Early the next morning, on the way to Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong looked excitedly at Su Xiao Qi and said, "Su Xiao Qi, I feel like my marksmanship has improved these past two days. Want me to show you?"
Su Xiao Qi yawned. "Next time. Save your bullets, I don't have many left."
He hadn't slept well last night. He'd been waiting for Zhu Zhuqing to change her mind, open the door, and let him in, but he waited until late into the night and didn't get even a hair's worth of response.
Ning Rongrong smiled. "Don't worry, I use them sparingly. They're my treasure."
When the three arrived at Shrek Academy's training ground, Zhao Wuji and several other Shrek students were already waiting for them.
Seeing Su Xiao Qi approaching, Dai Mubai greeted him with a smile. "Brother Su Xiao Qi, we might have had some misunderstandings before. I'd like to apologize here and now. This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest will require both of us to work together."
"Hm?"
Not only was Su Xiao Qi surprised by this gesture, but everyone else present was as well. Weren't these two supposed to be mortal enemies over a stolen bride? How did they suddenly become all chummy?
Zhao Wuji froze for a few seconds, then laughed loudly. "Mubai is right. This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest will be very dangerous. No matter what grudges you had before, for the sake of everyone's lives, you need to have a good sense of teamwork.
"Mubai, you'll lead the team this time."
Dai Mubai smiled and nodded, assigning everyone just like in the original events. Finally, he looked at Su Xiao Qi with a grin. "Brother Su Xiao Qi, your situation is a bit special. On the way there, you can move freely. Once we reach the Star Dou Great Forest, we'll arrange things then."
"Fine." Su Xiao Qi replied indifferently. He was curious to see what kind of trick Dai Mubai was trying to pull.
As for running all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest, Su Xiao Qi treated it as part of his training—especially since Oscar's sausages were available along the way.
"Su Xiao Qi, I really can't take it anymore. Can you eat a little less?"
Oscar was nearly in tears. The others would only ask him for one sausage every hour, but Su Xiao Qi was different—he ate enough for several people each time. Oscar felt like he was being drained dry.
Su Xiao Qi was helpless too. Physical stamina loss was one thing, but he was hungry. Asking him not to eat for several hours was harder than killing him.
"Xiao Qi, you can have mine. I can still keep going."
"Su Xiao Qi, take mine too."
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong handed over their portions voluntarily. Zhu Zhuqing had eaten Oscar's sausages during Flender's class yesterday, so she was no longer so resistant.
As Su Xiao Qi often told her—food is innocent, and wasting food is bad.
He didn't stand on ceremony, taking their sausages and eating them. He really was starving.
"Trash is trash." Dai Mubai sneered inwardly at the sight. On this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, he planned to humiliate Su Xiao Qi in front of everyone—and if the opportunity came to kill him, all the better.
When the group arrived at a small town, Zhao Wuji told them to find a hotel to rest for the night, though he subtly implied that this was all Su Xiao Qi's fault.
Su Xiao Qi didn't care. This hotel was the same one where, in the original story, Shrek Academy clashed with Canghui Academy. He wondered if they'd still run into them this time.
At the table, Dai Mubai said heartily, "Junior brothers and sisters, tonight's meal is on me. Consider it my treat to welcome you."
"Boss Dai, generous as always," Ma Hongjun flattered, then shouted, "Waiter, bring the menu!"
"Waiter, bring one of everything on the menu!"
Su Xiao Qi's voice overlapped with Ma Hongjun's. The latter stared at him. "Come on, Su Xiao Qi, even if Boss Dai's paying, you don't have to fleece him like this."
Dai Mubai smiled, unconcerned. "It's fine. If Brother Su Xiao Qi can eat, let him eat more. This little money is nothing."
Too hungry to argue, Su Xiao Qi stayed quiet—but Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't indulge them. She pulled Su Xiao Qi to his feet. "Let's eat at the next table. Looking at certain faces makes me nauseous."
Ning Rongrong stood as well. "That's right. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hasn't fallen so low that we need others to buy us a meal."
"What's so great about being a kept man," Ma Hongjun muttered under his breath.
Everything was seen by Zhao Wuji from the second floor. His eyes grew cold as he watched Su Xiao Qi. He knew that as long as this man remained in Shrek, the group could never truly unite.
Zhu Zhuqing nudged Su Xiao Qi, who was lying on the table. "Xiao Qi, look over at the door."
Su Xiao Qi looked up. Walking in from outside was the group from Canghui Academy, led by their teacher Ye Zhiqiu.
"Correction of the world line?"
The phrase popped into Su Xiao Qi's head. Even though they'd arrived a day later than in the original story, they still ran into Canghui Academy. Would Meng Yiran show up next?
As in the original, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun quickly got into a conflict with Canghui Academy, but Su Xiao Qi paid no mind—he was busy shoveling food into his mouth.
Ning Rongrong ignored the fight as well, watching Su Xiao Qi devour his meal. "Su Xiao Qi, sometimes I really wonder what your body is made of. I'm hungry too, but just watching you eat makes me feel full."
"Mmph mmph." Su Xiao Qi had no time to respond. Nothing could interrupt his eating—not even the destruction of Earth.
Ning Rongrong turned to Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, with how much Su Xiao Qi eats, what will you do if you marry him in the future? Maybe you should consider joining our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Zhu Zhuqing ignored the last part, but the first part gave her pause.
She suddenly thought of Chi-Chi. She had once been a martial artist, but after marrying Kakarot, she became a full-time housewife, worrying about household expenses day after day. Over time, her temper grew worse.
"Will I end up like that too?"
It wasn't that Zhu Zhuqing minded doing such things—she just feared that over time, Su Xiao Qi might grow to dislike her.
After swallowing his food, Su Xiao Qi said, "Ning Rongrong, you sure are nosy. If Zhuqing marries me, she won't have to think about those things at all. She can just do what she likes."
Zhu Zhuqing took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, smiling and scolding, "Who said I'd marry you? Don't flatter yourself."
Just then, a Canghui Academy student was sent flying toward them. Su Xiao Qi stood up and kicked him aside.
Dai Mubai shook his hand and looked at Su Xiao Qi apologetically. "Sorry, my hand slipped. Didn't interrupt your meal, did I?
"But Brother Su Xiao Qi, not to criticize you, Canghui Academy is indeed a bit trash, and I was only lightly teaching him a lesson. Yet you kicked him so hard he's spitting blood—wasn't that a bit much?"
Right on cue, the student Su Xiao Qi had kicked coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Su Xiao Qi smiled. You could say Dai Mubai had no brains, but now he was trying to play dirty. But if you said he had brains—well, not much.
Su Xiao Qi was most lacking in combat experience right now, and Dai Mubai had just served himself up as a free practice dummy and a source of easy points.