The Fish in the Pond

Flender hesitated. "Impossible, isn't it? Who in the city hasn't heard of Shrek Academy? With a little asking around, they should have found the place easily."

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly. "Could they have run into some kind of trouble that kept them from getting away?"

Dai Mubai blinked. That did seem possible.

But night had already fallen, making it inconvenient for them to search for any traces of the others.

Dai Mubai racked his brain. "Dean, I heard they often take part in Soul Battles at the Great Soul Arena."

"How about this? We search the city during the day, then check the Great Soul Arena later on?"

Flender approved of his suggestion.

After a pause, he asked, "What are the girls' names?"

A few days earlier, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had sent him a letter, personally written by Ning Fengzhi.

The letter clearly stated that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would send Ning Rongrong over and have him help correct her temperament.

Since Wu Qi and the other had failed to arrive due to an accident, he did not know Ning Rongrong's situation and asked an extra question.

As Dai Mubai gave the names of the two girls, Flender froze in place once again.

"She didn't come?"

"Dean, who are you talking about?" Dai Mubai asked.

Flender ignored him.

Ning Rongrong's safety was of vital importance. Since she had not arrived at Shrek Academy, something had most likely gone wrong.

How could Flender dare be careless? He immediately wrote a letter to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then entered Suotuo City overnight to search for Ning Rongrong.

Tonight, he was destined to return empty-handed.

Meanwhile, Wu Qi's group of three had already arrived at the Spirit Beast Town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was only half a day's carriage ride from Suotuo City.

In the original timeline, the Shrek Seven Devils had run there, but Wu Qi had the money to rent a carriage, so why would he run? Wasn't that just making himself suffer for nothing?

Besides, he did not have a masochistic streak.

After entering Spirit Beast Town, Ning Rongrong found everything there novel and kept looking around.

"Miss Rongrong, when you hunted Soul Rings before, didn't you ever rest in Spirit Beast Town?" Qian Gu Changkong could not help asking.

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

When she had hunted her first and second Soul Rings in the past, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had already located the spirit beasts beforehand. Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo would then take her directly there.

They always went and returned on the same day, never stopping in Spirit Beast Town.

Wu Qi reminded her, "Don't look around carelessly. This place is full of all sorts of shady people. Quite a few of them are even criminals with blood on their hands."

Criminals with lives on their hands were extremely sensitive to everything around them.

If someone watched them for too long, it could easily put them on guard or even drive them to desperate measures.

They found the nearest restaurant, and the three of them finally had dinner.

Inside the private room, Wu Qi released Little Deer as usual.

It was Ning Rongrong's first time seeing Little Deer, and she could not get enough of the fluffy little fellow.

"Brother Wu Qi, is this a spirit beast? It's so cute."

"It is a spirit beast, and it already has a hundred years of cultivation," Wu Qi replied.

Ning Rongrong jumped in fright, but seeing that Little Deer showed no aggression, she finally relaxed and began petting it.

Qian Gu Changkong casually recounted the experiences they had shared with Little Deer.

This little fellow had helped them out twice in a big way.

The first time had been in Death Grand Canyon, where it found poison for them and indirectly killed a Soul Ancestor.

The second time had been before they entered Heaven Dou City, when it helped them avoid an attack by bandits.

Strictly speaking, with Golden Eagle Douluo protecting them in secret, they most likely would not have been injured, much less faced any danger to their lives.

However, if they got into trouble so soon after leaving, the Worship Hall would certainly lose "confidence" in them.

Once Golden Eagle Douluo brought them back to the Worship Hall, they likely would not get another chance to leave for the next several years.

Ning Rongrong rubbed Little Deer's fur and smiled. "I never expected the little fellow to be so capable."

By age, Little Deer was more than old enough to be her grandmother.

However, a spirit beast with a hundred years of cultivation was still considered young in the world of spirit beasts.

The waiter served their dishes. The two little horns atop Little Deer's head did not flash, proving that the food was not poisoned.

After their previous experience, Qian Gu Changkong and Wu Qi watched the waiter's every move.

After the private room door closed and the waiter showed no unusual behavior, Qian Gu Changkong sighed in relief. "Good. At least this isn't a shady restaurant."

Spirit Beast Town had a large number of Spirit Masters gathered within it. Under normal circumstances, no one dared tamper with the food.

What had happened earlier was unlikely to happen again.

Halfway through the meal, a huge commotion erupted in the restaurant.

Just as Qian Gu Changkong was about to investigate, a figure flew into the private room and overturned the table.

"Damn, my luck is awful!" Qian Gu Changkong muttered.

Wu Qi bent down to check the identity of the man lying on the floor.

"He's from Spirit Hall!"

Qian Gu Changkong nearly let something slip. "Why are they causing trouble for us? What are they here for?"

Wu Qi looked outside the private room and could vaguely see people fighting in the restaurant's main hall.

Then he glanced out the window. A large number of Spirit Hall Spirit Masters had already surrounded the restaurant.

From the looks of it, they were most likely pursuing criminals.

They had merely been caught in the crossfire.

With the table overturned, there was no way they could continue eating.

Moreover, it was inconvenient for them to step in and help.

First, they could not reveal their connection to Spirit Hall. Second, they did not know who the criminals were. Acting rashly would only make the situation even more chaotic.

"Brother Wu Qi, should we climb out through the window?" Ning Rongrong pointed to the window behind them.

Wu Qi shook his head.

Not everyone in Spirit Hall knew them. Climbing out now would seem a little too suspicious.

If they were accidentally injured by one of Spirit Hall's experts, that would be a real joke.

"Close the door. We'll wait until the commotion outside is over," Wu Qi decided.

The three waited patiently in the private room. Before long, the door was struck by a soul skill and shattered into pieces on the spot.

"Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"

With an angry curse, Qian Gu Changkong summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff Spirit. Two yellow Soul Rings gleamed beneath his feet.

This time, Wu Qi did not stop him and allowed him to rush out of the private room.

Ning Rongrong quickly activated her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit and provided him with a boost.

"Brother Wu Qi, aren't you going to help?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Leaning against the wall, Wu Qi shook his head. "No rush. It's not time yet."

Qian Gu Changkong had the Papal Order. Once the people from Spirit Hall saw it, they would not attack him. They could also use the opportunity to learn the target of Spirit Hall's mission.

Under normal circumstances, Spirit Hall would not act so recklessly.

They were likely facing an exceptionally vicious foe this time.

About five minutes later, the commotion in the restaurant died down, and Qian Gu Changkong returned.

Spirit Hall never needed a reason to do things, so Ning Rongrong did not ask what had happened.

Qian Gu Changkong gave Wu Qi a meaningful look, and the two walked out of the private room.

"Wu Ge, it's the Spirit Hall branch from Southwest City. They chased two Evil Spirit Masters all the way here from Southwest City."

Wu Qi understood at once. When dealing with Evil Spirit Masters, Spirit Hall truly would stop at nothing.