Chu Qing said calmly and without a trace of deference, "Dean, am I qualified to join this mission?" As he spoke, he swept his eyes over the others from the corners of his eyes.
Tang San looked unwilling, but quickly composed himself, his expression returning to calm. Even so, he continued to watch Chu Qing intently.
Flender gave an awkward laugh. "Xiao Qing, since you've already reached level 30, come with us. Put away your Martial Soul. Classmates should help each other. Teacher Zhao, give Xiao Qing a share of the supplies for this mission, too."
Zhao Wuji nodded in agreement. He had no particular grudge against Chu Qing and even admired him a little. That decisive personality reminded him of himself when he was young.
Ma Hongjun watched Chu Qing nervously, beads of sweat rolling down his bulky body. He was afraid Chu Qing might accidentally cover him in those terrifying flames. He hadn't expected Chu Qing to dare make a move even with Dean Flender right there!
Only then did Chu Qing seem satisfied. He withdrew the flames, nodded, and walked over to the side.
Xiao Wu also spoke up, her voice bright and clear. "Dean, I've reached level 30, too. I want to sign up for this mission."
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu in surprise, wondering why she had leveled up so quickly. Before they'd come to the academy to enroll, she had only just reached level 29.
Flender exclaimed happily, "It seems this year's freshmen are very talented! Good! Very good! Shrek Academy wants monsters like you! We only recruit monsters! Then, in three days, we'll go together to hunt for your third Soul Ring!"
Flender believed in strength above all else. He only recognized strength, even going so far as to say that those who didn't dare cause trouble were worthless. So he hadn't thought much of Chu Qing, whose strength had been slow to improve; Chu Qing hadn't lived up to his hopes of cultivating a genius. Now, with so many students reaching level 30, Flender was naturally delighted.
Rongrong happily went over to Chu Qing, her long, silky hair brushing against him as she exclaimed, "Brother, you're amazing! I knew you could do it! You said you'd break through to level 30, and you really did! That's incredible!"
Feeling the girl's warmth beside him, Chu Qing smiled and rubbed Rongrong's adorable cheek. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Oscar watched them from the side, furious. He couldn't understand why Rongrong didn't like someone as handsome as him and only liked that Chu Qing.
Flender cleared his throat. "Now that we've confirmed who's going, everyone get ready. We'll set out in three days! I'll lead the group! We're going to hunt for your third Soul Rings!"
Chu Qing was the first to get up. He led Rongrong outside.
Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun left in turn, leaving only Xiao Wu and Tang San, who had just arrived not long ago.
Xiao Wu stared blankly at Chu Qing and Rongrong walking away together, lost in thought. For some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable.
No, I can't betray Brother San! Brother San is the one I love! Xiao Wu tried to drive the thoughts from her mind, telling herself this in secret.
Just then, a large hand came down on Xiao Wu's head. She leaped away on reflex and looked up to see Tang San.
Tang San asked with concern, "Xiao Wu, what's wrong? I called you for ages just now, but you didn't answer. I went to your dorm this morning to look for you, but your roommate said you'd gone out early. What happened? Did something go wrong?"
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, her feelings tangled. "Brother San, don't worry. I'm fine. I just went out to clear my head."
Tang San was even more confused. "Clear your head? Why would you need to do that when nothing's wrong?"
Xiao Wu suddenly felt impatient. "Can you stop paying attention to me all the time? I have my own life, too!"
Tang San stared at Xiao Wu in disbelief. He didn't understand what had happened to make her change so much. Xiao Wu had always been obedient to him. He had even thought that if he ever asked her to sacrifice her life for him, she would be willing. But the Xiao Wu standing before him today felt like a stranger.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Wu regretted it and stopped herself. She didn't understand why she had become like this. Brother San standing before her was clearly the person she loved most. She spoke again, more gently. "Brother, I'm sorry. I haven't been in a good mood lately."
Tang San asked with concern, "What's wrong, Xiao Wu? Did something happen?"
Xiao Wu paused, then gathered her courage. "Brother San, could you stop picking on Chu Qing from now on? Couldn't you just stay out of each other's way? He isn't a wicked person. He wasn't the one who started the conflict between you two, either. So please don't—"
"Shut up!" Tang San's furious shout cut her off. He stared at her, disappointment written all over his face, and said viciously, "Do you know how he insulted me? First he insulted my teacher, then he insulted me! I swear I'll kill him someday! It would be one thing if you didn't support me, but now you're making excuses for him! What, do you like him? Huh?"
He grabbed Xiao Wu by the shoulders and shook her violently, repeating, "Why are you making excuses for him? Why? Why?!"
Xiao Wu stared at Tang San, his face full of malice, like a mad dog. She struggled free of his grip, and two streams of tears immediately slid from her eyes. Her heart was full of grievance, but she couldn't put it into words. She could only take a deep breath and swallow it all down.
She hadn't expected that after making such a great sacrifice for Tang San, all she would get in return was his misunderstanding and disrespect.
Even more, she hadn't expected her gentle, good-natured Brother San to turn so cruel and vicious! Had he changed, or was this his true nature finally showing? Maybe he had always been this kind of person and had only been pretending around her. Now, he had simply taken off the mask!
A thousand thoughts swirled through Xiao Wu's mind. She couldn't bear it any longer, turned, and ran outside.
Tang San watched Xiao Wu run away, filled with regret. Several times, he wanted to run after her and apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. All he could do was clutch his hair in anguish. He didn't understand why Xiao Wu had changed.
Suddenly, he recalled several details. Xiao Wu had come with Chu Qing. They had arrived one after the other, but there had been very little time between them.
And Xiao Wu's usually neat scorpion braid had somehow come undone, with a few strands even stuck to her forehead—more like the traces of sweat.
This made him suspicious. Xiao Wu's strange behavior in so many ways meant that something had definitely happened to her.
No! I have to find out what happened! Tang San resolved in secret.
He still couldn't believe that Xiao Wu, who had always been so obedient to him, could change so much in such a short time! Impossible! Something was definitely going on!