"Who do I think I am?" The girl's delicate brows shot up, the badge on her chest catching the sunlight. "Ye Xinglan, representative of Shrek Academy! You were badmouthing Shrek just now. Apologize!"
Xie Xie couldn't help but snort. "Badmouthing? We were just stating facts."
"Exactly!" Tang Wulin stepped forward too. "Sure, Shrek is impressive, but that doesn't mean nobody's allowed to talk about it, does it?"
Ye Xinglan's expression turned colder. "I don't care. Insulting Shrek is unacceptable. Either apologize, or don't blame me for what happens next."
Don't blame me for what happens next?
Arthur was the type who responded to kindness, not pressure. If she'd come over and spoken reasonably, he might have actually considered it.
Yes, what they'd said was the truth, but getting overheard by a Shrek student and offering a brief apology wasn't out of the question.
But she'd come in hot from the start, aggressive and overbearing. That, ironically, made Arthur want to dig his heels in.
He stepped forward half a pace, putting himself between Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. "What exactly are you going to do about it?"
Sunlight fell across his eyes, his pale sage-green pupils watching her with cool detachment.
"We said Shrek's entrance exam is absurd, and that the Federation can't touch the place. Which part of that isn't true? Don't tell me Shrek can't even handle hearing the truth?"
Unexpectedly, it was Gu Yue who stepped in to mediate, something she rarely did. She gently placed a hand on Arthur's arm and looked at Ye Xinglan with calm, measured eyes.
"We didn't mean any disrespect. It was just a normal conversation. We understand you care deeply about Shrek, but there's no need to get this worked up."
"Understand?" Ye Xinglan clenched her fists, fury churning in her deep blue eyes. "You don't understand the first thing about Shrek's sanctity! How dare you talk about it like that. Apologize!"
Before she even finished speaking, spirit power began rippling faintly around her.
Arthur found himself laughing, the kind of laugh that escapes you when you're genuinely at a loss for words.
Is Shrek your dad or something? Why are you reacting like someone just insulted your whole family? It's a school. We didn't even say anything bad. We told the truth. Why are you acting like we just cursed out your parents?
"What's going on here?"
A calm, measured voice cut through the tension like a blade.
The crowd parted on its own, and six teenagers in Shrek Academy uniforms walked through the gap. At their head stood a tall, straight-backed figure in a dark green uniform. It was the team's core member, Yu Henglong of the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon clan.
His gaze swept the scene and settled on Ye Xinglan, brow furrowing slightly.
A chubby little kid broke from the group and trotted over to Ye Xinglan's side. "Xinlan-jie, what are you doing here? We still need to get ready for the exhibition match."
(/n: jie means sister)
Arthur heard that and felt something click into place.
Oh. So this is the obsessive Ye Xinglan.
That explains everything, actually.
Once Ye Xinglan finished recounting what had happened, the expressions of the Shrek students turned grim in unison.
Arthur blinked. You're not serious.
Yu Henglong's gaze slowly shifted to Arthur. His deep eyes held no obvious anger, but carried a natural air of aristocratic authority and quiet pressure. "Shrek's reputation is not up for discussion. Apologize."
Of course.
Arthur pressed a hand over his face and shook his head. "Is it really so hard to just talk like a normal person?"
"Talk like a normal person?" A tall, lean boy behind Yu Henglong let out a cold laugh and stepped forward. "People who slander Shrek don't deserve that kind of courtesy. Apologize, or else..."
Spirit power surged around him, climbing sharply to the level of a Spirit Ancestor. He fixed Arthur with a hard stare, as if he might strike at any moment.
Xu Lizhi tugged at the taller boy's sleeve and murmured, "Don't do anything rash. The exhibition match is about to start. Don't blow this up here."
But the warning clearly had no effect. The lean boy's gaze remained as sharp as ever, like he was a hair's breadth from making a move.
This guy's actually unhinged.
Arthur had never met anyone this insufferably arrogant before.
"Well," he said, almost to himself, "guess it's time for another lesson."
These weren't ordinary hothead cases. They were worse than Zhou Zhangxi and Wei Xiaofeng combined. Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures.
The last flicker of impatience faded from Arthur's pale sage-green eyes, leaving only a flat, empty calm.
He reached up and patted the hand Gu Yue still had resting on his arm, signaling her to let go.
"If you want to settle this with fists, I'm happy to oblige."
Arthur walked forward alone, already mentally working out how badly he should beat them.
Behind him, Tang Wulin and the others shifted into formation, ready to pile in the moment Arthur made his move.
Loyalty? Absolutely ironclad.
Na'er had already balled her hands into fists, her Golden Dragon martial soul long since disguised as the Dragon King's form.
"What do you think you're all doing?!"
A woman strode toward them. She had long white hair that fell to her waist and an impressive figure, and her beautiful face was dark with fury. Behind her came Wu Zhangkong.
She turned on the Shrek students with cold anger. "You want to fight? How many times do I have to tell you people to keep your tempers in check when you're out here? Stop picking fights everywhere you go."
"You'd better have a very good explanation for this."
It had been years since she'd last seen her senior brother, and the first thing he witnessed upon their reunion was her students squaring off like they were about to throw down. Even without knowing the full story, Shen Yi knew exactly what kind of temperament these particular students had.
"Arthur, what happened?" Wu Zhangkong came to stand beside Arthur and asked without any of Shen Yi's heat. He knew Arthur well enough to know the boy had good judgment.
To put it plainly, Gu Yue and Na'er both thought they understood Arthur, but neither of them did the way Wu Zhangkong did. There was a kind of understanding that only came from blade meeting blade.
The moment Shen Yi realized the other party was someone her senior brother actually knew, the color drained from her face entirely.
"Teacher Shen!" Ye Xinglan jumped in first, pointing at Arthur with an expression caught between aggrievement and rage. "They were the ones badmouthing Shrek! They said our academy's entrance exam was absurd and that the Federation can't control us. If that's not an insult, what is? I asked them to apologize and they were completely arrogant about it!"
The lean boy immediately chimed in. "That's right! And this guy wanted to start a fight. The nerve of him!"
Oh?
Trying to flip the script? Interesting.
Arthur almost lost it.
This guy's got even less shame than I do. He's got a real talent for embellishment.
Shen Yi's expression darkened further. She turned and shot a fierce look at Ye Xinglan and the others. "Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Shrek's honor isn't something you defend with your mouth, and it certainly isn't something you prove by pushing people around!"
Besides, what Arthur had said was the truth, and she and Wu Zhangkong both knew that better than anyone, having lived through it firsthand.
She took a slow, deep breath and turned to Arthur, her tone easing a few degrees. "I'm sorry, I apologize on their behalf. They care too deeply about the academy and let their emotions get the better of them. I hope you won't hold it against them."
Wu Zhangkong looked at Arthur with a questioning expression.
Arthur shrugged, the detachment in his eyes dissolving, his voice casual. "It's fine. It wasn't a big deal to begin with. They just overreacted."