"This young man, today there happens to be a preliminary round in the city to select Fontaine's Most Handsome Man. I think if you participate, you're bound to come in first…"
An old man rubbed his eyes and said with a smile.
"Fontaine's Most Handsome Man? What kind of tradition is that? A custom passed down from the Star Luo Empire?"Gu Yuena looked at the leaves, then blinked in surprise and asked curiously.
The old man's expression darkened, and he shook his head. "Star Luo Empire? We're the Fontaine Empire! We have nothing to do with Star Luo anymore."
The surrounding stall owners all nodded, looking a bit displeased.
"Those bastards from the Star Luo Empire, we used to have to swallow our anger, but now that we're citizens of the Fontaine Empire, we finally know how good life can be. No one misses it… No, only those noble lords miss the Star Luo Empire! In the Fontaine Empire, you'd best not mention Star Luo—basically no one wants to hear it."
The old man warned.
Gu Yuena and Dan Heng both nodded.
Gu Yuena had a faint look of satisfaction—this was her empire, after all. Being so appreciated by the people filled her with pride.
Dan Heng nodded slightly too. Of all the countries he had seen, the people of the Fontaine Empire were the happiest.
"This selection for the Most Handsome Man of Fontaine was initiated by our Empress three years ago—to choose the most beautiful man in the empire. Those who make the cut get many rewards…"
The old man explained.
"Handsome men? What about beautiful women?" Gu Yuena asked curiously.
She immediately guessed—it must've been that little dragoness Zi Ji's doing. Using her identity as Empress, she must be up to her usual nonsense.
The old man shook his head and said with a chuckle, "No beauty contest, only for men. Everyone guesses it's because the Empress wants to choose a husband? That's what most people say."
"…Is that so…"
Gu Yuena's expression turned ugly.
That damned Zi Ji—has she been ruining her reputation these past two years?!
Dan Heng patted her back gently and shook his head.
Gu Yuena came back to her senses and suddenly smiled: "Husband, let's go participate!"
"Huh?" Dan Heng was stunned.
"Yeah! If you participate, you'll definitely be selected. Then you could be nominated by the city lord, and if you make it to the finals, you'd be eligible for an audience with the Empress!"
The old man said enthusiastically, doing his best to convince them and even pointed them toward the venue.
"Let's go, husband!"Gu Yuena clung to Dan Heng's arm and dragged him excitedly away.
—
A short while later.
The couple arrived at a plaza. On a flower-decorated stage, one man after another was going up to showcase himself, and ten judges gave them appearance scores.
Most scores hovered around 7 or 8. Rarely did anyone get above a 9.
Gu Yuena tiptoed to get a better view and frowned. "Why do they all have the same hairstyle and accessories?"
Indeed, they all had long black hair draped over their shoulders, tall builds, and wore various shades of cyan.
Dan Heng twitched the corner of his mouth. Isn't that… exactly how I look in my Chiming form?
What kind of nonsense is Zi Ji pulling?
Gu Yuena froze for a second, then realized—her expression darkened, eyes flashing with irritation.
"That damned Zi Ji…!"
Just then, a gray-haired boy with peach blossom eyes took the stage.
It was none other than Oscar from the Shrek team. He strutted in circles and struck some "cool" poses.
The audience fell into a strange silence.
Oscar was confused—his smile stiffened.
Wait, what's going on? He had always been a peach-eyed pretty boy—why wasn't anyone reacting?
The ten judges raised their signs to score.
Most gave him fives or sixes. The lowest was a four, the highest a seven—just barely passing.
Oscar was devastated.
You needed more than 7 to qualify for a cash prize, and clearly he didn't make the cut.
As he stepped off the stage, he looked dazed.
Ma Hongjun sighed. "Oscar, you really let me down! This place doesn't have brothels, only flower pavilions, and even one visit costs at least a gold soul coin!"
Oscar gritted his teeth. "No way! I was clearly better-looking than those other guys—why did they get higher scores?!"
Ma Hongjun panicked too. He had been counting on Oscar's prize money to deal with his "needs."
They asked a guy nearby.
The man laughed and explained, "You clearly didn't read the rules, did you? In this contest, appearance is everything—you have to style yourself to match what the Empress likes…"
Oscar's vision went black.
So it's cosplay now?!
No matter how handsome he was, if the style didn't match, he couldn't score high.
Oscar patted Ma Hongjun's shoulder. "Fatty… I wanted to help you, but you saw what happened. Maybe just… use your hand?"
Ma Hongjun's face turned red. Clenching his butt cheeks, he gritted his teeth, "I'd rather borrow your hand…"
"You son of a—!"
Oscar backed off a few steps. He was no match for Ma Hongjun. If Ma really tried something… he'd be powerless to stop it!
Just then, another contestant walked onto the stage.
Once again, the crowd fell silent.
Oscar glanced up—and was shocked. "Isn't that Mr. Dan Heng? What a coincidence. But too bad, he didn't read the rules either…"
Ma Hongjun's eyes gleamed. He whispered, "Should we try to borrow from Mr. Dan Heng? I mean, we do know him…"
Then came the judges' scores:
Seven nines, one eight, two perfect tens.
Average score: over nine—the highest of the day.
Oscar was stunned. He yelled, "Unfair! He didn't dress like the rest either—how did he get such a high score?!"
Ma Hongjun also rushed up to the judge's table and demanded an explanation.
"Scam! There's favoritism! You just don't want to give us the prize money!" Ma shouted, his face red and butt wobbling.
The judges were startled and waved their hands.
Guards came up to restrain Ma Hongjun.
One judge stood and declared loudly:
"Why such a high score? I think it's obvious! Even if he didn't imitate the first-place prototype's appearance, his spirit matched perfectly! His calm, otherworldly aura and refined features align exactly with what the Empress requested!"
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with our scores!"
The crowd looked at Dan Heng again—and now agreed.
Oscar stood frozen. That counts too?
"Spiritual resemblance" and "aura"? How do you even measure that?
Oscar and Ma Hongjun were escorted off stage. They looked at each other and had nothing to say.
"…Forget it. Let's go beg the Dean for money. Or maybe see if Boss Dai has anything to spare."
Ma Hongjun licked his lips—he was about to lose control.
—
Meanwhile, Gu Yuena stood in the crowd, narrowing her eyes.
This whole situation was too suspicious.
Zi Ji, that damn little dragoness, not only created this absurd contest but had clearly based the judging criteria on Dan Heng's appearance.
What was she trying to do?
Get a husband just like hers?
Or project some twisted feelings through this whole charade?
In short—she needs to be punished.
—
Elsewhere, the Dai brothers were also strolling through the city.
They'd been here before—this was a key city on the way into the Heaven Dou Empire.
And now, comparing the past with the present… they had to admit:
The city had gotten better since leaving the Star Luo Empire.
It was like the skies had opened up, like they had escaped a mud pit.
Wait—was Star Luo really that bad?
The Dai brothers were both in low spirits.
After all, this city's wealth and people should've belonged to them!
"The Star Luo Empire is preparing for a new war. But many believe it's better to just hold our ground and focus on defense. Apparently the Fontaine Empire has soul beast allies now, and even new hidden weaponry…"
Davis sighed.
He wanted to lead Star Luo to recover lost territory—but he wasn't old enough. He could only watch the empire being crushed.
Dai Mubai's face was gloomy and silent.
No surprise—Star Luo's royal family had always favored Davis, giving him authority over state affairs, while Mubai had been completely neglected.
After the empire was split, Mubai was angry at first—
But later, he gave up entirely. What does this mess have to do with me?
Originally, he wasn't even going to get a fiefdom. And if Davis ever got rid of him, his soul power would be crippled and he'd be exiled to some frozen wasteland.
Now the empire was in shambles? Good! Damn good!
Let it all burn.
He was getting cheated on anyway…
Mubai thought darkly.
Davis kept rambling beside him, ignoring Mubai's thoughts.
Suddenly, he stopped talking.
"Up ahead…"
Mubai looked in the same direction and saw it too—
Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun.
Davis's face turned dark and complicated… even a little afraid.
There's a story here.
Mubai got excited.
"What's going on? Didn't you say she was dead…"
Davis strode straight toward the Zhu sisters.
The sisters were watching a flower parade. A dancer performed atop a float, surrounded by mostly female spectators.
A few bold men tried to sneak in but were blocked by guards.
In the Fontaine Empire, there were no nobles—everyone was equally "enslaved" by the Empress. There were no privileged classes, so no "noble lord" could push their way in.
As Davis and Mubai approached, a guard stepped up.
"This is a female-only area. The male section is next door."
Davis slipped a few gold soul coins to the guard. "Step aside."
The guard froze—then erupted in anger, grabbing Davis's hand. "You think we're for sale?! Stop right there!"
In front of a crowd, letting Davis in could get the guard impeached and fired the next day!
And those gold soul coins? That was barely a month's salary. Not worth it.
Davis panicked and punched the guard in the face.
"Out of my way!"
The guard was knocked down hard—after all, he was just an ordinary person.
Other guards immediately closed in, but Mubai stepped in to help Davis.
Davis charged straight toward the Zhu sisters.
Davis grabbed Zhu Zhuyun's wrist. "Come with me!"
Zhu Zhuyun was startled. When she saw it was Davis, she immediately yanked her hand back and snapped, "What are you doing?! I have nothing to do with you anymore!"
Zhu Zhuyun said through gritted teeth.
This bastard man had thrown her into a beast tide and even struck her once, clearly intending for her to die there.
Now that she had survived and come back alive, she had no intention of rekindling any ties.
The fact that she hadn't taken revenge on Davis was already merciful—yet he still dared treat her like this?
Davis was momentarily stunned, but then his macho temper flared up. He growled viciously, "What, you think you're some big deal now?! Zhu Zhuyun, are you forgetting who gave you face—"
"Smack…!!!"
Zhu Zhuyun slapped him across the face.
The other girls nearby also stepped forward, backing Zhu Zhuyun up.
"What are you trying to do?!"
"You actually dare bully one of our sisters?!"
"…"
The girls from the Heavenly Water group, Huo Wu, and others all began rebuking Davis.
Surrounded and scolded by a group of women, Davis felt like his brain was about to explode.
Suddenly, he regretted coming over on impulse.
"Shut the hell up! Let me see who dares speak again!" Davis suddenly roared in anger, his body expanding as four soul rings rose from beneath his feet.
He had gone straight into spirit possession, unleashing a powerful aura.
All the ordinary spectators were frightened and fled.
Only Zhu Zhuyun and the other female soul masters remained.
They stared at Davis in eerie silence.
"Zhu Zhuyun, you—" Davis hadn't even managed to act tough for more than a few seconds before all the girls—including Zhu Zhuyun—unleashed their soul rings and completed their own spirit possessions.
A dozen or so women, all of similar level to him, charged straight at him!
"Holy sh—…!"
Davis only got out half a curse before Zhu Zhuqing appeared out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground.
The rest of the girls followed up, piling on the blows—brutally and mercilessly.
At that moment, Dai Mubai had just knocked out a few guards and, seeing this scene, was completely dumbfounded. What the hell—so vicious?!
Dai Mubai gulped and quietly backed away.
Suddenly, Huo Wu's delighted voice rang out: "There's another one! Don't let him get away!"
"!!"
Dai Mubai immediately turned and fled.
But another sudden kick struck the middle of his back, sending him crashing to the ground and sliding several meters, his mind going blank.
Then came a flurry of countless kicks and scratches…
Later, the Shrek group regrouped. They paid a thirty gold soul coin fine at the government office, offered profuse apologies, and finally bailed out the Dai brothers.
The Dai brothers' faces were dark and covered in red scratch marks—they'd even been scratched so badly by the women's nails that their faces were disfigured!
Flender stood silently by the window, letting out a cold chuckle, unable to say anything.
He had completely given up now.
Shrek Academy? Might as well be destroyed! I'm exhausted!
Ma Hongjun struggled to hold in his laughter. His cheeks were puffed up and twitching, like a bloated frog. "Boss Dai, didn't you guys go out to pick up girls? What happened… Did their daughters catch you in the act?"
"Shut up!!!" Dai Mubai suddenly stood up and shoved Ma Hongjun.
Startled, Ma Hongjun muttered, "So you're allowed to do it, but we're not allowed to talk about it. And now all the academy's savings have been used up by you guys. I can't even afford a girl anymore—have to resort to my left hand…"
Davis said coldly, "I'll give you some gold soul coins… I only have one thought now. Next time we meet the Heavenly Water, Blazing Fire… those girls, we beat them to death! If I don't get revenge, I swear I'm not human!"
(End of Chapter)