Just Come Save Me, and I'll Give You a Hehe

The Star Dou Great Forest was incredibly dense. The words "so thick it blotted out the sky" were no exaggeration; it was hard to catch a glimpse of sunlight within the forest.

After traveling for about an hour, it was already noon.

During that hour, they had encountered quite a few Soul Beasts. Most were only ten- or hundred-year Soul Beasts, but they had still greatly enriched Oscar's Soul Beast field guide.

While observing them, they had refrained from taking their lives. Only when they occasionally ran into some foolish Soul Beast that charged in looking for death would Zhao Wuji smack it unconscious and toss it aside.

"All right, everyone, let's take a break."

Flender climbed down from a tree. His voice eased the tension that had kept everyone on edge, while Zhao Wuji cleared away the surrounding thorns, making a clearing of nearly a hundred square meters.

Flender had ordered them to rest for an hour.

They were still in the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest. High-level Soul Beasts were rare here, so it was relatively safe.

Their goal was to help Oscar hunt a suitable Soul Beast with strong vitality, which meant they would have to venture farther in.

The deeper they went, the more dangerous it would become, and the more valuable their rest time would be. It was therefore essential to get into the best possible condition somewhere relatively safe.

Everyone sat down against the trees to rest.

Oscar naturally contributed his Sausages once again. At a time like this, no one cared whether they tasted good or bad. They ate Oscar's Sausages, drank the water they had brought, and took a short break.

As he ate, Oscar quietly observed his surroundings.

Along the way, he had received four notes at intervals. Putting them together, he had more or less figured out the other party's situation.

According to the other party, it was a Soul Beast—an unprecedented 990,000-year Soul Beast, no less—and it was currently imprisoned by a group of Ferocious Beasts over 100,000 years old, who were taking turns absorbing its Soul Power.

Oscar scoffed at the claim. With 990,000 years of cultivation, how could it be captured by a few 100,000-year Ferocious Beasts and have its Soul Power drained?

If it wanted to lure him over, couldn't it come up with a more believable excuse?

Did it take him for an idiot?

Of course, Oscar had also completely put his mind at ease along the way. The other party clearly had designs on him, but seemed to be wary of something and couldn't show itself.

In other words, as long as he didn't do what it said, he would be perfectly safe.

Just as Oscar was thinking about this, he felt something appear beneath him. He shifted slightly, then fished out a Rodent Weasel from under his seat.

"Just come save me, and I'll give you a hehe."

The words on the note left Oscar speechless. He casually tossed it into his storage pouch.

Ma Hongjun was in reasonably good shape, fiddling with his fine iron sword and rubbing sword oil onto it.

Only Dai Mubai looked a little worse. Everyone had tried to look after him along the way, but given his constitution, he still couldn't keep up with Oscar and Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun had naturally noticed that Oscar was preoccupied. He had found a chance to ask him about it, but Oscar had only smiled faintly and said nothing.

They had been resting for about half an hour when Oscar and the four teachers suddenly turned their gazes in the same direction.

"Everyone, get up! Something's approaching!" Flender shouted.

He quickly released his Martial Soul. A pair of wings sprouted from his back, and seven Spirit Rings shimmered around him. He shot into the air, his sharp eyes fixed on the distance.

Zhao Wuji pounded his chest several times, and the shadow of a Vajra Bear appeared behind him. Li Yusong swiftly summoned his Dragon Pattern Staff, while Shao Xin shielded Oscar and the other two behind him. A Sugar Bean appeared in his palm.

Ma Hongjun quickly stepped in front of Oscar and released his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul. Dai Mubai reacted just as quickly, guarding Oscar from behind as he warily watched their surroundings.

Oscar stamped his foot, spreading out the Qimen Formation.

Four interlocking formation discs appeared beneath him, shimmering with a deep blue light.

The rustling grew louder and louder. Then the ground began to hum as if it were trembling!

"Boss, what's going on?" Zhao Wuji asked in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the shadowy woods ahead.

"It's Peerless Dragon and Snake! Damn it, what kind of trouble have they gotten themselves into?"

Flender, standing atop a tree, had seen everything clearly. Snake Granny was sprinting ahead with a young girl tucked under her arm. Behind her, Dragon Duke brought up the rear, gripping his Dragon Staff.

A swarm of snakes chased close behind them, and the three were fleeing straight toward Shrek!

"Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, prepare to fight! Shao Xin, take the children and run. Get as many of them out as you can!"

Flender leapt down from the tree. They knew how powerful the two veterans, Peerless Dragon Granny and Dragon Duke, were. If even they were being chased, there was no way the Shrek group could get out unscathed!

The best they could hope for was for Shao Xin to get the three children out. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable!

"Junior Brother, Mubai, you two leave with Master. I can't go yet."

A resolute look entered Oscar's eyes. He handed several Sausages to Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai.

"Senior Brother..."

"You know what I'm capable of. I can help here. You should go first. If I want to escape, I can manage that too."

With that, he pushed Ma Hongjun to make him leave. Shao Xin's eyes reddened.

This was the most painful part of being a Support Spirit Master. They could be unrivaled in their role on a battlefield, but in a small skirmish like this in the Star Dou Great Forest, they were of little use.

"Master, take them away. Trust me."

Oscar said one last thing, then turned and walked toward Flender.

Shao Xin's eyes were red as he glanced at Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai. Gritting his teeth, he led the two boys toward the edge of the forest.

"Little Ao..."

Flender opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing more.

Zhao Wuji merely gave Oscar a long look and grinned.

Before long, the Peerless Dragon and Snake couple arrived. They looked at the Shrek group, their eyes bright with excitement.

"Give us a hand. If we get through this, we'll repay you handsomely!" Dragon Duke said to Flender. Clearly, they knew each other.

"What kind of trouble have you gotten yourselves into?!"

"My granddaughter just reached level twenty, so I went and poked a nest of snakes."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu cursed his bad luck. Nothing about the Star Dou Great Forest seemed normal today. Many Soul Beasts were wandering beyond their own territories.

They had just poked a snake nest when a group of Soul Beasts appeared outside, roaming around and searching for something. And then things had turned into this mess...

Perhaps worried that the Shrek group might refuse to help, Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang quickly reassured them.

"This is my fault. Things were too urgent, and I'd used up almost all my Soul Power. I couldn't perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with the old man. Otherwise, these little snakes would've been wiped out long ago.

"If you can just help me hold them off for a while, once my Soul Power recovers, I'll be able to..."

Before she could finish, Oscar was already beside her. He summoned two Recovery Sausages, stuffed one into her mouth, and put the other into his own.