At this point, none of the Shrek Seven Devils dared step forward to stop Liu Erlong or remind her that the spirit beast could still be of use. As for Li Chang'an, he certainly wouldn't interfere—after all, this Earth King wasn't needed by any of his girls. Better to let Liu Erlong vent her anger.
After slamming the beast into the ground repeatedly, Liu Erlong seemed to grow bored once she realized the Earth King no longer had the strength to resist.
Just when everyone thought the violent scene was finally over, she muttered under her breath:
"Ruining my good moment… daring to show up now…"
And with each murmur, the Earth King lost another piece of its body beneath her claws—first its small mutated scorpion legs, then the segments of its tail.
Within moments, this supposedly formidable spirit beast had been reduced to little more than a head and torso, the ground around it littered with broken limbs and dark blood.
Its vitality was indeed strong. Even now, it still clung to a breath of life.
With a flick of her claw, Liu Erlong hurled its mangled body through the air, landing it heavily in front of the Shrek Seven.
"Fatty, it's yours," she said coldly. "You're fire-attribute too. It suits you perfectly."
The beast crashed into the ground with a thud, and the Seven immediately took a step back. The three girls went pale at the gruesome sight. If not for the special training they'd endured with Li Chang'an, they would have been retching already.
"M-me? For me…?" Ma Hongjun stammered, staring up at the terrifying red dragon, his courage faltering.
"What are you waiting for?!" Liu Erlong's dragon eyes glared, sending him nearly tumbling to the ground. Terrified, Fatty scrambled forward and, with a heavy heart, ended the Earth King's pitiful life.
As the crimson light receded, Liu Erlong reverted to her human form. The fiery look in her eyes vanished, replaced by a cold stillness. She sat down without a word, and no one dared to question her.
Aside from Ma Hongjun, who quickly sat cross-legged to release his martial soul and begin absorbing the soul ring, the others remained rooted in place, afraid even to make a sound for fear of provoking her again.
Li Chang'an found himself in an awkward spot.
'If I comfort her, the girls will be upset. But if I don't… that definitely won't end well either.'
"Alright, enough standing around. Head back to your tents. I'll guard Fatty together with Dean Erlong," he finally said, breaking the tension. With dawn approaching and Fatty needing at least two hours to finish the absorption, there was no point in everyone waiting outside.
"Go on. I'll stay here with Teacher Li to protect him," Liu Erlong unexpectedly echoed. Her sudden agreement surprised everyone, but none dared to think too deeply about it.
They each offered a few words of encouragement to Fatty before retreating to their tents.
Li Chang'an gave Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong a reassuring glance. Only then did the three relax and return to rest.
Inside their tent, Xiao Wu looked puzzled as she kicked off her shoes. "Why do you think Teacher Erlong got so angry?"
Ning Rongrong slipped off her jacket, revealing her pale shoulders, and said half-jokingly, "Surely it wasn't because she was… you know, flirting with Teacher Li and got interrupted by the Earth King, right?"
The three laughed it off as a joke, none taking it seriously, and soon drifted off to sleep.
Outside, Li Chang'an carefully erected another barrier, then sat not far from Liu Erlong. After checking on Ma Hongjun's meditation, he finally relaxed.
"Erlong, have you calmed down yet?" he teased lightly.
"Hmph, don't overthink it. I was just upset because my good mood got ruined. It wasn't because of you," Liu Erlong said, her earlier ferocity completely gone—her tone now almost shy, like a girl caught in a small lie.
"I know. But you were impressive just now," Li Chang'an said with a smile, giving her leg a casual pat, as if among friends.
"R-really? Do you think… I wasn't too much?" Liu Erlong asked uncertainly. Deep down, she didn't want him to see her in a bad light.
"Not at all. You were just being yourself. Nothing wrong with that." Li Chang'an deliberately softened his tone—and even shifted his address from "Dean Erlong" to simply "Erlong." She didn't even notice, too caught up in the warmth of his words.
Before she realized it, she was leaning against his chest, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Glancing at Fatty still in the middle of absorption, she whispered softly, almost as if to herself:
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just… wanted to borrow your shoulder for a while."
"Mm. I understand." Li Chang'an didn't push further. Some things were best left to unfold naturally.
The night passed without further incident.
When dawn broke and the others emerged from their tents, Li Chang'an and Liu Erlong were already standing calmly behind Ma Hongjun, guarding him as though nothing unusual had happened.
Fatty was still seated where he had been the night before—but he had clearly changed.
The first thing that caught the eye were his four soul rings: two yellow, two purple. His body, which had slimmed down somewhat from medicinal herbs, now looked a little plumper again. His entire aura pulsed with explosive fire energy.
Flender stood proudly beside his disciple, his face full of satisfaction. Like any teacher, he couldn't help the swell of pride.
"Teacher Li, has Fatty still not finished absorbing?" Tang San asked in surprise. By now, the time should have been sufficient.
Li Chang'an glanced at him. "He finished long ago. I had him continue cultivating so the energy of the soul ring could fully merge with his body. This Earth King suited him perfectly. His fourth soul skill should be quite impressive. You all should hurry to find spirit beasts that fit you as well."
He had to motivate his students, after all.
The girls were relieved to see that the gruesome remains of the Earth King had vanished—clearly cleaned up by Li Chang'an. Only the deep cracks in the ground reminded them of last night's brutal battle.
After a quick wash and breakfast, Ma Hongjun finally stirred from cultivation.
A sharp phoenix cry tore from his throat as his plump body leapt to its feet. Flames swirled around him, golden-red light bursting outward before drawing back in. His four soul rings sank into his body one by one.
When his small eyes snapped open, they gleamed with soul power—his entire being brimming with vitality.
_____
T/N:
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