Hidden in the shadows, Yu Luomian finally couldn't hold back. Gritting his teeth, he muttered to himself, Better to rip the bandage off quickly than prolong the pain.
Stepping out into the clearing, he revealed himself. If Yu Xiaogang weren't his elder brother's son, Yu Luomian might have beaten him to death on the spot!
Liu Erlong stared at Yu Luomian, then at Flender and Yu Xiaogang. Her eyes were red and her body trembled.
"You're all in this together to trick me, aren't you?" she said, her voice shaking.
"It must be! There's no way all these years of feelings could have been fake!"
"You're lying! You must be lying to me!"
Hearing this, both Flender and Yu Luomian felt a pang of guilt and sorrow in their hearts. It was all that damned Yu Xiaogang's fault!
"Liu Erlong, don't talk nonsense!" Yu Xiaogang had no sympathy for her. Instead, he yelled at her directly:
"Flender has lied to countless people, but never to you or me!"
Flender froze, speechless. He didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh at the absurdity.
"And my second uncle, Yu Luomian, is a man of absolute integrity—he doesn't tolerate even a speck of dishonesty! The honor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wouldn't allow him to lie."
Yu Luomian twitched at this unexpected flattery, his tightly clenched fists relaxing as he tilted his head slightly upward.
Hmph, he may be a scoundrel, but at least he's honest about that part.
Liu Erlong's emotions were in chaos. Even if she had been foolish and blind, she now understood—Yu Xiaogang had truly deceived her all those years ago!
"Xiaogang… did you really never have feelings for me?" she asked in despair. Even a shred of affection would suffice—just a tiny bit.
"Liu Erlong, don't say such things!" Yu Xiaogang quickly denied it, but while speaking, he instinctively glanced at Flender.
"I never liked you!"
Liu Erlong felt utterly numb. She had prepared herself to lose to Bibi Dong, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she would lose to Flender.
Flender was equally dumbfounded. Yu Xiaogang, if you want to dig your own grave, don't drag me into it!
Yu Luomian glanced between Yu Xiaogang and Flender, then stared helplessly at the sky.
The relationships between the three were a tangled mess—too messy for words. Even Yu Luomian, a peak-level Spirit Douluo who had weathered countless storms, didn't know what to say.
"Erlong, don't misunderstand. I—" Flender tried to explain.
But before he could finish, Liu Erlong shook her head, her expression filled with despair.
"Flender, Yu Xiaogang, I wish you both happiness!"
Turning around, she ran off, unwilling to let them see the tears streaming down her face.
Flender: "???"
Wait a second—how did things come to this? All he wanted was for Liu Erlong to know the truth about Yu Xiaogang's deception. How had this spiraled into him being implicated with Yu Xiaogang?!
Flender felt the words stuck in his throat—there was no way to explain himself now!
"Second-in-command," Flender said through gritted teeth, his face dark, "you don't have any objections if I beat Yu Xiaogang up, right?"
Yu Luomian crossed his arms, his expression indifferent. "Yu Xiaogang hasn't been part of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for a long time. Why would I object? Just don't kill him. He's still my elder brother's son."
Though he didn't look at Yu Xiaogang, Yu Luomian inwardly suppressed his own urge to land a punch. If he accidentally killed Yu Xiaogang, it'd be hard to explain to his brother, Yu Yuanzhen.
Flender had long been aware of Yu Luomian's approval of his feelings for Liu Erlong. Now that Flender had reached the Spirit Douluo level, he was finally worthy of her in Yu Luomian's eyes.
Back then, Yu Luomian had supported Flender's pursuit of Liu Erlong—only for Yu Xiaogang to step in and ruin everything. Truly, it was a disaster.
Yu Xiaogang: "???"
Even as Flender pummeled him, Yu Xiaogang couldn't figure out why he was being beaten.
"Flender, as for the Golden Iron Triangle's internal matters, I won't interfere," Yu Luomian said coolly. "Now that Erlong understands the truth of the past, it's time for her to wake up. You know what to do, right?"
Hearing Yu Luomian's words, Flender was overjoyed!
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong had returned to Shrek Academy's rear mountains, where she had lived for most of her life. Ever since Flender and Yu Xiaogang joined Lanba Academy, she hadn't stayed there.
A single jug of wine wasn't enough to drown her feelings.
Two jugs, three jugs, four jugs later…
"I… I'm such a fool," she murmured. "Truly…"
"Never… never liked me…"
She didn't use her spirit power to dispel the alcohol; to do so would defeat the purpose of drinking.
Suddenly, a figure appeared, hesitating slightly upon seeing her.
"Teacher Erlong? What are you doing here?" Dai Mubai asked, his face full of confusion.
He had been looking for Flender or Liu Erlong to help with something, but after searching the academy twice, he couldn't find them—or even Yu Xiaogang, who rarely left his quarters.
Figuring they might be in the rear mountains, Dai Mubai had come to look—and stumbled upon Liu Erlong sitting there with nothing but wine in front of her, not even a plate of peanuts.
Liu Erlong glanced at Dai Mubai through slightly blurry eyes.
"Mubai… come, have a drink with me!"
Dai Mubai: "???"
Though bewildered, he nodded, walking over and sitting down.
Without giving him a chance to ask questions, Liu Erlong grabbed a jug of wine and handed it to him.
Instinctively, he accepted it. Liu Erlong then raised her jug, clinking it against his.
"Cheers!"
"???"
Wait—this isn't how you drink!
These are jugs, not cups!
After saying that, Liu Erlong began gulping down the wine. Dai Mubai twitched. If she could drink as a woman, how could he not as a man? Left with no choice, he followed suit.
"Here," Liu Erlong said, handing him another jug when she finished her first.
…
No one knew how much they drank before Liu Erlong suddenly turned to Dai Mubai, her voice slightly slurred.
"Mubai… do you… do you think I'm pretty?"
Without hesitation, Dai Mubai nodded. "Pretty."
In truth, her hair should have been red due to her mutated Fire Dragon spirit, but in this world, it was blue and flowed like silk. She was undoubtedly beautiful.
"And my figure?" she asked.
Dai Mubai blinked, slightly stunned. He wasn't drunk yet, thanks to his Vajra Body protecting him, but Liu Erlong's question left him momentarily speechless.
"Good," he replied honestly. Aside from Zhu Zhuqing and Xue Er, Liu Erlong had the most stunning figure he'd ever seen.
"Then… then why doesn't he like me…" Liu Erlong murmured, her voice breaking.
(To be continued)