Lan Minghua's words made Flender's face darken.
He had thought he could use Oscar's name to get a teacher who was at least a Soul Saint for free. He hadn't expected to dig himself into a hole.
He had just invited Lan Minghua to join Shrek. If he refused now, wouldn't that insult him?
Lan Minghua looked at Flender's troubled expression, then at the Hair Crystal, and an idea came to him.
"I can join Shrek for now. No need to rush into discussing my compensation."
"Really?" Flender exclaimed, overjoyed.
Lan Minghua glanced at him and dampened his excitement.
"Don't get happy too soon. Here, that Hair Crystal can count as the interest you owe me. What do you say? Deal?"
Flender didn't hesitate. He placed the Hair Crystal right in front of Lan Minghua.
The Hair Crystal was only worth a few hundred Gold Soul Coins.
That wasn't a small sum, but it was worth it to win over a powerhouse like Lan Minghua.
"Take it if you like. It was just sitting around here anyway."
Lan Minghua took the Hair Crystal without ceremony. With a flip of his palm, he put it into the System Space.
Flender's eyes lit up. He knew it had all been worth it, and thought to himself,
"A Soul Tool? As expected, Huazi is definitely not as simple as he seems. I've hit the jackpot."
Lan Minghua paid Flender no mind. He stood up and headed for the door.
"Let's leave it at that for now. I'll look around some more, then head to Shrek later. Remember to arrange a house for me. I don't want the sky for a quilt and the ground for a bed."
"Don't worry. I'll have someone arrange it."
Watching Lan Minghua's retreating figure, Flender immediately sent a message to Zhao Wuji, telling him to get ready.
This was a chance to improve Shrek's strength, and he wasn't about to let it slip by.
At Shrek Academy, Zhao Wuji received Flender's message and frowned.
"What's Flender up to? Someone who's no weaker than a... Soul Saint? Are Soul Saints really that common now?"
Zhao Wuji grumbled, but didn't say anything more. He dutifully went to prepare a room.
The sun sank in the west, and the evening clouds blazed like flames, painting half the sky red.
"It's already evening? I should head to Shrek. I hope Flender's prepared a house for me. Otherwise, I'll have to commandeer his."
Watching the sun set, Lan Minghua headed toward Shrek Academy.
At the same time, a red-haired little fatty at Shrek Academy was shouting in frustration.
"Cuihua, why did you reject me? I gave you my heart, and you still treat me like this!"
This was none other than Ma Hongjun, one of the future Shrek Seven Devils.
He hadn't vented his Evil Fire—or hadn't gotten what he wanted—and was now fuming with rage.
Thanks to his impressive strength, Lan Minghua entered Shrek with ease.
But the moment he stepped inside, he heard someone howling.
He narrowed his eyes and looked over, spotting Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun, who was busy shouting, noticed Lan Minghua too.
Someone had seen him make a fool of himself. On top of that, he hadn't vented his fire today, and his temper was already flaring.
Ma Hongjun was no kind soul. Seeing Lan Minghua witness his embarrassment, he decided he wanted him dead.
Even if he didn't kill him, he'd cripple him.
"Hey, you filthy beggar! You think you belong here? Go to hell!"
Lan Minghua was baffled. He hadn't even said a word. Why had Ma Hongjun suddenly become murderous toward him?
"Birds of a feather, I suppose. Only people alike can get along."
"But you're going to attack me?" Lan Minghua's gaze turned cold.
"I don't mind teaching you a lesson on Flender's behalf. One you won't forget."
"Filthy beggar! How dare you ignore me? Die!"
Ma Hongjun was already prone to sudden outbursts of rage because of his Evil Fire. Being ignored by a beggar sent him over the edge.
In an instant, Soul Power surged, and his Grass Chicken Martial Soul appeared.
His Martial Soul had mutated, but not entirely for the better.
He possessed Evil Fire that burned hotter than ordinary flames.
"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fireline!"
Ma Hongjun drew in a deep breath, puffing up his chest. Then his cheeks ballooned as he blew with all his might.
A dazzling rose-red stream of fire shot toward Lan Minghua like an arrow loosed from a bow, blazing with heat and force.
Faced with the fierce attack, Lan Minghua simply raised a hand at an unhurried pace, making no attempt to defend himself.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the Phoenix Fireline seemed to strike an invisible wall of impenetrable strength.
Its energy instantly went out of control and burst in every direction.
Lan Minghua could clearly tell that Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fireline was powerful enough to take an ordinary person's life with ease.
If I weren't playing the role of Wretched Fate Hua, that attack would've killed me.
Beneath the flames, the chill in his eyes grew even more piercing as he thought to himself.
"What?! How could this filthy beggar block my First Soul Skill?!"
Ma Hongjun's eyes widened in disbelief as he roared.
"Young man, acting so recklessly is a good way to get a beating."
Lan Minghua's leisurely voice rang out, and before he'd even finished speaking—
Whoosh! A slipper shot out like a streak of black lightning.
It flew against the Phoenix Fireline's trajectory, hurtling toward Ma Hongjun's face with the force of a thunderbolt.
The slipper came at him with such ferocity that it instantly snuffed out the Phoenix Fireline.
It was too fast. Ma Hongjun had no time to react.
SMACK!
The slipper struck Ma Hongjun square in the face with tremendous force.
The moment it hit, its immense power snapped the bridge of his nose.
Blood gushed from his nostrils like a fountain.
Ma Hongjun's feet left the ground, and he flew several meters backward like a kite with its string cut before crashing heavily to the ground.
He lay there, staring blankly, the bright red slipper print on his face impossible to miss.
After bouncing off Ma Hongjun's face, the slipper seemed to be pulled by some mysterious force. It flew straight back onto Lan Minghua's raised foot.
"Fatty! Bastard, what did you do?!"
Behind Lan Minghua, Dai Mubai had just returned from a fierce fight with the twins and happened to witness the scene.
As Ma Hongjun's big brother, he couldn't just let his underling take a beating.
Without asking what had happened, he released his Martial Soul and attacked Lan Minghua.
"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Blazing Light Wave!"
He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and a milky-white wave of light burst forth.
It slammed toward Lan Minghua's back.
It was almost the same kind of attack as the Phoenix Fireline. Guess they really were cut from the same cloth.
Lan Minghua slowly turned around. Just as the White Tiger Blazing Light Wave was about to hit him, he vanished.
In what seemed like a teleport, he appeared behind Dai Mubai.
"Chrysanthemum Acupoint Hand!"
He pressed his hands together, joined his index and middle fingers, and jabbed hard at Dai Mubai's butt.
A chill ran down Dai Mubai's back, but his body wouldn't respond.
"Argh!"
With a scream, he clutched his butt and shot into the air like a rocket. He finally landed beside Ma Hongjun, frothing at the mouth.
Disgusted, Lan Minghua scooped up some dirt from the ground and wiped his fingers.
Before you continue