At Shrek Academy.
After three months of grueling training under the master's strict regime, the Shrek students were finally granted a short break. Following an intensive phase of training, it was only fair they got some time to recover and reset, preparing themselves for the next round of training.
And it was precisely because of this break that today's incident unfolded.
Sometimes, being thoughtless can be a good thing. But too much thoughtlessness can be as good as brain damage—like being afraid to stir up trouble, which only a weakling would do.
In the boys' dormitory, the auxiliary spirit master Oscar was sound asleep, while his roommate, Tang San, was assembling parts for hidden weapons that had been delivered from the blacksmith's shop.
Tang San had already formulated a clear idea in his mind regarding the hidden weapons he needed to craft. Ordinary mechanical hidden weapons would suffice for basic self-defense. However, if faced with more advanced spirit masters, he would need something more specialized, like the "Yama's Sticker" and the "Mother and Son Pursuing Soul Destroying Courage"—both toxin-based hidden weapons.
As for simpler devices like "Sand Launcher," "Silent Wrist Darts," and "Zhuge Crossbow," Tang San had already finished making those. With these hidden weapons at his disposal, he could easily catch any spirit master below the fortieth rank off guard.
Listening to Oscar's snoring, Tang San quickly immersed himself in the assembly process. He intended to complete all the hidden weapons before dinner.
Time passed steadily. By the time Oscar woke up, Tang San had just finished assembling the last of the hidden weapons. The sky had already darkened, signaling that it was time for dinner.
As they left the dormitory, Tang San and Oscar decided to head to the academy's cafeteria for dinner. But as they descended the stairs, they saw two staggering figures walking unsteadily toward them, supporting each other.
"Huh? Isn't that Boss Dai?" Oscar immediately recognized the golden-haired figure of Dai Mubai. But as he got closer, he noticed something odd: beside Dai Mubai was a person as fat as a ball. Judging by his size, Oscar quickly realized who it was.
"Fatty? You went out and came back looking like this? What happened? Did you fail to win over some girl and get beaten up by her man?" Oscar burst out laughing.
As a fellow member of Shrek Academy, Oscar was well aware of Ma Hongjun's tendencies, and seeing him in such a state today, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Little Ao, don't bring it up. Just give us a couple of your Recovery Sausages," Dai Mubai, too exhausted to argue, weakly requested as he looked at Oscar, who was still laughing uncontrollably.
Hearing this, Oscar paused for a moment. He exchanged a glance with Tang San, realizing that something wasn't right. Without hesitation, he stretched out his right hand and, in his signature lewd and soft tone, chanted, "I have a big sausage!"
A yellow glow condensed in Oscar's palm, and a golden sausage appeared. He quickly handed it to Dai Mubai, then made another one and gave it to Ma Hongjun.
However, Ma Hongjun didn't reach out to take the sausage, leaving Oscar slightly puzzled. He proceeded to chant another incantation.
"I have a small sausage!" Oscar made two more sausages and quickly handed them to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Without any hesitation, Dai Mubai grabbed both sausages and started wolfing them down. He ate quickly and ravenously, finishing both in no time.
Oscar's big sausage had a healing effect, while the small sausage could dispel negative statuses. These two auxiliary effects were extremely useful.
"Fatty, what happened to you?" Oscar scratched his head in confusion when he saw that Ma Hongjun still hadn't moved. He asked the question with a growing sense of unease.
Ma Hongjun, looking utterly defeated, leaned on Dai Mubai for support, his eyes devoid of their usual vitality.
Tang San, ever observant, noticed something odd. His gaze swept over Ma Hongjun's body from top to bottom, and sure enough, he spotted a few peculiarities.
"Boss Dai, what happened to you two? How did you end up like this?" Instead of questioning Ma Hongjun directly, Tang San approached the now slightly recovered Dai Mubai and asked in a low voice.
"Little San, Fatty and I ran into a tough opponent," Dai Mubai's voice was filled with anger. As a well-known figure in Suotuo City, he had never been humiliated like this before. To make matters worse, after the incident, when he and Ma Hongjun had sought out a healing spirit master, the spirit master had told them that Ma Hongjun's "brother" was beyond saving, with no chance of recovery.
That explained Ma Hongjun's dejected state. Losing his manhood, how could he still call himself a man?
"What exactly happened? Who did this to you? Don't they know you're students of Shrek Academy?" Seeing his two brothers in such a miserable state, Tang San's voice grew colder.
"Sigh… Little San," Dai Mubai sighed, then explained, "Today, Fatty and I went out for a meal at a restaurant. During the meal, we saw a pretty girl. You know how Fatty's martial spirit has issues. He went up to say hello, but before he could finish his greeting, he got beaten up by her companion. Even I didn't fare any better against them."
"Wait… Boss Dai, are you saying Fatty got beaten just for saying hello? That seems a bit excessive," Tang San looked at Ma Hongjun, doubting the story somewhat.
"Boss Dai, cut the act. I bet Fatty was trying to hit on her and got what he deserved," Oscar chimed in with a smirk, glancing at Ma Hongjun mockingly. "Serves you right. This is what happens when you mess around."
"Little Ao, Fatty's your classmate! How can you side with outsiders?" Dai Mubai glared at Oscar, barely containing his anger. "It's not you who had your manhood shattered. Stop making jokes. Even if Fatty deserved some punishment, this was going too far."
"Little Ao, don't forget that we, Shrek Academy students, are different from those at other academies. Not daring to cause trouble makes you a useless spirit master! Stirring up trouble is part of our cultivation!"
"Wait… what? Fatty's… his manhood was shattered?" Oscar's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What did you think?" Dai Mubai snorted coldly.
"Damn… Fatty, you really ticked someone off, huh? How many people did it take to beat you like this? Were you hitting on a goddess or something?" Oscar clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Alright, Little Ao, Fatty's already suffered enough. Stop rubbing salt in the wound," Tang San said, casting Oscar a disapproving glance.
Oscar, realizing he had crossed the line, shut his mouth with an awkward chuckle.
At that moment, three of Shrek Academy's female students walked over. As they got closer, they noticed the miserable state of Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai.
"What happened? Why do you look like you've been beaten up?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed, shocked by their appearance.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu stood behind her. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were cold, tinged with confusion, while Xiao Wu lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought.
"Probably got beaten up for harassing a pretty girl," Oscar muttered under his breath.
Upon hearing the words "harassing a pretty girl," both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's eyes filled with disgust. They had thought something serious had happened, but it turned out to be this—getting beaten up over something so foolish? They deserved it!
"Little Ao, stop spreading nonsense!" Dai Mubai, anxious not to be misunderstood in front of his crush, quickly explained the situation. He recounted the events of the day: how Ma Hongjun had been beaten, and how he himself had gotten caught up in it. The story left everyone stunned.
"A shadow spirit beast? What's that?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
Dai Mubai shook his head with a bitter smile. "I don't know. But that shadow spirit beast was incredibly powerful. I couldn't last more than three moves against it before I was completely overwhelmed."
"Fatty's injuries were also caused by that shadow spirit beast. The woman's companion never lifted a finger. It was all done by the beast."
"A shadow spirit beast…" Tang San frowned, thinking for a moment before asking, "What kind of strength do you think that beast had?"
"I'm not sure," Dai Mubai replied. "But it could easily have over five thousand years of cultivation."
"Ah, I see, no wonder." Tang San nodded and then looked at Ma Hongjun, whose pupils were dilated and whose expression was one of hopelessness. In a serious tone, he said, "Boss Dai, let's take Fatty back to the dorm first. After that, you lead the way, and we'll go deal with those guys together."
Oscar frowned and asked, "Xiao San, if even Boss Dai couldn't beat them, will we be able to do any better?"
"Xiao Ao, don't worry, I've got a plan." Tang San smiled confidently. Then, as he gently touched the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, a black box appeared in his hand. It was none other than the mechanical hidden weapon from the Tang Sect—the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
"With this, even if the opponents are spirit masters at level 40 or above, unless they have defensive spirit abilities, they'll face only one outcome when confronted with it: death!"
Everyone present was stunned by these words, especially Ning Rongrong. As a support-type spirit master, if what Tang San said was true, and this Zhuge Divine Crossbow could be mass-produced, then the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's lack of offensive capabilities could be solved! "That's amazing, Xiao San! If this works, then Fatty and I can finally get our revenge!" Dai Mubai's eyes lit up. With such a terrifying weapon, he was confident their revenge could be exacted.
"Alright, let's get Fatty back to the dorm first. Xiao Ao, you should prepare some of your large sausages. I'm worried that when the fight starts, you won't have time to make them," Tang San said.
"Fine, I'll make a few now." Oscar, though unwilling to go, knew that the master had said they were a team. If he didn't go, it could result in strange looks from the others. So, despite his reluctance, he went along.
"By the way, Rongrong, are you and the others going too?" Oscar suddenly asked.
"I'm not going; you guys go ahead." Before Ning Rongrong could respond, Xiao Wu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
After finishing, Xiao Wu turned and walked towards the girls' dormitory without looking back. Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing also shook her head and followed after her.
"What's wrong with Xiao Wu?" Ning Rongrong was a bit confused. But since both Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu refused to go, she thought it over and also declined, then hurriedly followed after the two girls.
"Well..." Oscar scratched his head, feeling a little lost. Now that the girls weren't going, he felt even less inclined to go himself.
Seeing this, Tang San sighed and said, "It's alright if the girls don't go. Given their current strength, they wouldn't be of much help. Boss Dai, tell me about the martial spirit of the guy you fought. The teacher always said that to know your enemy and know yourself is the key to winning a hundred battles."
"There are only three of us now, so we need to be cautious when picking a fight with them. Let's talk as we walk."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai nodded, then helped Ma Hongjun as they walked towards the boys' dormitory. He began explaining to Tang San what had happened that afternoon.
Oscar followed behind the two with a heavy heart. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this, but because of his loyalty to his brothers, he couldn't back out now, even though he didn't want to go.
After laying Ma Hongjun down on his bed, Tang San got a clearer understanding from Dai Mubai's explanation. After some quick analysis, he gained more confidence.
Although they were outnumbered, Tang San believed that with the terrifying power of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and the poison from his Eight Spider Lances, he had full confidence in defeating two opponents by himself. The master had always taught him that it was impossible to always be on the offensive. When forced into a defensive position, one must strive to win by using the few against the many and the weak against the strong. Only then could one be considered a true spirit master.
Most importantly, the master had also told Tang San that with the enhancement of his external spirit bone, combined with his control-type martial spirit Blue Silver Grass, he could handle spirit masters above level 40. Now, with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow as a backup, how could Tang San lose?
Even if there were six opponents, he was confident that with the control of his Blue Silver Grass and the power of his hidden weapons, he could emerge victorious. This was the confidence of a disciple of the Tang Sect!
"Alright, Boss Dai, let's hurry up and find them. Before they leave Suotuo City, it's best to settle this grudge face-to-face."
Hearing Tang San's loyal and bold words, Dai Mubai was deeply moved. He patted Tang San on the shoulder and said, excitedly, "Good, you truly are my brother, Xiao San! Let's go get revenge for what happened to me and Fatty today!"
With that, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Oscar left Shrek Academy before the sky had completely darkened, heading straight for Soto City.
Meanwhile, in the Shrek girls' dormitory...
Back in the dorm, Xiao Wu sat silently on her bed, hugging her knees, her eyes downcast, tears faintly glimmering at the corners of her eyes.
Zhu Zhuqing sat beside her, her eyes filled with curiosity but refrained from asking. She was naturally cold and rarely spoke.
Standing at the door, Ning Rongrong looked at the figures of the three leaving Shrek Academy. She pouted and said, "Zhuqing, do you think they can win?"
Zhu Zhuqing was silent for two seconds before replying in a cold tone, "I don't know."
"So, they'll probably lose, huh?" Ning Rongrong said with a playful smile.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, pursing her lips without answering.
"Sigh, I really want to see this so-called Shadow Beast. I've never seen anyone who can control spirit beasts before!" Ning Rongrong thought aloud.
"Sh-Shadow Beast?" Xiao Wu suddenly lifted her head, her large red eyes filled with shock. "Rongrong, did you just say Shadow Beast?"
Ning Rongrong was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Yeah, the Shadow Beast. Why? What's wrong, Xiao Wu?"
Without a word, Xiao Wu bolted out the door. Her speed was so fast that even the agility-type spirit master Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned.
"What's up with Xiao Wu?"
"I don't know... let's follow her and find out."
...
If you'd like to support me and access extra chapters, you can visit:
[https://www.patreon.com/Firesight323]