Collateral Damage

Flender hesitated. "Impossible, isn't it? Who in the city hasn't heard of Shrek Academy? With even a little inquiry, they should have had no trouble finding the place."

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

Dai Mubai blinked. That did seem possible.

But it was already late, and it would not be easy for them to search for the others' whereabouts.

Dai Mubai tried hard to recall. "Dean, I heard they often participate in Soul Fighting at the Great Soul Arena."

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

Flender approved of his suggestion.

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

A few days ago, 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.

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

As Dai Mubai spoke the two girls' names, Flender froze on the spot once more.

"She didn't come?"

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

Flender ignored him.

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

How could Flender dare let his guard down? 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.

By then, Wu Qi and the other two had already arrived at Soul 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 for Wu Qi, if he had the money to rent a carriage, why run? Wasn't that just making himself suffer for nothing?

Besides, he did not have a masochistic streak.

After entering Soul Beast Town, Ning Rongrong found everything here novel and kept looking around.

"Miss Rongrong, didn't you ever stop in Soul Beast Town when you went Soul Hunting before?" Qiangu Changkong could not help asking.

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

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

Moreover, they always went and returned on the same day, never staying in Soul Beast Town.

Wu Qi reminded her, "Don't look around carelessly. This place has all sorts of shady characters, and quite a few people are carrying murder charges."

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

If someone watched them for too long, it could easily alert them and even drive them into a desperate frenzy.

After finding the nearest restaurant, the three 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 furry little fellow.

"Brother Wu Qi, is this a Soul Beast? It's so cute."

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

Ning Rongrong jumped in fright. Only after seeing that Little Deer showed no aggression did she relax and start petting it.

Qiangu Changkong casually recounted their shared experiences with Little Deer.

The little fellow had helped them out of two major predicaments.

The first time had been in Death 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 ambush 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.

But if they got into trouble not long after leaving, the Worship Hall would surely lose "confidence" in them.

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

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

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

However, a Soul Beast with a hundred years of cultivation was still in its infancy among Soul Beasts.

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

After what happened last time, Qiangu Changkong and Wu Qi watched the Waiter's every move.

Once the private room door closed and the Waiter showed no suspicious behavior, Qiangu Changkong let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. This isn't some shady restaurant."

Soul Beast Town was filled with Soul Masters. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare tamper with the food.

What had happened before was unlikely to happen again.

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

Just as Qiangu Changkong was about to investigate, a figure flew into the private room and smashed the dining table over.

"Damn, our luck is awful," Qiangu Changkong muttered.

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

"He's from Spirit Hall!"

Qiangu Changkong nearly let something slip. "Why are they causing trouble for us?"

Wu Qi looked outside the private room and could barely make out people fighting in the restaurant hall.

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

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

They had simply been caught in the crossfire.

With the table overturned, they definitely could not continue this meal.

Besides, it was not appropriate for them to step in and help.

First, they could not expose their connection with Spirit Hall. Second, they did not know who the Criminal was. Acting blindly would only make the situation even more chaotic.

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

Wu Qi shook his head.

Not everyone in Spirit Hall knew them. Climbing out now would look like they were trying to hide something.

If they were accidentally injured by a Spirit Hall powerhouse, that would be a complete 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.

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

With an angry curse, Qiangu Changkong summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul. Two yellow Soul Rings shone beneath his feet.

This time, Wu Qi did not stop him and let him charge out of the private room.

Ning Rongrong swiftly activated her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul and bestowed a boost upon him.

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

Wu Qi leaned against the wall and shook his head. "Not yet. It's not time."

Qiangu Changkong had the Pope's Order. Once the people from Spirit Hall saw it, they would not attack him. They might even reveal the target of Spirit Hall's mission.

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

It was very likely that they were dealing with a vicious Evil Soul Master this time.

About five minutes later, the commotion in the restaurant ceased, and Qiangu Changkong returned.

Since Spirit Hall never needed a reason to act, Ning Rongrong did not ask what had happened.

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

"Brother Wu, the Spirit Hall branch from Southwest City is handling this. They chased two Evil Soul Masters from Southwest City all the way here."

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