Tonight, the Wind Rose

"Mm..."

The beauty did not answer his question. Seeing no one around, she threw herself straight into Lu Cheng's arms.

Her fair, lovely face pressed against his chest.

"Brother, I missed you so much..."

"..."

Lu Cheng let out a long, turbid breath and smiled.

He gently stroked the girl's head.

She was as affectionate as ever. Even though Mu En deliberately sent her far away on missions, she always traveled under the stars and moon, finishing them as quickly as possible before returning to the academy.

She was so fast that even Mu En was somewhat speechless.

In a quiet grove in the inner court.

Zhang Lexuan leaned against Lu Cheng's chest, softly recounting the dangers of her trip. "There were even several Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Masters among them. If Senior Sister Ruomu hadn't saved me, I probably would have been badly injured too..."

"Those people were clearly plotting something. While I was hiding in the shadows, I even heard two of them mention His Highness the Holy Son. Apparently, that Holy Son is practicing some evil technique that refines and fuses Soul Masters' souls, and then..."

"Brother, Brother?! Are you listening to me?"

Zhang Lexuan suddenly spoke in indignation.

"Hehe." Looking embarrassed, Lu Cheng hurriedly explained, "I was thinking about something just now... Those Evil Soul Masters are bound to make a major move soon. You should stop taking missions and stay safely in the inner court."

"Mm-hmm~"

The beauty's gaze shifted. Still lying in his arms, she traced circles on his chest with her delicate fingers, white and tender as tapered scallions. A blush crossed her fair, exquisite face. "On the way here, Senior Sister Ruomu told me lots of things. The inner court doesn't forbid dating, so... we..."

Gulp.

Zhang Lexuan stared at Lu Cheng, her gaze growing increasingly hazy as her lovely face slowly drew closer.

She could not help recalling what Senior Sister Ruomu had said on their way back. "Why not try the little grove on the back mountain... That blockhead might slip away if you're indoors, after all. Outside, the scenery is lovely, and by the time he realizes something's wrong, he won't be able to run away. Hehe..."

Lu Cheng's throat bobbed. These advances were truly difficult to withstand. The next instant, a cool, soft sensation met his lips. Even with her eyes closed, she was irresistibly alluring.

A long while later, their lips parted.

"Brother, let's..."

Zhang Lexuan lay on the soft grass, her white, tender arms like lotus roots wrapped around Lu Cheng's neck. Her pale blue eyes were tender and full of feeling, as though offering herself for him to pluck.

"Not yet."

Lu Cheng took a deep breath, exhaling the distracting thoughts in his heart. Somewhat stiffly, he pulled the girl's arms away and stood up.

"Then when can we?!" Confusion and anger flashed in Zhang Lexuan's eyes. "Brother, we grew up together! Sister Ruomu and Senior Zhang Ling already... when they joined the inner court. Do you despise me that much?"

"It's not that I despise you..." Lu Cheng closed his eyes and spoke helplessly.

"Then what is it?!" Zhang Lexuan lightly bit her red lip, crystalline tears glimmering in her beautiful eyes. She had already lowered herself to beg like this, yet this blockhead, he just...

"You're always like this. Whenever a question is hard to answer, you stop talking again..."

"You're tired too. Go back and rest early." Lu Cheng clenched his fists and spoke softly, his back to Zhang Lexuan.

With that, he left without looking back.

"..."

"Tonight, hunt for food."

Shrek City.

In a secluded corner, Lu Cheng gently crushed the note in his palm. His eyes slowly closed, and his spiritual power surged out like a tide, covering an area fifteen hundred meters in diameter.

Like the eye of God, he quietly looked down upon everything below.

The writing on the note bore the Evil Soul Masters' common identifying mark.

Clearly, Mu En was not the only one who could not wait. Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui could not either...

This was a grand show, except he was the lead.

"Tonight, huh."

Lu Cheng scanned the surroundings. Only after finding no signs of anyone tracking him did he gently exhale a turbid breath.

"Then let's begin..."

With that, he put on a crimson ghost-faced mask. At some point, a pitch-black cloak had appeared on his body.

His figure flashed, vanishing into the dusk.

"Teacher, with that brat's talent, wouldn't letting him return to the Holy Spirit Cult be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains?"

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe spoke in utter bewilderment.

"We could simply kill him in the academy. Would those Evil Soul Masters actually dare wage war on us?"

"A mere Holy Spirit Cult, a so-called sect formed by a pack of sewer rats-how could it compare with Shrek?"

"Hehe, Shaozhe, you're thinking too simply..." Mu En shook his head with a smile. "By now, the Holy Spirit Cult has flexed its muscles before us countless times. Haven't you noticed?"

"They only have two or three Titled Douluos. Even if it were just me, Duoduo, and Lin'er taking action, we could easily wipe them out." Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly.

"Hehe, by the time you discover one rat, the whole underground is already crawling with them..." Mu En's gaze was complicated. "What if I told you that the strength the Holy Spirit Cult has revealed is only the tip of the iceberg?"

"The tip of the iceberg... How is that possible?!" Yan Shaozhe looked stunned.

"We at Shrek have made exterminating Evil Soul Masters our duty for thousands of years. We've killed countless numbers of them. How could they still have such an enormous force?"

But clearly, he was no fool either. He knew this self-deceiving claim could not even fool himself...

Mu En remained silent.

"So, as long as they don't run rampant within the original continent, I turn a blind eye. After all, if we truly set about exterminating the Evil Soul Masters, the price the academy would have to pay would be far too great..."

Yan Shaozhe was so shaken that he could not speak.

Mu En quietly gazed down over the pitch-black night sky.

Did he regret it?

Perhaps...

But once he had made his decision, there was no turning back.

Shrek Inner Court.

Inside a disciple's residence.

"What? That bastard Lu Cheng rejected you again! Is he even a man?!" Ruomu flew into a rage, even angrier than the person involved.

"Senior Sister Ruomu, do you think he might not like me...?" Zhang Lexuan sobbed quietly, her eyes blurred with tears.

"Of course not... Don't worry, girl. I'll go ask him myself tomorrow. Men are all like that, always pretending to be upright gentlemen. Once you really have him, you'll find out just how ravenous he is." Ruomu hurriedly comforted her.

"Senior Sister Ruomu, you'd better not go," Zhang Lexuan said tearfully. "I'm afraid he'll get angry."

Ruomu: "..."

"You two really are a pair..."

Ruomu rubbed her face, utterly helpless.

"Star-crossed troublemakers!"

"Damn it, what's there to be coy about? You've known each other for over a decade, and you still..."

"Senior Sister Ruomu!"

An inner court disciple darted over, urgency in his eyes. "Emergency mission! The deputy pavilion master has ordered all disciples to assemble. There's an important operation tonight!"

"What? Why the rush?" Ruomu and Zhang Lexuan exchanged a glance, both looking startled.

Summoning every Inspection Corps member currently at the academy meant something major was about to happen.

"Wait, don't leave yet. What happened?" Ruomu grabbed the inner court disciple, her gaze sharpening.

"It seems... the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son has appeared in Shrek City. Some Inspection Corps members caught an Evil Soul Master, and under interrogation, they discovered he was a Holy Spirit Cult disciple. He was hiding in Shrek City to capture people for their Holy Son to refine..." the disciple said breathlessly.