besides sibling affection, we have no other relationship whatsoever," Liu Erlong shook her head and answered without the slightest hesitation.
"After that incident twenty years ago, we have all changed. Xiaogang is no longer the Xiaogang he used to be, and neither am I."
Even if he still has feelings for me now, I have no feelings for him anymore. My heart is no longer with him, and it is impossible for us to be together again.
"Besides, we are cousins, and there's no way things could work out. I've already come to terms with that."
At this point, Liu Erlong looked up at Flander, a gentle smile appearing on her face:
"Brother Fu, I have my own life now, and I've long since broken free from my past obsession with love. I've found my own emotional support again, and he's even better."
Are you really free now? I feel like you've jumped from one pit to another, sinking even deeper. Flander gave Liu Erlong a strange look, but didn't say anything.
After a moment of silence, he asked in a deep voice:
"So you broke up with Xiaogang because you met someone better? Is that guy really that good? Can he compare to your feelings for Xiaogang?"
"No, that's not how it is," Liu Erlong slowly shook his head, "Back then, I was indeed attracted to Xiaogang by his knowledge and fell in love with him."
"As you know, I didn't get to attend an advanced Soul Master Academy when I was young, so I have an extreme thirst for Soul Master knowledge. I have a natural admiration for people like Xiao Gang who have a wealth of knowledge about martial soul theory. In addition, we later traveled together across the continent and spent more and more time together. It was inevitable that I would develop feelings for him and gradually fall in love with him. This is definitely true."
"I did want to spend my life with him, but that sudden change separated us. We were separated by the ends of the earth and never saw each other again for twenty years."
(End of this chapter)