A'Si and the Little Kitten

Tang San!

"Uh..." Hearing these two words, Lan Si's mouth twitched. Was this a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet? He then heard Zhu Zhuqing say, "I heard you say earlier that you were a student of Shrek. You must know my identity by now. Just as my sister said, did Dai Mubai send you to pick me up?"

The moment the words left her lips, Zhu Zhuqing regretted them.

To say she had feelings for Dai Mubai would be entirely unrealistic. The two had lived in the shadows of their childhoods, meeting only a handful of times with almost no real interaction. In fact, even if she stood before Dai Mubai right now, he likely wouldn't even recognize her.

Their only connection was that ironic, ridiculous, and suffocating marriage contract.

Three years ago, Dai Mubai had abandoned her and fled to a distant land.

Zhu Zhuqing had once teetered on the brink of despair. Her sister's behavior grew increasingly bold and reckless, and facing Zhu Zhuyun's endless assassination attempts, she didn't know if she would survive until tomorrow.

Because of this, she had been training desperately, all for the sake of defeating her sister when she turned twenty-four and earning the right to survive.

Yet, as she grew older, she knew this was becoming nearly impossible.

Her sister's talent was no less than her own, and she was five or six years older—which meant her sister had five or six more years of cultivation time. This gap could not be bridged by hard work alone.

Later, by chance, she heard news of Dai Mubai at a strange academy called Shrek.

What angered her was that after leaving, he hadn't worked hard to improve himself; instead, he had indulged in debauchery and wallowed in depravity, effectively abandoning her only hope for survival.

But anger aside, she knew this was her only chance. Only by joining forces could they have even a sliver of hope to defeat her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, and Dai Mubai's brother, Dai Weisi.

Thus, she had resolutely set out for Shrek Academy.

On the road from the Star Luo Empire to Shrek Academy, she had, unsurprisingly, been hunted down by Zhu Zhuyun once again.

In that desperate situation, she had met this youth who called himself Tang San, and so, she had blurted out the question she now regretted.

At this moment, her heart was in turmoil. She both hoped that Dai Mubai would turn over a new leaf and help her through this crisis, and yet, she inexplicably hoped this youth had no connection to him at all—that he was simply a passerby who couldn't stand to see injustice and had drawn his blade to help.

Carrying this conflicting emotion, Zhu Zhuqing watched Lan Si with a nervous heart, waiting for his answer.

Lan Si did not know that in such a short time, a storm of thoughts had been raging in Zhu Zhuqing's mind. Maintaining the attitude of someone who didn't know any better, he feigned confusion and said, "Uh, what is your identity? And who is Dai Mubai? I only heard that woman in black call you 'little sister'; I don't know anything else."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing felt a weight lift from her heart, but she asked in confusion, "Tang San, aren't you a student of Shrek?"

"I am not a student of Shrek, nor is my name Tang San. When traveling, especially when facing these kinds of underworld vendettas, only someone with a death wish would go around revealing their true identity."

Lan Si shook his head and began to grumble to himself.

"Besides, who would join a scam academy like Shrek? Their enrollment conditions are so harsh—requiring students to be under thirteen with a soul power of level twenty, or even twenty-five, just to qualify. You won't find another place like it in the entire Douluo Continent."

"And yet, their educational resources don't keep up. There's no simulated environment for training, and the teaching staff is insufficient. The living conditions and food are a complete mess. They take a group of the continent's top geniuses and just leave them to fend for themselves. If they succeed, it's the academy's credit; if they fail, it's because they weren't good enough."

"And their graduation requirement is to reach level forty soul power before the age of twenty."

"Since its founding, Shrek Academy has admitted sixty-two students. Without exception, they were all top geniuses of the Douluo Continent, each with an innate soul power of at least level seven or eight, yet only fourteen have graduated. Where did the other forty-eight go? They were buried in obscurity because they didn't receive proper guidance."

"What's most disgusting is that they aren't ashamed of this; they take pride in it. While belittling the forty-eight who failed, they boast about the fourteen who graduated, claiming the most powerful one has already become the youngest elder of the Martial Soul Hall, with authority second only to the Pope. I really don't know where they get the confidence."

"To become an elder of the Martial Soul Hall, one must be at least a Titled Douluo. Shrek has only been operating for twenty years; even the first batch of students would only be in their thirties. A Titled Douluo in their thirties—do you believe that?"

By the time he finished, Lan Si's throat was dry. He pulled a water flask from his Soul Tool, took a long gulp, and let out a sigh of relief.

Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, she was completely stunned by Lan Si's rapid-fire explanation, her small mouth agape, unable to speak.

After a long while, she let out a soft laugh. The usually stoic Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but giggle, saying with a smile, "No wonder you chose to use Shrek Academy as a cover. It seems you have quite a grudge against them."

Lan Si shook his head. "No, no. It's not so much a grudge against Shrek Academy as it is against a hypocrite who is both insecure and arrogant, someone who spends all day bragging about his theories and trying to push Shrek Academy on me whenever he has the chance."

"Then what about Tang San? Don't tell me you just made that up on the spot," Zhu Zhuqing asked, puzzled.

"That, I didn't," Lan Si said, taking a bite of the rabbit meat. "He's the disciple of that hypocrite—a guy who bites the hand that feeds him, someone who thinks a handful of rice is a blessing but a bucket is an enemy, a guy who's been completely brainwashed by that hypocrite. I reckon he'll be joining Shrek Academy in a month. Oh, and if you do go to Shrek, remember to watch out for the rabbit by his side. It bites."

"You really have a strange sense of humor," Zhu Zhuqing said, shaking her head with a smile. She tore off a small piece of rabbit meat, blew on it, and delicately placed it in her mouth.

Perhaps she didn't even realize it herself, but this was the day she had smiled more than ever in her life.

"I've said so much, but I still don't know your name. I'm Lan Si—'Lan' as in blue, 'Si' as in the hour of the snake. People who know me call me A-Si." Lan Si took two cups from his Soul Tool and poured a drink for Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing took the cup, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided not to lie. She said, "Zhuqing. My name is Zhu Zhuqing."

After saying this, she carefully watched for any change in Lan Si's expression. When she saw no obvious reaction, she felt a sense of relief wash over her.

Lan Si gave an "Oh" and said, "Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuqing. That's a lovely name. From now on, we're friends, Zhuqing."

As he spoke, Lan Si extended his right hand.

ps: First update, please vote, please add to your library.