Black Eats Black

"...Then forget it, Xiao Wu. Let's cook something special for ourselves!"

Ye Chen recalled that before Yu Xiaogang came to Shrek Academy, the academy cafeteria served nothing but bland, watery food. It could fill their stomachs, but as for the taste, that was out of the question.

However, because Ye Chen had secretly reported Tang Da Chui and Tang San back then, Tang San had not gone to Notting Academy. Naturally, there had been no story of Tang San taking Yu Xiaogang as his master. Yu Xiaogang probably would not come to Shrek Academy next year.

And Ye Chen, who was not short on money, would not mistreat himself. Since the academy cafeteria's food was bad, he would cook for himself! Besides, there was a kitchen at home now.

As night fell, two figures hurried out of Shrek Academy and headed toward Suotuo City beneath the faint moonlight.

A dark, windy night was perfect for murder and arson. People doing bad things always liked to act under cover of darkness.

"Flander, why are we wearing clothes like this?"

Dressed head to toe in black night clothes, Zhao Wuji asked Flander with a puzzled look.

"Old Zhao, we're going to rob criminals. It's best not to expose our identities."

"Rob criminals? Flander, you really know how to have fun~"

The moment Zhao Wuji heard they were going to rob criminals, he perked up.

"The academy is short on funds these days, so I'm planning to find a gang in Suotuo City and borrow some Gold Soul Coins."

"...Flander, when did you become so bad? Have you found a target yet?"

Zhao Wuji bore the title of the Immovable Bright King on the continent, so he was naturally no good man. Only after becoming a teacher at Shrek Academy had he reined in his temperament somewhat. Otherwise, he would definitely have been a complete rogue.

Besides, he did not feel the slightest psychological burden about robbing criminals.

"I investigated Suotuo City during the day. The Axe Gang is one of the biggest criminal gangs in the city. Their leader, Li Gui, has the Mystic Iron Axe as his Martial Soul and is a Six-Ring Battle Soul Emperor. The other members are, at most, Five-Ring Soul Kings. With the strength of the two of us brothers, won't it be easy?"

Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Although there were quite a few forces in Suotuo City wealthier than the Axe Gang, Flander had no intention of relying on his strength to do whatever he pleased.

For example, Suotuo City had the Seven Treasure Commerce Association under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. There had to be a huge amount of money in that association, and there was not even a Seven Ring Soul Saint stationed there.

Then there was the Martial Soul Main Hall in the city. There were certainly plenty of Gold Soul Coins inside. Spirit Hall did have a Seven Ring Soul Saint stationed there, but that person's strength definitely could not compare to Flander and Zhao Wuji's.

But Flander was not foolish enough to provoke the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or Spirit Hall. Otherwise, even if they succeeded, once word got out, Shrek Academy would be finished before long.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, while Spirit Hall was the strongest Spirit Master organization on the continent. Shrek Academy could not afford to provoke either of them.

"The Axe Gang? Fine, then they're out of luck~"

Zhao Wuji observed a second of silence for Li Gui, the Axe Gang's leader. Having caught the attention of Flander and himself, Li Gui was bound to suffer a major loss tonight.

That night, inside a lavish residence in Suotuo City.

Li Gui, the leader of the Axe Gang, was holding two delicate concubines in his arms as he enjoyed double the pleasure in his room.

Knock, knock, knock~

Suddenly, a burst of knocking rang out, startling Li Gui so badly at the critical moment that he shuddered.

"Fuck, which bastard is sick of living? How dare he interrupt my fun?"

Frightened out of his wits, Li Gui immediately checked his treasure. Once he discovered that nothing was wrong, he began cursing furiously.

Knock, knock, knock~

As the knocking continued without pause, Li Gui's anger surged. He quickly threw on some clothes and got up to see what was going on.

Outside the door.

"Flander, you're really terrible. You actually came knocking while someone was in the middle of having fun."

The hearing of high-level Spirit Masters was extraordinary. Zhao Wuji had naturally heard the strange sounds coming from inside and understood that they were "playing a game" in there. Smiling broadly, he spoke to Flander.

"Ahem, Old Zhao, keep it down. Don't expose our identities."

Flander spoke softly to Zhao Wuji.

He was, after all, the dean of an advanced Spirit Master academy. Although Shrek Academy was just some backwater academy, Flander still did not want word to get out. If it spread that the dean of Shrek Academy robbed criminals, how awful would that sound?

"..."

Zhao Wuji was speechless. He dared to do it but not admit it?

Still, he said nothing. It was true that what they were doing tonight would not sound good if word got out.

And if their identities were exposed, the two of them were not afraid, but the academy's students might be. They could even suffer retaliation.

Creak~

"Knock, knock, knock—knock your sister! Are you tired of living and looking for death?"

The moment the door opened, the cursing Li Gui saw two figures dressed in black night clothes standing before his room.

"Uh... may I ask what brings you two here in the middle of the night?"

These days, to join a gang as an underling, all one needed was the ability to fight and kill. But to become the boss, fighting and killing alone was not enough. One also needed some judgment—one had to know who could be offended and who could not.

After all, what if he kicked an iron plate? Wouldn't that be the end of him?

Given Li Gui's rank as a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, the fact that he could not discern the depths of these two black-clad figures, coupled with the faint pressure they exuded, told him that they were definitely experts starting at the level of Seven Ring Soul Saints. He immediately chickened out.

"Are you Li Gui of the Axe Gang?"

Flander asked in a hoarse voice.

"That's right. I am Li Gui. May I ask why you two have come?"

So long as he was not backed into a corner, Li Gui felt it was naturally best to avoid conflict whenever possible.

After all, he was the leader of the Axe Gang and a notable figure in Suotuo City. A wonderful life still awaited him—he had no intention of throwing his life away here.

"Someone paid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and hired us brothers to take your life~"

Flander said threateningly.

Before coming here, Flander had already thought it through. Shrek Academy was a bottomless pit; rather than strip the Axe Gang clean in one go, it would be better to let the profits flow steadily over time.

Moreover, most of the Axe Gang's assets were real estate, which he had no way to sell off. At most, he could only seize some cash, and that would not maximize the benefits.

Another point was that even if they wiped out the Axe Gang, as long as Suotuo City remained fertile ground for gangs, new ones like the Small Knife Gang or Big Knife Gang would emerge. It was not a problem that could be solved simply by having gangs prey on one another.

And although the Axe Gang was called a gang, it did not engage in robbery or burglary. After all, how much profit could they squeeze from ordinary people?

The Axe Gang's primary income came from operating various entertainment establishments. It was not the sort of gang rotten to the core, so Flander planned to take the long view. Whenever Shrek Academy ran short of money in the future, they could just come to the Axe Gang and ask for it.