Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

But if they don't treat him, are they supposed to just watch Huo Yuhao suffer?

At this moment, Tang Ya suddenly hated her uselessness. As the master of the Tang Sect, she felt she was failing terribly—she couldn't even save one of her disciples.

Hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins—this astronomical amount was enough to crush Tang Ya.

She bit her lip lightly and looked at Bei Bei. Now that trouble had come, he was her pillar of support.

"Bei Bei, what should we do?"

Seeing Tang Ya so helpless, Bei Bei also felt a headache coming on.

His great-grandfather was indeed the Sea God's Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy, but Shrek Academy wasn't his personal property.

Moreover, Mu En was someone who had dedicated everything to Shrek Academy.

Though Bei Bei had never lacked food or clothing and had always been one of the Academy's key trainees, hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins were not something he could afford.

If Huo Yuhao had exceptional talent, it would be easier. He might have been able to persuade Shrek Academy to lend a hand. But was he not fully aware of Huo Yuhao's aptitude?

With only a rank 19 soul power, a ten-year soul ring, and to make matters worse, being a spiritual-type soul master—one of the hardest soul rings to find—he was burdened with every possible disadvantage.

If Shrek Academy were willing to accept him, that would be a real surprise.

From a rational perspective, Huo Yuhao simply wasn't worth such a high price to save.

But humans have emotions. If they just let his internal injuries torment him until something went wrong, Bei Bei couldn't bring himself to ignore it.

Sighing lightly, Bei Bei said, "Doctor Chen, please treat Yuhao."

Doctor Chen did not refuse. He used his soul skills to provide treatment for Huo Yuhao.

Afterward, a relaxed smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's pale, weak face, and a hint of color returned to his cheeks.

Doctor Chen withdrew his soul power and said, "This treatment is only temporary. It addresses the symptoms, not the root cause."

"To fully heal him, he still needs rare medicinal treasures for nourishment. You should think it over carefully."

He didn't say anything more. Hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins were not a sum that could be decided upon lightly.

In this world, there was only one true illness—poverty.

From Bei Bei and Tang Ya's expressions, he could already tell that they weren't well-off.

As a doctor, he had already given them the necessary advice. What they chose to do was their own decision.

"Thank you for your guidance, Doctor Chen. I'll see you out," Bei Bei said.

"No need, I can leave on my own."

Doctor Chen waved his hand and left the courtyard.

In the now-empty courtyard, only Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao remained.

Tang Ya looked at Huo Yuhao, who was lying not far away, and her eyes instantly reddened.

After three years of being together, she had long regarded him as her own younger brother.

But now, faced with this exorbitant treatment cost, she was powerless.

A deep sense of frustration filled her heart.

"It's all Shrek Academy's fault! It's all that old hag Zhou Yi's fault! If it weren't for her, Yuhao wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Tang Ya suddenly shouted in anger.

Bei Bei opened his mouth, wanting to calm her down, but seeing her teary eyes, he swallowed his words.

This was connected to Zhou Yi. Her excessively harsh teaching methods were notorious for being extremely damaging to students.

For ordinary students, the worst consequence was a loss of potential.

But for Huo Yuhao, who was already physically weak, encountering Zhou Yi was like adding injury to injury.

Most of his current injuries were due to excessive training, which had damaged his internal organs.

Training beyond one's limits without proper medicinal baths for recovery could cause irreversible harm to the body.

In a way, Tang Ya's anger toward Zhou Yi was justified.

While she was cursing, Huo Yuhao quietly listened, his resentment toward Shrek Academy and Zhou Yi growing stronger.

Not only had they expelled him and humiliated him, but they had also left him with severe injuries.

Now, how could he not understand?

Part of his injuries were thanks to Dai Huabin from his childhood.

And the rest—Zhou Yi was to blame.

Thinking about how Zhou Yi had once called him trash and discarded him like useless waste, Huo Yuhao's eyes gradually turned red.

Duke White Tiger!

Shrek Academy!

Zhou Yi!

He swore—if he ever had the chance, he wouldn't let any of them go!

At this moment, Huo Yuhao's heart had already twisted with resentment.

Why?!

Why do all of you have to bully me?!

He clenched his fists so tightly that they turned white, his chest heaving as his breathing grew heavy.

Bei Bei, as a Soul King, sensed something was wrong and quickly looked toward Huo Yuhao.

He reassured him, "Yuhao, don't be afraid. Senior brother will help you."

Warmth surged through Huo Yuhao's heart as if something had melted inside him. Before he knew it, his face was covered in tears.

Through his tears, Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "Senior brother, I heard everything. The cost of treatment is hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins. That's an astronomical sum."

"Senior brother, Teacher Xiao Ya, you don't have to worry about me… I… I can handle it."

To the only two people in the world who still cared about him, Huo Yuhao didn't want to be a burden.

At his core, Huo Yuhao was someone who desperately lacked love.

Hearing this, Tang Ya's expression changed. She scolded, "Yuhao, what nonsense are you saying? We will never abandon you!"

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "Teacher Xiao Ya, thank you, but… hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins is simply too much."

For someone who made a living selling grilled fish every day, he couldn't even fathom such a vast fortune.

That amount of money crushed any hopes he might have had.

Tang Ya frowned. Huo Yuhao's words hit the painful truth—they simply had no money.

No matter how unwilling they were, without money, there was nothing they could do.

As she thought about it, Tang Ya's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Bei Bei, do you think Su Yu might have another solution?"

"He could tell Yuhao was injured just by looking at him—he's even better than those doctors."

"We've been with Yuhao for so long and didn't notice anything, but he saw it instantly."

"Maybe… maybe he has an idea?"

At this moment, Tang Ya clung to this hope like a drowning gambler grasping at their last straw.

Bei Bei frowned, thinking carefully.

"Yuhao's injuries are severe; he'll need rare medicinal treasures for nourishment."

"But… Su Yu may have another way. He's a bit of a mystery—I can't see through him."

Tang Ya quickly said, "Then let's go ask him for help!"

Bei Bei hesitated. "It's not just a matter of whether Su Yu can help. Even if he can… he might not be willing to."

"After all, he just had a conflict with Yuhao."

"Even if he has the ability, he might not want to help."

Hearing this, Tang Ya frowned, falling into silence.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly spoke.

"That guy isn't a good person. I don't need his help."

Huo Yuhao still had a grudge against Su Yu.

Tang Ya: "…"

Bei Bei: "…"

Tang Ya looked at him and asked, "Yuhao, did he bully you?"

"Other than forcing you to sell him grilled fish?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

Tang Ya was puzzled. "Then why do you dislike him so much?"

"Because he made things difficult for Teacher Xiao Ya and Senior Brother! He relied on his strength to act unreasonably—he's not a good person."

Huo Yuhao said angrily.

Hearing this, Tang Ya was both touched and amused.

Touched that Huo Yuhao cared so much about them.

Amused at how naive he still was.

Bei Bei shook his head.

"Yuhao, that incident was minor. There's no need to hold onto it."

"Besides, he's the one who told us about your internal injuries. In a way, he did you a favor."

"Huh?"

Huo Yuhao was stunned.

That guy… helped him?

Now that Beibei pointed it out, Huo Yuhao finally realized that the issue with his internal injuries was actually exposed by Su Yu.

This left Huo Yuhao unsure of what to do.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's confused expression, Beibei suddenly thought of something and asked, "Yuhao, tell me exactly what happened when Su Yu forced you to sell grilled fish."

Huo Yuhao, without any doubts, recounted the entire incident.

Beibei and Tang Ya exchanged glances, surprised by how things had played out.

"Yuhao, you were in the wrong here. Since Su Yu spent a hefty price to buy a spot just to get your grilled fish, it shows that he was sincere. But you refused to sell to him just because of a personal grudge—you were deliberately making things difficult for him. If you think about it, you were somewhat in the wrong," Beibei said seriously.

He had originally thought Su Yu had outright robbed him, but now there was more to the story.

Given Su Yu's status and pride, he had made an effort to show sincerity, yet he had been refused and disrespected. It was rare that he hadn't lost his temper over it.

Had Beibei misjudged Su Yu? Could it be that this man was quite reasonable?

Looking at how Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin had been dealt with by Su Yu, they did seem to have deserved it.

At least, Su Yu had never shown hostility toward him.

Beibei felt like he had gained a new perspective on Su Yu.

"Yuhao, I have to say, you sure have guts. That guy is even stronger than Beibei, and you dared to offend him like that. The fact that you're still in one piece is truly a blessing," Tang Ya said with some relief.

Beibei: "…"

Xiao Ya, do you have to say it like that?

Sure, he wasn't as strong as Su Yu, but hearing it from the woman he liked still stung a bit.

Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. Was Teacher Xiao Ya hoping he'd get beaten up?

The two of them exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Alright, it's decided then. We'll find an opportunity to ask Su Yu for help," Tang Ya concluded.

Beibei hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

Where did Xiao Ya get the confidence that Su Yu would be willing to help?

But seeing the determined look on Tang Ya's face, he didn't have the heart to dampen her enthusiasm and could only sigh helplessly.

…

…

On Sea God's Island.

The setting sun hung low, casting golden light over the Sea God's Lake.

On the island, a group of people was strolling together.

"Ow, it hurts so much! Brother-in-law, can't you go easy on me? I told you, not the face! But you just had to hit me in the face!"

"Ah, my handsome and charming face, why must it suffer so much misfortune?"

Xiao Hongchen wailed.

His eyes were blackened like a panda's, and his face was swollen like a pig's head.

Even after several hours, the swelling hadn't gone down—naturally, all thanks to Su Yu.

Hearing Xiao Hongchen complains, Meng Hongchen retorted, "It's all your fault for causing trouble under Yu's name. Otherwise, why would he have so many problems?"

"If you ask me, you brought this upon yourself."

Xiao Hongchen: "…"

Getting beaten up by Su Yu didn't hurt his pride, but his sister's words cut deep.

Unbelievable.

So this was his little sister?

She was practically siding with Su Yu completely!

Su Yu was just a little stronger, a little more talented, and had a slightly better background than him—was that reason enough for everyone to fawn over him?

Especially his sister—she had completely forgotten about her brother the moment she had a love interest.

Sigh, such a bitter fate. Who could understand his suffering?

Xiao Hongchen continued to lament, mumbling things like choosing a lover over family and being beaten by a younger brother-in-law.

The people around him could barely hold back their laughter.

Su Yu shook his head with amusement. This guy was quite a character.

Ma Xiaotao had been following Su Yu the whole time, surprised at the atmosphere among them.

Despite Xiao Hongchen getting beaten up, the camaraderie among the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was surprisingly strong.

It reminded her of how Shrek Academy's inner court students viewed Zhang Lexuan.

Ma Xiaotao nodded inwardly. It seemed Su Yu had considerable prestige in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

Meanwhile, Wu Ming stayed silent at the back, still thinking about the speed Su Yu displayed when he intercepted Xiao Hongchen earlier.

That kind of speed was hard for even a Soul Sage to match. Judging from that alone, she finally understood why Ma Xiaotao and the others had lost back then.

Su Yu wasn't a simple opponent.

Though Wu Ming had a fiery temper, she wasn't stupid. As an inner court student, she had her strengths aside from just her good figure.

As the group wandered around, the sun began to set completely.

Su Yu gazed at the sinking sun and said calmly, "Today was quite enjoyable. Miss Xiaotao, thank you for your hospitality."

Ma Xiaotao shook her head and said, "There's no need for that. As your host, it's only natural."

"You probably have things to do, so I won't keep you any longer."

Seeing that night was falling, Ma Xiaotao tactfully took her leave.

Before leaving, she even pulled Wu Ming away with her.

After they left, the group gradually dispersed as well.

Only Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen remained with Su Yu.

"Now we're finally free," Xiao Hongchen stretched lazily and said.

He looked at Su Yu and asked, "Any plans for tonight?"

Su Yu smiled. "Let's go have dinner together."

"Sounds good. There are some great restaurants outside Shrek Academy—I'll take you there."

Xiao Hongchen patted his chest, acting like he knew the place well.