Evil Fire Phoenix

Tang San did not ask further. Taking Lan Xue's soft hand, he said, "Let's find something to eat. You must be hungry too."

"Mm." Lan Xue nodded. She had already returned to her usual lively self and took Tang San's arm on her own initiative.

Having only just arrived, neither of them knew anything about Shrek Academy. Left with no other choice, they could only look for rising cooking smoke and try to find somewhere with food.

The village was not large. As they walked, they unknowingly left the grounds of Shrek Academy.

The Shrek Academy side was quiet, but the villagers on the other side were already busy. Working at sunrise was the habit of ordinary farmers. They needed to farm to support their families. Tang San had no idea where the academy's breakfast was served, so he had decided to first buy some food in the village to fill his and Lan Xue's stomachs.

Just as they were about to find a farmhouse to buy food from, they saw a boy and a girl arguing not far ahead.

The teenage pair both appeared quite young. The girl seemed to be fourteen or fifteen. Her looks were ordinary, but she was full of youthful vitality. Dressed in simple country clothes, she was probably one of the village children.

The boy arguing with her looked even younger, seemingly around Tang San and Xiao Wu's age. He was not tall, and though he was chubby all over, he gave off a sturdy impression. He had short hair and small eyes, while the fat on his face bulged out, making him look somewhat cute. The funniest thing was the two small tufts of mustache on his upper lip, which seemed to have only recently grown in after puberty. No matter how one looked at them, they resembled two mouse whiskers.

The girl looked at the chubby boy, fear showing in her eyes. "Ma Hongjun, don't come looking for me anymore. I won't be with you."

The chubby boy said in a strange tone, "Cuihua, haven't I treated you well? Why do you want to break up with me?"

Tang San and Lan Xue exchanged a glance, and both saw the amusement in the other's eyes. Kids these days really did start dating early, talking about breaking up at such a young age. They could not help stopping to watch with interest from the side.

Cuihua's face suddenly reddened. "You have treated me well, but I really can't stand you. We're not suitable for each other. You should find someone else. Besides, I'm several years older than you. Please, don't come looking for me again."

The chubby Ma Hongjun said angrily, "What do you mean, you can't stand me? I really don't understand what you women are thinking. Fine, we can break up. Just do it with me one more time, and I'll break up with you. Otherwise, no way."

As he spoke, the chubby boy reached out to grab the girl, Cuihua.

Like a startled little rabbit, Cuihua hurriedly backed away, but the chubby boy was fast and still grabbed her hand.

Cuihua begged, "No, not again. Please let me go. Are you even human?"

Lan Xue could not stand it any longer and leaped forward. "Stop!"

Ma Hongjun and Cuihua both froze and looked toward her. The fat boy blinked his small eyes, the mouse whiskers on his lip trembled a few times, and his small eyes lit up with a colorful gleam. "What a pretty girl. What, do you want to replace her as my girlfriend? Sure, no problem. I agree."

"Bullshit!" Lan Xue flew into a rage and kicked the hand holding Cuihua, knocking it away. "You little hooligan. You're so young, yet you're already up to no good. In broad daylight, are you trying to force yourself on a girl?"

At Lan Xue's words, the chubby boy's expression immediately darkened. "This is our business. Stop meddling where you don't belong. Since you don't want to be my woman, get lost."

"You—" Lan Xue looked ready to strike, but Tang San appeared in front of her.

"Your name is Ma Hongjun, right? Please stop harassing this young lady." After finally finding Lan Xue, Tang San was unwilling to let her make a move so casually. Besides, he could vaguely tell that this chubby boy was not simple.

Ma Hongjun snorted disdainfully. "Who the hell are you to meddle in my business? Looking for trouble?"

Tang San's expression darkened. "Whose father are you?"

Ma Hongjun's mouse whiskers twitched. "Whoever meddles in my business, I'm his father."

Tang San moved. No matter how good-tempered he was, he could not endure such an insult. Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he kicked toward the chubby boy's chest. The force in his kick was held back rather than released, controlled with great precision. If the chubby boy were merely an ordinary person, at most he would be knocked to the ground. But if he possessed some special ability, the force within Tang San's kick could erupt at any time.

Just as Tang San had guessed, the chubby boy was not simple. Seeing Tang San's kick coming, he met it without hesitation. He raised both fists in front of himself to block Tang San's foot, a faint purple glow shining from his body—clearly the fluctuation of Soul Power.

Tang San's kicking foot suddenly halted in midair. Changing his kick into a stomp, he stepped down toward the fat boy's lower abdomen.

The fat boy reacted quickly as well. His raised fists swung down at the same time, smashing toward Tang San's foot.