Birds of a Feather Flock Together

The west gate of Star Luo City was heavily guarded.

Due to the disappearance of the Third Prince, Dai Mubai, and the mysterious vanishing of the second young lady of the Zhu family, the city's alert level had been raised to the absolute maximum. Before the massive iron gates, squads of armored soldiers with weapons drawn were subjecting every person leaving the city to near-strip searches.

"Halt! What is your business?" A junior officer blocked the path of the slightly bedraggled figures ahead with his blade.

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his expression blank. He did not grow angry at the soldier's rudeness; instead, he appeared exceptionally composed. He slowly reached into his robes and produced a pitch-black, archaic token that emitted a cold, metallic luster, waving it before the officer.

On the token, six intricate totems shimmered in the sunlight, radiating a majesty that made any Soul Master tremble.

It was the token Tang Hao had given him some time ago. The emblem on it represented the Elder Hall of the Martial Soul Hall, something usually possessed only by powerhouses at the Title Douluo level.

The once-aggressive officer turned deathly pale the moment he saw the token, freezing in place. His hand, gripping his blade, trembled violently. Then, with a loud "thud," he knelt to the ground; the sound of his armor striking the pavement was jarringly sharp in the deathly silent city gate.

"This lowly one... this lowly one has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! I did not know... did not know you were a distinguished guest of His Excellency, please forgive me!" The officer's voice turned shrill from extreme terror. Although he did not know the specific origin of the token, he recognized it as a Pope Token, something only those standing at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent were entitled to possess. Such a big shot could destroy his entire family with a single breath.

"May we pass now?" Yu Xiaogang asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes! Quickly, open the gates! Send off the distinguished guests!"

Under the awe-struck and terrified gazes of the soldiers, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, along with the golden-haired youth behind them who was wrapped tightly in a bamboo hat, swaggered out of the city, escaping what had been a near-certain death trap.

After leaving Star Luo City and traveling for about ten miles, the golden-haired youth finally pulled off his bamboo hat on a deserted, tree-lined road.

It was an extremely handsome face, yet it carried a sense of decadence. His long, golden hair was slightly messy, and his heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue—were particularly eerie. He was the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire, the deserter now nailed to the pillar of shame: Dai Mubai.

"Many thanks to the Master for saving my life." Dai Mubai bowed to Yu Xiaogang, then let out a long sigh, glancing back with lingering fear. "Damn it, I almost ended up buried in that dark, hopeless Star Luo City."

"Since you were willing to entrust Flender with such a heavy reward, as his brother, I naturally would not stand idly by," Yu Xiaogang said indifferently. He then looked at Tang San. "Little San, you young people should chat more. In the future at Shrek Academy, you will be comrades."

Yu Xiaogang walked ahead alone to clear the path, leaving space for the two youths.

Yu Xiaogang had not yet had the chance to tell Gu Tian that after school started next year, he would be taking Tang San to study at Shrek Academy in Suotuo City.

Students on the Douluo Continent generally only qualified for high-level Soul Master Academy after graduating from a primary Soul Master Academy. While primary academies could not teach middle-school-level students, it did not mean that high-level academies could not accept primary-level students.

Tang San looked at the prince, who was a few years older than himself. Although Dai Mubai was a deserter, the arrogance of the nobility and the lavish, money-is-no-object attitude he displayed gave the currently penniless Tang San a strong sense of attachment.

"Little San, I heard from the teacher that you are actually a Twin Martial Souls user?" Dai Mubai patted Tang San on the shoulder, a look of genuine appreciation in his evil eyes. "To achieve this in that remote Nuoding City is truly commendable. We people of Star Luo value strength above all else. Compared to those wastes in the palace who only know how to scheme, I find you much more agreeable."

Having suffered endless humiliation at the hands of Gu Tian, Tang San was incredibly receptive to the prince's praise, repeatedly and modestly saying, "Big Brother Dai, you flatter me. Compared to your White Tiger martial soul, mine is merely a minor trick."

The two chatted along the way. Due to their shared experiences of being down-and-out and harboring certain unknown, dark psychological tendencies, they found themselves getting along better the more they spoke.

"Big Brother Dai, I heard... the competition within the Star Luo Empire's royal family is extremely cruel. With you leaving like this, that young lady from the Zhu family..." Tang San asked tentatively, wanting to see what kind of person this prince really was.

At the mention of Zhu Zhuqing, there was not a hint of guilt on Dai Mubai's handsome face; instead, he showed an expression of extreme disgust.

"That girl?" Dai Mubai snorted coldly, his tone devoid of any warmth. "That is her own bad luck. As a daughter of the Zhu family, to be betrothed to a prince destined for exile—that is a trial she was fated to endure. If she is truly executed as a funeral sacrifice, it can be considered her helping me block that calamity in the dark. It is her destiny."

Dai Mubai spat on the ground and continued to curse, "Women? What are they worth in the face of power? Once I reach Suotuo City and enter Shrek, with my talent and these hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins, what kind of woman can't I find? Risking my life for a fiancée I've never even met? Only an idiot would do that."

Hearing Dai Mubai's cold-blooded words, Tang San felt no revulsion; instead, he felt a thrill of "great minds think alike." In his view, a woman like Xiao Wu, who had betrayed him, deserved such an end.

"Big Brother Dai is straightforward; you are truly a man of character!" Tang San exclaimed sincerely.

Dai Mubai laughed heartily and hooked his arm around Tang San's neck. "Haha! Good! Little San, I see you are a sensible one. Since we brothers get along so well, once we return to Shrek, let's officially become sworn brothers! From now on, I am your big brother. As long as I have meat to eat, you will never go without a bowl of soup!"

The two laughed in the forest. As the saying goes, like attracts like; two equally selfish and dark hearts were completely intertwined at this moment.

Just then, a cold wind blew, picking up a stray piece of paper from the edge of the woods.

The paper happened to stick to Tang San's large cloth bag. Tang San pulled it off and glanced at it; it was a missing person notice plastered all over Star Luo City.

[Second young lady of the Zhu family, Zhu Zhuqing, went missing last night. A reward of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins for anyone who provides a lead!]

On the notice was a hand-drawn sketch. Although it was only a few strokes, the cold, elegant, and peerless outline, along with the unique temperament of a feline-type Soul Master, was captured perfectly.

Tang San's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks the moment he saw the portrait.

In that instant, the scene he had witnessed while passing the clothing store that morning flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

The young girl wearing a sun hat, who had revealed an aura of extreme coldness despite covering most of her face...

The young girl wearing one of Gu Tian's oversized spare T-shirts, revealing a pair of straight, long legs...

The young girl who was holding hands with Gu Tian, not even sparing him, Tang San, a single glance...

"Gu Tian... Zhu Zhuqing..."

Tang San's breathing became extremely heavy, and his arms trembled from excessive agitation.

"Big Brother Dai! I think I know where your fiancée is!" Tang San turned his head abruptly, his eyes flashing with a venomous, serpentine light.

"What?" Dai Mubai was stunned.

"This morning, right in front of Jinxiu Pavilion in Star Luo City." Tang San gritted his teeth, every word ground out from between them. "I saw Gu Tian holding a girl's hand while buying clothes. I thought it was strange at the time, but now that I think about it, that girl's features are exactly the same as this portrait! She is Zhu Zhuqing!"

"BOOM—!"

Dai Mubai punched a tree beside him that required two people to encircle, his violent White Tiger soul power actually cracking the trunk.

"Bitch! What a shameless slut!" Due to his rage, Dai Mubai's handsome face became twisted and terrifying, his heterochromatic eyes bloodshot. "I'm not dead yet! And she's already cheating on me with another man in the city? What is that Gu Tian? How dare he touch Dai Mubai's woman?"

In the eyes of someone as extremely selfish as Dai Mubai, he could accept Zhu Zhuqing dying, but he could never tolerate her throwing herself into another man's arms. To him, this was a greater humiliation than being a deserter.

"That Gu Tian, I heard from the Master, also has an Innate Full Soul Power mutated martial soul." Tang San added fuel to the fire. "Not only that, but his look of absolute confidence this morning clearly shows he intends to keep Miss Zhu for himself."

"Boss Dai, your status is special right now; it's inconvenient for you to go back and teach him a lesson." Tang San looked at the furious Dai Mubai, a sinister smile curling his lips. "But we can't just swallow this insult. Gu Tian was already throwing his weight around back at Nuoding Academy, thinking he was something special just because he had a decent martial soul, and now he's snatched your woman. Since he's in the city and the Zhu Residence is offering ten thousand Gold Soul Coins to find someone..."

Tang San lowered his voice, his tone laced with a chilling greed. "I plan to sneak back into the city and expose Gu Tian's actions to the Zhu Residence. With Zhu Ganglie's explosive temper, once he finds out his own daughter ran off with some boy of unknown origin, he'll surely use the entire clan's power to tear Gu Tian to shreds. When that happens, not only will those ten thousand Gold Soul Coins be ours, but Gu Tian will definitely die! I'll even be able to snatch the woman by Gu Tian's side and bring her to you for your amusement."

Dai Mubai looked at Tang San with cold, gloomy eyes and nodded heavily. "Fine! Little San, I'll leave this matter to you. Once you get the money, we'll meet up in Suotuo City! Rest assured, as long as you don't reveal my whereabouts, those old fogies in the Zhu family wouldn't dare touch you."

"Rest easy, Boss Dai. Betraying a brother is something I, Tang San, would never do."

Tang San gazed toward the direction of Star Luo City, his heart filled with a twisted sense of pleasure. Gu Tian, do you think taking Zhu Zhuqing away is salvation? No, that is a one-way ticket to hell.

I will make sure that under the crushing weight of the Star Luo Empire military power, not even your bones will remain!