Shrek Falls Apart, Tang San Flees Overnight

In Suotuo City's south, a black clinic in the slum.

The air was filled with the smell of moldy herbs and the sickening stench of pus and blood. A dim oil lamp cast flickering shadows on the wall, and several cockroaches crawled among the blood-stained bandages.

"Ugh..."

A suppressed groan broke the dead silence.

Tang San sat cross-legged on the hard plank bed, his bare upper body riddled with dense bloody holes. Although the crossbow bolts had been removed, the poison of the King of Hell's Post had already seeped into his bones.

His face was dark blue, and his hands trembled as he circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, trying to force the wisps of poisonous gas attached to his meridians out of his body.

Each circulation felt like countless blunt knives scraping his bones.

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

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

On the next bed, Dai Mubai was covered in plaster casts, lying stiff like a mummy. Only his eyeballs could move, filled with a dull, lifeless despair.

As for Ma Hongjun, due to a severe concussion, he was drooling with a crooked mouth, 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 walked in, looking lost, holding a crumpled piece of parchment. His signature shoehorn face was even longer now, his eye sockets sunken, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

Yu Xiaogang sat on a lame chair, holding a cup of stone-cold water, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"How is it?" Yu Xiaogang stood up quickly as he saw his old friend enter, his tone anxious, "What did the Spirit Arena say? Can they give us a few more days?"

Flender didn't speak, just trembled his hand and slapped the parchment onto the table.

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

[Ultimatum: Shrek Team must repay a gambling debt of Five Million Gold Soul Coins before sunset tomorrow. Failure to repay will result in a report to the Spirit Hall Headquarters, listing them on the continent-wide Dishonored Wanted List, regardless of life or death.]

"Five million..."

Flender's voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand, "Sell Shrek, sell us, we still can't even gather a trifle. Those creditors are already blocking the academy gates. This is our last hiding place."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Only Ma Hongjun was still making silly "aba aba" sounds.

"This is impossible!"

Yu Xiaogang slammed the table, splashing the cup of cold water all over the floor. "This is fraud! This is blackmail! That Qian Mo cheated first, why should we compensate him? I'm going to the Martial Soul Hall to appeal! I'm going to find Bibi Dong... to reason with the Pope!"

"Enough!"

Tang San suddenly opened his eyes, his roar interrupting Yu Xiaogang's hysteria.

His originally clear eyes were now bloodshot, as cold as a viper.

"Teacher, are you not awake yet?"

Tang San looked coldly at Yu Xiaogang, his tone devoid of its usual respect. "Appeal? Who are you going to appeal to? Qian Mo is the Holy Son of the Martial Soul Hall, that's his territory. If you go to appeal, do you think we're not dying fast enough?"

Yu Xiaogang was stunned, the finger he pointed at Tang San trembling slightly. "Xiao San, how are you talking to your teacher? Once a teacher, always a father. I'm doing this for..."

"For what? To prove your Trash Theory?"

Tang San endured the severe pain and climbed out of bed. His wound bled with every step, but he seemed not to feel it.

He walked up to Yu Xiaogang, towering over the man he once revered as a god.

"You said there are no useless spirits, only useless Spirit Masters. Then I ask you, why couldn't my Blue Silver Grass block the Gatling? Why did my hidden weapons turn on their own?"

"You said it was an accident."

Tang San sneered, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth. "The first time was an accident, the second time was an accident, and the third time was still an accident? Teacher, admit it, your theories are just a pile of dog shit in the face of absolute power and resources."

"You... you..."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned pig liver color, his chest heaving violently, as if he had been slapped hard. This was his lifelong belief, and now it was being trampled underfoot by his most proud disciple.

"Xiao San! How can you talk to your teacher like that!" Flender couldn't stand it anymore and shouted angrily.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Tang San turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the paralyzed Dai Mubai and the dazed Ma Hongjun. "Look at our current state. This is the consequence of following the 'Master'. If we had Qian Mo's resources back then, would we have lost so miserably?"

"I've had enough."

Tang San took a deep breath, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. "This academy that's like playing house, these teachers who only know how to be an armchair strategist, will only drag down my path to becoming a god."

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

A few tattered clothes, a few hidden weapons that weren't completely broken, and that Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

"Xiao San, you... what are you doing?" Yu Xiaogang panicked, his voice laced with a hint of pleading. "Don't be impulsive, we still have a chance. As long as we get through this tribulation, with your talent..."

Tang San ignored him.

He slung his luggage over his shoulder and took one last look at the room filled with the aura of failure.

No goodbyes.

No looking back.

He pushed open the window and, like a Black Bat, disappeared into the vast night.

Leaving behind in the room three old, weak, sick, and disabled individuals, staring at each other in dismay.

Late at night.

The streets of Suotuo City were deserted, the cold wind swirling withered leaves on the ground.

Tang San moved through the shadows, his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track Step pushed to its limit. Although his injuries had not healed, his will to survive erupted into astonishing speed.

He did not leave the city directly.

Instead, he took a detour and quietly snuck back to Shrek Academy.

To be precise, he snuck back into Flender's Dean's office.

"If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him."

Tang San squatted in front of the safe in the office, a thin iron wire in his hand, skillfully fiddling with the lock. This was a Tang Sect Secret Art; opening such an old-fashioned safe was overkill.

"Click."

The lock opened.

The safe was empty, with only a small cloth bag in the corner.

Tang San snatched the bag and weighed it.

About five hundred Gold Soul Coins.

This was Flender's life savings, originally intended to be used tomorrow morning to buy a Soul Returning Pill from the Black Market to save Ma Hongjun's life.

Tang San's hand paused.

But only for a moment.

"Fatty, I'm sorry."

A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes as he pocketed the money bag. "You're already foolish; giving this money to you would be a waste. I am the hope of the Tang Sect; only if I live can I avenge you all in the future."

"Consider this money borrowed. I will repay it a hundredfold in the future."

After comforting himself, Tang San closed the safe with a clear conscience and leaped out the window.

He cast one last glance at the brightly lit Cloud Top Heavenly Palace in the distance.

There was singing and dancing, and the laughter of Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong could be faintly heard.

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

Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails piercing his palm. "You wait. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

"I'm going to the Soul Hunting Forest. I want to kill, I want to devour. When I return, I will settle this debt with interest!"

With a flash of his figure, Tang San completely disappeared into the darkness.

Cloud Top Heavenly Palace.

Qian Mo was lying on a bed covered in velvet, shaking a glass of scarlet liquid in his hand.

In the void before him, a light screen floated.

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

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Qian Mo took a sip of wine, a playful smile curling the corner of his mouth. "He's running away already? Even stole his brother's life-saving money? This is the pure and chaste Young Master Tang San."

"I originally wanted to give you a surprise tomorrow morning, but it seems you're quite self-aware."

Qian Mo put down his wine glass and tapped the edge of the bed with his finger.

"System."

[Yes.]

"This kid wants to go to the Soul Hunting Forest to find confidence? He wants to upgrade by killing soul beasts?"

A golden light flashed in Qian Mo's eyes. "Let's add some spice for him. Since he's the 'Child of Destiny', how can he not have a fortuitous encounter?"

"Increase the soul beast riot index in the outer areas of the Soul Hunting Forest by tenfold."

"Also, arrange some 'good neighbors' for him. For example... a lustful Wind Baboon, and that Meteorite that's destined to smash him to death."

[Command received. Causality modification in progress... Modification complete. Wishing Tang San a pleasant journey.]

The next morning.

The first ray of sunlight shone into the dilapidated clinic.

Flender woke up with two huge Dark Circles under his eyes. He had stayed up all night, afraid of creditors showing up.

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

Flender forced himself to be energetic and stood up. "Although those five hundred Gold Soul Coins aren't enough to pay off debts, they can at least save Hongjun's brain."

He spoke, reaching for the key in his embrace.

That was the key to the office safe.

However.

When he rushed back to the academy and opened the empty safe, he instantly turned Petrified.

The money was gone.

There was no note on the table, only a window that wasn't fully closed, creaking in the wind.

"No... impossible..."

Flender frantically searched the entire office, even crawling on the ground looking for Mouse holes.

Nothing.

Not a single copper coin was left.

"Who?! Who did this?!"

Flender let out a Piercing roar, his voice filled with Despair.

Just then, hurried Footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Yu Xiaogang ran in, panting, his Face Turned Pale: "Flender! This is bad! Xiao San... Xiao San is gone! All his things are gone!"

The two looked at each other.

The Air seemed to freeze.

A terrifying guess exploded in both their minds simultaneously.

"It was him... he took Hongjun's Life-Saving Money..."

Flender slumped onto the ground, his eyes vacant, as if his Belief had Collapsed. "That was his Brother's life... How could he bring himself to do it..."

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, wanting to defend, wanting to say there must be a misunderstanding.

But the words that reached his mouth turned into a bitter sweetness.

"Pfft--!!!"

Yu Xiaogang spat out a mouthful of old blood three meters away, his vision went black, and he fell straight down.

Being stabbed in the back by the disciple he trusted the most was a blow worse than killing him.

At the same time.

The streets and alleys of Suotuo City were plastered with brand new notices.

These were the highest wanted posters issued jointly by the Spirit Arena and the Martial Soul Hall.

On the portraits, the faces of Tang San, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang were depicted with striking accuracy (even deliberately uglified a bit).

[WANTED POSTER]

[Criminals: Shrek Team (Scam Group)]

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

[Reward: Capture Tang San alive, reward 100,000 Gold Soul Coins; Capture Yu Xiaogang alive, reward 10 Copper Soul Coins (plus a bag of Rice).]

[Note: This person is extremely dangerous, skilled in Ambush Attacks, extremely Double Standard. If seen, kill directly, no need for martial ethics.]

The surrounding crowd pointed and laughed.

"Haha, this is that academy that claims to only accept Monsters?"

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

"Tsk tsk, this Tang San looks like a decent person, but turns out to be a scoundrel who ran off with the money!"

Clouds swirled and winds rose.

The once proud and aloof Shrek had, overnight, become a Street Rat.

And a hundred miles away, on the edge of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Tang San sneezed and tightened the ragged clothes on his body. He looked at the deep, dark forest ahead, his Eyes flashing with a beast-like glint, completely unaware of what kind of "auspicious" feast awaited him.