Shrek Inner Court, Dai Yueheng

Cheng Gang nodded and did not press further.

He was a smart man. He knew such matters could not be rushed.

The Spirit Pagoda belonged to Shen Zhou. He could let whoever he wanted use it; the Star Luo Empire had no right to force the issue.

But at least the Princess had already used it.

And the results had been astonishing.

At the very least, this showed that Shen Zhou was friendly toward the Star Luo Empire.

"Princess, Elder Cheng, it is getting late."

Shen Zhou stepped aside. "I'll see you out."

The carriage stopped once again before the main gate of the Martial Soul Academy.

Xu Jiujiu stood beside the carriage and turned to look at the imposing academy of white jade and golden tiles.

Xu Jiujiu spoke.

"Please speak, Princess."

"I will return."

Shen Zhou smiled faintly.

"You are welcome anytime."

Xu Jiujiu boarded the carriage, and the curtain fell.

Cheng Gang mounted his Soul Beast Horse, cupped his fists to Shen Zhou, and rode after it.

The carriage slowly departed, vanishing into the dusk.

After they had traveled some distance, Xu Jiujiu lifted the carriage curtain and looked back.

The academy had become a tiny point of light, glowing softly in the night.

She lowered the curtain, leaned against the soft cushion, and closed her eyes.

Four purple Soul Rings slowly revolved within her body. Each gave off warm energy, as though reminding her that everything that had happened today was real.

"Princess."

Cheng Gang's voice came from outside the carriage.

"Hmm?"

"That Dean Shen... is not simple."

Xu Jiujiu opened her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

"I know."

"This old servant has lived for more than eighty years, yet I have never seen anyone like him."

There was a trace of emotion in Cheng Gang's voice. "The Spirit Pagoda, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, a talking dog... any one of those things would be enough to shake the continent.

Yet he possesses them all."

"What are you trying to say, Elder Cheng?"

"This old servant means..." Cheng Gang paused. "A person like that, if he can be employed by our empire, would be a blessing to it.

If not..."

He did not continue.

Xu Jiujiu fell silent for a moment.

"Do not worry, Elder Cheng. I know what to do."

The carriage traveled through the night, its wheels crunching over the gravel on the official road.

Xu Jiujiu leaned against the cushion, but Shen Zhou's smile kept surfacing in her mind.

It was warm, reassuring, and made people unable to resist drawing closer.

She shook her head, trying to cast the thought aside.

Yet that smile seemed etched into her mind, impossible to forget.

Night had deepened, and the main courtyard of the White Tiger Duke Mansion was brightly lit.

Zhu Wan sat before her desk, holding a wolf-hair brush. Ink slowly dripped from its tip, blooming into a black flower across the rice paper.

She had already written three letters, tearing each one apart halfway through. Either the wording was not vicious enough, or its weight was insufficient.

She set down her brush and rubbed her brow.

Martial Soul Academy... Shen Zhou...

When Princess Jiujiu's convoy had left the Martial Soul Academy today, the hidden guards she had sent to watch reported that the Princess had looked calm when she entered, but had emerged smiling. Cheng Gang had been exceedingly respectful toward Shen Zhou, even bowing to him.

A Protector Douluo bowing to an unknown young man?

What did that mean? Zhu Wan understood better than anyone.

Shen Zhou not only had strength, but methods as well.

Even the imperial family had fallen into his grasp. If she did not act now, once the Martial Soul Academy established itself in White Tiger City, where would she put her pride?

Would that slut Huo Yun'er and her bastard Huo Yuhao not ride roughshod over her?

"No."

Zhu Wan spread out another sheet of rice paper and lifted her brush. This time, she did not hesitate.

The letter was not for her father, Zhu Ba, but for her eldest son—Dai Yueheng.

Yueheng, my son:

May this letter find you well.

You have been away from home for several years, cultivating at Shrek Academy. Your mother thinks of you often.

You cultivate diligently in the Shrek Inner Court, and your mother cannot care for you at your side. I feel deeply ashamed.

However, there is a matter for which I must ask your help in this letter.

Several months ago, a Martial Soul Academy suddenly appeared in the eastern outskirts of White Tiger City.

Its dean, Shen Zhou, is of unknown origin and unfathomable strength. He is suspected to be a Titled Douluo.

This man is arrogant and overbearing. He openly killed people in the White Tiger Duke Mansion, took away the maid Huo Yun'er and her son Huo Yuhao, and treated the Dai Family as though it were nothing.

More suspiciously, he named his academy "Martial Soul," the same name as the Spirit Hall that was destroyed ten thousand years ago. He may harbor ambitions of restoration.

His academy covers hundreds of acres, with white jade steps and golden-tiled roofs. It contains ancient formations and a mysterious tower, its extravagance surpassing that of any academy in the empire.

He also commands several Titled Douluo. Their strength is enough to shake an entire region.

Today, Princess Jiujiu went to probe the matter under imperial orders, yet emerged treating Shen Zhou with great respect.

Your mother fears that if this man is allowed to continue growing, he will become a grave threat to the continent.

As a member of the Shrek Inspection Team, you bear the duty of overseeing the realm and eliminating evil.

Your mother begs you to use the authority of the Inspection Team to investigate the Martial Soul Academy in White Tiger City.

If you can uncover evidence of his wrongdoing, report it to Shrek Academy, and join forces with the empire to eliminate him, then the worry in your mother's heart may be resolved, and the danger to the continent may be averted.

I hope you will put the world first and return at once.

Mother

Zhu Wan set down her brush, folded the letter, tucked it into an envelope, and sealed it with wax.

The seal in the wax bore the mark of the White Tiger Duke Mansion—no, she had not used that one, but the private seal of the Zhu Family.

"Someone come."

A trusted guard answered the call and entered.

"Deliver this letter to Shrek City day and night. Place it personally in the hands of my son, Dai Yueheng.

Do not let it pass through anyone else's hands."

"Yes."

The guard accepted the envelope, tucked it into his robes, and vanished into the night.

Zhu Wan stood by the window, staring at the incomplete moon outside. A cold smile curled across her lips.

Shen Zhou, so what if you are impressive in White Tiger City?

Once the Shrek Inspection Team moves, even a Titled Douluo like you will have to tuck your tail between your legs.

Shrek City, Shrek Academy.

Within the cultivation area of the Shrek Inner Court, a young man sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in a private Cultivation Room, Soul Power fluctuations surrounding him.

He was around twenty-four or twenty-five, broad and sturdy, with resolute features. His short black hair stood upright, and his brows bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Dai Hao's.

He was none other than Dai Yueheng, eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao.

A six-ringed Soul Emperor, owner of the White Tiger Martial Soul, a core disciple of the Shrek Academy Inner Court, and an official member of the Shrek Inspection Team.

Dai Yueheng opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and picked up a letter lying beside him.

The handwriting on the envelope belonged to his mother. He recognized it.

He opened the envelope, removed the letter, and read it word by word.

The first time he read it, his brows furrowed slightly.

The second time, his face darkened.

The third time, he folded the letter, returned it to the envelope, and tucked it into his clothes.

"Martial Soul Academy... Shen Zhou..."

Dai Yueheng murmured the two names, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

Naturally, his mother's letter painted Shen Zhou as an utterly wicked madman.

But he was not a three-year-old child. He knew how his mother felt about Huo Yun'er and her son.

The letter mentioned "taking away the maid Huo Yun'er and her son Huo Yuhao." That Huo Yuhao should be his father Dai Hao's illegitimate son—his half-brother.

The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the academy gave off a gentle glow in the dusk, like a star fallen into the mortal world.

"Dean Shen."