When Fu Qin kicked open the wooden door, he saw the scene unfolding before him.
Ning Rongrong's furious shout nearly overlapped with Zhu Zhuqing's cry of struggle.
"Dai Mubai! Let her go!" The goose-yellow figure shot forward. Faint Soul Power gathered in Ning Rongrong's hands, and the phantom of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda flickered into existence behind her. She was clearly enraged.
Fu Qin and Xiao Wu followed close behind. The moment they stepped into the room, the chaos before them came into clear view.
Dai Mubai had Zhu Zhuqing's wrist in a crushing grip. His knuckles had gone white with the force of it, and the muscles beneath his white clothes were taut. His Evil Eye roiled with obsession. There was not a trace of his earlier composure left.
Zhu Zhuqing's face was as pale as paper, her coldly beautiful features twisted in pain. Her wrist was red from his grip, and her purple clothes had become disheveled as she struggled. Terror glinted in her eyes like ice, making everyone's heart tighten.
"Mind your own business!" Dai Mubai glanced at Ning Rongrong rushing toward him. A contemptuous smile curled his lips, and a cruel glint flashed in his eyes.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing?
He was a God of War who had been reborn from the Divine Realm.
If they knew what was good for them, he could still let them serve him on their knees. But if they didn't... Hmph!
They were nothing but puny nobodies.
Before his words had even faded, he freed his left hand and swung a palm at Ning Rongrong's face, Soul Power surging behind the blow. The strike came with a vicious gust of wind, and he showed no mercy at all.
"Watch out!" Xiao Wu cried. She tried to rush forward to stop him, but it was already too late.
Ning Rongrong's face went white. Though she was a support-type Soul Grandmaster, she was utterly powerless against Dai Mubai's furious attack.
At that critical moment, Fu Qin blurred forward, appearing in front of Ning Rongrong as if he had teleported.
He didn't even summon his Martial Soul. He merely curled his fingers into a fist and met Dai Mubai's palm head-on.
Bang!
A muffled crash shook the room's windows. Two formidable forces collided, and the resulting shock wave sent dust swirling through the air.
The shock wave pushed Ning Rongrong two steps backward. Still shaken, she stared at Fu Qin's back, her heart pounding.
She could clearly feel the terrifying Soul Power that had surged through the room. If Fu Qin hadn't intervened in time, she would have been lying there badly injured.
Dai Mubai felt an irresistible force surge from his palm and up his arm, leaving his blood and qi in turmoil.
That was right. It was a martial art from the world of Under One Person: the Vajra Through-Arm Fist.
Dai Mubai's pupils contracted. He stared at Fu Qin in disbelief.
He was a thirty-seventh-level Battle Soul Elder, while Fu Qin was only level thirty-four. How could he have lost in a contest of pure physical strength?
Before he could react, the force sent him stumbling backward. He retreated a full three meters before managing to steady himself, his feet cracking the wooden floorboards beneath him.
As Dai Mubai stumbled back, his grip on Zhu Zhuqing broke.
Zhu Zhuqing staggered backward, and Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong immediately shielded her, one on either side.
She clutched her reddened wrist and looked up at Fu Qin. The terror in her eyes had not yet faded, but gratitude and a strange tenderness had joined it.
This seemingly unflappable young man always managed to protect her at the crucial moment. His dependability sent ripples across her frozen heart.
Fu Qin stood where he was and flexed his wrist. His expression remained as calm as ever.
His gaze swept over the three people in the room, his mind filled with shock and confusion.
Dai Mubai and Oscar had clearly awakened their memories, and Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong had been their wives in their previous lives. So why had Dai Mubai treated Zhu Zhuqing so brutally?
Oscar stood off to the side. After seeing Ning Rongrong nearly get hurt, he showed not the slightest concern. Instead, his eyes held a false, cold indifference, as if none of it had anything to do with him.
The scene was simply too absurd. How could the God of War and the God of Food from their previous lives have turned out like this?
The more Fu Qin thought about it, the stranger it seemed, but he didn't care.
With three divine-level buffs and fighting prowess far beyond anyone his age, he could handle any unexpected situation at Shrek Academy.
Just then, a string of notifications appeared on the System Panel:
[Fate Arises and Fades buff is taking effect. Zhu Zhuqing's favorability +20, current: 50] [Dai Mubai's favorability -50, current: -30]
Fu Qin raised an eyebrow. Zhu Zhuqing's increased favorability was only to be expected. After all, he had just saved her.
But Dai Mubai's negative favorability clearly meant that he resented him for their clash.
The next moment, the text on the panel changed again.
[Intelligence-Reducing Halo buff is taking effect. Dai Mubai believes, "Fu Qin only stepped in because Zhu Zhuqing was in danger. He didn't do it on purpose."] [Dai Mubai's favorability +50, current: +20]
Fu Qin's mouth twitched. This Intelligence-Reducing Halo was ridiculous.
Dai Mubai had clearly been trying to kill him just moments ago, and now he thought Fu Qin had simply stood up for someone in need? Had the memories from his previous life scrambled the man's brain?
Before he could make sense of the absurd turn of events, another notification appeared:
[Detected that Dai Mubai still harbors immense hostility toward the host. God-Level Luck buff is taking effect...] [Dai Mubai believes, "Fu Qin acted only because he didn't want Zhu Qing and me to fall out."] [Dai Mubai's favorability +50, current favorability: +70]
Staring at his favorability score as it shot up to 70, Fu Qin was completely dumbfounded. Then he couldn't help laughing to himself.
Dai Mubai really was a brainless mad dog. One moment, he had hated Fu Qin to the bone; the next, the buffs had made his favorability toward him skyrocket.
With his worries finally laid to rest, Fu Qin glanced at Dai Mubai.
All traces of cruelty had vanished from Dai Mubai's face, replaced by an expression of sudden understanding. His gaze was full of "understanding" and "gratitude," as if he truly believed Fu Qin had acted for his sake.
"Brother Fu Qin, thanks for that just now." Dai Mubai cupped his hands, his tone so sincere it was unbelievable. He had completely forgotten that they had just been fighting.
"I got too worked up and nearly hurt Zhuqing. Thank goodness you stopped me in time."
Fu Qin: "..."
He had no idea how to respond to such an absurd turn of events. He could only force a dry laugh. "It was nothing."
Ning Rongrong stared in utter shock. Dai Mubai had just tried to kill her. How had he suddenly become like sworn brothers with Fu Qin?
That change had happened too fast. She tugged at Fu Qin's sleeve and muttered, "Brother Fu Qin, did he get knocked silly?"
Fu Qin patted the back of her hand, signaling her not to ask.
Some things were too complicated to explain. It was better to let them unfold naturally.
Leaning against Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing watched the bizarre scene with a deep frown.
Dai Mubai's sudden change only made her more uneasy, while Fu Qin's unruffled composure gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
As she watched Fu Qin's back, her favorability toward him quietly climbed.
Xiao Wu stood to one side, taking it all in with a furrowed brow.