Infighting at Shrek

When Dai Mubai and the others returned to Shrek, they were all in foul moods. It was bad enough that they hadn't gotten the hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, but they'd also been utterly crushed in a one-against-seven match. They'd lost face completely.

Ma Hongjun grumbled, "What kind of monster is that kid? A ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring? I've never even heard of such a thing."

Oscar sighed.

"A hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, gone just like that. We were going to use that money to improve our meals, too."

Dai Mubai propped his face up with one hand and said nothing. His right hand was still wrapped in bandages. Even now, the power of that punch made his heart pound when he thought about it.

Zhu Zhuqing went straight back to her room and shut the door. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess.

She kept replaying today's match in her mind.

Why was the gap between Dai Mubai and that Divine Lord Meng Zhang so huge, when they were both level thirty-seven?

Dai Mubai was a Power Attack System Soul Master, with the White Tiger Martial Soul and two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring—the ideal configuration.

But in front of that man, he'd been like paper.

She remembered the term Xuan Qing had used when he'd berated Yu Xiaogang: plagiarized Martial Soul Theory.

Could Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Theory really have been plagiarized?

Then had all their training over this past while been any use at all?

A thought suddenly came to Zhu Zhuqing.

Could that Divine Lord Meng Zhang help her grow stronger? She needed power. She needed to become strong enough to control her own fate.

At this point in her life, Zhu Zhuqing might have been big-breasted and not very bright, but she wasn't yet the useless Zhu Zhuqing from later in the original story.

Xiao Wu waited outside the academy for Tang San and the others, staying there until late into the night.

At last, several figures appeared in the distance. They supported one another as they limped toward her. They were Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Zhao Wuji.

The four of them were in a sorry state.

Yu Xiaogang's face was bruised and swollen, his eyes narrowed to slits. He could barely see.

Tang San's head was covered in bumps, swollen until he looked like Buddha.

Flender's glasses were shattered, and his clothes hung in tatters.

Zhao Wuji was the strongest, but he'd taken the most hits. He was covered in wounds.

Xiao Wu hurried over. "Third Brother, are you all right? How did you end up like this?"

Tang San clenched his teeth and shook his head without speaking.

He'd been thoroughly humiliated today. They'd smacked him over the head with brick after brick, kicked him into the crowd, and then a whole bunch of people had surrounded him and kicked him in a circle.

Yu Xiaogang rasped, "No one is to tell anyone about what happened today! Do you hear me?"

His words were muffled. Some well-meaning person had apparently kicked out his front teeth, and now he had a lisp.

Xiao Wu muttered under her breath, "Seems like there's no need for us to tell anyone. The whole of Suotuo City already knows!"

Flender sighed.

"All right, Xiao Wu. Enough. Go find Shao Xin and get treated."

They went to Shao Xin's room. He jumped when he saw what had happened to them.

"What happened to you? Were you surrounded by Soul Beasts?"

Zhao Wuji plopped down, then grimaced in pain.

"Don't ask. Hurry up and make some Sugar Beans. I'm in agony."

Shao Xin quickly took out some Sugar Beans and handed several to each of them. The beans melted as soon as they entered their mouths, turning into warm streams that healed their injuries.

Zhao Wuji glared viciously at Yu Xiaogang.

He'd been the most undeserving recipient of today's beating. He wasn't close to Yu Xiaogang; they were just colleagues.

This whole mess had been Yu Xiaogang's fault. He'd let a few taunts from a kid provoke him into saying whatever came to mind, and he'd angered the entire crowd.

If Zhao Wuji and Flender hadn't been there, Yu Xiaogang would've been torn to pieces.

"Watch what you say from now on. If Flender and I hadn't been there today, that crowd would've skinned you alive."

That was as good as a complete break between them. Flender still wanted to defend Yu Xiaogang, but Zhao Wuji didn't give him the chance.

"If something like this happens again, handle it yourself. Don't drag me into it. I don't want to get caught up in a mess like this."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid, but he didn't dare argue.

Tang San silently ate his Sugar Beans, his gaze dark. Today had been the most humiliating day of both his lives.

That Divine Lord Meng Zhang... He'd remember him. One day, he'd make him pay.

Meanwhile, Xuan Qing was still asleep. He slept for three whole days, completely undisturbed.

Ning Fengzhi and the others had come more than ten times, and each time Zi JI had stopped them at the door.

Her reason was always the same: the young master was still sleeping and wasn't receiving guests.

When they came for the eleventh time, Ning Fengzhi started getting impatient. He suspected Xuan Qing was deliberately avoiding them and didn't want to see them.

Zi JI was fed up. She simply took the vicious-looking Nuomask out of Xuan Qing's ring and tossed it to them.

"See this? For the past year and ten months, those things were all done by the young master: hanging city lords, exposing evidence, taking ill-gotten money and returning it."

"If you think the young master is deliberately avoiding you, I have nothing to say. But he really is asleep."

Zi JI turned around, went back to the room, and shut the door, leaving them staring at the Nuomask in their hands.

Ning Fengzhi picked up the Nuomask and examined it closely. It had a fierce face and blue skin with fangs, but the craftsmanship was crude.

He recalled rumors from over a year ago about a mysterious person who specialized in killing corrupt officials and tyrants, hanging them at their doorways with evidence tied to their bodies.

If they'd taken bribes, he'd take a tenth of their money as payment and return the rest in full. His methods were clean and decisive, and he never left any survivors.

So it had been him?

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and said to Xue Qinghe, "Qinghe, once we're back, start by cleaning up your subordinates. Get rid of anyone who isn't clean."

Gu Rong added, "The kid's young, but he's ruthless. I can't wrap my head around the fact that the demon who kills people and leaves evidence behind is the same person as that child."

Xue Qinghe had a massive headache.

Whether she was acting as Heaven Dou Crown Prince or as the young mistress of Spirit Hall, her subordinates had to be clean.

Otherwise, Xuan Qing might really kill her first.

Over the past year or so, the number of slaves in the Heaven Dou Auction House had fallen by half. Now she knew why.

Spirit Hall took care of the Fallen Ones, so there wasn't much information about them.

But in Heaven Dou, titled nobles, city lords, and military officers were all hung at the city gates as soon as their crimes were discovered.

If they'd taken bribes, he'd take a tenth of their money as payment and return the rest.

There were people from Spirit Hall, the Two Great Empires, and the Upper Three Sects. Anyone who'd committed a crime and gone unpunished was treated the same, no matter who they were.

Dozens of nobles had already been hanged, with irrefutable evidence against them.

Qian Renxue shivered.

Fortunately, Xuan Qing hadn't come across a Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall taking bribes.

Even if he couldn't beat one, Demon Dragon Douluo would step in. There were no more than three people in all of Spirit Hall who could beat Zi JI for sure.

And the number who could survive her was no more than a handful.

"Teacher, make sure you investigate thoroughly when we get back. At the very least, turn all those slaves into proper servants. It's better to spend a little more money than to wait for him to come knocking. That guy has no scruples whatsoever. He really might do something like that."

Ning Rongrong had been listening quietly all this time. Now she couldn't help asking, "Dad, what are you talking about? What do you mean, hanging city lords? What evidence?"

Xue Qinghe took a stack of reports from her storage ring and handed them to Ning Rongrong. "See for yourself. These are the records from the past year or so, all about that mysterious person."

Ning Rongrong took them and began reading.

The more she read, the paler she grew. Her hands trembled. They recorded dozens of major cases, each one horrifying.

A city lord had colluded with an auction house to buy and sell slaves, and had been hanged at the city gate.

A noble had seized farmland from the people, and his estate had been distributed among them. A general had withheld military pay, and every coin had been returned.

The methods were ruthless, but... deeply satisfying.

Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked toward Xuan Qing's room, her gaze complicated.

That boy seemed about her age, yet he'd done so much, killed so many people, and saved so many more.

What kind of person was he, really?