I Don't Owe You

After a long while, the fat man on the ground stopped moving. Luo Yan turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.

"I'm fine." Zhu Zhuqing looked at him.

Luo Yan nodded, then looked at Flender. "That roast turkey just called you... Principal?"

Flender had just finished checking Ma Hongjun's pulse. At those words, his hand paused.

He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and regained some of his usual slickness. "What principal? You heard wrong."

"My hearing is excellent." Luo Yan smiled.

Tang San walked over from the doorway and stared at Flender. He was a good judge of people.

When Flender had acted earlier, he had been fast and steady, with deep, solid Soul Power. That was not the reaction an ordinary innkeeper should have had.

He suddenly asked, "How many Shrek Academies are there in Suotuo City?"

Flender glanced at him but did not answer directly.

"One."

Tang San said, "Before my teacher sent me here, he said this place only accepted monsters. I think this must be the one."

Flender did not rush to speak. Instead, he first glanced at Tang San's belt.

He had known yesterday that Tang San was Yu Xiaogang's disciple. He simply had not said so.

"You're Tang San?" he asked.

Tang San did not answer, only nodded slightly.

Flender sighed. "Yes. I'm the principal of Shrek Academy. That rundown place. Xiao Gang wrote me a letter saying a student would be coming."

Tang San nodded. "Then will we need to take an exam later?"

Flender nodded. Rare seriousness appeared on his face. "There will be a small test, but it shouldn't be much of a problem for the few of you."

"Except me." Luo Yan suddenly corrected him.

Tang San and Xiao Wu both looked at him.

Xiao Wu spoke first. "You're not going? We can go together! Don't you love joining in on the fun? Shrek—just listen to that name, isn't it interesting? And you're already in Suotuo City. If you don't stay at the academy, where will you stay?"

"At an inn."

Luo Yan smiled. "What's so good about an academy? Your principal sells fake maps. If I stayed with him, I'd be afraid someone would steal my bedboards in the middle of the night."

He tilted his head and looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "Kitten, do you want to give it a try?"

Zhu Zhuqing glanced at him, then at Flender.

Flender was just about to put on a welcoming smile for prospective students when Zhu Zhuqing decisively shook her head.

"Not going," she said.

The smile on Flender's face froze again.

Xiao Wu grew anxious as well. "Why?"

"Not interested," Zhu Zhuqing said.

Her voice was quiet, but there was no room for negotiation.

Luo Yan pointed at himself and Zhu Zhuqing. "See? Two troublemakers. This kind of academy can just take promising talents like you. The two of us—one watching the show, the other following along to watch it. Isn't that great?"

Tang San did not try to persuade them further. He looked at Luo Yan, then at Zhu Zhuqing.

He felt that their decision not to go had been made long ago. They had not come to Suotuo City to study in the first place.

Flender seemed relieved, though somewhat regretful. He said to Tang San and Xiao Wu, "Fine. I'll take you two to the academy first. As Xiao Gang's students, I need to get a better sense of your abilities."

"Then we'll be on our way first?"

Xiao Wu gave an "Oh," then looked at Zhu Zhuqing again. In the end, she said nothing more.

Tang San only said, "Come find us at the academy if anything happens." He paused, then looked at Luo Yan. "Don't cause too much trouble."

"I'm very well-behaved." Luo Yan smiled.

Tang San smiled and shook his head. Flender had already led him and Xiao Wu off in another direction.

The street became a little emptier. Wind swept out from the alleyway, lifting a corner of Luo Yan's robe. He turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.

Her eyes were fixed farther ahead, where the lights of the Rose Hotel glowed.

"Let's go," Zhu Zhuqing said.

They walked side by side without speaking again. After two years together, she had already grown accustomed to his presence.

They arrived at the Rose Hotel.

Several carriages stood beneath the portico, their silk curtains hanging low. The two attendants at the entrance bowed in greeting when they saw them. Luo Yan did not enter, merely standing beside the door as Zhu Zhuqing stepped inside.

Dai Mubai sat by the window with several small dishes before him, barely touched. When he saw Zhu Zhuqing, he slowly put down his chopsticks.

Luo Yan leaned against the doorframe outside. All he could see was Zhu Zhuqing walking over and sitting down.

"Dai Mubai." Zhu Zhuqing spoke softly. "I don't owe you."

Dai Mubai's lips moved, but no sound came out.

Zhu Zhuqing said, "I don't acknowledge the engagement our families arranged. From now on, you are you, and I am me."

Dai Mubai finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Zhu Zhuqing, I..."

"I spent two years looking for you."

Zhu Zhuqing said, "I only wanted to see whether the one who ran away was still someone capable of fighting. But now, it seems you only want to live your own life."

She raised her hand and placed a thin jade slip on the table. Dai Mubai lowered his head to look at it. The jade was old, with a crack running across it.

It was the token given to her when their families had arranged their engagement many years ago. She had kept it all this time. Now, she was returning it to him.

"I don't blame you. Nor do I hate you," Zhu Zhuqing said. "But I will not bind myself to your name any longer. I will fight my fate myself."

Dai Mubai did not pick it up. He stared at the jade slip as though all his strength had been drained away. He wanted to say, "I never wanted to run away either," but before the girl in front of him, those words sounded ridiculous.

"Good luck."

Zhu Zhuqing did not wait for him. Leaving those final words behind, she turned and walked away.

As she passed Luo Yan, she did not look at him. She only said softly, "Let's go."

Luo Yan gave a quiet "Mm" and followed. As he stepped out the door, he looked back at Dai Mubai. The man still stood there beneath the lamplight, like a Tiger whose fangs had finally been pulled.

"Young Master Dai," he said, "sometimes, choice matters more than effort."

His voice was quiet. Then he turned and caught up with Zhu Zhuqing.

"Where to next?" Luo Yan asked.

"Back to the inn," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"Alright." Luo Yan followed her.

At Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong, who had passed the Soul Power test perfectly, quietly followed behind Flender.

Xiao Wu whispered to Tang San, "I wonder if Luo Yan and Zhu Zhuqing have made it back to the inn."

"They should have," Tang San said.

Ning Rongrong suddenly stopped.

She turned to look at Xiao Wu. Her gaze was calm, yet much brighter than before.

Xiao Wu felt her skin crawl under that stare and gave an awkward laugh. "W-What is it?"

"You know Luo Yan?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Xiao Wu was startled. "Huh? Yeah, we know him. Why?"

Ning Rongrong said nothing. She took two steps closer to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu instinctively backed away a little. "Y-You... what are you doing?"

"What is your relationship with him?" Ning Rongrong asked again.

"Old friends," Tang San said.

"Where is he staying?" Ning Rongrong looked at Tang San.

Flender watched from the side, and the more he watched, the more entertaining he found it. That kid actually had ties to the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Interesting~

"Eternal Fortune Inn," Tang San said. He did not stop her.

"Thanks." Ning Rongrong immediately started walking away.

Flender panicked. "Hey! Take the exam first!"

"I'm not enrolling!" Ning Rongrong stuffed the wooden plaque she had just received into Flender's arms, then turned and headed straight for the academy gates.

Flender froze for half a second before coming back to his senses. "No—you already took the test! You're halfway through! You can't just decide not to enroll?!"

"I'm not enrolling." Ning Rongrong did not look back. Her voice drifted back on the wind. "I'm going to find him!"

"What do you think Shrek is, a marketplace?!"

Flender panicked and hurried after her. "Miss Ning, how am I supposed to explain this?!"

"Just say I was never here!" Ning Rongrong said.

Flender stumbled. "This..."

Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance and shrugged in perfect unison.