Speaking of the Shrek Seven Devils throughout the generations, aside from those high-level NPCs, the group readers remembered least clearly was definitely the one from Douluo II.
They had all gone offline after the second tournament, practically reduced to background scenery.
Unlike the Seven Devils in the other Douluo series, who held the status of the main cast, these few from Douluo II were really no different from random passersby.
Some people even joked that Bei Bei and the others were merely the fake Seven Devils, while the real Seven Devils should have been Huo Yuhao and his Soul Spirits.
And among these random passersby, the one with the greatest presence in the later stages was probably Xu Sanshi.
Not only had he obtained a hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirit for his Seventh Soul Ring, but he had also gained an identity connected to the Dou Ling Imperial Family. Add in the full awakening of his Black Tortoise Martial Soul, and he had practically won himself numb in every sense.
And this sole member of the Seven Devils who still appeared frequently in the later stages was once again putting on a magnificent display of being a simp today.
"Nannan, look at the flowers I just bought you."
"Nannan, a new restaurant opened in the north of the city. The food's pretty good. How about we go try it?"
"Nannan, why aren't you saying anything? Are you bored? How about I put on a performance?"
"...Get lost!"
Staring in astonishment at the boy circling the girl and fawning over her in every possible way, Huo Yutong felt her mind descend into confusion.
"Th-this... he's the young master of the Xu Family you mentioned, Brother Lin Xi? Why do I feel like he's so, so..."
She thought for ages but still could not find a less insulting word to describe the guy before her.
Lin Xi shrugged.
"Surprised, right? But he's exactly who I'm looking for."
If one had to name Xu Sanshi's biggest black mark, it was probably his romantic storyline.
In Lin Xi's view, purely in terms of absurdity, this guy's romantic storyline was even more heaven-defying than Huo Yuhao's.
Huo Yuhao had merely been subjected to PUA and forcibly trained into a dog. This guy had volunteered to become a simp.
And his reason for becoming a simp was even more heaven-defying. Anyone who had read the original probably understood.
His utterly ridiculous romantic storyline deserved much of the credit for making him the most discussed of the Seven Devils aside from the male and female leads.
As Lin Xi recalled, readers in his previous life had also been divided over those heaven-defying deeds of his, and he had often seen them arguing online.
As far as Lin Xi was concerned, his opinion could be summed up in one sentence.
Xu Sanshi did not have to take responsibility for what had happened back then, and Jiang Nannan had no obligation to accept his advances.
Objectively speaking, what had happened back then had essentially been a transaction.
Jiang Nannan had exchanged her chastity for her mother's medical expenses. It was very simple and clear-cut.
Throughout the entire process, the Xu Family had not done anything coercive. After all, poor virgins were everywhere, and as a family with connections to the Dou Ling Imperial Family, the Xu Family had no need to lower themselves to making things difficult for a commoner girl.
On the contrary, Jiang Nannan had been the one who truly needed to make that deal with the Xu Family. Otherwise, there would have been no saving her mother.
Had that deal fallen through, she would definitely have been the first to panic.
From that perspective, the transaction had been mutually agreed upon, and Xu Sanshi had absolutely no need to blame himself for it.
Even if he did blame himself, it should have been for entering the wrong room, resulting in an incomplete Martial Soul Awakening and wasting his family's resources for nothing.
But that did not mean Lin Xi agreed with those who thought Jiang Nannan was utterly shameless for refusing his advances.
At the end of the day, why should Jiang Nannan accept Xu Sanshi's advances?
His great strength? His noble status? His handsome looks?
Those were indeed Xu Sanshi's advantages, but Xu Sanshi himself surely did not want Jiang Nannan to accept him for those reasons.
Looking beyond what had happened back then, there was simply no reason Jiang Nannan had to accept Xu Sanshi.
It was true that putting on the face of a victim was repulsive, but there was no need to say that refusing Xu Sanshi meant she was acting like a whore while erecting a monument to her chastity.
In Lin Xi's view, the best ending would have been for the two of them never to see each other again. That would have been good for both sides.
Xu Sanshi would not have had to be a simp and could have happily continued living as a young master, while Jiang Nannan would not have had to endure the source of her psychological trauma constantly hovering before her eyes without being able to do a thing about him.
Unfortunately, there was no helping it. The person holding the pen was that Buddha.
That alone had doomed their melodrama to continue.
Without giving anything away, Lin Xi followed behind the two with Huo Yutong.
From what he could see, their melodramatic theater was about to end.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Jiang Nannan pointed at Xu Sanshi's nose and gave him a thorough scolding, leaving him standing there in bewilderment.
Lin Xi gently squeezed Huo Yutong's hand and pulled her forward.
"Hey, are you Senior Xu?"
"...What do you want?"
Clearly, having just suffered a blow, Xu Sanshi had no desire to deal with this unfamiliar junior. His face was full of impatience.
Lin Xi hurriedly waved his hand and said:
"Come on, don't get so fired up. I'd like to make a deal with you."
"Not interested."
Xu Sanshi snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Lin Xi sighed softly and grabbed Xu Sanshi's shoulder.
"Look, as your family's heir, you need to learn to seize opportunities, you know?"
"You!"
Xu Sanshi had not wanted to bother with Lin Xi, but he had never expected him to actually get physical.
His temper flared at once, and he wanted to teach Lin Xi a lesson.
Yet just as he tried to turn around, he discovered to his astonishment that he could not move!
Lin Xi's hand gripped his shoulder like a clamp, holding him so firmly that he could not move at all.
Xu Sanshi's expression darkened.
"You brat, don't push me too far!"
The next instant, three Soul Rings rose, two yellow and one purple. He had already completed Martial Soul Possession.
The Xuanming Turtle, a top-tier defensive Martial Soul.
Whether in his family or at the academy, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
A junior who looked several years younger than him had grabbed hold of him. If he did not reclaim his dignity, he might as well give up showing his face.
Yet to his embarrassment, he discovered that he still could not move.
After Martial Soul Possession, his strength had increased dramatically, but unexpectedly, Lin Xi's strength had increased right along with it, suppressing him so thoroughly that he could not resist.
His expression finally turned serious.
"Kid, who are you?"
Lin Xi smiled brilliantly.
"Lin Xi, a first-year freshman."
"Impossible!" Xu Sanshi cried out instinctively.
He was Xu Sanshi! A wielder of a top-tier Martial Soul who ranked among the best in the entire outer court.
He had thought the guy before him was a transfer student who simply looked young. That would have explained both his youthful appearance and why Xu Sanshi did not recognize him.
But this guy said he was a first-year freshman?
"You'll find out whether it's possible eventually." Lin Xi tilted his head slightly. "So, Senior Sanshi, are you willing to have a proper talk with me now?"
"..."
Did he dare refuse? Could he refuse?
If he refused, this smiling tiger would probably throw a punch at him.
The corner of Xu Sanshi's mouth twitched.
"All right. Let's find somewhere quiet and have a proper talk."
It was one thing to be squeezed dry by that crazy woman Ma Xiaotao all the time. She was older than him.
Now he had actually sunk to being bullied by a junior.
What a bitter life.