Chen Ping was in quite a good mood.
Once he sold this jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, his reserves would comfortably reach three thousand Gold Soul Coins.
That was far more than Chen Ping had expected.
So much so that Chen Ping was even considering saving up for a Mystic Water Pill to improve his physique.
The only thing puzzling Chen Ping was that, of the two young girls walking ahead of him, the redhead kept turning around to look at him nervously.
Could his head have already turned pointy?
Alarmed, Chen Ping hurriedly felt his head. Only after finding no sign of it becoming pointed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Since he had come into some money recently, he had indeed started taking another new medicine.
But whatever medicine he used, it had ultimately been derived by his system, with all its side effects clearly listed.
He certainly did not remember taking any medicine that would make his head turn pointy.
But if there was nothing unusual about him, what exactly was that redheaded girl up ahead looking back at?
Chen Ping instinctively glanced behind him too, completely unaware of what the two ahead were saying about him.
"Young mistress, I think someone's following us."
"Young mistress, that person has been following us for ages."
"Young mistress, I think he's realized we noticed him following us. He even felt his head."
"Young mistress, I suspect he's looking back to check whether anyone else is nearby. Is he about to attack?"
The girl being called young mistress was Ning Tian. At first, she had thought Wu Feng was merely joking around with her.
Where were they? This was Shrek Academy!
Ning Tian thought it was certainly possible that they might encounter danger on their way to Shrek Academy.
But they had not merely reached Shrek City now. They were actually inside Shrek Academy!
"Wu Feng, you're jumping at shadows again. You were always getting startled like this back at the sect too. This is Shrek Academy."
"That person behind us is probably an older student heading back to his dorm after enjoying the scenery at Sea God Lake, just like us."
Ning Tian smiled helplessly. Her bodyguard's loyalty was beyond question, and they had grown up together. They were truly as close as sisters.
Her only fault was that Wu Feng took her safety far too seriously. Even back at the sect, the slightest rustle of wind through grass would set her on edge.
"Young mistress, I'm not making things up. Have you forgotten? We passed the dorms once before coming to the Sea God Pavilion."
"Taking this path to the academy gates would be going the long way around. Other than the girls' dorms, the only things along here are the classroom buildings for the different years."
"It's already dark, and all the classrooms were locked ages ago. There's no way this person is going to a classroom or back to his own dorm."
Wu Feng's words unsettled Ning Tian a little, but she still found it hard to believe things were as Wu Feng described.
Until, after walking for roughly half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two girls nervously discovered that Chen Ping really had been following them all along, keeping neither too close nor too far away!
"What do we do, Wu Feng? It looks like you were right."
On her first trip away from home, Ning Tian's face turned slightly pale. With darkness falling, she immediately began to lose her composure.
"It's all right, young mistress. We're not far from the dorms. We'll win if we can just make it there..."
Wu Feng was also wound tight with nerves by now, glancing back at Chen Ping even more frequently.
Their constant looks made Chen Ping feel prickly all over. He simply quickened his pace, intending to overtake them.
What was the point of squabbling with two little girls? Getting Xuan Zi's errand done and the money into his pocket was what mattered most.
Just as the two girls instinctively quickened their pace, with the dorm building faintly visible far ahead, Wu Feng heard footsteps behind them.
When she turned her head again, Chen Ping was already only four or five meters away beside them, and the distance was still shrinking!
"Young mistress, run!"
Wu Feng cried out, released Ning Tian's hand, and suddenly swung a high kick at Chen Ping.
The abrupt attack threw Chen Ping into complete disarray.
He had never imagined someone would attack him without a word!
Fortunately, all those meals from window number eight over the past few months had not been wasted.
As the pale leg kicked high, grazing his chin, Chen Ping abruptly leaned backward, bending his entire body into a rigid backbend to narrowly evade the surprise attack.
But Wu Feng showed every sign of pressing her advantage without mercy. With another sharp cry, she suddenly sprang into the air.
An intense wave of heat surged from Wu Feng's body, accompanied by a faint dragon's roar.
The next instant, Wu Feng's figure abruptly grew taller and more slender.
While airborne, she already looked like a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl who had just finished developing.
A pale red sheen rippled over Wu Feng's skin. A layer of fine dragon scales covered the left side of her face, extending down her neck and along her shoulder, all the way over her left arm and hand.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Ping caught sight of Wu Feng's right arm, which resembled Bei Bei's Dragon Transformation. His eyelid twitched, and he immediately sensed trouble, switching on the Recording Pearl hanging at his waist.
"Do I-know you?-What the-hell is wrong with you?"
Chen Ping ducked and dodged several swipes of Wu Feng's claws before finally piecing together a complete sentence.
Unfortunately...
Chen Ping had sent a message hoping to clear up the misunderstanding, but the empty-headed Wu Feng refused delivery.
Fucking hell!
Chen Ping swore inwardly, and the Insect Staff - Touch Dragon was already in his hand.
Just watch how I fleece you today.
Attacking in one of Shrek's non-dueling areas-and a sneak attack, at that.
If I don't squeeze you dry enough to hand over your panties as collateral, little girl, I'll assume you didn't wear any today!
Chen Ping also understood that, to collect compensation, he first had to stay alive to receive it and spend it.
Attacking someone out of nowhere at the academy, especially with a sneak attack, already warranted a severe warning and compensation for the victim afterward.
But Chen Ping also understood one thing: receiving compensation from a hospital bed was very different from receiving it while hale and hearty.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had nearly been burned into human jerky by the rampaging Ma Xiaotao.
Even then, they had still been able to rejoice over their compensation only because they had not actually been injured.
Otherwise, would those two have had anything to smile about?
He tossed the staff with both hands, shifted to a one-handed grip, and stepped into a thrust. In an instant, the staff whirled through flourishing arcs, filling the air with the whoosh of its passage.
That should scare these two girls off, right?
A little nervous, Chen Ping held the Touch Dragon Staff in a reverse grip with one hand and took a ready stance, only to see two gleaming yellow hundred-year soul rings descend from Wu Feng's body!
Shit!
Chen Ping inwardly cursed his luck. He believed he could handle a Soul Master at his own level, but a Soul Grandmaster...
Before Chen Ping could even catch his breath, Ning Tian grew anxious as well and said, "Feng, if we leave, we leave together. I'll fight him with you!"
Ning Tian's voice trembled slightly with nerves, but Chen Ping's face instantly scrunched up like a bitter melon.
Because right before his eyes, two bright yellow hundred-year soul rings descended from Ning Tian's body too.
For fuck's sake! How am I supposed to fight this?
Before you continue