"Senior Dragon Duke Lord, please stop!"
A hurried voice rang out, Zhao Wuji finally arrived with the rest of Shrek.
Lin Kong's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down. He secretly rejoiced—what a close call! He almost got himself into trouble because of Tang San's reckless remark, which caused Meng Shu to turn on him on the spot.
He couldn't help but curse inwardly: Tang San is really out of his mind! There's a time and place to be indomitable and unyielding, isn't there? This isn't about personal dignity or a life-or-death feud; it's just a conflict of interest due to a disparity in strength.
Originally, it might have just been a matter of paying a small price, but he insisted on resisting. Did he really think that Soul Douluo- level powerhouse had such a good temper? They were being lenient by crippling one of his hands; if he dared to retaliate, they certainly wouldn't hesitate to take his life!
If you speak politely, apologize, admit your mistake, and humble yourself, the damage might be lessened, or at least you won't add fuel to the fire!
Meng Shu glanced at the seven Soul Ring floating around Zhao Wuji, his expression showing little reaction. His tone was as indifferent as if he were discussing a trivial matter. "Oh, someone's here."
Zhao Wuji dared not be negligent in the slightest, and immediately bowed respectfully, adopting an extremely humble posture. "Senior Dragon Duke, this is not the place to talk. Could we perhaps find another place to discuss this in detail?"
"What if I don't want to?" Meng Shu glanced at Tang San standing to the side, her tone carrying a hint of being provoked.
"This matter is of utmost importance, please be magnanimous, Senior Dragon Duke!" Zhao Wuji bowed even lower, almost touching the ground, his tone full of pleading.
In fact, Meng Shu's temperament wasn't bad. Seeing Zhao Wuji's sincerity and humble attitude, he pondered for a moment and finally nodded in agreement.
The two walked to a secluded spot and whispered a few words. When Meng Shu learned Tang San's true identity from Zhao Wuji, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the anger on his face vanished without a trace, leaving only shock and fear.
He certainly had the ability to wipe out Zhao Wuji and his group on the spot, without anyone noticing, but so what? To provoke such an existence for a single Soul Ring would be far too foolish. Moreover, he had to consider his image in the eyes of Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran; he couldn't let them think he was a villain who would indiscriminately kill innocent people over trivial matters, could he?
Meng Shu narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of inquiry in them. " Lin Kong, what is his identity?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat. He cursed his bad luck and stammered, unable to speak, "Um... ah... this..."
How could he casually reveal Lin Kong's identity? Besides, he himself didn't even know Lin Kong's background.
On the other side, the Shrek Academy students had already surrounded Lin Kong, their faces full of concern.
" Brother Lin, are you alright? You scared me to death!" Ning Rongrong grabbed Lin Kong's arm, looking him up and down, afraid that he was injured.
" Brother Lin!" Zhu Zhuqing simply called out his name and walked to Lin Kong's side without any further actions or words.
"Yeah, Brother Lin, you were too impulsive!" Ma Hongjun echoed, his voice filled with lingering fear.
While everyone was concerned about Lin Kong, they also subconsciously glanced at Tang San beside him, but their concern seemed much colder.
After all, Tang San risked his life to chase after Xiao Wu, and his reason was perfectly valid. But what about Lin Kong? He had absolutely no reason, yet he still resolutely followed Tang San and accompanied him into the danger.
What does this prove?
This proves that in the future, whenever they encounter danger, Lin Kong will also step forward without regard for his own safety!
Of course, the Shrek members didn't deliberately analyze these things; their minds simply sorted out the logic behind them. This subconscious understanding deepened their support and trust in Lin Kong.
Lin Kong and Tang San accepted the Recovery Sausage from Oscar, ate them in a few bites, and their depleted Soul Power and physical strength quickly recovered, their complexions gradually becoming rosy.
Just then, Meng Shu and Zhao Wuji finished their conversation and returned.
Meng Shu's gaze slowly swept over Lin Kong and Tang San, and he asked in a deep voice, "Which of you killed the Man Faced Demon Spider?"
Tang San stepped forward. "It's me."
"Oh, the Grandmaster's disciple." Meng Shu's tone softened considerably, and he waved his hand. "Considering you were acting in self-defense, and that you are the Grandmaster's disciple, I'll let this matter slide."
Tang San's eyes were filled with doubt. He knew his teacher did have a certain reputation in the Soul Master World, but to say that his reputation was so great that it would make a Soul Douluo- level expert easily give up a Thousand-Year Soul Beast Soul Ring was clearly unlikely. So what was it about Meng Shu that made him compromise so easily?
Meng Shu ignored Tang San's questions and turned to leave. "Alright, let's go."
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Meng Yiran cried out anxiously, rushing forward to grab his arm, her voice trembling with tears, "Twice! They stole my Soul Beast twice! Are they just going to let it go like this?"
She simply couldn't swallow this insult. The first time it Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, and the second time it was the Man Faced Demon Spider —both were Soul Beast she had her eye on, but Lin Kong had snatched them both away. How could she possibly accept that?
Looking at his granddaughter's aggrieved expression, Meng Shu sighed helplessly, "Then what are you going to do with your grandfather?"
Meng Yiran tossed her head from side to side, her tone both domineering and slightly coquettish. "I don't care! I, I..."
At that moment, she felt nothing but anger and resentment, desperately needing to vent, but she didn't know what to do, so she could only throw a tantrum.
Meng Shu's gaze fell on Lin Kong again, and he said in a deep voice, " Lin Kong, come out here."
His meaning was clear: even if he didn't pursue the matter of the Man Faced Demon Spider, he wanted Lin Kong to give Meng Yiran an explanation.
"Wait a moment!"
Ning Rongrong suddenly stepped forward, blocking Lin Kong. She looked up at Meng Shu, her voice tinged with tension yet unusually firm. "My name is Ning Rongrong. Please give me some face and don't make things difficult for him."
If it were the Ning Rongrong of the past, she would definitely be loud and boisterous, putting on the airs of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's little princess and talking to people with a condescending attitude. But ever since Lin Kong grabbed her by the neck that day, she has completely understood—when facing Battle Soul Master whose strength far surpasses her own, the more arrogant and domineering she is, the more dangerous it is. Once she provokes the other party to lose their mind, she will be the one who dies.
Chao Tianxiang's gaze fell on Ning Rongrong, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she immediately moved closer to Meng Shu, whispering a few words in her ear, telling him what she had seen earlier.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward and stood beside Ning Rongrong, saying in a deep voice, "And me, I am..."
She was about to reveal her identity.
"Senior Snake Granny," Dai Mubai immediately took over, his tone carrying a hint of suggestion, "Please think carefully about our Martial Soul."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is too special, and it's almost always easy to recognize. However, not everyone can immediately recognize Dai Mubai's Evil Eye White Tiger and Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Spirit Cat.
Upon hearing this, Chao Tianxiang frowned slightly and began to carefully recall the events in her mind. After a moment, a look of shock finally appeared on her face, indicating that she had confirmed the identities of the two people. She then moved closer to Meng Shu and began to communicate in a low voice.
Meng Shu's face remained expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil.
Great! That's really great!
First came Tang San, the son of Clear Sky Douluo; then Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School; next came a member of the Star Luo Empire's royal family, and the Hell Spirit Cat bound to him. Just how many scions of powerful families are hidden in Shrek's team?
Are you guys not going to suddenly have another prince from the Heaven Dou Empire appear out of nowhere?
Oh, wait, it seems the Heaven Dou Empire doesn't have many famous young geniuses.
Wait a minute... we can't possibly have another disciple of the Pope of the Spirit Hall, can we?
Meng Shu stared intently at Lin Kong, muttering to himself, "When I asked about his identity earlier, Zhao Wuji stammered and couldn't utter a word for a long time. Could it be that Lin Kong's identity is so high that even Zhao Wuji dares not mention it casually?"
He's completely mistaken.
Lin Kong's status was nowhere near so high that he dared not speak of it; he had no status at all. Zhao Wuji genuinely didn't know his background, which is why he spoke incoherently.
But Meng Shu had completely misunderstood the situation. The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable Lin Kong's identity seemed, and the more wary he looked at him.
Meng Yiran glared at Lin Kong and shouted defiantly, "Come on, I want to fight you one-on-one!"
The other Shrek students looked at them strangely. "You fought one-on-one before, and you lost. You want to come back?"
And... what happened during our previous one-on-one fight! Do you want to do it again?
Meng Yiran remembered, her cheeks flushed, and she said stiffly, "This time we won't use our Martial Soul, we'll fight bare-handed, how about that?"
Without using his Martial Soul, he had a significant advantage, as proven in their last one-on-one duel. Meng Yiran refused to believe she would lose to him again.
Meng Yiran shouted arrogantly, "If you don't agree, you can forget about successfully absorbing this Soul Ring. Grandpa can definitely do it."
Meng Shu's heart skipped a beat, and he cried out, "No, I didn't mean that! I'm..."
Meng Shu tried to explain, but found himself unable to utter a word. As the strongest person present, was he really going to deliberately lose face?
impossible!
Meng Shu remained silent, which Shrek and the others interpreted as a pre-arranged decision.
so...
All eyes turned to Lin Kong.
They've already revealed their identities. Meng Shu took a step back, but now he's forcibly bringing up their identities again, which could very well backfire. There's no need to continue provoking Meng Shu for Tang San's Third Soul Ring. Does he really think he can kill everyone present and risk his own life to protect Tang San?
No way, no way!
That Soul Ring doesn't belong to Lin Kong!
Tang San looked eagerly at the Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring and stepped forward, "Senior Dragon Duke Lord, please, for my teacher's sake..."
Meng Shu kept his eyes closed and remained silent, "..."
This is all he can do now, just pretending.
At worst, at worst... if pushed to the limit, just shout "There's danger nearby," and then forcibly pull Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran away.
Tang San felt a bitter taste in his mouth and on his face. "I'll fight you one-on-one..."
"Get out of here! Who's talking to you? Go away!" Meng Yiran almost pointed her finger at him and cursed.
You idiot! You stole my Man Faced Demon Spider and you dare to talk to me? Are you brain-dead?
Tang San lowered his head in shame and stepped back. Then, looking up at the Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring, his eyes were extremely eager, and he directly pressured the others, "Senior Dragon Duke Lord, all of us have extraordinary backgrounds..."
Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and even Zhao Wuji Zhu Zhuqing changed their expressions instantly.
"A one-on-one fight, huh?"
Lin Kong stepped forward, "Alright!"
" Meng Yiran, let's have a one-on-one fight!"