"Where Zhuqing went has absolutely nothing to do with you."
Xiao Se sneered coldly.
Back when this so-called "ape-tiger" had run off on his own to indulge in pleasure and freedom, he never once thought about Zhu Zhuqing. Now that she had grown beautiful, now he suddenly remembered her and started harboring intentions? It was laughable—utterly ridiculous.
"Mubai, calm down."
Flander pressed a firm hand down on Dai Mubai's head, then turned to Xiao Se with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Xiao Se. This kid's brain must have gotten flooded somehow. Please don't take it to heart."
"Dean, get out of the way!" Dai Mubai struggled violently. "Zhuqing is my fiancée! Today, with Teacher Zhao Wuji, Teacher Li Yusong, and Senior Qin Ming all here, what is there to be afraid of? I have to ask him where he took my fiancée! Xiao—surname—Xiao, I'm telling you right now: if you know what's good for you, hand Zhuqing over. Otherwise, no matter how strong you are, you'll definitely pay the price!"
The moment Dai Mubai finished speaking, the entire scene fell dead silent.
Every single person from Shrek Academy was stunned, frozen in place by the sheer amount of explosive information packed into those words.
"Mubai, have you lost your mind? Shut up right now!"
Flander was the first to snap out of it, shouting angrily at Dai Mubai, whose face had twisted into something feral.
The other instructors all wore expressions of deep distress.
This was a man who had forced even Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao to retreat in defeat—and this idiot was threatening him?
Was he actively seeking death?
Xiao Se chuckled, his tone dripping with mockery.
"You're saying I'll pay the price? And what exactly are you relying on—your so-called Star Luo Empire?" His gaze sharpened. "Let alone the fact that I don't put Star Luo in my eyes at all… with your current state, do you really think you're even qualified to compete for the throne?"
"You—!"
Xiao Se's words stabbed straight into the deepest wound in Dai Mubai's heart.
His expression instantly turned vacant and hollow.
Before his martial soul mutated, he had already seen no hope of ever defeating his older brother, Dai Weisi. After the mutation, the cursed evil fire constantly gnawed at him, severely slowing his cultivation speed. Now, at nearly sixteen years old, he was still stuck at Level 34.
He was falling behind.
Badly.
Seeing Dai Mubai in this state, Xiao Se sneered inwardly.
The Purple Cloud Wings shot out from his back, his wings beat once—and his figure vanished straight into the sky.
Staring at Xiao Se's disappearing silhouette, Ma Hongjun asked weakly, his voice uncertain,
"Boss Dai… just now Xiao Se mentioned competing for the Star Luo throne. Does that mean… you're actually a prince?"
"…Mm."
Dai Mubai lowered his head, fists clenched tight. His golden bangs fell naturally, casting shadows that completely hid his eyes.
Ever since his martial soul mutated, more than two years had passed in a blur of drunken indulgence and nights spent in brothels. Now, having Xiao Se tear open the truth so brutally, he suddenly realized—
Time was running out.
—
High above the clouds.
Xiao Se released Zhu Zhuqing and Little Medical Fairy from the treasure pouch.
"Xiao Se, why did you choose that landing spot of all places?"
Little Medical Fairy pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
"Heh, sorry about that."
Xiao Se smiled apologetically, then suddenly turned his gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing, his tone light.
"Zhuqing, down there is Heaven Dou City. The moment I showed up, I ran into Shrek Academy. Dai Mubai is down there too—and it looks like he still wants to find you. Do you want to go see him?"
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing froze slightly. A trace of undisguised disgust flashed through her beautiful eyes.
"Yes," she said seriously. "There should be a proper end to this. Xiao Se, let's go down."
As she spoke, Cloud Bat Sky Wings spread open behind her, and she dove downward without hesitation.
Xiao Se and Little Medical Fairy exchanged smiles and followed closely behind.
—
In the distance, three streaks of light—black, purple, and pink—shot through the sky, instantly drawing the attention of the Shrek group, who had been preparing to leave.
"That's Zhuqing!"
Dai Mubai recognized her at a glance. Looking at the black wings on her back, a self-assured smile spread across his bloated, greasy face.
In his heart, he was convinced:
Zhu Zhuqing could never escape her fate.
Only by standing with him and facing everything together was there even the slightest chance of survival.
"Zhu Zhuqing?"
Yu Xiaogang spoke up, seizing the chance to show off his knowledge. "Her martial soul is the Nether Spirit Cat. She shouldn't be able to fly. Could that be an external spirit bone?"
As someone who falsely claimed the title of Grandmaster and lived by stealing credit, Yu Xiaogang never missed an opportunity to assert his presence.
The moment he said this, every single person from Shrek instinctively turned to look at Tang San.
Not long ago, Tang San had also possessed an external spirit bone—until, for reasons unknown, it suddenly mutated into a bizarre, rib-like structure. Those eight ribs had torn his back to shreds. If not for the timely intervention of Ye Lingling, the Nine Heart Begonia spirit master hailed as a miracle of support, Tang San would have been dead beyond doubt.
—
Xiao Se, Little Medical Fairy, and Zhu Zhuqing landed on the ground, the impact stirring up a wave of air.
Zhu Zhuqing stood at the front, her back to Xiao Se and Little Medical Fairy. She stared at Dai Mubai, who was wearing an eager expression, her gaze filled with pure revulsion.
"Dai Mubai," she said coldly, "I heard you were looking for me."
"Yes!" Dai Mubai replied immediately. "Zhu Zhuqing, have you forgotten? We've been engaged since childhood! We're supposed to face hardship together. How could you be with this man whose background we don't even know?"
He forced a smile.
"What happened before was my fault. I promise you—I'll change. Really."
Though Zhu Zhuqing's disgust was painfully obvious, Dai Mubai's evil eyes flickered briefly with something dark. He suppressed the anger boiling inside him and forced himself to stay calm.
He was never a man with a gentle temperament—quite the opposite. His anger was fiercer than most.
The only reason he was speaking so calmly now was simple:
The situation was not in his favor.
Had this been any other circumstance, had he learned that Zhu Zhuqing was walking with another man, he would have already swung his fists without hesitation.
"Face hardship together?"
Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew even colder, as if the very temperature of the air had dropped.
"How ridiculous."
"There was never any real affection between us to begin with. We were forcibly bound together by that so-called engagement. The moment you abandoned everything and ran off on your own, I was already completely disappointed in you."
"Later, just to survive, I still tried to give you a chance. I even risked my life to escape Star Luo alone, searching for you."
Her voice sharpened.
"And what did I see?"
"You weren't trying to grow stronger."
"You were indulging yourself—wallowing in brothels, drowning in pleasure."
"And you even went so far as to… mess around with men."
"Dai Mubai—look at the kind of person you've become."
The moment her words fell, the Shrek group froze once again.
During the brief time Xiao Se had been gone, they had learned from Dai Mubai about Star Luo Empire's brutal method of selecting heirs. In his telling, Xiao Se had been painted as a villain who stole another man's fiancée.
Because of that, many of them had felt sympathy for Dai Mubai.
Tang San had even openly stated that, in the future, he would help Dai Mubai defeat Xiao Se.
But now—after hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, especially that last line—
The way everyone looked at Dai Mubai changed completely.
And among them, the one hit hardest was Oscar.
His face alternated between green and white, and he wished the ground would simply open up and swallow him whole.
Because he—
Was the man Zhu Zhuqing was talking about.
(End of Chapter)
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