Suotuo City's Great Spirit Arena was not far from the hotel where the Emperor team was staying. After escorting Ye Lingling back to the hotel, Lan Si changed clothes and left the hotel once more.
He noticed a figure in the corner. Although the person was well-hidden under the cover of night, they couldn't escape Lan Si's keen senses.
Lan Si then turned into an empty alley and hid himself in the shadows.
As the figure approached, he realized it was a woman. Without hesitation, he grabbed her, holding her body with one arm while covering her mouth with the other.
Feeling the soft sensation against his elbow, Lan Si was startled. "My goodness, could it be Little Kitty?" He then whispered, "Zhuqing, is that you?"
"Mmm..." came the muffled response.
"Zhuqing, why are you here? Do you know how dangerous that was? What if I had hurt you by mistake?" Recognizing the familiar voice, Lan Si relaxed his grip on her mouth but kept his arms around her, holding her from behind. He silently cursed himself for not rolling up his sleeves; now his clothes were getting the benefit of being so close to her.
"Lan Si, let go of me first." Being held tightly, her heart racing, Zhu Zhuqing felt a bit breathless. Her face turned crimson as she playfully scolded him.
"Oh," Lan Si said reluctantly, letting go.
Zhu Zhuqing placed a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. After a moment, she turned around to look at Lan Si's face, which had grown slightly more mature since their last meeting months ago. Nervously, she asked, "Lan Si, was that you in the Great Spirit Arena, fighting Xiao Wu one-on-one under the name 'I Love Eating Rabbit Meat'?"
"Yes, I saw you too. I didn't approach because I didn't want to make things awkward for you with your classmates," Lan Si replied honestly with a smile.
Zhu Zhuqing felt a warm sensation in her heart and quickly clarified, "Don't misunderstand. Although they're my classmates, I don't have much contact with them. Especially Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu—I hardly talk to them at all."
Seeing the usually cold and aloof Zhu Zhuqing act like a nervous girl worried about being misunderstood, Lan Si immediately understood. He smiled and changed the subject, "Zhuqing, how have you been these past few months?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Yes. Although Shrek Academy doesn't have many training facilities, there are a few Soul Saints and Soul Emperors as teachers, so I don't have to worry about my sister coming after me anymore."
"That's good," Lan Si said.
"Lan Si, earlier..." Zhu Zhuqing hesitated.
"You want to know who that girl with me was, right?" Lan Si asked.
Zhu Zhuqing blushed and looked down, not denying it.
Lan Si chuckled softly. He walked closer to Zhu Zhuqing, placed a hand on her shoulder, and lifted her chin with the other.
They stood there in silence, gazing into each other's eyes. In Zhu Zhuqing's pupils, Lan Si saw his own reflection.
Zhu Zhuqing's skin was as white as winter snow. Her black eyes held a mix of worry and shyness, blinking slowly as her long eyelashes fluttered. Beneath her bright eyes were her delicate, elegant nose and her slightly parted lips, exhaling warm breaths.
At that moment, it felt like the world had come to a standstill, leaving only the two of them.
Zhu Zhuqing's slender shoulders trembled slightly, her jet-black hair swaying.
Lan Si didn't hesitate any longer. He answered with action, leaning in to kiss her lips.
Moments later, they parted, both panting softly, gazing into each other's eyes with burning intensity.
Lan Si wiped Zhu Zhuqing's lips, licked his own, and smiled. "Zhuqing, do you have any more questions now?"
Zhu Zhuqing shyly shook her head and leaned into his arms. Words were no longer necessary.
Meanwhile, back at the entrance of the Great Spirit Arena, the Shrek Six Devils had gathered.
Seeing Flender waiting at the entrance, the five remaining Shrek members, except Xiao Wu, greeted him. "Dean."
"Is everyone here? If so, we should head back." Flender nodded, scanning the group but noticing that Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were missing. He also saw a chubby girl in Tang San's arms and frowned in confusion. "Where's Zhuqing and Xiao Wu? And Tang San, why are you carrying a girl?"
Tang San's face darkened further when Flender mistook Xiao Wu for a chubby girl. "Dean, Zhuqing has already gone back. And this is Xiao Wu."
"Xiao Wu?" Flender's eyes widened in shock. After taking a closer look, he realized that apart from her changed face, the girl's clothing, figure, and hairstyle matched Xiao Wu's. "What happened? How did Xiao Wu end up like this? I almost didn't recognize her."
Tang San gritted his teeth. "She was injured in a one-on-one spirit battle by someone who struck ruthlessly. Every move was aimed at her face. That's why she looks like this."
"What? Who would be so vicious? Spirit battles should end with a point. Who would dare go this far?" Flender was furious. He was extremely protective of his students, and now that one of them was hurt, someone was bound to be punished.
Tang San shook his head. "The person used a pseudonym like us and wore a mask, so it's impossible to identify them."
Flender pressed on. "What about their martial spirit? We may not have the right to force the arena to disclose their information, but knowing their martial spirit will make it easier to track them down. Anyone who dares harm a Shrek student doesn't deserve to live."
Tang San remained silent. He couldn't bring himself to say that 'I Love Eating Rabbit Meat' had defeated Xiao Wu without even using their martial spirit. So, he changed the subject, "Dean, I'll settle this score in the arena myself next time. Where is my teacher?"
Flender sighed. "Very well. As long as that person continues to participate in spirit battles, there will be another chance. As for your teacher, he had to leave early due to other matters."
Anyone who could be matched against Xiao Wu for a one-on-one spirit battle had to be at the Soul Elder level. Tang San was nearly invincible among Soul Elders. Even Dai Mubai, with his top-tier White Tiger martial spirit and level 38 soul power, was no match for Tang San. So Flender wasn't too worried.
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