The Heavenly Court, deep within the Heavenly Prison.
Dai Mubai has finished making the clothes and returned to rest.
At this moment, he was curled up on the cold stone bed, his stomach growling with hunger.
He hadn't eaten anything all day.
"Dinner's ready!"
Just then, a rough, hoarse shout came from the corridor outside the prison gate, followed by the sound of iron locks being opened.
Dai Mubai slightly raised his eyes and saw the jailer carrying a food box walking outside the iron bars.
"Newcomer, time to eat."
The jailer handed two wooden bowls through the gap in the bars, his tone flat, neither harsh nor warm, as if it were just a routine matter.
Dai Mubai glanced at the food in the bowl: three steamed buns, which looked a bit rough, but were still fairly clean;
A small dish of vegetables and tofu, with a faint aroma of oil.
Wang Ergou was in the cell next door, couldn't wait any longer and went to the bars to take his share, wolfing it down.
"Mmm... delicious! Master Li is in charge today, and the tofu is so tender!"
As Wang Ergou ate, he mumbled praises as if he were enjoying a delicacy.
Dai Mubai frowned but didn't move.
Wang Ergou finished his portion in a few bites, licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, then turned and saw the untouched food in front of Dai Mubai, his eyes lighting up:
"Kid, aren't you going to eat?"
Dai Mubai coldly replied, "It's just pig swill, I won't eat it."
"Pig feed?"
Wang Ergou was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his voice echoing in the cell, "You little brat, you really are... ignorant of your own limitations!"
Dai Mubai snorted coldly and turned his head away.
He recalled his days in the Star Luo Empire. As a prince, although not the eldest son of the legitimate wife, he still lived a life of luxury, with delicacies at every meal.
Even after he ended up at the Shrek Academy, the food there was still quite delicious.
I've never eaten anything so coarse before.
Wang Ergou shook his head, not trying to persuade him, and simply said to himself, "It's fine if you don't eat it, save it for me."
However, I must warn you that the rule in the Heavenly Prison is that once the time is up, you're out of luck.
If you don't eat now, don't Resentment Person if you go hungry tonight.
Dai Mubai remained unmoved.
He leaned against the cold stone wall, his heart filled with endless grief and indignation.
Why?!
Why him of all people?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and angry he became.
He was, after all, a prince in the Douluo Continent, a leading figure among the younger generation, one of the Shrek Seven Devils, and had a promising future.
How did I end up in this godforsaken place, a prisoner who doesn't even deserve a name?
This damned Heavenly Screen has completely ruined his life!
Memories surged uncontrollably.
The grandeur and luxury of the Star Luo Imperial Palace, the vastness and excitement of the Royal Hunting Grounds, the dilapidated yet cozy Shrek Academy...
Even Dai Weisi's always competitive face and his father's stern reprimands seemed distant and precious at this moment.
He had never missed the world that belonged to him so clearly as he did now.
"I wonder how Zhu Zhuqing is doing..."
The idea came to mind naturally.
"Maid..."
Dai Mubai felt a strange sense of balance when he thought of Zhu Zhuqing.
"This identity sounds so lowly."
"Even though he's following that Heavenly Emperor, frankly speaking, he's just a slightly higher-ranking servant, right?"
"I bet they're doing menial jobs like serving tea and water, what kind of good life could they possibly have?"
"The food will definitely be very ordinary, at most a little better than prison food, probably just some simple fare."
"As for accommodations, how nice can a maid stay in?"
"It must be several people crammed into one room."
"As for cultivation resources... ha, why would the Heavenly Emperor give you anything good for a mere maid?"
As he muttered to himself, Dai Mubai felt a slight relief from the intense imbalance he felt due to his miserable situation.
At least, everyone's unlucky.
Although Zhu Zhuqing didn't end up in jail, working as a maid and having to be subservient to others was probably no better; she was just as frustrated and powerless.
They were in the same boat.
He even imagined, somewhat darkly, Zhu Zhuqing with her cold and aloof face, yet forced to bow and be cautious before others, and the anger in his heart strangely subsided a little.
See? Nobody should laugh at anyone else; nobody got away with it.
Douluo Continent, Under the Heavenly Screen.
As Dai Mubai muttered to himself, ' Zhu Zhuqing, being a maid, must eat very ordinary food; we're all in the same boat...'
The entire continent fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong slapped his thigh and burst out laughing, "My God! This kid thinks those two girls from the Zhu Family are in the same sorry state as him?"
Didn't he see the table full of divine delicacies just now?
And the food was probably 'very ordinary'? Hahaha, so ordinary that it could make someone break through on the spot?
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head and sighing, "Information gaps are a killer."
Dai Mubai is trapped in a confinement, unable to see the outside world, relying entirely on his own imagination.
Little did he know that the "shared misfortune" he imagined was worlds apart from reality.
An elder stroked his beard and chuckled, "It's like someone eating a cornbread in the mud pitying someone eating delicacies in a palace, saying, 'You can't even get enough to eat, can you?' How ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
What exactly is going on in this third prince's head?
Did he think that the Heavenly Emperor's personal maid would be treated the same as him, a prisoner in the Heavenly Prison?
How thick-skinned do you have to be to have this illusion that 'everyone's unlucky'?
Shrek Academy.
Ma Hongjun spat out the mouthful of water he had just drunk, choking and coughing repeatedly.
"Cough cough... Boss Dai! Boss Dai, wake up! Didn't you 'see' what Zhu Zhuqing and the others were eating just now? The spiritual energy was almost overflowing the Heavenly Screen! And you still think what they ate was ordinary?!"
Oscar covered his face, looking like he "couldn't bear to look."
"Oh no, Boss Dai has really... embarrassed himself in another world. This misunderstanding has blown up big time."
Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes, a little confused. "But Mubai doesn't know, and he can't see Zhu Zhuqing's side..."
Ning Rongrong sighed, her tone complicated. "It's precisely because he doesn't know that this comparison is even more... ridiculous."
Mubai thought he had found psychological balance, but in reality...
Tang San didn't speak, but his tightly pursed lips and slightly twitching eyes showed that he was trying his best to suppress a laugh, while at the same time feeling a deep, awkward sympathy for Dai Mubai.
The Imperial Palace of the Star Luo Empire.
Dead silence.
Dai Tianfeng's face was ashen; he could feel his temples throbbing.
While his son's imprisonment was undoubtedly painful for him, his son's ridiculous "psychological balance" based on ignorance and conjecture brought double the shame upon the Star Luo Imperial Family!
Dai Weisi turned his face away, unable to bear the sight.
For the first time, he felt a pure embarrassment about his younger brother that transcended competition.
This kind of wishful thinking is more embarrassing than simply being down on your luck.
"Well... Mubai is quite adept at finding humor in hardship and consoling himself. However, the direction of his 'consolation' is completely off track."
Various parts of mainland China.
Ordinary people and low-level Soul Master didn't have so many scruples, and laughed even more unrestrainedly.