Flandre sat back down, picked up the large mug of ale before him, and gulped it down in several long swallows.
Qin Ming smiled wryly as he addressed the Great Master. "Great Master, you've truly put me in a difficult position. Honestly, from the perspective of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, allowing the younger generation to represent the academy in battle would undoubtedly bring it countless honors and greatly raise its reputation. Your conditions are more than reasonable. All of the teachers here are renowned figures in the Soul Master world — the academy would never refuse such an arrangement and would offer the finest compensation. It's just that Shrek Academy is the culmination of Headmaster Flandre's life's work. If we truly go through with this, then in the future, I'm afraid..."
"Enough. Do as Xiaogang says." Flandre stood up once more, his expression having completely returned to calm. "Xiaogang is right. I shouldn't let my own pride stand in the way — everything should be for the sake of the children. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy belongs to the royal family of the Tian Dou Empire and is one of the rare sanctuaries for Soul Masters free from Spirit Hall's interference. The children won't come to any harm there, and our current Shrek teachers will have a place to grow old in peace. All this time, I've only been thinking about my own feelings, but everyone has followed me without complaint. Now that we're all getting on in years, it's time we found a proper home for everyone. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy — that name doesn't sound half bad. Besides, the children will be able to develop even further there. The matter is settled. Discuss the details among yourselves. Xiaogang and Wuji will represent me in full. I need to be alone for a while."
With that, Flandre turned and walked toward the exit. Zhao Wuji shot a glance at Ma Hongjun, and the fat youth immediately caught on. Ignoring the dishes of exquisite food being laid out one after another, he hurried after Flandre. In moments like these, as his personal disciple, he could offer Flandre more comfort than either the Great Master or Zhao Wuji.
The Great Master sighed. "Flandre may be stubborn, but he is far from unreasonable. I believe he'll come around."
Zhao Wuji smiled bitterly. "After all, this academy has been our life's work for so many years. It's not that Flandre doesn't understand the merits of your proposal. Even if he'd already decided to shut the academy down once these children graduate, now that the moment has actually arrived, it's still not easy for him to accept. For us, this is all rather sudden. We've lived here for twenty years."
The Great Master nodded. "This is something only he can work through himself."
Zhao Wuji said, "Perhaps for us, this really is the best possible place to settle down. Great Master, thank you. I know you proposed this not only for the children's sake, but also for Flandre and for us. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is one of the few places unaffected by Spirit Hall, and it carries considerable prestige. You were trying to preserve as much of Flandre's dignity as you could. Growing old there doesn't sound so bad."
A faint smile crossed Zhao Wuji's face, and his expression relaxed considerably. He was not Flandre — he didn't share Flandre's stubborn pride and deep-seated attachment. While the twenty years at Shrek Academy would always hold a place in his heart, he could admit he'd grown somewhat weary. A change of scenery might not be such a bad thing.
As for this matter, the Shrek Seven Devils were completely unable to weigh in. Everyone except Ma Hongjun, who had chased after Flandre, sat exchanging uneasy glances. This sudden turn of events had thoroughly dampened their post-victory elation — to the point where even eating held no appeal.
Flandre stood at the entrance of the hotel, gazing up at the star-studded night sky. "What are you doing following me out here? Go eat."
Ma Hongjun's face had lost its usual lecherous grin. He stood respectfully at Flandre's side. "Master, please don't be upset."
Flandre shook his head. "I'm not upset. Just a little lost, that's all. Everything has come rather quickly for me. Hongjun, I've noticed that the problem with your Evil Fire seems to have weakened considerably over this period of training with the Great Master. What exactly happened?"
Hearing his master mention the Evil Fire, the fat youth's smile returned. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm not sure either. It's just that we've been so exhausted lately — it feels like all my energy has been completely drained, and there's simply no time left to think about those things."
A faint smile appeared on Flandre's face. "That's a good sign. Your Martial Soul is undergoing a gradual transformation. Perhaps before too long, you'll no longer be troubled by it. Alright, head back — there's no need to try and console me. I just want some time alone."
Ma Hongjun blinked, rubbing his chubby cheeks. "Master, to be honest, this is just borrowing the chicken to lay the eggs. I don't really understand why you'd be feeling down about it."
"Borrowing the chicken to lay the eggs?" Flandre turned to face his personal disciple, somewhat surprised, and repeated the phrase.
Ma Hongjun nodded eagerly. "Yeah, isn't that exactly what it is? We're borrowing the Imperial Academy's facilities to help with our training, and in return we compete for them — that's just the payment, essentially. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not going to suddenly feel like I belong to some Imperial Academy just because of this. I'll always be your disciple, your Evil Fire Phoenix from Shrek."
Flandre stared blankly at Ma Hongjun. Though the fat youth's metaphor left much to be desired, it seemed to open a door in Flandre's mind. "Borrowing the chicken to lay the eggs... Borrowing the chicken to lay the eggs. What a fitting phrase. It seems I really have been too stubborn about this. Sooner or later, what difference does it make? Shrek will eventually come to an end, but everything it once was can never be changed. Xiaogang, thank you — thank you for helping me draw this final line under Shrek."
The next morning, the Shrek Academy group settled their bill and left the hotel, bringing the second phase of their one-month training to a close.