Yu Xiaogang finally asked, "Tang San, did you really borrow 20,000 gold coins from him?"
Tang San replied hurriedly, "No, teacher! Please believe me, I've never seen him before. How could I borrow money from him?"
"Okay... I believe in you," Yu Xiaogang said after a pause.
Tang San was deeply moved by his teacher's trust.
Yu Xiaogang chose to believe him, not because of sentiment, but because only Tang San could prove his theory. He turned to the boss and asked, "Do you have any proof that Tang San borrowed money from you?"
"Yes," the boss said, voice steady. "While borrowing the money, he used his fingerprint as proof."
As he spoke, the boss pulled out a document, one 'Wu Lan' had put with Tang San's body fingerprint, and handed it over.
Hearing that the proof was a fingerprint, Tang San actually became confident.
"I don't know how you got my personal information," he said, "but I do not believe my fingerprint is on that document. You can't get it without my knowledge."
The boss smirked. "We'll wait and see, boy. After we compare the fingerprints, I'll see how you plan to escape without paying me back."
Dean Su signaled the staff. "Bring the fingerprint equipment!"
Soon, Tang San pressed his finger onto a new sheet.
The comparison was quick.
After studying both sets of prints, the Dean's face darkened. He looked utterly disappointed.
"The fingerprints are the same."
Everyone fell silent.
He turned to the boss. "You can deal with them however you want. The Academy will not interfere."
Then he addressed the staff and students. "Return to class."
Without another word, he walked away.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San stood rooted in place, stunned.
Finally, Yu Xiaogang called out, "Dean, what happened?"
The Dean stopped, his back turned. "The fingerprints matched. It's been proven. Tang San borrowed money from the boss... to pay you."
Taking a deep breath, he added coldly, "Handle your disciple's problems yourself."
Yu Xiaogang was dumbfounded. He turned to Tang San, voice low. "Tang San..."
But Tang San was just as shocked. His lips trembled.
"Teacher, you have to believe me. I didn't touch that document. I never gave my fingerprint," he said with a wronged expression.
The boss stepped forward again. "Enough drama. Pay me back, or I'll auction you off. That's what you signed."
Yu Xiaogang panicked. "Boss, please give us some time..."
"When he borrowed money," the boss cut in, face twisted with anger, "he said he'd pay right after becoming your disciple. Look what happened."
Yu Xiaogang's heart sank. He had no solution, no status, no savings.
With trembling hands and a pained expression, he took out his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan token and handed it over as a guarantee.
That token represented his clan, his family. Giving it up was no different than selling his bloodline.
Yu Xiaogang felt like trash.
The boss examined the token, satisfied, and left with a wide grin.
The remaining students and teachers whispered mockingly:
"So that's the price to become his disciple?"
"Twenty thousand gold coins? What a scam!"
"Even his own disciple tricked him."
Laughter spread.
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists so tightly that blood trickled down his palms, but he didn't care.
What stabbed deeper than the wounds were the looks of disdain and mockery around him.
His pride shattered.
Unable to bear it, he turned and ran away.
He had become a clown in Nuoding Academy.
"Teacher, wait!" Tang San cried, chasing after him.
The crowd dispersed one by one.
Wu Lan and Xiao Wu walked home together.
Once inside, both burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching their stomachs.
After a long while, they finally calmed down.
Wu Lan smiled and asked, "Okay, rabbit. What's your progress on the Xuan Tian Record?"
"Brother!" Xiao Wu beamed with pride. "I can use all the methods now! Not as skillfully as you, though."
"Very good. You've worked hard," Wu Lan praised, his voice warm.
That praise made Xiao Wu's ears twitch with happiness.
"Now, I'll teach you the extensions to those methods," Wu Lan added.
"Extensions? What's that?" Xiao Wu asked, blinking in confusion.
"I upgraded the techniques," Wu Lan explained.
"Cultivation is now passive. It runs 24/7, even while you're asleep. Though slower, it triples your normal speed."
"Purple Demon Eye now lets you predict enemy movements."
"Jade Hands evolved into Jade Body."
"Ghost Shadow Movement now has a Phasing Effect, letting you pass through attacks for 0.5 seconds."
Xiao Wu was stunned.
She stared at Wu Lan like he was a monster.
After a while, her eyes softened. She misunderstood his intentions, thinking he had made cultivation passive because he knew she liked to play.
She was moved to tears.
Then, without warning, she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
After that, she buried her head in his chest.
Wu Lan stood frozen in shock, but quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
Xiao Wu blushed even harder.
Just then, his Sacred Orchid, pushed in between them jealously and rubbed against Wu Lan's side like a pouting child.
"Brother... is your Martial Spirit alive?" Xiao Wu gasped.
"Yes. It gained consciousness yesterday," Wu Lan said as he gently stroked it to calm it down.
"Okay, rabbit," he said, his voice turning serious. "Listen carefully. I'm going to explain the techniques in detail."
Xiao Wu sat up straight and listened carefully.
After explaining everything, the two went to eat dinner.
Meanwhile, Tang San knelt in front of Yu Xiaogang, tears falling, muttering "I'm sorry" again and again.
After eating, Wu Lan and Xiao Wu returned to the stall to earn money.
Once Wu Lan ran out of soul power, they went to play for a while, then returned home.
That night, Wu Lan finally broke through to soul power level 10.
As he lay in bed, he smiled faintly, thinking about what kind of soul ring to get.
And then, he drifted off to sleep.