Above the Galaxy
Chapter 164 - 123, Devil Plan 2.0!

Chapter 164: Chapter 123, Devil Plan 2.0!

Tang Fei and Little Fatty were brought to the Dean’s office where Shang Xiulin was pruning his orchids.

Ran Ran stood at the door of the Dean’s office and reported, "Dean Shang, Tang Fei and Gong Shulei are here."

With a snap, Shang Xiulin clipped off a long crooked branch and said without looking up, "Noted."

Then he stopped speaking and focused on his task.

Ran Ran glanced at Tang Fei and Little Fatty, joining them in standing quietly and waiting.

After about half an hour, Shang Xiulin finally finished pruning the plants, put away the scissors, walked to a waterless sprayer to wash his hands, glanced at Ran Ran, and asked, "Mr. Ran, don’t you have classes today?"

"Ah?" Ran Ran was stunned for a moment before realizing that the Dean was issuing an order to leave, and quickly said, "I do have a class, I’m going there now."

With that, he turned and ran off.

He wanted to help his students stand up for themselves, but Dean Shang wouldn’t allow it...

"Unloyal." Tang Fei criticized silently in his heart.

Once Ran Ran had left, Shang Xiulin turned to look at Little Fatty and asked smilingly, "I heard you got into a fight last night?"

"Master, they were bullying me and my brother... I couldn’t help but fight back..." Little Fatty explained.

"I heard you also shouted that I was your master?"

"I was too nervous; I misspoke... I meant to say you were my master..." Embarrassed, Little Fatty’s head drooped.

Standing in front of the person in question, Little Fatty felt a bit shy.

The Dean has been so kind to me, how could I say he’s my disciple?

It really showed a lack of respect...

Suddenly, Shang Xiulin’s gaze shifted to Tang Fei, who seemed unconcerned, and asked, "Did you teach him this?"

"What?" Tang Fei’s gaze shifted from the orchids back to Shang Xiulin, asking, "What did I teach him?"

Shang Xiulin, with a deep look, stared at Tang Fei and said, "Did you tell him to fight and shout that Shang Xiulin is my master while doing so? Did you teach him that?"

Startled, Little Fatty quickly defended, "Master, my brother didn’t teach me these things. I wanted to fight on my own, and it was my idea to shout that you are my master..."

"If no one taught you, you wouldn’t have thought of this," Shang Xiulin pointed out sharply.

"Master, I did think of it..."

Little Fatty tried to struggle further.

Tang Fei patted his shoulder and looking at Shang Xiulin said, "He’s right, I taught him. I told him to fight and to shout about your relationship while doing it..."

"Why would you do that?" Shang Xiulin asked sternly.

"Dean Shang, with a wisdom as vast as the ocean, should understand our motives," Tang Fei looked at Shang Xiulin and said earnestly, "Faced with those noble and well-backed young masters, we actually have no confidence..."

"We two didn’t dare to socialize, didn’t want any conflict, simply eating in the pavilion of the yard when we were secretly photographed, mocked, insulted, and attacked..."

"I stepped up to make them delete the photos and apologize, but they refused... Thinking we couldn’t just let ourselves be bullied, I had Little Fatty beat them up..."

"As for why Little Fatty shouted that you are his master, that’s because this is the only relationship we have left on New Star... Dean Shang, as the head of the Imperial First Military Academy, has vast connections and is widely respected and loved..."

"I thought, if things really got big, they might treat us brothers a bit better out of respect for Dean Shang... At least they wouldn’t beat us too harshly... Besides, Little Fatty really is your disciple, so it wasn’t a lie for him to call you that, right?"

"Why didn’t you do it yourself instead of having Little Fatty do it?"

"He has you as his master; I don’t," Tang Fei said boldly.

"..."

"So, am I just a tiger-skin banner you’re using to scare others?"

"A roaring tiger makes all other beasts run. You’re not just a tiger skin; you are a mighty powerful tiger."

"Is that so? I never thought that a mere schoolmaster like myself would have such power."

"We’ve tested it for you; indeed, you have great power," Tang Fei stated, "With the Dean Shang banner behind us, those young masters didn’t dare retaliate, and even Qin Jianyi was deterred and gave up his sword in defeat..."

Shang Xiulin scoffed and said, "I might believe your other stories, but saying that Qin Jianyi was deterred into giving up his sword is ridiculous... Involving the dignity and face of the Qin Family, how could Qin Jianyi easily admit defeat just because Little Fatty is my disciple? Would the Qin Family let him off?"

"Oh, I thought it was mainly because of that," Tang Fei feigned a sudden realization.

Shang Xiulin, looking thoughtful, sized Tang Fei up and said, "Your winning against Qin Jianyi is indeed surprising... Considering the cultivation realms, he should be much higher than you. This proves that there’s something unique about your swordsmanship. What is the name of the swordsmanship you practice?"

"The Netherworld Scroll," Tang Fei stated, then stared intently at Shang Xiulin, wanting to know his reaction upon hearing the name.

Shang Xiulin showed no reaction.

This disappointed Tang Fei; it seemed the Evil God wasn’t fearsome enough, as even the well-informed Shang Xiulin hadn’t heard of his cultivation technique...

"I’ve never heard of such a cultivation technique," Shang Xiulin finally said, "But most secret manuals are relics from before the great disaster, usually treasures of specific sects or families, some discovered in ancient tombs, without any record in historical documents..."