Xu Jingyao sat back down by the window and poured himself another cup of tea.
The Mystic Water Pill, Soul-Nourishing Pill, and Body-Tempering Pill were indeed useful, but they were of little use to him personally.
They would, however, be useful to the native talents of the Sun Moon Empire.
Especially that good friend of his, Ji Juechen.
The Soul-Nourishing Pill nurtured the mind, the Body-Tempering Pill strengthened the body, and the Mystic Water Pill cleansed the meridians. They were just right for slowly channeling the Golden Dragon King's power within Tang Wulin.
Of course, that was merely incidental.
What he truly wanted was to give the Treasure Pavilion a taste of the benefits and make Shrek Academy feel it could still make money off the Carefree Pavilion.
Qian Duoduo's apology today had been a pretense, as had the negotiation. The real message he would take back was, "The Carefree Pavilion is still willing to do business with the Treasure Pavilion."
As long as that connection remained intact, Shrek Academy would be reluctant to truly fall out with him.
As for Zhou Yi...
Xu Jingyao raised his teacup, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
He had never intended to deal with Zhou Yi at all.
A madwoman from the Outer Court, hot-tempered, unreasonable, harsh toward her students, and not necessarily courteous toward her colleagues either.
Every extra day someone like her stayed at Shrek Academy meant another day of suffering for the Outer Court's students.
The more talented students from ordinary families Zhou Yi tormented into leaving or forced out, the better.
Shrek Academy's Outer Court admitted plenty of students every year, but only a handful could enter the Inner Court.
And quite a few of those eliminated had joined their Carefree Pavilion, becoming its next generation.
Most importantly, quite a few of them harbored pent-up anger toward Shrek Academy!
Xu Jingyao could hardly wait for her to keep at it.
Moreover, he had another, more far-reaching scheme.
Xu He, the former Crown Prince, was now studying in Shrek Academy's Outer Court under the alias He Caitou.
If Xu Jingyao wanted to bring him back in the future, or dispose of him, the fact that Zhou Yi had once taught He Caitou would provide ready-made leverage.
When the time came, he would only need to put out one statement: to help her husband and free up resources for a student from the Sun Moon Empire, a homeroom teacher of a certain class in Shrek Academy's Outer Court had purged so many talents from the Original Three Kingdoms.
As for whether there was any evidence for that claim, who cared?
The nobles of the Original Three Kingdoms were already seething with anger at Shrek Academy.
They had spent heaps of Soul Coins to send their children into the Outer Court, only for them to be cut and eliminated year after year. Their resentment had long been bottled up.
All it would take was someone offering a spark for that resentment to catch fire.
Whether people believed it was unimportant. Spreading it was enough.
Xu Jingyao set down his teacup and lightly tapped his fan against the window frame.
Three days later, the Treasure Pavilion's first shipment of pills arrived at the Carefree Pavilion's Shrek City branch.
Shopkeeper Qian inspected the goods and settled the bill on the spot, then had the pills sealed in crates and mixed in with ordinary cargo for transport back to Mingdu.
At the same time, in Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe stood before Mu En. The wound on his chest had yet to fully heal, and his face was somewhat pale, but he was in much better spirits than he had been two days earlier.
He had come today with questions.
"Mu En, I still don't understand." Yan Shaozhe chose his words carefully. "Even if that Ziqing is a Level 98 Super Douluo, it's not as though we at Shrek don't have a Limit Douluo. Why did you say we couldn't touch him? And what exactly did Elder Jin mean by those words?"
Mu En sat in his wheelchair. The tea before him had been replaced with a fresh cup and was still steaming.
He raised the cup, took a sip, and remained silent for quite some time.
"Yan Shaozhe, what do you think the Carefree Pavilion is?"
Yan Shaozhe paused. "A merchant association dealing in Soul Tools. It's said to have ties to the Sun Moon Empire."
"Merely said to?"
Yan Shaozhe said nothing.
Mu En set down his teacup, his gaze settling on the surface of Sea God Lake outside the window. His tone was unhurried. "The Carefree Pavilion's Soul Tools are two or three generations more advanced than those circulating on the Sun Moon Empire's market. Their food uses unique recipes-even Xuan Zi queues up every day. Their business network has spread throughout the Original Three Kingdoms and the Sun Moon Empire in just a few short years. Would you believe a merchant could achieve all that without someone backing him?"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head.
"We don't know who stands behind Ziqing. But Elder Jin said one thing: he is the core of Douluo." Mu En turned his head to look at Yan Shaozhe. "You know what Elder Jin is. He is Shrek's foundation, the oldest life on the Douluo Continent. If he says someone must not be touched, then that person truly must not be touched."
Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Mu En sighed. "Besides, Shrek Academy is an academy of the Douluo Continent. Why must its relationship with the Sun Moon Empire be so poor? He's a merchant, and merchants pursue profit. As long as the Carefree Pavilion is willing to do business with Shrek, the Treasure Pavilion can make money, the Outer Court has resources, and the students have scholarships, then he is Shrek's friend. As for his ties to the Sun Moon Empire, do they matter?"
Yan Shaozhe remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.
"I understand."
"Good." Mu En picked up his teacup again. "Go, then. Handle Zhou Yi's matter according to the rules. Maintain the status quo with Ziqing. Qian Duoduo struck a pill deal with him; that's a good thing. Shrek Academy isn't afraid of others making money. What it fears is others making money without letting us earn alongside them."
Yan Shaozhe turned and left.
Mu En sat by the window, watching the setting sun sink little by little over Sea God Lake, setting half the sky ablaze in crimson.
He suddenly recalled what the Golden Tree had said that day.
"If he dies, all life on the Douluo Continent will wither in an instant."
Mu En tapped his knuckles lightly against the wheelchair's armrest twice.
The core of the Douluo Continent.
A living, breathing person, bound to the life and death of all Douluo.
He had lived for two hundred years, and for the first time, he felt he could no longer make sense of the situation on the Douluo Continent.
Early the next morning, Xu Jingyao finished packing.
Everything at the Carefree Pavilion's Shrek City branch had been arranged. Shopkeeper Qian would remain in charge, daily business would continue as usual, and supply channels had returned to normal. The only difference was that Shrek Academy would no longer receive insider discounts.
The pill procurement contract with the Treasure Pavilion had been signed, and the first shipment had gone out. The rest could follow the normal procedures.
Shadow Douluo stood at the branch's entrance, carrying two bundles. One held Xu Jingyao's changes of clothing; the other held dry rations and waterskins for the journey.
"Pavilion Master, where are we going?"
"Sunset Forest, in the Heaven Dou Empire." Xu Jingyao came down the stairs, his golden mask gleaming coldly in the morning light. He had exchanged his moon-white robes for a close-fitting blue-green outfit, with a fan and an inconspicuous jade token tucked at his waist.
Shadow Douluo nodded without asking anything further.
The two left Shrek City and headed northeast along the main road.
The morning light shone from behind them, stretching their shadows long.
The outline of Shrek City gradually shrank behind them, finally disappearing into the morning mist.
Xu Jingyao glanced back.
The Golden Tree had acknowledged him as its master, he had obtained the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and Electrolux's remnant soul had also merged into his Sea of Consciousness. He had taken everything there was to take from Shrek.
All that remained was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest.
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