Shrek Falls Apart, Tang San Flees Overnight

In a black clinic in the slums south of Suotuo City.

The air was thick with the smell of moldy medicinal herbs and the nauseating stench of pus and blood. A dim oil lamp cast swaying ghostly shadows across the walls, while several cockroaches crawled in and out between bloodstained bandages.

"Urgh..."

A suppressed cry of pain shattered the dead silence.

Tang San sat cross-legged on a hard plank bed, his bare upper body riddled with densely packed bloody holes. Though the crossbow bolts had been pulled out, the poison from the King of Hell's Post had long since seeped into his bones.

His face was blue-black as his trembling hands circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, trying to force the wisps of poison clinging to his meridians out of his body.

Every time he circulated his power, it felt as though countless dull blades were scraping against his bones.

"Damn it... Damn it..."

Tang San gritted his teeth as sweat mixed with black poison blood and trickled down. He hated it. He hated Qian Mo, hated Xiao Wu, and hated that inexplicable demonic wind even more.

On the neighboring bed, Dai Mubai was covered head to toe in plaster casts, lying stiff as a mummy. Only his eyeballs could move, and they were filled with lifeless despair.

As for Ma Hongjun, his concussion was so severe that his mouth hung crookedly as he drooled, occasionally letting out meaningless silly laughs.

The once arrogant Shrek monsters had now become trash in a scrap yard.

"Creak—"

The door was pushed open.

Flender shuffled in like a lost soul, clutching a crumpled piece of parchment. His signature shoehorn face seemed even longer now, his eye sockets deeply sunken as though he had aged ten years overnight.

Yu Xiaogang sat on a lame chair, holding a cup of cold water in his hands, his gaze somewhat vacant.

"How was it?" Seeing his old friend enter, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly stood up, his tone anxious. "What did the Spirit Arena say? Can they give us a few more days?"

Flender said nothing. His hand merely trembled as he slapped the parchment onto the table.

The bright red seal on the paper stabbed into everyone's eyes.

[Final Ultimatum: Shrek Team must repay its gambling debt of Five Million Gold Soul Coins before sunset tomorrow. Failure to do so will result in a report to Spirit Hall's main temple, and they will be listed on the continent-wide Dishonored Wanted List. Dead or alive.]

"Five million..."

Flender's voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand. "Even if we sold Shrek and sold ourselves along with it, we still couldn't scrape together even a fraction of it. Those creditors are already blocking the academy gates. This is our last hiding place."

The room sank into deathly silence.

Only Ma Hongjun continued to giggle foolishly, "Ah ba, ah ba."

"That's impossible!"

Yu Xiaogang slammed the table, splashing the cold water all over the floor. "This is a scam! Extortion! Qian Mo cheated first, so why should we compensate them? I'll appeal to Spirit Hall! I'll find Bibi Dong... I'll ask the Pope for justice!"

"Enough!"

Tang San suddenly opened his eyes, and his furious shout cut off Yu Xiaogang's hysteria.

His once-clear eyes were now full of blood threads, as cold and sinister as those of a venomous snake.

"Teacher, haven't you woken up yet?"

Tang San stared coldly at Yu Xiaogang, with none of his former respect left in his voice. "Appeal? Appeal to whom? Qian Mo is Spirit Hall's Holy Son. That's his territory. Are you going to appeal because you think we aren't dying fast enough?"

Yu Xiaogang froze, the finger he pointed at Tang San trembling slightly. "Xiao San, how can you speak to your teacher like that? A teacher for one day is a father for life. I'm doing this for—"

"For what? To prove your Trash Theory?"

Enduring the severe pain, Tang San climbed down from the bed. Every step made blood seep from his wounds, yet he seemed unable to feel it.

He walked up to Yu Xiaogang and looked down at the man he had once worshipped like a god.

"You said there are no trash martial souls, only trash Spirit Masters. Then answer me this: why couldn't my Blue Silver Grass stop the Gatling gun? Why did my hidden weapons turn on their own?"

"You said those were accidents."

Tang San sneered, a cruel curve forming at the corner of the mouth. "The first time was an accident, the second time was an accident, and the third time was still an accident? Teacher, admit it. Before absolute power and resources, your theory is nothing but a pile of dog shit."

"You... You..."

Yu Xiaogang's face flushed Pig Liver Color, his chest heaving violently as though someone had slapped him hard across the face. That was the belief of his entire life, yet it was now being trampled beneath the feet of his most prized disciple.

"Xiao San! How could you say that about your teacher?!" Flender could no longer stand it and roared angrily.

"Was I wrong?"

Tang San turned, his gaze sweeping over the paralyzed Dai Mubai and the witless Ma Hongjun. "Look at us now. This is what happens when you follow a 'Master.' If we had resources like Qian Mo's from the start, would we have lost so miserably?"

"I've had enough."

Tang San took a deep breath, a flash of determination appearing in his eyes. "This academy that's just playing house, this teacher who only knows how to be an armchair strategist—they'll only hold back my path to godhood."

With that, he turned and walked back to the bed, silently packing his belongings.

A few ragged clothes, several hidden weapons that had not completely broken, and Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

"Xiao San, you... What are you doing?" Yu Xiaogang panicked, a trace of pleading in his voice. "Don't be rash. We still have a chance. As long as we get through this calamity, with your talent..."

Tang San ignored him.

He slung his pack over his back and gave the room filled with an Aura of Failure one final look.

No farewell.

No turning back.

He pushed open the window and vanished into the vast night like a black bat.

Leaving only three old, weak, sick, and crippled men staring at one another.

Late at night.

The streets of Suotuo City were empty, and the cold wind sent withered leaves spinning across the ground.

Tang San moved through the shadows, driving the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limit. Though his injuries had yet to heal, his desire to survive allowed him to unleash astonishing speed.

He did not leave the city directly.

Instead, he took a detour and secretly returned to Shrek Academy.

More precisely, he returned to Flender's dean's office.

"Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him."

Tang San crouched before the office safe, holding a thin iron wire as he skillfully fiddled with the lock. This was one of the Tang Sect Secret Arts; opening such an old-fashioned safe was utter overkill.

"Click."

The lock opened.

The safe was empty except for a small cloth bag in one corner.

Tang San grabbed the bag and weighed it in his hand.

About five hundred Gold Soul Coins.

This was Flender's life savings, originally meant to buy a Soul Returning Pill from the Black Market for Ma Hongjun the next morning to save his life.

Tang San's hand paused.

But only for a moment.

"Fatty, I'm sorry."

A cold glint flashed through Tang San's eyes as he tucked the money bag into his clothes. "You're already an idiot. Giving you this money would only be a waste. I am the hope of the Tang Sect. Only if I live can I avenge you all in the future."

"I'll count this money as borrowed. I'll repay it a hundredfold someday."

After consoling himself, Tang San calmly shut the safe and leaped out the window.

He gave the brightly lit Cloud Top Heavenly Palace in the distance one final glance.

Music and laughter filled the place, and he could vaguely hear Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong laughing.

"Qian Mo... Xiao Wu..."

Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palms. "Just wait. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

"I'm going to Soul Hunting Forest. I'll kill, and I'll devour. When I return, I'll collect this debt with interest!"

With a flash, Tang San vanished completely into the darkness.

Cloud Top Heavenly Palace.

Qian Mo lay on a big bed covered in velvet, swirling a cup of crimson wine in his hand.

A light screen floated in the empty air before him.

The image showed the entire process of Tang San stealing money and fleeing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Qian Mo took a sip of wine, an amused smile curling at the corner of the mouth. "He ran already? He even stole his brother's life-saving money? So this is the Pure and Chaste Young Master Tang San."

"I was planning to give you another surprise tomorrow morning, but it seems you're quite self-aware."

Qian Mo put down his wineglass, lightly tapping the edge of the bed with his fingers.

"System."

[Present.]

"This brat wants to go to Soul Hunting Forest to find his confidence? He wants to level up by killing soul beasts?"

Golden light flashed in Qian Mo's eyes. "Give him something extra. Since he's a 'Child of Destiny,' how can he not have a lucky encounter?"

"Raise the soul beast riot index on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest by ten times."

"Also, arrange a few 'good neighbors' for him. For example... a Wind Baboon in heat, and that meteor destined to crush him to death."

[Command received. Law of Causality modification in progress... Modification complete. Have a pleasant journey, Tang San.]

The next Early Morning.

The first ray of sunlight shone into the rundown clinic.

Flender woke with two enormous dark circles beneath his eyes. He had kept watch all night, afraid the creditors would come knocking.

"Xiaogang, I'm going to buy medicine for Hongjun."

Forcing himself to stay alert, Flender stood up. "Those five hundred Gold Soul Coins aren't enough to repay the debt, but at least they can save Hongjun's brain."

As he spoke, he reached for the key in his clothes.

It was the key to the safe in the dean's office.

However.

When he rushed back to the academy and opened that completely empty safe, his entire body froze stiff.

The money was gone.

There was no note on the table, only a window left slightly open, creaking in the wind.

"No... Impossible..."

Flender frantically searched the entire office, even lying on the floor to look for rat holes.

Nothing.

Not even a single Copper Soul Coin had been left behind.

"Who?! Who did this?!"

Flender let out a shrill roar, his voice filled with despair.

Just then, a burst of hurried Footsteps came from outside the door.

Yu Xiaogang rushed in, panting heavily, his face turned pale. "Flender! This is bad! Xiao San... Xiao San is gone! All his things are gone too!"

The two stared at each other.

The air seemed to freeze.

A terrifying thought exploded in both their minds at the same time.

"It was him... He took Hongjun's life-saving money..."

Flender collapsed onto the ground, his gaze hollow as if his faith had crumbled. "That was his brother's life... How could he bring himself to do it..."

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, wanting to defend Tang San, wanting to say there had to be some misunderstanding.

But when the words reached his lips, they turned into a fishy sweetness.

"Pff—!!!"

Yu Xiaogang spat a mouthful of Old Blood three meters away, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.

Being betrayed by the disciple he trusted most hurt worse than death.

Meanwhile.

Fresh notices had been posted throughout every street and alley of Suotuo City.

It was the highest-level Wanted Poster jointly issued by the Spirit Arena and Spirit Hall.

On the portrait, the faces of Tang San, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang had been rendered vividly—though they had clearly been deliberately made uglier.

[Wanted Poster]

[Criminals: Shrek Team (scam group)]

[Crimes: Maliciously owing Five Million Gold Soul Coins, using Contraband Poisonous Weapons to murder opponents, and stealing public funds before fleeing.]

[Reward: Capture Tang San alive, reward of 100,000 Gold Soul Coins; capture Yu Xiaogang alive, reward of ten Copper Soul Coins (plus a bag of rice).]

[Note: This man is extremely dangerous, skilled in ambush attack, and extremely double standard. Kill on sight. No need to observe martial ethics.]

The surrounding crowd was pointing and gesturing, and laughter filled the air.

"Haha, this is that academy that claims it only accepts monsters?"

"Ten Copper Soul Coins? That Master isn't even worth as much as a dog!"

"Tsk, tsk, this Tang San looks decent enough, but he's actually a petty thief who ran off with the money!"

Winds and clouds surged.

The once self-righteous Shrek had become a street rat overnight.

And at the edge of Soul Hunting Forest, a hundred li away.

Tang San sneezed and tightened his ragged clothes around himself. Looking at the deep, gloomy forest ahead, beastlike light flickered in his eyes. He had no idea what kind of "auspicious" feast awaited him ahead.