"However..."
Dai Mubai changed tack and glanced toward the Sky Screen.
"The real show is only just beginning."
"That version of me in that world is capable of doing far more stupid things than just running away."
Hearing this, the women all looked curiously toward the Sky Screen.
Images shifted across the Sky Screen.
The Black World's story continued.
[Escape did not bring a new beginning.]
[What awaited Dai Mubai was an even more complete descent into depravity.]
The scene changed to Dai Mubai's chambers.
They were no longer in that shadowy corridor, but in a room filled with the reek of alcohol and an air of extravagance.
Dai Mubai was twelve now.
But he looked even more washed-up than he had at ten.
His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest. Two dark circles hung beneath his once-handsome eyes, his bags were swollen, and he looked utterly spent from indulging himself.
Empty liquor bottles were scattered all over the floor.
There were even a few pieces of women's undergarments.
Dai Mubai slumped on the floor, clutching a flask. His eyes were glazed over, and every so often he let out a stupid chuckle.
"Training? What a joke!"
"I can't beat Dai Weisi anyway... I'm going to die anyway..."
"Might as well enjoy myself while I can..."
"Hic—"
He hiccupped, tipped his head back, and gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor. The burning liquid ran from the corner of his mouth, soaking the front of his shirt.
So this was what they called "keeping a low profile and biding his time."
So this was what they called "enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden."
In truth, it was nothing but giving up completely.
Just then—
"Bang!"
Someone kicked open the door to his chambers.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, making Dai Mubai squint.
A tall figure walked in, backlit.
It was Dai Weisi.
Dai Weisi was now fifteen or sixteen, broad-shouldered, with that signature sinister smile on his face.
But the Soul Power fluctuations around him weren't all that strong.
Over the past few years, without any pressure from a rival, Dai Weisi had grown lax in his training. He hadn't made any dramatic leaps forward.
Even so—
The instant Dai Weisi appeared,
Dai Mubai, who had been drinking, tossed his flask away as if he were a mouse that had just spotted a cat.
"B-Big Brother..."
Dai Mubai trembled all over and scrambled toward the space under the bed.
Where was the dignity of a prince in that display?
Dai Weisi looked at the heap of filth on the floor, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.
He stepped forward and planted a foot on the back of Dai Mubai's hand.
Then he ground his heel down.
"Ah—!!"
Dai Mubai let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
"My dear little brother, drinking in your room in broad daylight?"
"What is it? Not thinking of how to kill me and take back the throne?"
Dai Weisi bent down, reached out, and patted Dai Mubai's face. He hit hard, each slap cracking loudly.
It was an utter humiliation.
Even the meek had their limits.
Even if he couldn't win, he should at least have fought back—or at least glared at him.
But Dai Mubai did no such thing.
He lay on the floor, letting Dai Weisi keep his hand underfoot and slap his face.
He even tried to force a flattering smile.
"B-Big Brother, you're joking..."
"I'm a good-for-nothing... How could I dare compete with you..."
"Please spare me... spare me..."
Dai Mubai's voice shook, breaking into a sob.
He had given up every shred of dignity.
All so he wouldn't have to take another beating.
All so he could keep scraping by.
Dai Weisi found it boring.
There was no sense of accomplishment in picking on a spineless good-for-nothing like this.
"Ptooey."
Dai Weisi spat a mouthful of phlegm onto Dai Mubai's face.
"Disgusting."
"Don't call yourself my brother again. You're an embarrassment."
With that, Dai Weisi turned and left.
Dai Mubai was left lying on the floor, his face smeared with liquor, tears, and that glob of phlegm.
He didn't wipe it off.
He only stared blankly toward the doorway, then let out a long sigh of relief.
"He's gone... He's finally gone..."
"It's okay... It's okay..."
He picked up the flask from the floor again and gulped down several mouthfuls, as if to calm his nerves.
The image slowly froze.
It stopped on that twisted face, smeared with phlegm and wearing a fawning smile.
Boom—!!!
The Black World erupted.
This time, it wasn't merely disappointment.
It was fury.
The kind of fury that came from being so frustrated with someone you wanted to storm in and strangle him yourself.
The imperial city of the Star Luo Empire.
Inside a tavern,
several elderly officials who had been defending Dai Mubai moments earlier were now trembling with rage, their teacups smashed to pieces in their hands.
"Beast! What a beast!"
"How could a prince be frightened into such a state?"
"He got spat on and didn't even dare fight back? He actually smiled and groveled?"
"He's disgraced the entire Star Luo Empire!"
"If a spineless coward like him became emperor, wouldn't Star Luo have to kneel before the Heaven Dou Empire and beg for mercy?"
Out on the streets, the people pointed at the Sky Screen and cursed.
"What Evil Eye White Tiger? More like a sick cat! A mangy dog!"
"Dai Weisi isn't even that strong! How could he be this scared after just a few years?"
"White World Dai Mubai dared to kick Dai Weisi flying when he was six. This one's twelve and still getting trampled underfoot!"
"He's beyond saving. Completely beyond saving."
Shrek Academy.
The oppressive atmosphere had reached its peak.
Tang San's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
As he watched the scene on the Sky Screen, the last trace of respect he had for Dai Mubai vanished.
The Tang Sect, where he had lived in his previous life, valued honor above all.
Even an outer disciple would never have suffered such a disgraceful humiliation without reacting.
Dai Mubai's behavior crossed Tang San's line.
"Boss Dai..."
Oscar opened his mouth, hoping to say something to ease the tension, but he couldn't find the words.
How could he defend this?
There was no defending it!
Dai Mubai stood in the middle of the crowd.
He felt as though his soul were being hacked to pieces.
Every cringing movement and every fawning plea for mercy from the "him" on the Sky Screen was like a red-hot brand, searing his face and his heart.
That was the past he most wanted to bury.
That was the side of himself he least wanted anyone to see.
He had thought that if he escaped to Shrek, if he put on an air of carefree swagger and domineering strength, he could erase that humiliating history.
But now—
The whole world knew.
The whole world had seen him grovel at Dai Weisi's feet like a dog, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.
"No... That's not how it happened..."
Dai Mubai's eyes were bloodshot. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood.
He roared wildly in his heart.
The shame was so unbearable that he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it—or just die.
It was a mental torture.
A million times worse than being killed.
The gazes of his classmates, teachers, and even passersby were no longer mocking him as before.
They were pitying him.
They were looking at him like he was some poor wretch.
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