There Was More Than One Definition of Strength

"Everyone stop! What are you doing, committing violence in Suotuo City!?"

When he saw the patrol approaching, Flender couldn't help shrinking his neck. Normally, law enforcement wouldn't dare interfere when Soul Masters fought. But for some reason, Spirit Hall had been heavily supporting local law enforcement over the past two years. And Flender ran a little shop, too—if it got shut down, he'd have nowhere to cry about it.

"Sir, I wasn't bullying them. Look, he bought my crystal and was supposed to pay ten Gold Soul Coins, but he only gave me ten Copper Soul Coins. He's the one trying to cheat me!"

As Flender tried to get his version in first, the patrol captain in charge looked at Feng Xinglie.

"Is what he said true? Where's the crystal you bought?"

"Here."

Feng Xinglie obediently handed it over. The patrol captain took the crystal and looked it over from both sides, then glanced sidelong at Flender.

"You're charging ten Gold Soul Coins for this thing?"

"Well..."

Flender was momentarily at a loss for words. Of course he knew the thing was worthless; he wouldn't take it even if it were free. Seeing that things were about to get out of hand, he hurriedly put on a smile.

"Haha, sir, I made a mistake. It was always meant to sell for ten Copper Soul Coins. This young man and I just had a little misunderstanding. Sorry about that."

"So it was a misunderstanding. Then I guess I won't give you those Gold Soul Coins you mentioned?"

"Yes, yes, no need, no need..."

Faced with Feng Xinglie's teasing and the patrol's exceptionally sharp gazes, Flender waved his hands again and again, then dashed back into his shop.

"Who would've thought that crook was actually a powerful Soul Master..."

"Of course he is. Didn't you hear him say his name was Flender? He's the Four-Eyed Cat Owl, one of the Golden Iron Triangle, and a genuine Soul Sage."

"What!?"

Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned. Her older sister was hunting her down, and her fiancé had abandoned her. She desperately wanted to grow stronger, so she paid special attention to anything powerful. But the contrast between Flender's formidable strength and his eccentric personality left her at a loss.

"Never underestimate anyone, but there's no need to fear them too much, either. Even Flender can be dealt with, can't he?"

"Deal with... a Soul Sage?"

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing still hadn't recovered, Feng Xinglie nodded toward the patrol, which had already walked away.

"There's more than one definition of strength. In this world, even if you cultivate to become a Titled Douluo, there will always be someone stronger than you. But if you know how to use what you have, the weak may still defeat the strong."

His words struck the most sensitive spot in Zhu Zhuqing's heart. Her eyes immediately blazed with a fierce desire to learn, and she asked eagerly:

"How? What can I use to win? To become stronger?"

She didn't get the answer she'd hoped for. All she saw was Feng Xinglie looking troubled. Only then did she realize that they had known each other for less than a day and weren't that close. Asking so abruptly for the secret to becoming stronger was rather presumptuous, especially since he had saved her life.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"Haha, it's fine."

Feng Xinglie waved it off. He didn't mind giving Zhu Zhuqing some guidance, but things that came too easily were often taken for granted, so it was worth keeping her in suspense now and then. Otherwise, all the effort he'd put into her would go to waste.

Truthfully, Zhu Zhuqing herself didn't have much that made Feng Xinglie value her so highly. Neither her strength nor her brains stood out among the Protagonist Group. But if he could win her over, her and Dai Mubai's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger, would be broken before it could even be used.

After all, the best way to counter a move was to make sure it never happened in the first place.

Besides, Feng Xinglie did need someone on his side when splitting up the Protagonist Group. Zhu Zhuqing was also one of the few among the Shrek Seven Devils whose character scored above the bare minimum. The others were either impossible to recruit or simply not worth recruiting.

There was no need to mention Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, those two underage lechers who spent every day frequenting brothels. Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast; if he took her back to Spirit Hall, she'd be dead the moment she showed herself. Ning Rongrong was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so there was no way to bring her into Spirit Hall. Oscar was a decent person, but Flender had raised him from childhood, and he was already deeply tied to Shrek.

As for Tang San...

Well, you never knew.

"Actually, if you want to overcome someone stronger than you, just find their weakness. Find a few little weaknesses and you can make them suffer a minor setback, like Flender just did. But if you learn enough of their weaknesses, you can not only defeat them, but even bring them under your control."

Shrek, Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang, for example. There were far too many cards he could play against Flender for the Soul Sage to even make Feng Xinglie's list of targets. Still, his words had a profound impact on Zhu Zhuqing. She had always believed that becoming stronger meant improving her own cultivation, but now it was as if a door to a whole new world had opened before her. Sitting in the restaurant, she had long since forgotten the food in her hands. She kept thinking: if she were in his shoes, how could she use this method to fight the Star Luo Empire, to fight her own fate?

"This is a little difficult for me..."

Zhu Zhuqing sighed helplessly.

"You... probably know who I am by now, right?"

"Those people mentioned it. Your Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat, the emblem of the Star Luo Zhu Family."

"That's right..."

Zhu Zhuqing's expression darkened. She knew all too well what sort of colossus she had to stand against, and she couldn't imagine how to find the weakness of an entire empire.

"Sometimes, you don't need to go to so much trouble. If you have enough potential, you can join a major sect or a powerful family and settle everything in one stroke. If you're not strong enough, seek out the powerful and have them protect you until you've grown—that's a common approach, too. There are plenty of forces on the Douluo Continent capable of standing up to the Star Luo Empire."

"But... why would they offend the Star Luo Empire for my sake?"

"That depends on how much potential you have, and how much value you can create."

He had secretly planted the seed of seeking protection in Zhu Zhuqing's heart. Perhaps one day, it would take root and draw her into Spirit Hall. Zhu Zhuqing had clearly taken his words to heart. She kept her head bowed in thought all the way back to the Rose Hotel.

Back in the room, Feng Xinglie casually locked the door, then took a Secret Letter from a hidden compartment in the drawer.

"Buying the Rose Hotel in advance was a wise choice. It makes passing along intelligence and moving people around so much easier."

Feng Xinglie quickly read through the letter with a sigh. It recorded the latest movements of Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Shrek Academy.

"They'll reach Suotuo City tomorrow?"

After confirming the information, he crumpled the letter into scraps and tossed them into the trash. He spent the rest of the day meditating in his room, then went to bed early. The next morning, he got up early and sat by the window, watching the pedestrians come and go outside. It wasn't until noon that two children, a boy and a girl, appeared at the far end of the road. The boy looked plain and ordinary, but the girl was exquisitely pretty. Her pink clothes and long scorpion braid immediately caught Feng Xinglie's eye.