The peace of Star Luo Imperial City did not last long.
Just as Xu Jiawei and Ling Ya had anticipated, several days later, a sternly worded letter bearing the exclusive seal of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion was delivered through special channels straight to the Star Luo Emperor's desk.
The contents came as no surprise. In the strongest possible terms, it demanded to know why the Star Luo Empire had allowed Ling Ya to plunder the personal belongings of Shrek Academy's Huo Yuhao in broad daylight, and demanded that the empire immediately return everything without conditions.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the imperial study.
Xu Jiawei looked at the letter, through which he could almost feel the sender's fury, yet showed little surprise. He had already prepared his response.
Soon, a carefully orchestrated reply was issued through official channels.
The Star Luo Empire did not directly deny that the ring had been seized, but deftly shifted all responsibility for masterminding the affair onto Dai Youheng alone.
The official statement claimed that this had been Dai Youheng's personal undertaking. Because he had a longstanding grievance against Dean Yan Shaozhe of Shrek Academy, upon learning that an important Shrek disciple was returning with treasures, he had planned and carried out this operation out of a desire for revenge and compensation. The Star Luo Empire had likewise been deeply shocked upon discovering it, and so forth.
Immediately afterward, Dai Youheng himself stepped forward. Facing Shrek's questioning, he neither denied anything nor acted arrogantly. Instead, with extraordinary composure and even a trace of grievance, he recounted the promise Yan Shaozhe had made publicly two years earlier.
"Dean Yan, you attacked me that day without cause, intending to kill me, and even slandered me as an Evil Soul Master. That is an indisputable fact. After