Douluo: Starting by Building Guns - Chapter 27

"Do you still remember the rules of Shrek Academy?"

Dai Mubai looked like a stray dog who'd lost his soul. He muttered, "Those without sufficient talent are not accepted."

"Those who've been spoiled are not accepted."

"Those who don't know what they're talking about are not accepted."

"Those who refuse to mend their ways are not—are not accepted."

"Dean, Dean, I know I was wrong. I'll change, I swear I'll change. Please don't kick me out."

"I—I can't go back. If I go back, I'll die for sure. Dean, Dean..."

Flender looked at Dai Mubai with even greater disappointment and sighed. "Mubai, don't say anything more. You're on your own now."

"I, I..."

Dai Mubai's gaze was vacant, as if he'd suddenly lost all hope of surviving.

No, no, I can't leave. I absolutely can't leave.

If I go back, I'll die. Dai Weisi will definitely kill me.

The village—right, the village outside Shrek Academy. So many Soul Masters hang around there. I can stay there too.

I'll just stay there. I'm not leaving. I'd rather die than leave.

The dean said that compared to survival, dignity was nothing. Right, everything is about staying alive.

Dean, I understand now. I understand, Dean.

Dai Mubai's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Dean, I know I've disappointed you, but I really will change."

"I know you don't believe me, but I don't care. I'll prove it to you in the days ahead."

Flender froze for a moment. What was going on? Why was he suddenly so fired up? Could reverse psychology really work?

"Uh, uh, all right. I'll wait and see!"

Forget it. He'd agree for now and see how things went. If Dai Mubai genuinely stuck to it instead of losing interest after three days, then giving him another chance wouldn't hurt.

After all, someone with innate level-nine talent was a rare genius.

What Flender didn't know was that his act of leniency today would give Douluo Continent a hypocrite who'd stop at nothing in the future.

Night fell, and the interior of Star Dou Forest quickly grew dark.

Shen Feng thought for a moment, then stood up. "Teacher Zhao, please keep an eye on Xiao Ao. I'll spread some Insect Repellent Powder around us."

"Xiao Ao could be cultivating for a while yet. If we don't make preparations, the mosquitoes and bugs in Star Dou Forest will probably eat us alive tonight."

Zhao Wuji nodded. "We should definitely prepare. When you spend the night in a forest, it's often not the Soul Beasts that are dangerous, but these inconspicuous snakes, bugs, and rats."

"I have some good Insect Repellent Powder here. Want to try it?"

Shen Feng waved him off. "No need. We've survived on the border of Star Dou Forest for a year. The Insect Repellent Powder we have is better than yours."

"Who knows? The Insect Repellent Powder you have might even be made according to my formula."

Zhao Wuji paused. "Uh, I did buy this powder in Soul Hunting Town yesterday."

Shen Feng chuckled. "Night falls earlier in Star Dou Forest than it does outside. If we don't start preparing now, we'll run out of time."

"Hongjun, come with me. We can gather some firewood along the way, so we can light a bonfire tonight."

"All right." Ma Hongjun got up and followed Shen Feng into the forest.

Before transmigrating, Shen Feng had also thought it was impossible to light a bonfire in a forest in another world like Douluo Continent, since it would attract dangerous Soul Beasts that liked fire.

But after living in Soul Hunting Town for nearly a year, he'd learned that was complete nonsense.

Forests inhabited by Soul Beasts were generally extremely dense primeval forests. With all the shrubs and weeds blocking the way, a bonfire's light couldn't even reach ten meters.

What Soul Beasts could you attract from ten meters away?

Even if one did come, fighting in a lit area and fighting in the dark were two completely different things.

Humans didn't have night vision, after all.

So no matter how dangerous the forest, lighting a bonfire was always more beneficial than not.

Besides, the Soul Beasts attracted by firelight were generally fire-attribute Soul Beasts, which normally lived near volcanoes.

Only the heat there could accelerate the refinement of their Soul Power.

Aside from bugs, the only things a bonfire might attract were giant moths.

Well, perhaps a child of destiny could attract a Light Goddess Butterfly.

Before long, darkness had fully descended, and Shen Feng and Ma Hongjun emerged from the forest.

A large pile of firewood tumbled out of Shen Feng's Soul Tool.

"It got dark too quickly, so I ran short on time. I only spread Insect Repellent Powder in two rings around the center of our camp, one with a ten-meter radius and the other with a fifteen-meter radius."

Zhao Wuji pulled out a few logs and stacked them together. "Hongjun, it's your time to shine."

"Two layers of protection are enough. Xiao Ao's still cultivating, and we'll have to keep watch over him tonight. We probably won't get any rest either. We just need to stay alert and keep poisonous bugs and snakes out."

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and spat out a ball of purple flame. Rubbing his stomach, which had begun to growl, he asked, "You two big shots, got anything to eat? I haven't eaten all day."

At lunchtime, everyone had eaten Oscar's sausages, but he and Dai Mubai had refused because they thought they were disgusting.

He'd finally made it to dinnertime, but Oscar had to break through, so now he couldn't even get a sausage.

Shen Feng grinned wickedly and pulled a plump, fat grub from his pocket.

The grub was smooth and legless, jade-colored all over. It was about ten centimeters long and nearly two centimeters thick. Shen Feng pinched it by the head, while its slick body writhed frantically between his fingers.

"A Ten-Year Soul Beast, a Hercules Beetle Larva. I found it while gathering firewood. Want to try it?"

Watching the Hercules Beetle Larva writhe made Ma Hongjun's stomach churn. He forced down his nausea and gritted his teeth. "I'll try it. Who's afraid?"

"It's just a bug, right? No matter how disgusting it is, I can eat it!"

Zhao Wuji glanced at Ma Hongjun. "You silly boy. You really don't know anything."

"This Hercules Beetle Larva is a great tonic. It's not only nutritious, but also promotes blood circulation, removes blood stasis, and relaxes the muscles and tendons. For Soul Masters like us, it's practically a natural supplement."

"You don't need to add any seasoning. Just roast it over the fire until both sides are golden brown. Tsk, that mouthwatering aroma—just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

"Xiao Feng, how many did you get? Take them all out. I'm going to enjoy myself this time."

Shen Feng smiled, rummaged around in his pocket, and pulled out six more Hercules Beetle Larvae of about the same size.

"Not many. There are seven in all. Two for each of us, and we'll save the last one for Xiao Ao so he can try it too."

Zhao Wuji rubbed his hands together. "That's enough, that's enough. Delicacies are rare. Two each will satisfy my craving."

The night passed without incident. Oscar didn't wake from his cultivation until dawn, and he successfully broke through to level thirty.

When Oscar woke up, Shen Feng, who'd been keeping watch beside him, flipped his wrist and took out the Hercules Beetle Larva he'd roasted the previous night.

"Xiao Ao, congratulations on reaching level thirty."

"Here's a gift. It's a little cold, though."

Oscar paused, took the roasted bug, and popped it into his mouth without hesitation.

"It's delicious. I really like it. This is the best thing I've eaten all year."

Shen Feng laughed. "What do you mean, delicious? You're just hungry."

"Oh, my dear Oscar, hurry up and make me some sausages! You have no idea what I've been through all night!"

Ma Hongjun suddenly rushed over, rubbing his stomach and interrupting Shen Feng and Oscar's conversation.

Oscar asked in confusion, "What happened last night? Didn't he think my sausages were disgusting?"

Shen Feng pressed his lips together, smiling. "He got so hungry that he spent all night eating bugs."

"Not only did he fail to fill his stomach, but he also got an upset stomach."

"Give him one Big Sausage. At this rate, he probably won't be able to set out today."

Ma Hongjun immediately held up his fingers. "One isn't enough. Two—no, five! I think I can eat five."

Oscar was speechless. "Uh..."

The Hercules Beetle Larvae had looked quite big last night, but once roasted, there hadn't been much meat on them.

Just like Zhao Wuji had said, they were only enough to satisfy a craving.

Shen Feng and Zhao Wuji had been fine. They'd at least eaten something at noon, and they hadn't done much while waiting for Dai Mubai to absorb his Soul Ring that afternoon, so they were in decent shape.

Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, was in trouble. Two Hercules Beetle Larvae hadn't filled him up at all. If anything, he'd been even hungrier afterward.

Going out to find food in Star Dou Forest during the day was dangerous enough, let alone at night.

With no other choice, Ma Hongjun had caught bugs attracted by the bonfire, strung them together, and roasted them over the fire.

It had seemed fine at first. Most bugs tasted pretty good: once roasted, they tasted like chicken, were crunchy, and had six times the nutrition of beef.

But the more you walked by the river, the more likely you were to get your shoes wet.

One slip-up, and he'd swallowed a poisonous bug. If Ma Hongjun hadn't been the Evil Fire Phoenix who'd flown out of the chicken coop, this time it might have been more than just an upset stomach.

As dawn broke, Oscar provided breakfast for everyone.

They paired regular Meat Sausages with a few Lemon Sour Sausages for flavor, then roasted them over the embers of the previous night's bonfire. The savory meatiness mixed with the tangy freshness of lemon, making for a surprisingly distinctive taste.

Ma Hongjun either really was hungry or wanted to put Oscar at ease.

The day before, he and Dai Mubai had sternly refused to eat the Big Sausages. Today, he polished off ten in one go.

That performance genuinely improved Oscar's opinion of him a little.

After all, how bad could someone who happily wolfed down his Big Sausages really be?

His straightforward, unpretentious manner also slightly changed Shen Feng's opinion of him.

Whether it was eating bugs of his own accord yesterday or asking Oscar for sausages today, as long as Ma Hongjun meant well and was willing to join Shen Feng's group, Shen Feng didn't mind trying to accept him.

Just like the principle of the Soul Hunting Guild: independent Soul Masters across the land were one family.

When unaffiliated Soul Masters without power or influence united, they could unleash an unstoppable force and stand up to those enormous forces that had lasted for a thousand—or even ten thousand—years.

After breakfast, the sun had risen, and the dim Star Dou Forest quickly brightened.

The agreed time was drawing near, but Flender, who'd taken Dai Mubai back the night before, still hadn't returned.

Just as everyone began to worry that something might have happened to Flender, a clear eagle's cry suddenly rang out from the sky above the forest.

Zhao Wuji's face lit up. "It's Fu Laoda. He's back!"

Everyone looked up and saw Flender circling in the sky through the dense canopy.

Zhao Wuji focused his energy, then threw a charged punch at a large tree beside him. The tree crashed down, and the tremendous noise immediately caught Flender's attention.

Flender dived through the gap left by the fallen tree and landed directly in front of everyone.

"Why are you so late? Did something happen?" As soon as Flender landed, Zhao Wuji eagerly asked.

Flender shook his head and glanced at Oscar, looking pleased. "No, everything went smoothly."

"On the way here, I found something good that seemed perfect for Xiao Ao, so I spent some time tracking it down."

"Something good?" Zhao Wuji paused. "Did you find a suitable Soul Beast for Xiao Ao?"

Flender nodded and took a honeybee figurine, about ten centimeters long and carved from fine white jade, out of his Storage Soul Tool.

"A jade ornament?" Zhao Wuji asked in confusion.

Shen Feng shook his head. "No, that's not an ornament. It's a kind of bee Soul Beast."

Zhao Wuji paused. "You recognize it?"

Shen Feng nodded. "I read about it in a book."