After grumbling and scolding Yu Xiaogang from head to toe without stopping, Liu Erlong finally felt much better. The emotions she had suppressed for so many years were, at last, vented in one go.
"Erlong, look at Xiao Gang—he's already like this. How about we just let it go?" Flander stepped forward when he saw she had finally scolded herself tired. "Besides, Xiao Se and the others should be arriving soon."
"So what if they come?" Liu Erlong curled her lips dismissively. "You think I'd be afraid of a few brats?"
Her gaze shifted again to Yu Xiaogang, who looked so aggrieved he was on the verge of tears. She barked sharply, "You're a grown man—what are you red-eyed for? I hated that wishy-washy attitude of yours even back then. Before you expect respect from others, learn to respect yourself first!"
"I… I understand, Erlong," Yu Xiaogang said stiffly, forcing out a smile uglier than crying.
As the saying went, simps never end well.
Facing the second woman he had ever loved in his life, Yu Xiaogang had humbled himself to the extreme.
From their exchange, it was obvious this wasn't the first time Liu Erlong had berated him. It was just that this time—because Yu Xiaogang was completely finished and had turned into a "sissy"—the scolding was even more brutal.
"By the way, Erlong," Flander quickly changed the subject, "how is Auntie's health? Why isn't she with you?"
"Even we're already this old," Liu Erlong sighed softly, lifting her head to look at the sky. "My mother was just an ordinary person…"
Her voice gradually faded.
"Please accept my condolences," Flander said in a low, heavy voice.
"It's fine," Liu Erlong smiled faintly. "Mother passed away of old age. She was very peaceful when she left. We should be happy for her."
As she spoke, memories from her youth surfaced in her mind.
Back then, her mother had fallen gravely ill, hovering on the brink of death. Coincidentally, while Liu Erlong was in Heaven Dou City, she encountered a mysterious person—someone wearing a white cloak, a bamboo hat, and a mask that concealed their face.
After learning of her mother's critical condition, the mysterious person lent a helping hand.
Her mother survived after taking the pill given by that person, her severe illness miraculously easing.
The two of them stayed together for several days after that.
From the mysterious person's voice, Liu Erlong could tell he was a young man—around the same age as herself.
She had wanted to thank him properly, but no matter what, he refused to reveal his true appearance.
Whenever she was with that young man, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
After her mother recovered, the young man left.
From that day on, she never saw him again.
Several times, she had wanted to search for him—but in a sea of people, where could she even begin? All she knew was his voice, and a name that might not even have been real.
Liu Erlong let out a quiet sigh.
Suddenly, three points of light appeared in her field of vision. The lights grew larger and larger, eventually taking human form—one of them seemed to be holding someone in his arms.
"Boss Flander," Liu Erlong frowned, "someone's flying over from the sky."
Hearing this, everyone present immediately became alert and looked up.
Three familiar figures came into view—Xiao Se, Zhu Zhuqing, and Little Medical Fairy.
"Erlong, it's Xiao Se and the others. Please don't act impulsively," Flander said gravely. "I'm begging you."
Of everyone present, no one understood Xiao Se's strength better than Flander did.
As Flander's words fell, Xiao Se and the four women landed on the ground under the watchful gazes of Liu Erlong and the Shrek group.
"Damn, Xiao Ao," Ma Hongjun whispered to Oscar behind Flander, staring at Qian Renxue in Xiao Se's arms. "The women around Xiao Se just keep getting prettier and prettier. That blonde beauty is way more stunning than any woman we've seen before."
Oscar nodded slightly—but remained silent.
Right now, his only goal was to minimize his presence as much as possible. If the topic of Dai Mubai humiliating him came up again, he would suffer a complete social death.
"Dean Flander," Xiao Se gently set Qian Renxue down. Pink flames slowly rose within his eyes as he spoke calmly, "it's time for Zhuqing to settle her grudges with Dai Mubai."
Suddenly, he lifted his right foot and stomped down hard.
Boom!
In an instant, a ring of pink flames exploded outward from his body. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed. Flander and the others didn't even have time to react—instinctively crossing their arms to shield their faces.
But the attack they imagined never came.
One by one, they cautiously raised their heads and looked around.
Then—
They froze.
Within a radius of a hundred meters, all trees, flowers, and vegetation had vanished completely, leaving behind a vast, open expanse of scorched ground.
If not for the charred black ring at the edge of the clearing, they might have believed this place had always been flat land.
Hiss—
Everyone present—from Shrek Academy to Blue Tyrant Academy—sucked in a sharp breath.
If those flames had fallen on them just now, they would have been erased from existence on the spot.
They were utterly shaken by Xiao Se's strength, their minds reeling.
No one noticed that, within Xiao Se's pink, flame-lit eyes, a fleeting red glint silently drifted toward Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Yu Xiaogang (yes, not a typo).
Dai Mubai's face turned deathly pale as he swallowed hard.
Only now did he realize how utterly foolish he had been—provoking such a terrifying monster.
If those flames had been aimed at Shrek, none of them would have survived.
"Dean Flander," Xiao Se said with a smile as the pink flames faded from his eyes, "let's begin."
"Ah… oh." Flander snapped out of his shock, gulped, and turned toward Dai Mubai. "Mubai… don't force yourself."
"I understand, Dean," Dai Mubai said, clenching his bloated fists. "But I won't retreat out of fear. Today, I'll make that woman who betrayed me pay the price."
Under everyone's gaze, he walked to the center of the clearing.
Zhu Zhuqing met Xiao Se's eyes. He gave her a small nod.
She stepped forward.
On the clearing—
Dai Mubai's burned coldly. His back was straight, layers of fat trembling across his body as rage surged.
Thirty steps away, Zhu Zhuqing stood calmly, her expression icy, movements elegant and composed.
"Zhu Zhuqing," Dai Mubai roared, "today I'll show you—even if my martial soul mutated and my body grew fat, I'm still not someone you can defeat! A king cannot be humiliated! Ape-Tiger Possession!"
A powerful blue-white light erupted from his body.
Dai Mubai bent slightly forward, arms hanging down naturally as his bones cracked and popped violently. His body swelled, ripping his clothes apart.
Two yellow and one purple soul rings rose simultaneously from beneath his feet, dazzling lights spiraling around him.
As the blue-white glow faded, a humanoid creature with the head of a white tiger and the body of an ape appeared before everyone's eyes.
The moment the "Ape-Tiger" manifested, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise a little.
"An ape's body with a tiger's head… what the hell is that thing?" Little Medical Fairy said in shock.
Aside from Zhu Zhuqing and the Shrek group, everyone present was seeing Dai Mubai's martial soul for the first time. Their pupils all showed strange expressions.
Little Medical Fairy, in particular, had grown up near the Beast Mountain Range. She was extremely familiar with ape-type beasts—many mercenaries had suffered at their hands.
Even Xiao Se couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He had to admit—it really did look… something.
Yet aside from Qian Renxue, no one noticed that ever since Xiao Se spoke, the previously furious Liu Erlong had gone quiet.
Her gaze fixed on Xiao Se—strange, unfathomable, and deeply unsettling.
(End of Chapter)
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