Leng Yaozhu: Qiangu Dongfeng...
The door closed gently, leaving only Huo Yuhao and his six companions inside.
The room was simply and elegantly furnished, and everything was quiet and peaceful, forming a cruel and stark contrast with the apocalyptic scene outside the window.
Xu Xiaoyan slowly walked to the window, her hands resting on the cold window frame, staring blankly at the once bustling Shrek City, now mostly gone.
Tears streamed silently down her face. Her voice was choked and hoarse as she murmured, as if talking to herself, "It's all gone. How many people have died?"
Tang Wulin stood not far behind her, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, a trace of crimson seeping between his fingers, but he was completely unaware.
This usually sunny and cheerful boy, who never gets angry easily, now had a face as cold as a piece of thousand-year-old iron.
He spoke slowly and deliberately, "Holy Spirit Cult, Evil Soul Master, I will personally uproot you all in the future!"
Count me in!
Xie Xie walked to Tang Wulin's side and patted his shoulder heavily.
This usually carefree and talkative boy now had no trace of his usual playful smile and cynicism; his usually lazy eyes were burning with an unprecedented hatred and determination.
Na'er stood a little further away, Yun Ming's image repeatedly echoing in her mind.
After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke, "We still need to improve our strength. Without sufficient strength, everything is in vain."
Huo Yuhao watched his companions' indignant expressions without saying a word from beginning to end.
His gaze calmly swept over each face filled with anger and sorrow, but his thoughts were far deeper and more profound than theirs.
Shrek Academy, which had dominated the continent for 20,000 years, is gone just like that. This is far more than just the loss of an academy; the situation on the continent is likely to undergo a dramatic change.
besides...
When Leng Yaozhu left, the expression on her cold and beautiful face was colder than he had ever seen before, as if she were going to settle scores with someone.
"Bang!"
Leng Yaozhu kicked open the heavy door of Qiangu Dongfeng's office, which was carved from a single piece of century-old Black Ebony Wood.
The door slammed heavily against the wall, making a dull thud as it succumbed to the weight.
Leng Yaozhu's stunningly beautiful face seemed to be covered by a layer of frost that had never melted for millennia, and the icy aura emanating from her body caused the surrounding air to drop several degrees in temperature.
Behind her, two staff members from the Spirit Pagoda jogged up, looking panicked.
They chased after them, making futile attempts to stop them, their voices filled with barely concealed fear and anxiety.
"Vice Tower Master Leng, you cannot go in!"
"Vice Tower Master Leng, please calm down..."
Leng Yaozhu ignored him. She stood at the office door, her gaze like an icy blade, piercing straight at the handsome middle-aged man sitting behind the desk.
Qiangu Dongfeng sat in his large leather office chair, raised his eyes and glanced expressionlessly at the two flustered people behind Leng Yaozhu, then gently waved his hand.
The two staff members, as if relieved, quickly bowed and backed out of the office, carefully closing the rickety door behind them.
Only Leng Yaozhu and Qiangu Dongfeng remained in the room, the air thick with a suffocating silence and a palpable tension.
Qiangu Dongfeng leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on the table, and asked in a calm tone, "Yao Zhu, what's the matter that made you rush over here?"
Leng Yaozhu walked a few steps to the desk, raised her right hand, and slammed it heavily on the table.
With a loud "crack," the teacup on the table jolted violently.
She leaned forward slightly, looking down at Qiangu Dongfeng sitting in the chair, her voice as cold as a gust of wind squeezed out from beneath a layer of ice.
"The Qiangu Dongfeng; don't pretend you don't understand."
"You dare say you knew nothing about the Holy Spirit Cult's attack on the Shrek Academy?"
Qiangu Dongfeng's expression darkened slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. "Yao Zhu, you are the Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda. You should prioritize the interests of the Spirit Pagoda in everything you do. How can you side with outsiders? Are you here to interrogate us on behalf of the Shrek Academy?"
"Furthermore, colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult is not something that can be made lightly."
"How could I, as the master of the Spirit Pagoda, do such a thing?"
"If these words get out, it will not only be a slander against me personally, but also a disgrace to the entire Spirit Pagoda. You'd better think carefully before you speak."
Leng Yaozhu sneered, her face full of undisguised mockery and coldness.
Her hands were on the table, her body leaning slightly forward. Her long, narrow phoenix eyes looked down at Qiangu Dongfeng with a sharp gaze that seemed to want to dissect him from the inside out.
"Hmph, you're really trying to absolve yourself of all responsibility. You think I don't know what you're thinking?"
"You're jealous of Yun Ming, jealous of his strength, jealous of his reputation, jealous of his status as the Number One Person on the continent."
"So you colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult to smuggle those Fixed Soul Guidance Shell into the city..."
Before Leng Yaozhu could finish speaking, she was abruptly interrupted by Qiangu Dongfeng's shout.
"Nonsense!"
He abruptly stood up from his office chair, and a clear look of anger finally surfaced on his usually composed face.
"Yao Zhu, you're underestimating me, Qiangu Dongfeng, by thinking that way."
"I admit that I am not as strong as Yun Ming, but I am not jealous of him because of that, much less would I collude with those Evil Soul Master in the gutter of the Holy Spirit Cult for this reason!"
"You keep accusing me of colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult, where's the evidence?"
"Breaking into the Tower Master's office without any evidence, pointing your finger at me and questioning me—is this how you, as the Vice Tower Master, should behave?"
Seeing Qiangu Dongfeng's righteous and impassioned demeanor, Leng Yaozhu remained unmoved. The anger in her phoenix eyes not only did not subside, but burned even more fiercely.
She slowly straightened up, removed her hands from the table, and her voice grew even colder. "It's not just Yun Ming, but also Gu Yue and Huo Yuhao!"
"You knew they were both at the Shrek Academy today, which is why you chose today to launch your attack, right?"
"You want to use the Holy Spirit Cult to eliminate these two geniuses who don't belong to your Qiangu Lineage, so that your grandson, Qiangu Zhangting, can smoothly succeed as the next Tower Master, is that it?"
Faced with Leng Yaozhu's series of pointed questions, Qiangu Dongfeng remained completely calm, only slightly furrowing his brows and moving his lips as if he wanted to retort.
However, before he could utter a sound, Leng Yaozhu preemptively continued, "Your Ruyi thinking is quite good. With the Shrek Academy destroyed, Yun Ming perished, and Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue, these two thorns in your side, disappearing as well, your Qiangu Lineage's position in the Spirit Pagoda will be secure from now on."
"Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. My two disciples were very resilient and survived unharmed."
"Your plan is destined not to be fully realized."
As she said this, Leng Yaozhu's gaze was fixed on Qiangu Dongfeng's face, not missing the slightest change in his expression.
Sure enough, the instant she finished speaking, she clearly caught a fleeting, subtle change in the depths of Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes.
Leng Yaozhu didn't say anything more; she knew that Qiangu Dongfeng would never admit to this.
Given this man's shrewdness and skill, he would never reveal anything without overwhelming evidence.
She came here today not to force him to confess, but to let him know that she, Leng Yaozhu, had her eye on him.
She turned around decisively, her white dress drawing a sharp arc in the air, and strode towards the door, but then suddenly paused.
Leng Yaozhu turned her head slightly, giving Qiangu Dongfeng one last cold glance from the corner of her eye. Her voice was calm but carried a warning. "Qiangu Dongfeng, keep pretending. You'd better pray I don't catch you doing anything wrong."
"Also, if anything happens to Gu Yue and Huo Yuhao again, no matter who takes action, I will only come to you!"
After saying that, Leng Yaozhu flung open the door and walked out without looking back.
"Bang!!!"
The door slammed shut behind her with a dull thud that made the entire wall tremble slightly.