Shrek's three girls sneak into the Heavenly Secrets Tower, and Li Tianyuan catches them red-handed

Night fell over Suotuo City and the Heavenly Secrets Tower.

Li Tianyuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, cultivating his Soul Power.

The night breeze whispered, and all was quiet outside.

Only occasionally did the sounds of singing and dancing drift over from the distance.

Three figures appeared nearby, all wearing tight-fitting night clothes, their heads and faces covered so that only their eyes showed.

Judging by their graceful figures, all three were clearly women.

"The Heavenly Secrets Tower is just ahead!"

"Stick to the plan!"

The intruder in the lead pointed toward a red lantern hanging not far away and spoke in a low voice.

The other two said nothing, merely nodding.

The three soon crept up to the Heavenly Secrets Tower. Three pairs of eyes surveyed the building, while they pressed their ears near the doorframe, seemingly listening for something.

Inside, everything was utterly quiet, without the slightest sound.

Just then, Li Tianyuan opened his eyes on the meditation cushion and looked outside.

His gaze shifted slightly as he sensed his surroundings carefully.

He had indeed noticed something.

A faint smile curled his lips, but he gave nothing away.

Outside, the three figures exchanged hand signals.

One figure immediately climbed up the doorframe like a nimble cat and soon landed on the roof. She crawled cautiously to its center, lifted a roof tile, and peered inside. It was pitch-black and completely still.

She could only make out a figure sitting cross-legged, motionless.

Her eyes shifted, and she took a bamboo tube from her clothes, removing its outer wrapping. After a moment, wisps of smoke began rising from one end.

She immediately reached out and carefully slipped the smoking end through the roof.

Then she pulled down her mask, revealing a small, cherry-like mouth, and blew into the other end, clearly intending to send the smoke into the room.

After blowing for a while, she apparently decided it was enough. She withdrew the tube and looked inside, finding the man still sitting upright.

A smug smile curled her lips as she put the tile back in place.

She turned and carefully scurried back.

A short while later, she returned to the entrance of the Heavenly Secrets Tower.

The other two were still waiting.

Upon seeing them, the dark figure who had just climbed onto the roof gave them a gesture signaling success.

The other two were delighted.

All three huddled beside the door, seemingly waiting.

After several minutes, they decided enough time had passed.

"That fellow must be unconscious by now. Open the door!"

The leader sounded rather smug as she spoke to the person beside her.

"I'll do it."

Another voice rang out. She took an extremely thin blade from her clothes, gently slipped it into the crack of the door, and flicked it upward.

The wooden door bolt seemed to have been sliced through.

The leader gently pushed the door.

It opened.

Delighted, the three immediately slipped inside.

Just then, a lamp lit up in the formerly dark room.

The three had been tiptoeing along, about to inspect their surroundings, but all froze at the sight of the light.

"Three petty thieves!"

Li Tianyuan stood before the lamp with his hands behind his back, looking at the three newcomers with a cold smile.

Their eyes widened as they stared incredulously at Li Tianyuan standing before them, apparently never having expected him to be waiting for them.

"You... you're all right?"

The black-clad girl who had blown in the drugged smoke looked at Li Tianyuan, her voice trembling slightly.

She had clearly blown the drugged smoke into the room. Even a Soul Saint would fall unconscious after inhaling it.

Yet the man before them was completely unharmed!

"Should something have happened to me?"

Li Tianyuan sneered.

"Run!"

At that moment, the black-clad girl in the middle seemed to realize something. With a startled cry, she immediately bolted outside, hoping to make a clean getaway.

Hearing her, the other two moved even faster, racing outside like gusts of wind.

"Wait for me!"

The first girl to run grew frantic and shouted.

Before her words had faded, Li Tianyuan appeared behind her. He grabbed her as though picking up a chick and tossed her back inside.

Almost simultaneously, the other two black-clad girls fell into Li Tianyuan's hands. He carried them back and tossed them aside.

"You... how are you so powerful?!"

The leader's voice trembled, as though she could hardly believe it.

Li Tianyuan glanced over her and sneered. "Young Lady Rongrong, didn't you leave during the day? What did you come here to do tonight?"

"Were you here to steal something or to hurt me?"

He had already recognized the leader from her voice.

It was none other than Ning Rongrong.

Seeing that her identity had been exposed, Ning Rongrong stopped pretending and removed her hood. Her earlier arrogance was gone, replaced by a somewhat humble tone. "Well... Mr. Li, I only came to fool around. Please don't be angry!"

"Fool around?!"

Li Tianyuan could not help sneering.

She must have taken him for a child.

"Young Lady Rongrong, unless you give me a satisfactory explanation tonight, I'm afraid you won't be leaving!"

Li Tianyuan spoke coldly.

Ning Rongrong's expression changed drastically, but she remained as stubborn as a dead duck whose beak stayed hard. "Mr. Li, I was only playing a joke on you. I meant nothing else."

"I'll answer for what I did. Let the other two go first."

Ning Rongrong pointed at her two companions.

"You're all accomplices. You think I'll let anyone go?"

Li Tianyuan sneered.

They really thought he had no temper and could be easily talked around.

"Mr. Li, I, Ning Rongrong, can take responsibility for this. Let them go!"

Ning Rongrong raised her slender neck like a proud peacock as she spoke.

"No."

Li Tianyuan did not indulge her at all. His gaze fell on the other two as he said flatly, "Don't even think about attacking again. Otherwise, you'll be walking straight into death!"

He could tell that the two had just been looking for an opening to attack.

But with their strength, neither could withstand even one move from him.

Feeling the immense pressure, neither dared to attack. They both stood utterly still.

"Take off your hoods. Let me see who you are!"

Li Tianyuan's gaze was stern.

The two exchanged a glance and, not daring to hesitate, removed their hoods.

Two stunning little faces were revealed.

One was youthful and lively, mischievous, adorable, and charming.

The other was coolly beautiful, like a secluded orchid.

"So pretty, yet you came out to harm someone. Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Li Tianyuan spoke angrily.

A gleam flickered in his eyes. He deliberately looked at the mischievous girl, sensing her unusual aura.

He had already guessed her identity.

One was Xiao Wu, and the other was Zhu Zhuqing. Both were already well-developed young women, radiating youthful vitality.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance, neither daring to say much for the moment.

They guessed that this remarkably handsome young man, who did not look very old, had a considerable cultivation level. He had to be at least a Soul King, or they could not possibly have been left completely helpless.

"Tell me, what are your names?"

"Where are you from?"

Li Tianyuan continued questioning them.

"Hmph, aren't you so good at divination? Why don't you work it out yourself?"

Standing to one side, Ning Rongrong pouted.

Smack!

Before her words had faded, Li Tianyun shifted his feet and delivered a slap to her backside.

"Who said you could speak here?"

"Keep spouting nonsense, and don't blame me for punishing you severely!"

Li Tianyuan spoke coldly.

"You... you dared hit me!"

Ning Rongrong felt so wronged she wanted to cry. Never in her life had anyone spanked her. Even her father would not dare strike her once.

Yet now someone had actually hit her outright!

"What, not happy?"

"Want me to keep hitting you?"

Li Tianyuan looked at Ning Rongrong, his expression growing even sterner.

Ning Rongrong clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Hmph, just you wait! Grandpa Bone will definitely avenge me!"

Once she got out of here, she would make Grandpa Bone smash this place to vent her anger.

Li Tianyuan ignored her and looked toward the other two girls.

"My name is Xiao Wu. I'm from Shrek Academy."

Xiao Wu knew when to yield. She could tell that Li Tianyuan was not someone the three of them could afford to provoke, so she could only bow her head for now.

"My name is Zhu Zhuqing. I'm also from Shrek Academy."

Zhu Zhuqing spoke quietly as well.

Li Tianyuan nodded slightly. Sure enough, his guess had been right.

"You're from Shrek. Since you're students, why did you sneak into my place and try to poison me?"

Li Tianyuan demanded angrily.

"We were only joking. We absolutely never intended to harm you, sir."

Xiao Wu lowered her head as she explained.

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, lowering her head slightly as well.

They had indeed been in the wrong.

Tonight, they had originally intended to capture Li Tianyuan alive to vent Ning Rongrong's anger and investigate his background while they were at it.

Who could have known they would take things too far and fall into his hands?

"Who do you think would believe that?"

"Must you force me to get rough?"

Li Tianyuan looked at the two girls and spoke coldly.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance, then looked toward Ning Rongrong, their eyes shifting as though trying to devise some special means of escape.

Xiao Wu had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for a full hundred thousand years. What situation had she not seen?

As long as she found an opening, she could escape.

"Still refusing to talk?"

Li Tianyuan raised his brows and advanced on Xiao Wu.

"Sir, we only came to investigate your true circumstances. We meant no harm."

Xiao Wu forced herself to speak.

"It seems you won't tell the truth unless I make you suffer a little."

Li Tianyuan grabbed Xiao Wu, forced her facedown over the table, and delivered several slaps to her backside.

Xiao Wu cried out loudly in pain.

"Still refusing to talk?!"

Li Tianyuan snorted coldly.

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth without begging for mercy.

Seeing this, Ning Rongrong could hardly bear it, but she still refused to say anything more.

Li Tianyuan delivered several more slaps, yet Xiao Wu still refused to speak further.

"Fine. Quite stubborn, aren't you?"

Li Tianyuan released Xiao Wu first, then looked toward Zhu Zhuqing, who stood nearby.

"What about you? Will you talk?"

Li Tianyuan spoke coldly.

Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together. If they truly revealed what had happened, she suspected Li Tianyuan might kill them.

She could only grit her teeth and endure it.

Li Tianyuan no longer hesitated. He reached out, grabbed Zhu Zhuqing, and pinned her to the long table again, landing several more slaps on her backside.

"Still refusing to talk?"

Li Tianyuan's tone was harsh.

Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth, still refusing to reveal what had happened.

"You're all awfully loyal to one another!"

Li Tianyuan withdrew his hand and turned his gaze toward Ning Rongrong.

"Miss Ning, if you refuse to talk, I'll spank your backside until it's covered in welts!"

Li Tianyuan grabbed Ning Rongrong and pinned her to the table, raising his hand to strike.

"Stop! I'll talk!"

"Mr. Li, I'll tell you, all right?"

Ning Rongrong had no desire to receive a harsh lesson from Li Tianyuan.

She had never suffered anything like this in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Mr. Li, it was all my fault. I thought you'd cheated me out of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, and I couldn't swallow it, so I asked Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing to help me drug you unconscious and investigate you!"

"I never meant to hurt you!"

Ning Rongrong begged for mercy.

After all, Li Tianyuan knew her true identity. She figured he would never dare actually kill her!

So even though she had done something wrong this time, she was not panicking.

Still, she felt a little miserable about dragging Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing into this.

"You think ten thousand Gold Soul Coins is too much?"

"Fine, I've changed my mind. The next time you come for a reading, it'll cost five million Gold Soul Coins!"

After hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Li Tianyuan spoke with a wicked expression.

When he opened the Heavenly Secrets Tower, he had never intended to open his lion's maw and demand an exorbitant price. But since Ning Rongrong thought even ten thousand Gold Soul Coins was too expensive, he would send the price soaring!

After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had wealth to throw around.

"What!"

Ning Rongrong stared at Li Tianyuan with wide eyes, wondering whether she had misheard him.

"You... Mr. Li, you can't do that!"

Ning Rongrong was left rather speechless. Just how much trouble had she brought on herself this time?

The difference between ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and five million was enormous.

"Keep protesting, and it'll be ten million Gold Soul Coins next time!"

Li Tianyuan gave her no chance to argue.

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth but dared not say anything more. She really was afraid that Li Tianyuan would charge ten million Gold Soul Coins in the future!

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would cough up blood by the bucket!

"All right. The three of you can escape death, but you won't escape punishment."

"Tomorrow, I'll hand all three of you over to the city lord's residence to be punished!"

Li Tianyuan spoke coldly.

At his words, a flicker of delight appeared in Ning Rongrong's eyes.

If he handed them over to the city lord's residence, there was still hope for them.

Once the people there learned her identity, they would certainly release them.

Besides, Shrek Academy had some influence in Suotuo City. The city lord's residence would probably show them some respect.

"Mr. Li, we know we were wrong."

Ning Rongrong spoke with barely concealed delight.

Seeing the smile on her face, Li Tianyuan suddenly realized something.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wielded great influence in the Heaven Dou Empire. The city lord's residence certainly could not afford to offend it.

If he handed them over, they could be released practically the moment he walked out the door.

"Forget it. Tomorrow, I'll put the three of you on display outside so everyone passing by can get a good look at what three little thieves look like!"

Li Tianyuan sneered.

"Huh? Mr. Li, didn't you just say you were going to hand us over to the city lord's residence?"

"Why did you change your mind?"

The secret delight in Ning Rongrong's heart instantly sank to the bottom of the sea.

"If I hand you over to the city lord's residence, they'll let you go!"

"The three of you need to be punished by me personally!"

Li Tianyuan sneered.

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong's expression turned utterly miserable. He was leaving her no escape at all!