Intertwined

Being constantly peppered with all sorts of random questions, Jiang Jiu found it a bit hard to cope, even with his strategy of mixing nine truths with one lie.

Where was Flender? He needed a rescue.

Watching Chao Tianxiang chat away, trying to set Jiang Jiu up with her granddaughter, he felt like he was about to be dragged along on their soul beast hunt.

It was best to just listen and let it slide; having two parties with such imbalanced combat power together was never a good thing.

Finally, Flender made his move.

"Which high-level academy does your granddaughter attend? Perhaps we could organize some exchanges between our academies in the future," Flender said, playing the part of an elder concerned for the younger generation.

Whether it was just Jiang Jiu's own cynical nature or not, he felt like Flender was scouting out the competition just to go and stir up trouble later.

Fortunately, Snake Granny didn't see it that way.

She introduced her granddaughter with a face full of pride.

Dragon Duke's eyes flickered, but he ultimately didn't intervene.

"Yiran is currently studying at Exotic Beast Academy. In all likelihood, she will be representing them in the Soul Master Academy Tournament."

"Grandma, what are you saying?" Meng Yiran tugged at her grandmother's sleeve, acting as if she were embarrassed by the elder's praise in front of outsiders.

Of course, she was just as proud of herself deep down.

The facts supported it, too; Meng Yiran was the top genius at Exotic Beast Academy.

"That's excellent. To have the opportunity to participate in the Soul Master Academy Tournament—she's truly one of the top genius girls on the entire continent," Flender praised.

"Haha, it's alright, I suppose." Chao Tianxiang waved her hand; the old lady loved hearing things like that.

"But the competition in the Academy Tournament is fierce. It's no wonder you two have come out in person to help find a suitable soul ring."

"Oh!" As if remembering something, Flender patted his own head, his tone shifting.

"We've been delaying you two seniors from your important business."

"Jiang Jiu, you should have reminded me sooner!"

Faced with Flender passing the buck, Jiang Jiu was forced to play along with the charade. It just went to show that useful people were destined to be used often.

"It was because I found you two seniors so approachable; it really was my fault."

"Oh, you child, you really know how to talk. No delay at all, no delay."

Flender glared at him, hoping Jiang Jiu wouldn't say something that backfired.

Whether it was because she didn't want to see her grandmother being so cheerful with outsiders, or because she really felt their time was being wasted, Meng Yiran tugged at Chao Tianxiang's sleeve again.

With the granddaughter urging them on, the two groups naturally began to part ways.

Both sides bid farewell with smiles, though what they were thinking behind each other's backs was known only to themselves.

Only when he felt they were far enough away did Flender let out a long sigh of relief.

Running into the Peerless Dragon and Snake couple on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest was truly a stroke of terrible luck.

Fortunately, the other side had no intention of starting a fight. Otherwise, the most he, Flender, could do was save his own skin, or in an extreme case, reveal Ning Rongrong's identity to force them to hold back.

But such a balance was far too fragile.

It was fortunate that he and Jiang Jiu had coordinated well enough to keep the atmosphere relatively restrained.

"Teacher, was it dangerous just now?" Ma Hongjun asked.

To be honest, the little fatty had performed quite well.

For one thing, he hadn't let his eyes wander or stared at Meng Yiran with inappropriate intent; otherwise, things might have been difficult.

Not being a burden was a success in itself.

Flender didn't rush to answer his disciple's question. He scanned the surroundings through his black-rimmed glasses, feeling that everything was fine now.

"It was indeed. You all need to be more careful in the future."

So much for 'not being a coward is for the mediocre', Jiang Jiu thought to himself. Flender's buck-passing just now had been truly shameless.

"Dean, we'll keep that in mind!"

However, Dai Mubai, the first disciple under Flender's tutelage, stepped up. Even though Flender hadn't specified what they needed to be careful about, Dai Mubai responded firmly, as if he were ready to record it in a book of the Dean's quotes.

"Who were those two people just now?" Ning Rongrong, the second person who hadn't been a burden, also asked.

Flender had told them all to hide behind him earlier. Although the anticipated conflict hadn't occurred, the heavy atmosphere had left Ma Hongjun and the others too afraid to look or speak.

Now that they had parted ways, the curious girl was naturally back in action.

"The Peerless Dragon and Snake, have you heard of them?" Flender replied. He had intended to educate the little Shrek students anyway; there were some people they couldn't afford to provoke, and they needed to recognize them.

"It was them? No wonder you were so cautious, Dean." Ning Rongrong nodded in surprise.

"I heard from my father that the Peerless Dragon and Snake are a couple. The Dragon Duke is a Soul Douluo, and they possess an incredibly powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Once used, it's enough to contend with a Titled Douluo."

Ning Rongrong's introduction saved Flender the trouble, but he added to it nonetheless.

"That's right, just as Rongrong said, the Peerless Dragon and Snake are extremely powerful."

"Of course, you could also say, 'So what if they're strong? It has nothing to do with us.'"

"And this is precisely what I need to tell you all."

"Unlike the outside world, the order between soul masters in the Soul Beast Forest is practically non-existent."

"Outside, many powerful individuals adhere to a certain order and sense of decency, but in the Soul Beast Forest, they strike whenever they please and kill whenever they wish."

"When a person dies, they are simply dead."

"No one knows, and no one pursues it."

"Therefore, you must remember: when you encounter strange soul masters in the Soul Beast Forest, you can never be too cautious..."

This could also be considered a part of their training, and since Flender, as the dean, was also one of the instructors at Shrek Academy, it was the perfect opportunity to teach a vivid and practical lesson.

"Is it really like that?"

The little fatty Ma Hongjun felt a lingering fear, and Oscar's legs were trembling slightly.

In the past, when they hunted soul beasts under the guidance of their teachers, they had never encountered such a situation.

Either they hadn't run into other soul masters at all, or the ones they did meet were far from being a match for their teachers.

Teachers who lead teams out generally maintain a basic sense of decency in front of their students and would not proactively commit evil acts, kill, or plunder.

The reactions of the others were much better.

Ning Rongrong remained fearless as ever, while Zhu Zhuqing only desired power even more, wishing she were the strong one who held the initiative.

Feeling that the effect was sufficient, Flender began to preach another set of principles.

"Of course, this is only the situation within the Soul Beast Forest."

"Outside, in many places, your dean can still cover for you."

"Do not be afraid of causing trouble, but keep your eyes sharp and choose your opponents wisely."

"Those people from the soul master academies are the easiest to bully..."

Jiang Jiu was speechless; Flender was starting to peddle his private agenda and crooked logic again, and they had only just parted ways with the Peerless Dragon and Snake.