Winning Over Oscar

"You're so mean! When we were on Sea Island, Little Brat slept on your head while you were asleep, and you didn't get mad. But when I merely looked at your Treasure Codex, you yelled at me! You're playing favorites!"

"Playing favorites, playing favorites, playing favorites..." A Lan's little hands patted Xu Yu's chest in rapid succession. Xu Yu had originally intended to ask more questions, but instead he asked suspiciously, "Who is Little Brat?"

Hearing that Xu Yu did not know who Little Brat was either, A Lan felt much more balanced, and her mood immediately improved. She snorted through her little nose. "Little Brat is that tree."

That tree? Xu Yu knew A Lan meant the Chaos Ancient Tree, but why did she call the Chaos Ancient Tree Little Brat? And it had even slept on his face? No wonder he had felt so stifled while resting on Sea Island.

He had been wondering about it. The sea wind had howled nonstop out at sea, so how could he have felt stifled? So that was it. Xu Yu had some idea of what had happened. The Chaos Ancient Tree must have undergone an energy Form Transformation, similar to the Blue Silver King in the original comic.

In the Douluo Continent comic, aside from the supreme Blue Silver Empress, there was also the Blue Silver King, who looked like a little girl. Her personality was similar to A Lan's. Could A Lan be her? Had she changed from a two-dimensional being into a one-dimensional being?

But why had he never encountered the Chaos Ancient Tree in its childlike form? Curious, Xu Yu opened the Contract Tome, but he still could not find the childlike Chaos Ancient Tree. When he looked toward the Blue Silver Grass, she could not explain it either.

She was still angry.

Drawn over by this bizarre situation, Zhu Zhuyun walked over and sat opposite them with a strange expression.

After a pause, and recalling the secrets she had learned at sea, she suddenly understood. "This is that Blue Silver Grass you bullied? I thought she was your daughter."

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm a very kind person. How could I bully anyone? And I don't have a daughter." Xu Yu shot Zhu Zhuyun an unhappy glare, then turned to the Blue Silver Grass for confirmation. A Lan merely snorted. Yeah right, as if I'd believe that!

Little Brat... he could just raise her as a daughter, then!

Xu Yu pinched A Lan's soft little cheek and smiled knowingly.

After teasing A Lan a little more, Xu Yu glanced at Zhu Zhuyun, who sat across from him with one leg crossed over the other, and suddenly had an idea. He asked, "Back in the Star Luo Empire, how did you control those Soul Masters whose Soul Power was far greater than yours?"

Before the Continental Elite Tournament, Zhu Zhuyun had been quite influential in the Star Luo Empire. Perhaps he could learn something from her methods.

Zhu Zhuyun did not understand why Xu Yu had suddenly asked such a question, but after hesitating briefly, she answered. Her words were full of coldness and ruthlessness.

"If they refuse to obey, as long as you have the authority to deploy them, can't you simply assign them a few missions they're certain to die on?"

After saying that, Zhu Zhuyun asked curiously, "You hold a lot of authority now?"

"Of course." Xu Yu proudly showed off. He took out the gleaming golden Pope's Token, only for A Lan to snatch it away in her little hands and inspect it curiously.

But that did not lessen Zhu Zhuyun's surprise. Xu Yu had gained Bibi Dong's trust far beyond her expectations, obtaining the Pope's Token so easily.

That meant Xu Yu was practically the Pope's foremost man in Spirit Hall now. Zhu Zhuyun looked at him somewhat differently.

Xu Yu did feel rather pleased under her gaze, but he knew his own situation. He only possessed this Pope's Token temporarily. Whether he could truly gain ownership of it would depend on what came next.

However, relying on himself alone would make this difficult. If Zhu Zhuyun was willing to help him, the odds would rise dramatically.

So he invited Zhu Zhuyun, "I'm going to see the Shrek people later. Want to come with me?"

"I'll go, but I'm not going with you!"

Fine, suit yourself. Xu Yu felt that Zhu Zhuyun always focused on the strangest things.

Was the important part whether she was going with him? No.

The important part was going to the Supervision Office to see the Shrek people—the same Shrek people who had defeated the Star Luo Empire team.

Before pulling Zhu Zhuyun into this, he was giving her a little warm-up, making her completely believe that he temporarily wielded considerable authority. Then... with no way back, she would have no choice but to assist him.

Xu Yu's inexplicable smile gave Zhu Zhuyun a faint sense of unease. It seemed she was being plotted against, yet she could not see how Xu Yu was plotting against her.

Xu Yu merely gave a soft chuckle. What kind of scheme would it be if you could see through it so easily?

Beauty, this was a hidden scheme, not an open one.

Despite Zhu Zhuyun's impatience, Xu Yu forcefully made her wear a mask. To prevent Zhu Zhuqing from recognizing her elder sister by her... figure, he also forced Zhu Zhuyun to put on a black robe, concealing her body's curves before he was finally satisfied.

As they walked side by side, Zhu Zhuyun looked up at the little girl on Xu Yu's shoulder, who was looking around curiously, and asked, "You're taking her too?"

"What's wrong with bringing a little girl?" Xu Yu did not think much of it. As for whether others would notice that A Lan was a soul beast?

They were overthinking it. With the Contract Tome concealing her aura, A Lan was just an ordinary human child. Having said that much, Zhu Zhuyun said no more.

The guards at the Supervision Office spotted Xu Yu from afar, dressed in fitted clothes with a little girl sitting on his shoulder, along with the bizarre woman beside him who wore a mask and a black robe in the sweltering heat.

Just as they were about to call out, the man suddenly produced the Pope's Token and waved it before them. The guards broke out in cold sweat and hurriedly bowed in respect.

They were not bowing to Xu Yu, but to the Pope's Token. They knew Xu Yu too—he was a member of the Spirit Hall team—but he had no authority over them.

Once inside the prison, A Lan found it quite amusing and asked for the Pope's Token. Imitating Xu Yu, she waved it at the patrolmen who approached after hearing the commotion. The patrolmen immediately stood tall and saluted, making A Lan giggle.

Only when Xu Yu glared at her did she put away the Pope's Token. Yet she still refused to return it to him. By then, they had arrived at the place where Shrek Academy's people were imprisoned, so Xu Yu simply let her keep holding it.

With Bibi Dong's methods, the Shrek people had naturally been separated one by one. Any thought of communicating with one another was out of the question.

Zhu Zhuyun stood outside her younger sister's cell for a while, her gaze complicated. Seeing that she intended to speak to Zhu Zhuqing, Xu Yu quickly pulled her away.

Others might not know, but Zhu Zhuqing would certainly be extremely familiar with her elder sister Zhu Zhuyun's voice. Zhu Zhuqing would have to be released eventually, and if she learned Zhu Zhuyun was in Spirit City, there would be endless trouble.

Xiao Wu was not imprisoned here. Whether Bibi Dong had killed her for her soul bone remained unknown. The rest—Grandmaster, Flender, Liu Erlong, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing—were all imprisoned here.

Xu Yu stopped outside Oscar's cell with Zhu Zhuyun and motioned for the prison guard to open the door. The guard hesitantly looked at these three students, who could wander freely through the prison. Whose high-ranking descendants were they?

The people imprisoned inside were rebels whom the Pope herself had ordered captured. He did not dare casually let anyone in for a visit, but neither did he dare offend these noble youths. An awkward expression appeared on his face—until A Lan smugly waved the Pope's Token before him...

"Open the door immediately! Young masters and young ladies, please come in!"

"..." Xu Yu glared at the innocent-looking A Lan before stepping into the cell, with Zhu Zhuyun following close behind.

Oscar, who had been imprisoned for two months and had nearly fallen into despair, perked up upon hearing someone enter. But when he saw the visitors, he frowned slightly. They were not the people he had been waiting for.