Flender's expression didn't change, but his slightly furrowed brows showed that he was not as calm as he appeared.
He had just instinctively used his spiritual power to sense the other party's strength, only to find it suppressed by another, far more domineering and icy spiritual force.
"This is Shrek Academy. You've trespassed on my grounds, so you owe me an explanation, don't you?"
At his words, Dai Mubai and the others all turned to look in the direction Flender was facing.
A young man in black was walking up the road toward the academy gate. He had fair, handsome features, and though his manner was cool and detached, his kind eyes lent him a touch of warmth.
Lin Chuan's gaze swept over the group before settling on the girl in pink, a pair of upright rabbit ears perched on her head.
A black scorpion braid hung past her hips. Her pretty little face and bright, fluttering eyes brought her innocent, guileless charm to life.
Under his gaze, Xiao Wu's rabbit ears drooped at once. Her expression turned flustered, and she hurriedly lowered her head, panic welling in her heart.
Noticing something was wrong with Xiao Wu, Tang San hurried forward and stepped in front of her, blocking Lin Chuan's gaze.
"Xiao Wu, could we speak somewhere else? Da Ming and Er Ming sent me to find you."
At the names Da Ming and Er Ming, Xiao Wu immediately looked up. Her eyes shone with anticipation and curiosity, but she still hid behind Tang San, seeking a sense of security.
"Who are you? What do Da Ming and Er Ming want with me?"
The girl's voice was soft and sweet, like glutinous rice balls soaked in honey. Her words naturally rose at the end, still tinged with a childish lisp. She spoke with a slight, unconscious slur, as guileless as a young beast that had only just learned to talk.
"Of course they have something to discuss. But is this really a good place to talk? Given who they are, if they find out..."
Before Lin Chuan could finish, Xiao Wu hurriedly cut him off:
"Okay, okay! I...I'll go outside with you to talk."
Flender didn't say anything about this little incident.
He could tell that the other party was no ordinary fighter. Since he hadn't come to cause trouble, Flender decided to turn a blind eye and let it pass.
The others were curious, but they weren't close enough to Xiao Wu for it to matter much.
So when Lin Chuan approached Xiao Wu, they simply watched as bystanders. They had no idea who the "Da Ming and Er Ming" the two were talking about might be.
Only Tang San, looking displeased, blocked Xiao Wu's way:
"Xiao Wu, you can't just go off with some strange man."
"If you run into danger and we can't get to you in time, I'll worry about you."
Tang San's words made Lin Chuan break out in goosebumps. He said helplessly:
"Then why don't you come along too?"
Tang San remained suspicious, narrowing his eyes as he warily stood guard in front of Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu stood awkwardly where she was, unsure whether to go or stay.
"He's only been with you for a few short years, yet you're closer to him than you are to Da Ming and Er Ming?"
"When danger strikes, will you abandon Da Ming and Er Ming for his sake?"
Lin Chuan pressed her with an appeal to their friendship.
Sure enough, Xiao Wu immediately panicked and protested:
"No, no! Da Ming and Er Ming are my best friends in the whole world."
Lin Chuan added coolly:
"Then why are you still standing there? Since I know Da Ming and Er Ming, do you really think I'm a stranger?"
Only then did Xiao Wu's mind catch up. She turned to explain to Tang San:
"Third Brother, don't worry. He's Da Ming and Er Ming's friend, so he's my friend too."
Tang San shook his head and asked Lin Chuan:
"Have Da Ming and Er Ming been hurt or gotten into trouble, or do they just miss Xiao Wu?"
"Just tell me what you came to say to Xiao Wu. If it's something trivial, you can forget it."
Seeing Xiao Wu about to leave made him feel uneasy.
His sixth sense told him he absolutely couldn't let Xiao Wu go outside.
That young man in black was the one asking Xiao Wu to leave. That meant he was the source of danger!
So Tang San felt a trace of hostility toward Lin Chuan.
He grabbed Xiao Wu by the wrist and pulled her back to the group, then stood in front of her himself, acting as a shield against any outside threat.
"Ugh..."
Looking at him, Lin Chuan let out a long sigh.
He'd been testing them for so long that he was tired of it.
If he hadn't been trying to see whether Tang Hao was around, he would have given up already.
And after all this time, Tang Hao hadn't made the slightest move. That meant he had either left or was simply very good at holding back.
To make absolutely sure Tang Hao wasn't lurking nearby, Lin Chuan played his trump card and revealed his identity:
"I'm the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. I've come this time..."
He deliberately paused, secretly sensing the fluctuations around him.
Nothing?
His gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing, standing at the very end of the group with her cool, aloof demeanor, and stopped.
The girl wore tight black leather clothes that accentuated her already curvaceous figure, her chest full and rounded.
Frost seemed to cling to her pretty face, along with a cold disdain for the world. Her expression was numb and bewildered, like a wildcat walking alone through a frozen wasteland, having lost all purpose and direction, left with nothing but fierce distance and blind uncertainty.
She had fled her family. While being hunted, she had made finding her fiancé her reason to stay alive.
After narrowly escaping death, she had arrived in the Heaven Dou Empire covered in wounds, hoping to find her fiancé and help him pull himself together instead of continuing to run away.
But there she found the fiancé who had abandoned her, spending his nights in revelry in the Heaven Dou Empire, surrounded by beautiful women and living a carefree, comfortable life.
Her heart had ached terribly then. She'd felt like a little beast abandoned by the world, able only to curl up alone in a corner and lick her wounds.
"This time, I came for two things."
"First, I'd like to invite that young lady to join Spirit Hall. Whatever your circumstances, would you consider it?"
Everyone followed his gaze. The young lady he meant was naturally Zhu Zhuqing.
Dai Mubai was the first to erupt, glaring at Lin Chuan in anger:
"Zhuqing is my fiancée. She's already joined Shrek Academy, and you have no right to invite her!"
Lin Chuan gave a cold laugh, ignored Dai Mubai, and addressed the cool, distant Zhu Zhuqing:
"I can help you break free of all this. Do you really want to let a fiancé hold you prisoner for the rest of your life?"
"He made the decision for you without even asking. And you? Are you willing to go on like this, watching him live carefree, surrounded by beautiful women, while you, his fiancée, can only cling to him, let him go out and find other women, and then let him control the rest of your life?"
After comforting herself for the past few days, Zhu Zhuqing had come to understand that she could only rely on herself.
She had given up on Dai Mubai completely and had already decided to free herself from the control he claimed over her as her fiancé.
Lin Chuan's words only deepened her loathing for Dai Mubai.
Having finished provoking her, Lin Chuan made his formal offer:
"Spirit Hall isn't as bad as you imagine. Even families with grudges against Spirit Hall can put the past behind them, as long as they leave their family and come with a clean slate."
"For a genius like you, the resources and treatment you'd receive by joining Spirit Hall would be more than triple what you get here."
"You wouldn't be overly restricted in your movements. Spirit Hall would help you grow stronger, and as long as you had the power and made contributions, it would grant you the fair standing you deserve!"