"Ah!" Leng Yaozhu sighed softly, snatching the soul communication device from Yali's hand and shutting it off.
"What are you doing?" Yali asked angrily.
Yun Ming's actions had truly infuriated her.
"I'm the one who should be asking you that." Leng Yaozhu leaned back on the sofa, glanced at Yali, and said indifferently, "Do you really understand Shrek Academy?"
"What does this have to do with Shrek Academy?" Yali asked.
"Whether it's Yun Ming or Long Yeyue, in their eyes, Shrek Academy is the embodiment of justice. They both see themselves as loyal and righteous individuals," Leng Yaozhu shook her head and said, "Yes, you're the Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion, but tell me, have you truly integrated into Shrek Academy as a group?"
"Everything I did was for Shrek Academy!" Yali said solemnly.
"Yes, I know you did it for Shrek Academy." Leng Yaozhu shook her head again. "But that's exactly why I say you haven't truly integrated into Shrek Academy. You want Shrek Academy to continue, but you have completely disregarded its honor."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Yali frowned slightly. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what she had done wrong.
Leng Yaozhu shook her head and said, "Don't you see? Yes, you expelled Long Yeyue from Shrek Academy. Although Yun Ming tacitly agreed, deep down, he was repulsed by it. Indeed, what Long Yeyue did pushed Shrek Academy into the abyss. If Shrek Academy wanted to maintain its sacred status in the eyes of ordinary people, it had to completely sever ties with Long Yeyue. But you overlooked one thing."
"And what is that?" Yali asked curiously.
"Lowering your head," Leng Yaozhu said.
"Lowering my head?" Yali was even more confused.
"Yes, lowering your head," Leng Yaozhu nodded and smiled. "Everyone at Shrek Academy thinks they are strong-willed and never bow their heads. By expelling Long Yeyue, in their eyes, you were bowing down to the Sun-Moon Federation, bowing to the Spirit Pagoda, bowing to the people of the world. It was seen as submission, as compromising for survival. Yes, Yun Ming knew your approach was correct and could best protect Shrek Academy's interests. But do you think he could accept this kind of compromise?"
"Fine, even if he could accept that, do you think he could accept allowing Sun-Moon Federation investigators into Shrek Academy to conduct an investigation? Even if Yun Ming could accept it, could the other Sea God's Pavilion powerhouses accept it?"
"From Shrek Academy's perspective, you've actually done a great job. Even if Yun Ming had handled this, he might not have done better than you. But the fact is, you have taken on the role of the villain. It was a thankless task, and no matter how you did it, you were destined to be resented."
Hearing Leng Yaozhu's reasoning, Yali fell into silence.
She knew Leng Yaozhu was right.
Shrek City had existed for over twenty thousand years.
In all that time, whether during the era of the empires or under the current Sun-Moon Federation government, never had anyone entered Shrek City to conduct an official investigation.
Shrek Academy had always taken pride in the autonomy of Shrek City.
On the very first day of school, Shrek Academy teachers would tell new students that the laws of the Sun-Moon Federation did not apply to Shrek City, and certainly not to Shrek Academy.
But today, all of that had been broken by Yali.
From the moment the Sun-Moon Federation investigators entered Shrek Academy, everything changed.
"You are too kind," Leng Yaozhu shook her head. "If I were in your position at that time, I would have directly ordered Long Yeyue to take her own life. If she refused, I would have let Yun Ming do it. But you, thinking about her contributions to Shrek Academy, worrying about Yun Ming's feelings, only expelled her instead."
"You don't understand something—killing her would have been an internal matter of Shrek Academy, but expelling her meant that Shrek Academy was refusing to protect her out of fear."
"If you had directly ordered Yun Ming to execute Long Yeyue, whether he agreed or not, he and the other Sea God's Pavilion elders would have understood and accepted it. But this act of sacrificing Shrek Academy's honor? They might understand it rationally, but they can't accept it emotionally."
Yali took a deep breath and said, "Are you saying that Ming is resenting me now?"
"Resenting might be too strong a word. He might just be struggling to accept it," Leng Yaozhu shook her head. "I think he's venting his frustrations through those heated online discussions."
"You stopped me from questioning him because you were afraid of provoking him," Yali said seriously.
Leng Yaozhu nodded, her voice gentle. "Yali, he needs time to cool down. That smile of his is just a mask. If you confront him now, you'll be tearing away his mask. I know you two love each other deeply, but men have their pride. If you push him now, it could affect your relationship."
Yali nodded. She had indeed been too caught up in the situation.
She had focused entirely on preserving Shrek Academy's reputation to the greatest extent possible, without considering whether Yun Ming and the other elders of the Sea God's Pavilion could accept her methods.
"Alright, let's put this matter to rest," Leng Yaozhu said, seeing Yali nod. "Now, tell me, why did you come to find me?"
"I came to apologize," Yali said softly. "Regarding the Light-Dark Douluo, I hope to gain your forgiveness and put an end to this matter."
No matter what the other elders thought, as long as they didn't cause trouble, Yali believed that if she could handle Leng Yaozhu and Xia Yi, she would be able to settle everything.
What she feared most was Leng Yaozhu stirring up trouble.
Leng Yaozhu knew where Long Yeyue was.
Yali was afraid that just when she had smoothed everything over, Leng Yaozhu or Xia Yi would expose Long Yeyue's location.
Having Yun Ming lead a team to "clean house" was just a performance.
She knew Yun Ming would never truly lay a hand on Long Yeyue.
As long as Long Yeyue didn't show up, Yun Ming could search "without finding anything," and no one could blame Shrek Academy.
But if Leng Yaozhu revealed Long Yeyue's location, things would change.
If Yun Ming took action, he would be killing someone dear to him.
If he didn't, then all of Yali's efforts would have been in vain.
Hypocrisy.
At that point, Shrek Academy would face an even bigger crisis than if they had directly harbored Long Yeyue.
"Your Holiness, let me remind you—public and private matters are separate. Don't think that expelling Long Yeyue means this matter is over. I'm telling you, the price Shrek Academy has to pay is your problem, not mine," Leng Yaozhu sneered coldly.
She regarded Yali as a sister, but that didn't mean she would compromise on this matter.
"Tell me, what do you want?" Yali sighed.
She knew that since this involved Xia Yi, Leng Yaozhu would not let go so easily.
Author's Note:
Some readers said the last two chapters, where Long Yeyue was expelled from Shrek Academy, were too forced.
I just want to ask—have you read about the Kirin Douluo from the Star Luo Empire? He killed one person and was hated by the entire nation for years.
Even the imperial advisor, En Ci, couldn't protect him.
Long Yeyue spread a plague among ordinary people. Isn't that far worse than killing a single person?
Besides, the Monster Academy of the Star Luo Empire is fully aligned with the state, so no one will sabotage it.
But Shrek Academy?
The Sun-Moon Federation disapproves of it, the Spirit Pagoda is watching like a hawk—even with its strength, could Shrek really afford to protect Long Yeyue?
Some things can't be solved just by being powerful.
Even the Holy Spirit Cult, despite its strength, can only hide in the shadows.
If Shrek protected Long Yeyue, how would it continue recruiting students?
Moreover, Yali wants to preserve Shrek Academy's image of fairness and justice.
In this situation, sacrificing Long Yeyue was the only choice.
The elders of the Sea God's Pavilion might understand Yali's decision rationally, but that doesn't mean they can accept it emotionally.