Canghui Academy

After that day, the atmosphere at Shrek Academy grew a little strange. The Shrek Seven Devils, who had been at least reasonably harmonious in the original story, now each had their own thoughts.

Ning Rongrong remained determined to stand with Jiang Qin. Oscar was jealous but could do nothing about it; after all, he had promised Ning Rongrong that he would not interfere with her.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun formed a faction of their own, though Ma Hongjun mostly fawned over Dai Mubai, relying on his status as the Star Luo Empire's third prince.

Dai Mubai found things very strange. His relationship with Zhu Zhuqing, which had originally eased a little, suddenly plunged to a new low.

Zhu Zhuqing would almost always go out of her way to avoid her when she saw her. When she truly could not avoid him, she would deliberately look away, her eyes full of coldness and disappointment.

This left Dai Mubai deeply frustrated, with a faint hint of hostility stirring within him.

Tang San, however, had changed the most. He should have been the one to draw the most attention, but he had suffered setbacks day after day and was deeply displeased.

He had been nursing a grudge, wanting to do something to turn around his recent slump and make everyone see him in a new light.

As for Xiao Wu's words of advice, he could not take in a single one. Nor did he think Jiang Qin would be any match for him.

He had merely been lucky, that was all!

Amid this strange atmosphere, the day of their departure finally arrived. Zhao Wuji, who knew nothing about any of this, was still the teacher leading the group as they prepared to set out for Soul Hunting.

After a period of preparation, the group arrived at a town on the outskirts, just as they had in the original story.

Zhao Wuji glanced at the sky and waved a hand. "All right, it's getting late. Let's find an inn in this town and stay the night. We'll set out for Soul Hunting tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement and came to an inn, just as in the original story.

Naturally, just after they sat down to eat, they ran into seven people from Canghui Academy.

Although Ma Hongjun was all bows and scraped knees before Dai Mubai, outside he had a roguish air and was a thorough scoundrel.

He was the first to provoke them, and a fight erupted between the two sides in an instant.

This time, however, things were a little different from the original story.

As a "support Soul Master," Jiang Qin neither needed nor wanted to take part in the fight. Instead, he shifted over and sat at the table, watching with interest.

Ning Rongrong's heart and eyes were full of him at the moment, so naturally, she did not join in either.

Moreover, in this timeline, thanks to Jiang Qin's righteous words that day, Ning Rongrong was nothing like her meek self in the original story after being PUA'd. She was still confident and flamboyant, with a little more empathy as well.

As for Zhu Zhuqing... because of the wardrobe incident two days ago, she was utterly disappointed in Dai Mubai and chose to stand by with folded arms.

Though she was as cool and aloof as ever, her body tilted involuntarily toward Jiang Qin as she cocked an ear to listen carefully to his conversation with Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong was discussing the situation on the battlefield with Jiang Qin, full of interest. "Jiang Qin, do you think they can win?"

She did not even say "we of Shrek," which showed how much she had changed.

Jiang Qin narrowed his eyes slightly. "There are only Dai Mubai, Tang San, Oscar, and Xiao Wu on the field, while there are seven on the other side. It's hard to say."

In the original story, with all of Shrek present, there would have been no doubt that Shrek would win, though it would still have taken a few twists and turns to settle the matter afterward.

But now...

Jiang Qin watched Dai Mubai scrambling to fend off attacks from all sides. It really was hard to say...

What was more, Tang San's repeated attempts to show off had all failed, and he had been ostracized by Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and the others. At best, they were now united in appearance but divided at heart, and their teamwork was even worse...

It would not have been an exaggeration to call it painful to watch. Every one of them was fighting on his own!

Tang San soon suffered several injuries. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were in an even sorrier state. As the main attackers, they came under heavier assault, while Oscar, who provided support from the side, was less seriously injured.

After a brutal battle, the group ultimately lost.

In the end, one of Canghui Academy's students pointed at Dai Mubai and said, "Pah! You talked so tough I thought you had some real ability. Turns out you're just a pewter spearhead polished to look like silver!"

"Brothers, let's go!"

Humiliated beyond measure, Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly, a bone-deep hatred in his eyes.

But the people he hated were not those from Canghui Academy at all.

Even though he had lost, Dai Mubai still thought the people on the other side were trash.

There had only been four on his side, while the other side had seven, and even then, their victory had been a costly one!

And the reason they had lost was not that the other side was too strong, but...

Once the others had left, Dai Mubai immediately turned around, pointed a finger at Ning Rongrong, and demanded aggressively, "Ning Rongrong, why did you stand there watching the show instead of helping?!"

"Jiang Qin's Martial Soul is an alchemy furnace, so fine, he has no fighting ability or buffs. But your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is number one under heaven. Why didn't you join the fight and help?!"

Ning Rongrong, who had been cracking melon seeds and enjoying the spectacle, froze. But she was not afraid in the slightest and immediately shot back:

"You started the trouble by provoking them yourselves. Why should I wipe your asses for you? Am I your mother?"

The remark was fierce, but it was Ning Rongrong's true nature as the Little Demoness. Having not been successfully PUA'd, she showed her fierce side.

Dai Mubai said angrily, "Don't you know our Shrek Academy's motto?"

"Those who dare not stir up trouble are mediocrities!"

"Only by daring to stir up trouble and actively looking for it can you succeed and make progress! What would a woman like you understand?!"

At those words, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing both looked displeased. Zhu Zhuqing even stood up.

Ning Rongrong laughed, her voice dripping with mockery. "Oh, aren't you impressive? You're a real man, a man among men. So why, after losing a fight, don't you go risk your life against the other side instead of taking it out on your own people?"

"You piece of trash who only throws his weight around at home!"

"And you think you're fit to criticize me?!"

Her words enraged Dai Mubai. A savage look spread across his face, his White Tiger Martial Soul flickering in and out of sight as his ferocity showed itself in full.

"What did you say, woman?! Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

"I'll rape you, then kill you, then rape you and kill you again!"

Oscar's expression changed when he heard that, and he was about to step in and smooth things over. But after seeing Dai Mubai's anger, he drew back the foot he had just put forward and played the turtle hiding in its shell.

Jiang Qin's face turned cold. He moved to shield Ning Rongrong behind him. "Dai Mubai, aren't you going too far? What do you mean by that?"

The atmosphere instantly turned cold, an invisible confrontation taking shape.

Zhu Zhuqing's face had also turned livid, her eyes full of disappointment and disgust. She pointed at Dai Mubai and said:

"Is this how you strive to improve? You can't beat the other side, so you blame your classmates?"

"You've disappointed me so much!"

She had not expected that Dai Mubai, who had solemnly promised her just two days ago that he would strive to improve, would have become like this. He was completely different from the person she had known before.

The present Dai Mubai was not human. He was more like a depraved bastard, hysterical and lustful, a complete and utter madman.

"All of you, stop! What are you arguing about?!"

A stern shout rang out. It was Zhao Wuji, who had walked over to the side at some unknown point.