"!?"
"You're Zhu Zhuqing?" Yang Yunhai's face instantly showed surprise, and he blurted out instinctively. His eyes couldn't help but once again scan the girl before him , her long black hair cascading down her waist, not styled into the cat-ear shape like in the anime.
No wonder… no wonder her physique was so over-the-top.
To think I actually ran into her in the Star Dou Forest , and in that way, no less. What luck...
He was secretly shocked inside.
His mindset shifted a little as well. If she was really Zhu Zhuqing, then she couldn't be treated like just any ordinary girl. Not to mention her special identity , in the original story, she was supposed to go join Shrek Academy. And he had already joined Spirit Hall.
He was destined to be at odds with Tang San in the future.
If Zhu Zhuqing followed the same path as the original and went to Shrek, she'd definitely become Tang San's teammate. That meant she'd almost certainly be his enemy in the future too.
His gaze flickered slightly.
"You know me?" Zhu Zhuqing instinctively became alert, her graceful body tensing up.
Yang Yunhai quickly relaxed his expression and shook his head, smiling. "No need to be so guarded. Don't worry , I'm not going to hand you over to the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire for a reward."
"Also," he continued, shifting his gaze to her fair and delicate face, "I'm a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire. I'm not under the jurisdiction of the Star Luo Empire. So that marriage contract those higher-ups set for you? In my eyes, it's just a useless piece of scrap paper."
"To me, you're still free. My attitude won't change. Everything depends on what _you_ want."
Since he had already zapped her with electricity, looked, and touched , he wasn't going to dodge responsibility.
But now that he had joined Spirit Hall, Shrek would be his enemy in the future. If there were chances to hinder or weaken them, he wouldn't let them slip by.
Besides, he was planning to head to Soto City anyway.
Might as well use the chance to talk a bit about Shrek…
As long as the upcoming plan went smoothly and he obtained the immortal herb, then Zhu Zhuqing , without the herb , wouldn't pose much of a threat.
For now, he could plant a seed.
With that thought, he turned around. "Let's go. We'll leave this place first. If I'm not mistaken, you escaped to find Dai Mubai, didn't you?"
"Perfect timing. I know where he is and what he's been up to. I'll tell you about it later."
Just talking , it didn't cost anything. Whether she believed it or not didn't matter. Even if it sounded blunt or abrupt, as long as she heard it, that was enough. Honest words sometimes hit the hardest , especially when they were all true.
Zhu Zhuqing still didn't speak, but she lowered her head even more and quietly followed him with small steps.
By noon, the two arrived at a clearing far from the creek.
"Let's stop here," Yang Yunhai said. "We'll have lunch first, then rest for a bit before moving on."
As he spoke, he placed his bundle and the rabbit meat wrapped in leaves on the grass nearby, then jogged off to gather firewood.
Though Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, her actions were polite. She went to the other side to help collect firewood as well.
Before long, thanks to Yang Yunhai's efforts, a fire was lit, and the rabbit meat was roasting.
Soon, the meat was done. Yang Yunhai used leaves to plate it, setting a portion beside Zhu Zhuqing. "Go ahead and eat."
He picked up a skewer from his own share and began eating, speaking between bites:
"Dai Mubai is currently at Shrek Academy, located south of Soto City in the Heaven Dou Empire. The academy has decent instructors , three Soul Saints and two Soul Emperors, including the principal. But the environment, honestly, is horrible."
"It's been around for twenty years but still hasn't registered as an official academy. They're constantly short on funds, living conditions are terrible , more like a poor mountain village. No simulation training grounds, and they can't even guarantee students' meals. With their level of teaching, they shouldn't be this poor. But somehow they are. I've no idea how those five instructors managed that."
"They currently only have three students. One is Dai Mubai, the others are Ma Hongjun and Oscar."
"Their talents are decent, but…" Yang Yunhai shook his head and continued, "Let's start with Ma Hongjun."
"His spirit is called Evil Fire Phoenix , a mutated fire-type beast spirit. Its quality isn't bad, but it has a flaw. The details are unclear, but it's related to 'evil fire.' As a result, ever since his spirit awakened, he needs to have intimate encounters with women regularly to release the evil fire. He also displays an extremely strong desire for women at all times."
"He's said to be a regular at brothels. Whenever he sees a woman , regardless of age , he stares at certain body parts and gropes with his eyes. What's worse, the principal just lets him do whatever he wants, never intervening. So he's gotten used to being shameless and unrestrained."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't interrupt, but her eyes were clearly growing colder.
"Then there's Oscar , recruited early on by Shrek Academy's principal. His spirit is a sausage. His talent is extremely rare. He's said to be the only known food-type support spirit master on the continent born with innate full soul power."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with surprise at that.
Yang Yunhai nodded slightly. "He's not particularly odd. Apparently good-looking, had a few girlfriends. The only issue is his incantation for activating soul skills , people say it's very lewd. But honestly, I don't think that's a big deal."
He glanced sideways at Zhu Zhuqing and continued: "Lastly, there's Dai Mubai."
"He's quite famous in Soto City," Yang Yunhai said calmly. "Known as a handsome playboy , rich, constantly switching girlfriends. Gets bored and moves on. Juggles several women at once. Schedules multiple dates a day. Has a permanent luxury suite at Rose Hotel. Recently seen frequently with a pair of twin sisters."
A role model among men.
He, who hadn't yet subdued a single female spirit beast, simply couldn't understand the world of a "Sea King."
People curse the Sea King , but deep down, everyone wants to be one. Honestly, when he read the original story, he didn't think Dai Mubai's actions were particularly terrible.
The girls were all willing, and he wasn't breaking any laws. Outsiders really had no right to condemn him.
Of course, abandoning women after using them like toys? That he deeply despised.
As these thoughts ran through his head, he noticed Zhu Zhuqing's face had turned icy cold, eyes full of disappointment.
Yang Yunhai had no reason to lie to her.
"Of course, all of this is just what I've heard," he said, turning back. "The only reason I know this much is because I just graduated from a junior spirit master academy. I wanted to research advanced academies nearby to plan where to go next. During that process, I happened to hear about Shrek , the academy that only accepts monsters. So I looked into it."
"Honestly, at first I was pretty interested."
"Shrek's entrance requirement is a spirit power of level 20 by age 12, and to graduate you need to reach level 40 before turning 20. I thought, with standards that high, the quality of education must be amazing."
He shrugged. "But the more I learned, the more I gave up on the idea."
"The poor environment wasn't the main issue. I have a plant-type spirit, so I could just train on a nearby mountain. What really put me off was the overly 'hands-off' teaching style."
"As young spirit masters, we go to academies hoping for guidance , help with our training, more knowledge, experience in handling the world. Yet they let someone like Dai Mubai indulge in pleasures unchecked, even though it's clearly hindering his cultivation. I honestly can't understand that."
"The funniest part? I heard Shrek Academy has enrolled 62 students over the past 20 years , but only 14 have graduated. Some didn't reach level 40 before turning 20."
"Others , and this is shocking , died while hunting soul beasts."
"Twenty years. Sixty-two students. Just three a year. Not many students to begin with, so few progress together. And with their skilled instructors , including a veteran Soul Saint , it should be easy to guide students through the soul ring process."
"Even if they send them into the forest to train and step in when needed, at least ensure safety. But they _still_ lost people. More than once. I find it hard to believe."
"And yet, that's not even the most puzzling part," Yang Yunhai added, shaking his head. "Apparently, one of their most successful graduates is now the youngest elder in Spirit Hall , second only to the Pope in authority."
"But last I checked, to be an elder in Spirit Hall, you have to be a Titled Douluo."
"Shrek's been around for twenty years. With an entry age of 12, their earliest graduates would now be about 32. A 32-year-old Titled Douluo? I've never heard of such a thing."
"And if someone from Shrek really had reached that level, would the academy still be so run-down? Still not even officially recognized?"
"With the authority of a Spirit Hall elder, they could easily boost the academy's status."
"And here's something else that baffled me," Yang Yunhai said, taking another bite of rabbit meat. "The principal, Flender, has a famous quote that became the academy motto:
'Anyone afraid to stir up trouble is useless.'"
"Is it really appropriate to say that to students who haven't even graduated? What if they provoke someone far stronger? That's basically asking them to die. Honestly, I think it's a terribly irresponsible philosophy."
"So , yeah. I would never choose that academy."
He turned to Zhu Zhuqing and said calmly, "I said all this not just to rant, but also to give you a heads-up."
And dig a hole for Shrek along the way.
"If you still decide to join Shrek, I hope you'll learn to think more critically. The fact that they can still recruit people despite such poor conditions tells me the principal is probably a great salesman. Be careful , don't get manipulated."
"That's all I wanted to say."
He nodded lightly and said no more, turning back to focus on eating.
He'd done what he could. If Zhu Zhuqing still chose to join Shrek and ended up brainwashed by Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and the rest , even throwing herself back into Dai Mubai's arms ,
Then he could only say: he tried.
Liking someone is one thing.
Taking responsibility is another.
But kneeling and chasing blindly? That's unnecessary.
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent.
After a long pause, a soft voice finally broke the silence.
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