Strange Atmosphere

Tang Hao did not say anything about holding out against him for the time it took an incense stick to burn, or that he would leave if they managed it.

Instead, he directly threatened Flender and Zhao Wuji, telling them to look after his son, Tang San, while also keeping an eye on Lu Shi. If Lu Shi threatened his son, they were to kill him.

If Lu Shi tried to get close to Xiao Wu or wanted to join Spirit Hall, then if they could not stop him, they were to kill him too.

After killing him, they were to inform Tang Hao as well.

After saying that, he turned and left. Beneath his black robe, his burly figure looked even more like a nocturnal owl than Flender under the moonlit night.

Even after Tang Hao's figure had vanished, Zhao Wuji and Flender still did not dare move, remaining where they stood.

Only after a long while did Zhao Wuji complain, "Flender... you... you bastard have no loyalty at all. If Douluo had... hadn't meant me no harm, you'd be collecting my corpse by now."

At least half his teeth had been knocked out. His words leaked air, and his swollen lips looked like sausages.

He could barely speak clearly at all.

Flender glared at him irritably. "You nearly slapped someone's son to death. It's already merciful that he didn't kill you. If I joined you, there'd just be one more corpse."

How could I possibly beat him?

"I know... I got beaten so... badly. Can't I complain a little?"

They had both seen that Tang Hao had no intent to kill.

Zhao Wuji asked again, "Then what about Lu Shi?"

They could not seriously carry out Tang Hao's instructions, could they?

Flender sighed and cautiously watched the direction Tang Hao had gone. "If it comes down to it, let him leave."

Shrek Academy could not protect him. Even he, the dean, could not protect him.

Letting him leave was the safest option.

Flender was greedy, stingy, and always hiked up prices on the spot—a downright unscrupulous merchant. Yet he also cherished talent. For a monster like Lu Shi, he would protect him as much as possible.

After all, his lifelong wish was to strengthen Shrek Academy and turn it into the purest, most neutral academy in the world, a place that gathered every kind of monster.

"Sigh..."

Supported by someone else, Zhao Wuji limped back to his residence, wondering how many of those punches had been for Oscar stuffing Tang San with sausages...

The next morning, inside an ordinary little house, sunlight shone through the broken window and holes in the roof.

It was clear that the weather was excellent today.

Lu Shi bared his teeth at the sight. This was the best room he had been able to find.

He had not expected even this to be so terrible.

Still,

looking on the bright side, at least the room had excellent ventilation and plenty of sunlight.

After washing up, Lu Shi had barely stepped outside when he ran straight into Ning Rongrong.

She wore a simple pale yellow dress. Her skin looked soft enough to drip with moisture, and her pink hair fell casually over her shoulders. With the obedient good-girl image she had deliberately put on,

just standing there made her a stunning sight.

"Lu Shi!"

Ning Rongrong's voice was crisp and bright. When she saw him, a dazzling smile bloomed on her face, and she hurried over.

Carrying a faint sweet fragrance with her.

"You're up so early?"

Lu Shi knew Ning Rongrong was putting on this obedient act, but he did not expose her.

First, Ning Rongrong in her good-girl mode was great at making people feel appreciated.

Second, being willful and spoiled was indeed annoying, but she was a princess to begin with. So what if she had a little princess syndrome?

She was the only child of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sect master, one of the Upper Three Sects. With Innate Soul Power at rank nine, she had broken through rank twenty before turning twelve. She was the greatest genius the entire sect had seen in a century. Compared to those whose status was lower than hers, whose talent was inferior to hers, yet whose moral bottom line was horrifyingly low,

Ning Rongrong was kind-hearted. She was merely a little willful, practically perfect.

Besides, someone would be coming to straighten her out soon. Why should Lu Shi stick his foot into it?

He would act only when the time was right.

Lu Shi had to make sure Ning Rongrong was not completely brainwashed by Shrek Academy. Otherwise, she would be miserable. Originally a normal person, by the end, even after the two Douluo she had grown up with and called Grandpa Sword and Grandpa Bone died, she had not shed a single tear.

She did not care when her sect's centuries of accumulated legacy and her father's decades of hard work were destroyed.

She only thought about her teammates.

She had stayed at Shrek for so long that her mind had gone numb.

He absolutely had to stop that tragedy from happening!

Since they were both heading to the cafeteria, they walked together.

"Lu Shi, how did you teleport in front of Teacher Zhao?"

Ning Rongrong blinked her gemlike eyes, brimming with curiosity.

"That was my third soul skill. I can't really explain the specifics. Anyway, it lets me teleport within a certain range, but it consumes a lot, so I can't use it casually."

In truth, it barely consumed anything at all.

But he could not reveal all his secrets.

"Oh~"

"Then how do you have three Millennium Soul Rings..." Ning Rongrong held her hands behind her back and secretly watched Lu Shi from the corner of her eye. This question really was too personal.

She simply could not suppress her curiosity and asked cautiously.

If Lu Shi got angry, she would apologize immediately, act cute, and ask for forgiveness.

Then ask again next time.

What a joke. How could Miss Ning possibly give up on a secret she wanted to know?

If next time did not work, there was always the time after that.

Before Lu Shi could speak, they ran into Zhu Zhuqing.

For some reason, the moment Lu Shi saw Zhu Zhuqing, he shuddered instinctively. He inexplicably felt as though... he had a guilty conscience.

Even though I haven't done anything.

Walking up to her, Lu Shi spoke first. "Zhu Qing, Ning Rongrong and I just ran into each other. We're going to the cafeteria together. Want to come with us?"

Zhu Zhuqing had a cool and aloof temperament. When she was alone with Lu Shi, she could casually act cute and ask for hugs. Even on a street full of strangers, she could naturally hold his arm.

But when there were people she was only somewhat familiar with around, she would restrain herself completely and even speak far less.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded and gave a soft hum.

Then she took her place on Lu Shi's left and walked with them.

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became strange.

After a brief silence, Ning Rongrong looked at the two of them and secretly revealed the smile of a little witch. Then she began calling Lu Shi by name over and over, her voice soft, sweet, and intimate. Zhu Zhuqing seemed to notice something was off as well and pressed herself close to Lu Shi.

Her beautiful eyes were full of jealousy.

"Ning Rongrong, you..." Lu Shi felt a stab of pain on the back of his left hand. He grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's little hand, which was pinching him, trying to stop Ning Rongrong.

Unexpectedly, Ning Rongrong cut him off. With a mischievous expression, she quickened her pace by two steps and faced Lu Shi directly, like a butterfly dancing among flowers. "Calling me Ning Rongrong is so distant. Call me Rongrong!"

"Ah!"

A sudden scream rescued Lu Shi from the battlefield of romance. He hurriedly looked over, frowned, and said, "Something seems to have happened over there. Let's go take a look."

After saying that, he grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's hand and left, leaving Ning Rongrong behind. "I'm coming too! Wait for me~"

The village where Shrek Academy was located was not large. The scream had come from outside the village.

When they arrived and looked,

there were five people: Xiao Wu, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and another man and woman.