"Smack!"
Du Weilen swung his arm and slapped Zhou Yi right across the face.
The sound was crisp and loud—painfully loud.
The deeply wrinkled old woman was struck so hard that her face snapped to the side, nearly toppling over completely. For a moment, her head buzzed, and she couldn't even process what had just happened.…
This scene was seriously disrespectful to the elderly—anyone who saw it would shake their head in disapproval.
Her face burned beneath the mask, the area where she was struck rapidly swelling with heat, yet there was no visible change to the wrinkled mask she wore.
When Zhou Yi finally snapped back to her senses, she realized—Du Weilen had just slapped her, in front of all the teachers.
Covering her face, she glared at him in disbelief.
"Du Weilen, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she shrieked in rage.
"Smack!"Without a word, Du Weilen swung his arm again and delivered another slap.
If it had been any other teacher, their reaction certainly wouldn't have been like this. But Zhou Yi had connections—powerful ones.
Fan Yu and Du Weilen were both Soul Douluo, roughly equal in cultivation, but Fan Yu was younger and always held a higher status than Du Weilen. Because of this, Du Weilen had always been careful around him.
No matter how much trouble Zhou Yi caused, no matter how much she tormented students, and no matter how much resentment Du Weilen harbored, he had never dared to show it.
Zhou Yi had never respected this Director Du. In her eyes, there was nothing about him worth respecting.
This old man was already over fifty and was still just a Soul Douluo, whereas her husband, Fan Yu, was in his thirties and already surpassed him in talent and status.
And Zhou Yi herself had reached Soul Emperor level in her thirties! By the time she was in her fifties, she was confident she'd reach rank 80. From a talent perspective, she didn't think she was any worse than Du Weilen. The position of Martial Soul Department's Director would be hers sooner or later.
Zhou Yi had spent so long riding on her husband's coattails that she had completely forgotten the power difference between a Soul Emperor and a Soul Douluo. She forgot that all the respect and tolerance she received was not because of her, but because of Fan Yu.
Wang Rui smacked his lips, watching along with the crowd of spectators.
"Damn, this Zhou Yi really has no survival instincts. She's got the boldness of a protagonist."
Even after the second slap, Zhou Yi still didn't back down. Furious, she opened her mouth to speak—
But Du Weilen raised his hand again. This time, he was channeling soul power.
Xian Lin'er frowned as she watched, but instead of interfering, she seemed deep in thought.
Yan Shaozhe, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned. This isn't like Du Weilen at all. He had personally mentored Du Weilen and always knew him to be calm and steady.
Did all his pent-up frustrations finally explode? Or is this because of that Martial Soul Fusion ability?
For a moment, he was too shocked to react, failing to intervene in time.But Qian Duoduo couldn't stay silent.
Given Fan Yu's position in the Soul Tool Department, there was no way he could just stand by and watch Fan Yu's wife get beaten in public. Even if Xian Lin'er didn't step in, he had to say something.
Qian Duoduo glanced at Yan Shaozhe. Since he wasn't close with Du Weilen, and this was an internal Martial Soul Department issue, it was best if they handled it themselves. But seeing Yan Shaozhe frozen in thought, Qian Duoduo had no choice but to step in awkwardly.
"Uh, Xiao Du, let's calm down, okay? A real man doesn't fight with women. No matter what issues you two have, we're still in the middle of the freshmen assessment. In front of the students, maybe you should—"
"Shut the hell up, you Soul Tool Department bastard!" Du Weilen abruptly turned on him.
He paused for a second, as if something clicked in his mind. Then his expression twisted with realization.
"I get it now. This bitch was sent by you Soul Tool Department guys to be our personal shit-stirrer, huh?"
"You listen to me, Zhou Yi! Go back to your precious Soul Tool Department! Isn't Fan Yu your husband? Go back and get rid of his students instead! I've had enough of your bullshit!"
And then—he let loose.It was as if years of workplace resentment had finally erupted in a single, nuclear outburst.
"Let's do the math, huh? How many problems has this shit-stirrer caused in the Martial Soul Department over the years? And how many messes have I had to clean up because of her?" Du Weilen growled through clenched teeth.
"Do you know how many students she's expelled without reason? And because the academy expels students based on a percentage system, reducing the total number of students means that even those who should have passed end up getting eliminated!And who do they blame when the number of students advancing is lower than last year? Me!
You keep expelling students, but do you take the heat for it? No! It's my job to deal with the consequences!"
Du Weilen's eyes burned with fury, his hands trembling. He was this close to tearing Zhou Yi apart.
"You even expelled students related to other teachers! And for what? Over some grudge with Mu Jin? Do you think you can just abuse your power however you like? Do you have any idea what this does to the reputation of the Martial Soul Department?"
"Every time you recklessly kick out a student, their parents come to the office. Some of these parents aren't just ordinary people—they're people even your husband wouldn't dare provoke! And who gets stuck dealing with it? Me!"
Du Weilen still remembered the sheer terror of dealing with Long Xiaoyao. He wasn't about to say it out loud, but the memory alone made his blood pressure spike.
"If you had legitimate reasons for expelling them, fine. But no! Your reasons are always 'They talked back to me,' or 'They don't align with my teaching philosophy.'Your philosophy? Your philosophy is bullshit! This is Shrek Academy! We cultivate monsters here! So what if they talk back?! If a student punches a teacher, that just means they have the heart of a monster!"
"And after all that, I end up being the one making enemies, while you just put on your stupid mask and hide away like none of this is your problem!"
Du Weilen exhaled sharply, his breath ragged with fury. Then he turned to Yan Shaozhe, who suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Every time I complain about this disaster of a woman, our dear Dean Yan always says, 'Xiao Du, just endure it a little longer. Give some face to the Soul Tool Department. After all, her teaching results are impressive—her students advance at a high rate.'"
Du Weilen imitated Yan Shaozhe's slow, deliberate tone in a mocking voice.
"People who know the situation think you and Fan Yu have some secret deal. People who don't—well, they probably think you and this shit-stirrer have something going on!"
And then, Du Weilen spat out the final ultimatum.
"I'll make it simple. Either she goes, or I go."
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Yan Shaozhe, who looked utterly mortified.
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Why doesn't Du Weilen criticize Zhou Yi's running drills?
Because at Shrek Academy, running is a politically correct training method.