Was There an Academy Called Shrek?

Flender pushed up his glasses. He wanted to see what this blonde girl standing before him was going to do.

"You sent everyone outside. Are you going to duel me?"

Qian Renxue shook her head. She wasn't foolish enough to duel Flender. Even with Chen Qi's help, she might not be able to beat him.

And this was the moment to call in her strongest backup. She wasn't like certain people who had powerful connections but refused to use them, only to end up beaten half to death. What was the point?

"Come out! Uncle Pufferfish and Uncle Snake Lance!"

A flash of white light, and Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo appeared out of thin air in front of Flender.

Flender looked up at them curiously, then froze on the spot.

Just one glance was enough to confirm that these two were far stronger than him. They had to be Titled Douluo, at the very least.

And if such terrifying figures served as bodyguards, their employer was certainly no ordinary person.

She had to be the young lady of some prominent family. But what kind of power could put two Titled Douluo at her side as bodyguards?

Even the Upper Three Sects had no more than a handful of Titled Douluo among them.

Then Flender suddenly thought of something terrifying.

The Qian Family of Spirit Hall all had golden hair. So did the girl before him, and she had two Titled Douluo accompanying her everywhere.

He couldn't help remembering the rumors he'd heard a few years ago, claiming that Qian Daoliu had a granddaughter.

At first, he'd thought it was a lie. After all, Qian Xunji had died before he even got married. How could he have had any descendants?

But now, he no longer thought the rumor was false.

He was certain that this blonde girl was Qian Daoliu's granddaughter—the girl with the most powerful backing on the Douluo Continent.

Flender's mind raced, and before long, he'd figured out the right answer.

"Did you bully her?"

Snake Lance Douluo looked at him with a cold expression and suddenly spoke.

The unexpected question made Flender's body jolt.

He might love money, but he loved his life even more.

He looked at Snake Lance Douluo, forced down his panic, and answered quickly.

"Please spare me, my lord! We've known each other for less than a minute. I haven't done anything!"

"Outrageous! If you haven't done anything, why did you make us come here? You'd better confess, or you can forget about making a living in Suotuo City. Go find yourself a job in the underworld instead."

At Snake Lance Douluo's words, Flender could almost see the Black and White Impermanence beckoning him over.

He immediately cowered like a mouse and knelt before Qian Renxue.

"Miss, I was blind and offended you. I'll return the hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Will that do?"

Seeing Flender drop straight to his knees, Chen Qi realized he'd still underestimated the man's shamelessness.

He'd been so high and mighty just moments ago, standing tall as he said he wouldn't give the money back. But the moment he saw someone arrive, he backed down faster than an actor changing faces in Sichuan opera.

Qian Renxue looked down at the kneeling Flender and pursed her lips in disdain.

"Why didn't you think of that earlier? Now you know you were wrong? Too late. I, Qian Xue, want not only the hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins you cheated him out of, but also anything in your shop that catches our eye. And if I don't like a single thing, I won't mind smashing the whole place."

Flender looked as if he'd swallowed a pile of shit. His brows knitted together, but to save his life, he had no choice but to swallow his loss.

"I agree. I only ask that you spare my life!"

Seeing that Flender was at least sensible, Qian Renxue waved her hand. Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo vanished from the shop.

She then went to the entrance and spoke to the two waiting outside.

"We're done talking. He agreed to return the Gold Soul Coins."

The man looked puzzled. What had Qian Renxue said to Flender? They'd only been outside for two minutes, and they hadn't heard any sounds of fighting.

What had she said to make Flender hand over the money so obediently?

He and the girl walked into the shop together. Flender had already put the Gold Soul Coins into a storage Soul Tool. Gripping it tightly, he handed it to the man with obvious reluctance.

The man snatched it from him and checked the contents. Only after confirming that none of the coins were missing did he nod in satisfaction.

"Thank you so much, Miss Qian Xue. If it weren't for you, I might never have gotten my money back."

Qian Xue gave him a light pat on the shoulder and advised him, "Keep your eyes open next time. Don't buy anything just because you're a fool with money to spare. Wouldn't it be better to take that money to an auction? The goods there are guaranteed to be good quality, so at least your money would be well spent."

The man nodded and bowed respectfully to Qian Renxue.

"I'll remember that. Thank you."

"All right, all right. Now that we've settled the money, it's time to take the things in your shop."

Chen Qi suddenly spoke.

Only then did Flender notice that Qian Renxue hadn't come alone. There was someone else beside her.

Judging by his age, could he be Qian Renxue's older brother?

"Oh, right. You two can take whatever you like. I've already settled it with him. Isn't that right?"

Chen Qi's reminder brought it back to Qian Renxue.

Flender looked at this gang of bandits and answered, one word at a time,

"That's right!"

"The shopkeeper's pretty nice, after all. Then I won't hold back."

The girl stepped forward. She'd long wanted to take some strange and unusual things home to play with. Now that she had the chance, it would be a disservice to Qian Renxue's support if she didn't clear the place out.

The man nodded, thinking that Flender should have apologized like this from the start. He forgave him, but he'd never come back.

As the two grabbed whatever caught their eye, Flender's heart bled. All these goods were things he'd planned to sell for a hefty profit!

Now they were gone. Every last one of them.

Qian Renxue and Chen Qi joined the free-shopping spree, but nothing on the shelves caught Qian Renxue's eye.

The shop even had Yu Xiaogang's famous book, Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. It was about as useful as a pile of shit, sitting here.

Just then, Chen Qi spotted a palm-sized stone in an inconspicuous corner. It was golden yellow, like gold.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was Crystal Hair Gold, the material used to make Dragon Whisker Needles. In the original story, Tang San had used a piece of this Crystal Hair Gold to make Dragon Whisker Needles and defeat Zhao Wuji, a level-76 Soul Saint.

What would happen to Tang San in the future if Chen Qi took it?

Chen Qi gave a sly grin and casually slipped the Crystal Hair Gold into his pocket. Flender watched, baffled.

Why was this kid taking the least valuable scrap of stone in the shop?

He hadn't even had the heart to raise the price on it. He'd always sold it at the lowest possible price. Could it really be a treasure that he'd never noticed?

Ten minutes later, most of the things in the shop had been taken. The girl and the man each carried a large sack, apparently stuffed full of all sorts of odds and ends from the shop.

Qian Renxue, by contrast, had taken only one Soul Tool that could store souls. The main reason was that it looked pretty, like a flower.

"Miss Qian Xue, if there's nothing else, we'll be going."

The man looked at Qian Renxue, a sack on his back.

Qian Renxue nodded.

"You can go home now. And don't get cheated again!"

"Got it."

With that, they left with their sacks, in high spirits.

Flender watched the shop grow empty and felt his heart bleed. What was the point of living?

Just destroy everything!

"Chen Qi, let's go too," Qian Renxue said.

Chen Qi suddenly remembered something. He turned to Flender, who looked utterly dejected, and asked,

"Did you have an academy called Shrek?"