The young students were clearly afraid of him, and everyone began to get back to work, with only a handful still casting curious gazes over from time to time.
Huo Yuhao asked politely, “May I know your name, teacher?”
The male teacher said with a deep voice, “My name is Zheng Zhan.”
“Greetings, teacher Zheng. I’m really sorry about what just happened, and I promise we will never do it again. My name is Huo Yuhao.”
Zheng Zhan nodded to acknowledge his name, and said earnestly, “All you teenagers! Once you reach adolescence, it’s natural for guys and girls to feel good about each other. However, you have to remember this is an academy, and while us teachers can’t control how you develop after graduation, you need to watch your behavior and your words when you’re still inside the academy. Furthermore, it’s not an easy task to join Shrek Academy. You need to work hard when you’re here; you can’t waste your youth. Even if you can’t join the inner courtyard, you should at least aim to graduate smoothly from the outer courtyard. I can understand youths dating each other, but you guys need to have moderation, and you can’t overdo it. Do you understand?”
Huo Yuhao nodded guiltily as Zheng Zhan chided him. Zheng Zhan’s words whipped him until his face started to blush, but he began to have an even better impression of this teacher.
“Oh, yes, you haven’t told me which class you’re from. Judging by your age, you should in Year 5, give or take. Let me think, which teachers are in charge of Year 5’s classes?...”
Huo Yuhao quickly explained, “Don’t trouble yourself, sir. I’m from teacher Zhou Yi’s class.”
“Oh, teacher Zhou!” Zheng Zhan carried on naturally, but then his eyes widened in the next moment, while his voice seemed to become an octave higher. “What? You’re from Zhou Yi’s class?”
“Yes! What’s the matter?” It was Huo Yuhao’s turn to be a little confused.
Zheng Zhan said with a worried look on his face. “You silly boy, why didn’t you say so earlier? If you had told me you were from Zhou Yi’s class, I wouldn’t have asked you to go find her. Aren’t you digging your own grave? Do you not know about old lady Zhou’s temper? If she gets angry, she may just expel the two of you! Oh man, you should really have told me earlier! Tsk...”
Huo Yuhao felt more heat rush to his head as he saw Zheng Zhan’s troubled look, and his nose began to feel a little sour. This teacher is so cute! We’ve never met before, and he’s already so concerned when he learned that I’m teacher Zhou’s student. However, teacher Zhou’s terrifying reputation… seems like it’s still quite well-known...
Zheng Zhan suddenly seemed like he had found a solution, and said seriously, “Seems like you guys are late today. I will be a good Samaritan. When Zhou Yi arrives, don’t speak. I’ll tell her that I was the one who got the two of you to do some official business. That girl of yours won’t spill the beans, will she? What did you say your name was? Huo Yuhao, right? What’s the girl’s name? I should at least know your names.”
“Her name is Wang Dong’er. Actually, teacher Zheng-”
Huo Yuhao wanted to explain, but teacher Zhou and Wang Dong’er arrived right at that time. Zhou Yi still had the same elderly made-up face, while Wang Dong’er followed beside her. There was a mischievous smile on her face.
Zhou Yi’s deafening voice could already be heard before she even reached them. “Who? Who is it? I want to see which blind man dares to detain my students.”
Zheng Zhan was dumbfounded. He turned towards Huo Yuhao and forced a laugh as he said, “I think that girl has spilled the beans!”
There was no need to mention the intimacy Huo Yuhao felt when he saw Zhou Yi, and he hurriedly explained, “Don’t worry, teacher Zheng. It’s alright.” He darted out as he spoke and came in front of Zhou Yi before he bowed deeply. His voice was quivering faintly as he said, “Teacher Zhou.”
Zhou Yi halted abruptly. She seemed to be overcome with astonishment, and tears glimmered in her eyes. However, Zhou Yi was Zhou Yi after all, and the way she expressed intimacy and affection was different from normal people. She raised her leg and immediately kicked Huo Yuhao on the side of his thigh.
“Huo Yuhao, you still know to come back!? You didn’t visit me even when you returned! I wouldn’t have known at all if I didn’t hear it from Fan Yu. And you, Wang Dong, you’ve deceived me! So, you’re a girl, and you’re so pretty! You two people, what am I supposed to say about the two of you? Eh?”
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’s eyes turned red as they listened to Zhou Yi’s fierce and furious speech, and tears poured from their eyes. They would never forget the two years they had spent under Zhou Yi’s guidance. Zhou Yi was strict, but she was also really nice to them. Everything felt so familiar when they listened to her voice. This was especially true for Huo Yuhao, as it had been two years since he had last seen Zhou Yi. He reminisced about the old days nostalgically, and his emotions were all tumbling over themselves inside him.
However, teacher Zheng didn’t know what they were feeling inside. He could only see Zhou Yi kick Huo Yuhao, so he briskly came forward and said, “Don’t misunderstand, teacher Zhou. Calm down, calm down.”
Zhou Yi was slightly taken aback as she turned towards Zheng Zhan and asked confusedly, “What’s the situation, teacher Zheng? Were you the one who detained my students?”
Zheng Zhan forced a laugh and said, “I didn’t! This…” He didn’t know how to explain.
Huo Yuhao said hurriedly, “We were the ones at fault, teacher Zhou. We’ve already apologized to teacher Zheng, and obtained his forgiveness.”
Zhou Yi turned back towards Huo Yuhao. She was exceptionally high-spirited at this moment, so she nodded in Zheng Zhan’s direction as she said, “Thank you, then. Can I take these two kids away?”
Zheng Zhan came beside Zhou Yi and spoke softly in earnest. “Teacher Zhou, you should restrain your temper a little. You can’t keep doing this. These kids toil so much from day do day in their cultivation, so you shouldn’t be too fierce towards them. This may cause reverse psychology and incur rebellious behavior, and that’s not good.”
Everyone knew that Zhou Yi’s classes had the highest expulsion and quitting rates. However, her class also produced the best and the most prodigious students. There was hardly anybody else who agreed with her pedagogy and teaching method.
Zhou Yi finally realized that Zheng Zhan misunderstood her, and she snapped, “What’s wrong with my temper? Am I not being nice to them? That’s a gesture of affection, teacher Zheng! Have you not heard of the saying that beating and scolding are signs of love and intimacy? They won’t succeed if we don’t beat them! This is for their own good!”
“Ahem.” Zheng Zhan’s expression became a little dark. He replied solemnly, “If you keep doing this teacher Zhou, then I’m going to have to bring it up to the academy.”
Zhou Yi realized that this teacher was really about to get angry. She smiled hastily and said, “Alright, teacher Zheng, don’t be so serious. I’m just fooling around. These two are my students from years ago, and they’re here to visit me. They’re now students from the inner courtyard, I haven’t seen them for a long time, and I’m just too happy.”
“Students from the inner courtyard?” Zheng Zhan felt his heart skip a beat. When he turned to look at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong once more, his expression was different from before. What did inner courtyard students mean to Shrek Academy? Sometimes even the teachers from the outer courtyard had a lower status than the inner courtyard students. They weren’t allowed to set foot on Sea God’s Island without express permission, after all.
“That doesn’t sound right, teacher Zhou.” Zheng Zhan suddenly thought of something, and immediately continued, “I’ve seen the new batch of students who’ve just entered the inner courtyard. I didn’t see the two of them, they look very unfamiliar to me.”
Zhou Yi was a little exasperated as she watched teacher Zheng’s serious and solemn look. She explained, “They didn’t join the inner courtyard this year, they entered the inner courtyard two years ago! They were reserve team members representing Shrek Academy in last season’s Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and they are members of this season’s official team. They are also outstanding prodigies from the inner courtyard who have been through special training!”
Zheng Zhan finally understood after listening to her explanation. A look of envy came across his eyes as he said, “So they are the exemplary students that you’ve brought up, teacher Zhou!”
Zhou Yi chortled and said, “Are you still going to report me to the academy?”
Zheng Zhan laughed along and replied, “Of course not. But they are really so young!”
There was only pride in Zhou Yi’s eyes. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong could be said to be the most outstanding students that she had ever taken on. Even though she wasn’t one to brag, she was all joy and smiles when she saw her two lovely students. There wasn’t a trace of her typical strictness and usual monster-like attitude.
“Alright, we’ll take our leave first, Teacher Zheng. I haven’t seen them in a long time, and we’re going to have a chat.” Zhou Yi gestured towards Zheng Zhan and started to bring Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong away.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong bowed towards teacher Zheng respectfully. Huo Yuhao said softly, “Don’t worry, Teacher Zheng. What happened today will never happen again. Sorry!”
Zhou Yi had heard about the situation from Wang Dong before this. She stopped and turned back as she said, “Actually, their circumstances are relatively unique. If those little people have something to say, you can tell them this...” She whispered something to Zheng Zhan after this, and then she brought Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong away.
Zheng Zhan’s eyes became a little lackadaisical, and he only recovered after a long while.
He returned to his own students. “What are you looking at? How’s your training going? Did you see those two seniors just now? They are your seniors from the inner courtyard! Do you know why they’re holding hands? That’s not because they’re trying to break the academy’s rules, I misunderstood them earlier. They’re holding hands because they’re cultivating – they’re cultivating every single possible second. The two of them can use martial soul fusion skills, and only when they’re bodies are in physical contact can they unleash their full power. The two of them are always vigilant and prepared, and this is something every one of you should learn from them!”
Fortunately, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were quite a distance away. Otherwise, they would have probably blushed from Teacher Zheng’s speech.
They entered the senior grade school block, and Huo Yuhao asked Zhou Yi, “How are the students from our class doing, Teacher Zhou?”
Zhou Yi answered, “They’re doing pretty fine. However, ever since the two of you left, Class 2 has been stronger than us in terms of overall strength. Mu Jin was extremely proud of that for a long time. However, Dai Huabin and the others are in the inner courtyard now, so Class 1 has become the strongest again. I heard the two of you gave them a good beating yesterday? That’s great! You’ve vented my anger for me!”