Young Man, You're Quite Good!

The problem is huge!

Clutching his forehead, Xue Mingqing felt a wave of a headache. Deep down, he didn't want to get too entangled with the characters from the original work.

What if he disrupted the timeline?

What if he altered the world line?

That was why Xue Mingqing had no intention of getting involved in the original plot from the start. Even regarding Shrek, he had figured that since so many people were joining, it wouldn't matter if he were one short.

But facts proved that he had severely underestimated his own ability to attract trouble.

He had barely left Blizzard City when he encountered a thirty-thousand-year soul beast, and only a week after leaving, he had run into the original female lead, Zhang Lexuan.

What next? Was he going to run into Mu En?

His mouth twitched, but Xue Mingqing didn't leave Zhang Lexuan kneeling there.

He stepped forward, helped her up, and shook his head with a gentle tone.

"I don't need your following. Slaying an Evil Soul Master is something we ordinary soul masters should do; it's no different from helping an old lady across the street."

"You don't need to take it to heart. Just be yourself."

Patting Zhang Lexuan's arm, Xue Mingqing said no more; that was all that needed to be said.

He left Zhang Lexuan standing there, stunned and staring blankly at his back, which looked like a divine child under the moonlight...

Turning around, Xue Mingqing shouted to Wang Chao in the distance.

"Uncle Wang Chao! Remember to finish him off! Fire a few big moves at him from a distance, blast him for half an hour!"

Hearing this, Wang Chao stumbled. He turned his head, glanced at Xue Mingqing, who wore a mischievous smile, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.

He could understand finishing him off; that was a perfectly normal thing to do.

But!

What did he mean by blasting him with big moves for half an hour? Did they think their soul power grew on trees?

Rubbing his temples with his eyes closed, Wang Chao didn't want to look at Xue Mingqing anymore. He looked toward the only long-range attacker in the team—a five-ring Ice Bow Soul King.

"Lao Liu, go, shoot him with your arrows for half an hour!"

Lao Liu didn't speak. Upon receiving Wang Chao's order, he simply raised his Ice Bow in silence and prepared to nock an arrow.

And what about the fallen Demon Bear?

Upon hearing the conversation between Wang Chao and the others, his body gave an imperceptible tremor.

He wasn't dead.

That's right, he wasn't dead at all!

He had intended to play dead, waiting for someone to come up and finish him off so he could violently erupt, kill one of them, and seize the chance to devour their flesh and blood to recover his state.

But now—

Hearing the sound of the bowstring being drawn, the Demon Bear knew the situation no longer allowed him to play dead!

"ROAR!!!"

He suddenly surged up and flipped over, his seven rings flashing once more beneath his feet!

With fierce eyes and wind-whipping claws, he prepared to charge directly at Wang Chao, who was closest to him, to deliver a lethal blow!

"Watch out—!"

Seeing this, among everyone present, only Zhang Lexuan was startled into a cry!

One couldn't blame her for lacking courage; after all, appearing to be only eleven or twelve, she was indeed the youngest among them.

Take the mercenaries present, for example—every one of them was over thirty. To use a classic saying from his past life, they had eaten more salt than Zhang Lexuan had eaten rice.

Accustomed to deceit and treachery, they had long since seen through the Demon Bear's ruse.

As for Xue Mingqing, it went without saying. He had lived two lives; his current young age only made his mindset feel younger, but he hadn't truly reverted to a six-year-old brat who knew nothing.

If one were to calculate his mental age, he might even be of the same generation as Zhang Lexuan's father.

And what about Wang Chao, whom the Demon Bear viewed as the breakthrough point?

He had long anticipated this. Almost the moment the Demon Bear rose, he performed a backward leap, directly widening the distance between himself and the beast!

Seeing this, the Demon Bear's eyes darkened. These mercenaries were too troublesome. If they were to go head-to-head, none of them would be his match, but they simply refused to engage him directly!

Good news: none of the opponents could beat him in a direct fight.

Bad news: the opponents were smart and wouldn't let him touch them even once.

Realizing this infuriating point, the Demon Bear frowned. After feinting an attack at Wang Chao, he turned and prepared to flee!

He couldn't touch these annoying flies, but—

Couldn't he just run?

He had already realized that the opponents had the ability to kill him, but if he avoided the fight, it would be no easy task for them to keep him there!

If those mercenaries were truly foolish enough to lose their heads and try to kill him at all costs...

Heh... by then, who is the hunter and who is the prey remains to be seen!

Clearly, the members of Wang Chao's group realized this as well, their complexions turning ashen.

They turned their heads in unison to look at Xue Mingqing, awaiting his decision.

And what of Xue Mingqing?

His expression shifted the most dramatically, turning from green to purple, then back to green.

After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes.

"Do not pursue a desperate foe..."

As the words fell, the six members of Wang Chao's group breathed a collective sigh of relief; they had been terrified that Xue Mingqing would let his blood boil and recklessly demand they hunt down Demon Bear.

Exhaling a heavy breath, Xue Mingqing turned his head to look at Zhang Lexuan behind him, his tone apologetic.

"I am sorry..."

Zhang Lexuan shook her head, her eyes rimmed with red, biting her pink lips as she stared fixedly at Demon Bear's retreating back, her voice trembling.

"Lexuan does not blame Young Master Xue... One day, I will surely cultivate until I am stronger than him, and then I will take his life with my own hands..."

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing nodded.

He did not say much, merely clenching his fists in silence...

He was still not strong enough; if he were, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Closing his eyes, Xue Mingqing let out a long sigh.

However, just as Xue Mingqing had his eyes closed.

Clap, clap, clap.

Crisp applause rang out, accompanied by an aged yet gentle voice.

"Little one, you are quite good..."

Hearing the sound, Xue Mingqing raised an eyebrow. He lifted his gaze to see a white-haired old man in simple clothing, severely hunched, who had appeared abruptly not far in front of him, watching him.

When he met those eyes, filled with the vicissitudes of time yet unable to hide the peerless golden light beneath, Xue Mingqing's heart skipped a beat.

At this time, in this place, with this appearance—he could guess who it was with his eyes closed!

The peerless figure of the Douluo world, one of the three Ultimate Douluos, the Bright Holy Dragon, Dragon God Douluo Mu En!

Frowning, Xue Mingqing spoke.

"Who are you...?"

Although he recognized Mu En in his heart, Xue Mingqing could not say it directly; if he did, explaining how he knew would be a problem.

At the same time, Wang Chao and the others gathered around, blocking the path in front of Mu En and shielding Xue Mingqing behind them.

"Senior, may I ask who you are...?"

Being able to appear before Xue Mingqing without making a sound, the six members of Wang Chao's group did not for a second believe the man was just an ordinary old fellow.

Facing the vigilance of Wang Chao's group, Mu En smiled and spoke.

"Leader of the Shrek Inspection Team, Mu En."

Hearing this, Wang Chao and the others merely nodded silently; there was no cliché reaction like, "Ah? Are you the legendary leader of the Shrek Inspection Team?"

After all, who Mu En was had nothing to do with them; as long as they confirmed Mu En posed no threat to Xue Mingqing, that was enough.

As for why they felt Mu En would not harm Xue Mingqing.

What a joke—he was already standing right in front of Xue Mingqing; if he had truly wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have waited for them to react.

They were sharp; their questioning of Mu En was merely a formulaic, routine mercenary task of protecting their charge.

Looking at Mu En before him, Xue Mingqing coughed.

He pointed in the direction Demon Bear had fled and spoke.

"Um, Senior Mu En, that guy is about to get away. Aren't you going to do something about it?"