Calling it a cafeteria was an overstatement; it was merely a slightly spacious wooden shack. Shrek Academy was destitute and had hired a few older women from the village to cook. The portions were large enough to fill one's stomach, but one couldn't expect much in the way of flavor.
"Rongrong?"
The group was slightly startled by the elven girl's return. Even more surprising was that Ning Rongrong, who usually wore a polite but distant smile, now had a genuine grin spreading across her face. "Everyone is still here, I see."
She had been the first to leave, and now everyone else had arrived and was eating breakfast.
Ma Hongjun remained as repulsive as ever, staring blankly while swallowing his saliva. Dai Mubai no longer needed support and could move on his own, though those twins still clung to his side, refusing to leave. This only made Zhu Zhuqing colder; she stayed away from him in daily life and sat the furthest from him during meals.
"Rongrong, is something the matter?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"Nothing is wrong with me." Ning Rongrong smiled faintly, two cute dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. She stepped aside, revealing the handsome man stroking forward behind her. "It's just that someone is about to have a very bad day."
"Xiao Wu, Tang San, I trust you've been well?" Zhao Liuyun looked at the two with a smile. His voice was steadier than in the past, and his features had matured, but that sense of familiarity remained unchanged.
"Liuyun!" Xiao Wu's eyes shimmered with surprise.
Tang San's smile began to form but froze halfway across his face. Was he here specifically to see them? It didn't seem like it. He glimpsed the elderly man with a gloomy expression standing behind Zhao Liuyun. A sudden visit—he feared the newcomers did not come in peace.
Having learned the details of Ma Hongjun's martial soul, the past glories of Dai Mubai, and the relationship between his teacher and the dean, Tang San had already developed a sense of belonging to Shrek Academy. He admired the school motto and loved this unique atmosphere. Facing Zhao Liuyun now, he was momentarily unsure of how to speak.
Shi Nian had gone to confront the teachers of Shrek, leaving Zhao Liuyun standing alone in the cafeteria.
"Did you come all this way just to see us?" Xiao Wu was overjoyed, her face blooming with a smile as bright as the morning sun. Aside from being lectured by Zhao Wuge upon admission, she remained as carefree as ever.
The little rabbit was different from Tang San, who was destined to be an enemy in the future. Zhao Liuyun acknowledged his friendship with her and gave her a gentle smile. "I have another purpose."
Xiao Wu dazed for a moment. She saw Zhao Liuyun's gaze sweep across the room. It skipped over Oscar, who had shaved his beard and looked clean and refreshed. It ignored Ma Hongjun, who was tense and full of wariness. It passed over Dai Mubai, who was trembling slightly, baring his teeth like a sick tiger but not daring to make a sound.
Finally, Zhao Liuyun's gaze settled on Zhu Zhuqing.
Her black hair fell like a waterfall, her skin was as fair as snow, and her expression was cold, almost deathly still. As a battle spirit master, her tight-fitting clothes outlined a curvaceous figure. It was only because her fiancé was weak, cowardly, and lacked ambition—choosing instead to indulge in debauchery—that she had sealed her heart away. Now, she showed no emotion, looking as frigid as an iceberg. She bore some resemblance to how Ye Lingling used to look when she was weighed down by excessive worry and pressure.
Zhao Liuyun hadn't come for Zhu Zhuqing's beauty. Or rather, her beauty was exactly the sharp blade he needed to humiliate Dai Mubai. The more beautiful she was, the deeper the memory would be carved.
"Hell Civet, Zhu Zhuqing, the future Third Prince Consort of the Star Luo Empire?" Zhao Liuyun calmly revealed her identity.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's heart tightened.
"Hahaha!" Ning Rongrong watched from the side; though she didn't laugh out loud, a smirk remained on her lips. This revenge—it was indeed aimed at that loathsome colored tiger, Dai Mubai! Go on, face him, humiliate him thoroughly! Ning Rongrong cheered for Zhao Liuyun in her heart.
Zhu Zhuqing was shocked, confusion flickering in her eyes. "Do I... know you?"
Beside her, Oscar's mouth hung open. Ma Hongjun was also at a loss. The Third Prince Consort of the Star Luo Empire—they truly hadn't known Zhu Zhuqing's identity. They were merely Rank 2 Soul Masters; how could they have been involved in such high-level disputes?
"We'll get to know each other soon enough. Withdraw from the academy now and leave with me." Zhao Liuyun ignored the suspicious looks and spoke in a tone that was calm yet Brook no argument.
That matter-of-fact attitude instantly jolted Dai Mubai out of his lethargy. His White Tiger martial soul possessed him once more, transforming him into a strange figure with insufficient presence but bulging muscles. Weakness and ferocity were contradictorily intertwined within him. This was the peculiar aura Dai Mubai gave off after his bouts of indulgence.
"Zhao Liuyun! Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're the Poison Douluo's disciple!" Dai Mubai let out a weak roar of fury. His third spirit ring suddenly lit up, and the White Tiger Vajra Transformation activated instantly. His body swelled as he reached out to pull Zhu Zhuqing behind him.
This time, Dai Mubai didn't dare to take the initiative to attack. Zhu Zhuqing, however, coldly avoided him, her eyes filled with disgust as she snapped icily, "Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"
The wooden house was crude and not soundproof at all. Every sound of Dai Mubai dispelling his fear inside the room—those shameful gasps—had been clearly audible and enough to make one's blood boil with rage. Zhu Zhuqing felt resentful; she cultivated diligently day and night just to find a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation. Meanwhile, Dai Mubai, as a man, couldn't handle the pressure and abandoned his fiancée. That was one thing, but to be so depraved and indulgent—did he view her as one of those shameless women as well?
"I won't go with you." Zhu Zhuqing turned to Zhao Liuyun, her voice resolute. She didn't want to be entangled with the pathetic Dai Mubai any longer, but she was equally wary of this strange youth.
Futile struggles.
"Heh." Zhao Liuyun wasn't here to negotiate. He casually pointed a finger at Dai Mubai and gave a contemptuous smile.
Dai Mubai trembled, the lingering fear almost surging up again. He forced himself to suppress the shaking, but everyone saw it nonetheless. In front of his enemy, he had lost his composure so pathetically!
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, his voice sharp. "Do you really dare to humiliate the Star Luo Imperial Family like this?"
"What if I do?" Zhao Liuyun snorted with disdain, his voice dripping with irony. "You're a trash Third Prince who was literally beaten until you crapped yourself in the street. What can you possibly do to me?"
Hiss. Oscar and Ma Hongjun sucked in a breath of cold air. They knew the truth, but no one had dared to say it out loud. This was the weight of being a Title Douluo's disciple!
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. Ning Rongrong felt a bit nauseated. Xiao Wu covered her face with her hand and stepped back repeatedly.
"Liuyun, even if you are not afraid, why must you take things this far?" Tang San stepped forward slowly, attempting to ease the situation for the sake of their friendship. His intervention caused the tense atmosphere to loosen slightly.
"Do you know what he did?" Zhao Liuyun looked at the Tang Divine King, who had come to act as a mediator, with a hint of confusion in his expression.
Tang San was instantly speechless. He had only just arrived and knew a bit, but he wasn't clear on the specific details. Dai Mubai only emphasized how arrogant Zhao Liuyun was and how wronged he felt; he would never admit that he had been the provocateur who invited disaster.
Seeing him silent, Zhao Liuyun gave a cold laugh. His mental power pressed down on Dai Mubai like a tidal wave. Then, in a flash, he forcibly pulled Zhu Zhuqing into his arms.
Zhu Zhuqing's whole body tensed as she struggled with all her might. However, even a Soul Grandmaster would find it difficult to resist him; how could she, a mere Soul Master, break free?
"Let go! Let her go!" Seeing his fiancée fall into another's hands before his very eyes, Dai Mubai's eyes nearly split with rage. His soul power surged like a furious tide, and the chair beneath him was shattered by the violent force.
The White Tiger Vajra Transformation was still in effect, but the mental suppression weighed down like a towering mountain. This was pure suppression through cultivation realm, giving him no room to break free. His weak resistance was, as always, pale and powerless.
Dai Mubai was like an incapable husband, forced to watch as his enemy leaned down close, deeply inhaling the lingering fragrance of his fiancée's hair. The image was carved into his mind like a blade; it was his deepest fear and the only thing that made him tremble after losing his fear of death. At this moment, the nightmare of dread manifested as a cruel reality.
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