Chapter 117: The Doom of Shrek
Ning Rongrong had only met Qi Tian once before, in the Sunset Forest, and the two hadn't interacted much.
Back then, Qi Tian didn't acknowledge her and even called himself "Tian Qi," pairing up with Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong had been ready to enjoy some gossip from the sidelines.
But now that Bibi Dong was calling the "Tian Qi" before her Qi Tian, she immediately realized she had been deceived.
Because she and Bibi Dong knew Qi Tian. Otherwise, she wouldn't have recognized him at the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince Mansion.
Which meant the person standing in front of her truly was the one she had been searching for all this time.
Qi Tian gave an awkward smile.
"Rongrong… I'm sorry. Elder Bone was there, so I had to use a fake name!"
He knew Ning Rongrong's temper very well. If he had acknowledged her back in the Sunset Forest, she might have had Elder Bone abduct him on the spot.
Ning Rongrong's little face flickered between sunshine and storm—joy mixed with anger. Joy because Qi Tian turned out to be her age… handsome… and perfectly aligned with her aesthetic tastes. Anger because he didn't trust her enough to tell her his real name.
"Brother Tian, do you know how hard I've been looking for you?" Ning Rongrong pouted resentfully.
She had traveled across the Heaven Dou Empire, visited the Crown Prince Mansion, and gone to Spirit City. For a pampered young lady like her, this truly was a difficult journey.
"Rongrong, you actually didn't need to look for me. When your level meets the requirement, I would naturally come find you."
He was referring to the contract spirit soul issue. Ning Rongrong was only at the Soul Elder level; contracting a spirit soul at this stage was not worthwhile.
Unless her talent allowed her to contract several spirit souls at once, otherwise, she would waste precious spirit soul slots.
Bibi Dong frowned, cutting off their conversation. "Enough. You've finished what you needed to do. Come back to Spirit City with me."
"No! You can't go with her!" Ning Rongrong snapped back to alertness.
"Oh? And why can't he? Are you trying to steal someone from me?" Bibi Dong asked calmly.
She wasn't very tall, but her presence was overwhelming, sending chills up Ning Rongrong's spine.
Ning Rongrong opened her mouth but found she did not argue. She had no authority. She couldn't offer Qi Tian anything of value. Everything had always been Qi Tian helping her—not the other way around.
Compared to Bibi Dong—one of the most powerful women on the entire continent—she simply had nothing.
And compared to herself, still youthful and inexperienced, Bibi Dong's body was far more mature and alluring.
For the first time, Ning Rongrong—pride of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—felt a sting of inferiority.
"I…"
She couldn't argue. She could only look at Qi Tian, voice sweet and pleading.
"Brother Tian… can you not go with her?"
Qi Tian found himself stuck in the middle. But for Ning Rongrong's safety, he could only comfort her.
"Rongrong, I have to go train with Bibi Dong. You should return to the sect and cultivate well. I'll come find you later."
If he went with Ning Rongrong now, Bibi Dong might retaliate against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Furthermore, he legitimately needed to go with her—to learn how to harmonize his twin martial souls.
Bibi Dong flashed Ning Rongrong a faint smile. Then she pulled Qi Tian along and walked downstairs.
'This hateful woman dares look down on me… No! I have to think of a way!' Ning Rongrong fumed internally.
She took Bibi Dong's final glance as an insult, yet she had no way to respond.
Even if her father, Ning Fengzhi, along with the two Protectors, showed up, they still could not do anything to Bibi Dong.
"Right… Zhu Zhuqing!"
Suddenly, Ning Rongrong remembered the beautiful girl who could rival her in appearance.
She couldn't compete with Bibi Dong alone. But what if she added Zhu Zhuqing into the equation?
After realizing that "Tian Qi" was actually Qi Tian, Ning Rongrong's thoughts spun rapidly.
She guessed Zhu Zhuqing must have gone through something similar to her— otherwise, with one in the Heaven Dou Empire and the other in the Star Luo Empire, the two girls could never have crossed paths with Qi Tian.
Meaning Zhu Zhuqing likely had an experience just like hers, which was why she had fallen for Qi Tian.
"Hmph! Just wait, Bibi Dong. I won't give up that easily!"
After investing so much effort and emotion in silence, Ning Rongrong absolutely refused to surrender now.
——
Meanwhile, in a secret prison beneath Suo Tuo City, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun were thrown on damp piles of Blue Silver Grass.
Before them stood three notorious criminals of Suo Tuo City—Bu Le, Tian Ya, and E Kao—infamous scoundrels each with their own distinct appearance.
Bu Le looked lecherous and sly, Tian Ya was fierce with a scar across his face, and E Kao was both obese and unpleasant-looking, completely unlike typical soul masters.
Despite having cultivated to the Soul Ancestor level—a rank respectable enough to be minor nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire—these three had chosen a criminal path.
They had committed countless vile acts under the protection of their strength. This time, they thought they were done for, yet unexpectedly, the ones who captured them offered them a "chance."
Thinking it would be some difficult mission, they were stunned to find the "task" disturbingly simple.
Although their preferences were twisted, they had experience with all manner of victims—they weren't picky.
"Boss, you choose first?" Tian Ya asked.
"That blond kid looks good. I'll take him," Bu Le said with a disgusting grin.
"Then I'll take the chubby one. Plenty of meat," Tian Ya replied.
The three selected their targets and began to move in a predatory manner.
Moments later, Dai Mubai stirred awake first, due to being the powerful soul master.
"What—what are you doing?!" he shouted, struggling in pain, trying to break free from Bu Le's grasp. As a Soul Elder, he could not accept such humiliation.
"Still acting tough? I'm a Soul Ancestor!"
Bu Le slapped him across the face, the soul power-infused blow instantly dazing Dai Mubai.
"Stop! I am a prince of the Star Luo Empire! My father will not let you get away with this!"
In desperation, Dai Mubai could only invoke the identity he hated to mention.
This identity that had driven him into exile, one he rarely revealed—he had no choice now but to hope it would scare his captors.
But Bu Le only sneered and slapped him again.
"This is the Heaven Dou Empire. Who cares about the Star Luo royal family?"
If he let Dai Mubai go, he would be the next to die—why would he care about the consequences?
Ma Hongjun and Oscar woke soon after, only to face the same horror.
By the end of that day, the three Shrek "frequent patrons of brothels" suffered unspeakable humiliation.
They eventually lost consciousness again and were dumped onto the streets of Suo Tuo City.
When Shrek Academy's dean, Flender, finally found them, autumn had already arrived.
Their condition was miserable beyond words.
"Dai Mubai! Dai Mubai! Wake up! What happened to you?"
Flender shoved a candy bean into his mouth in panic.
After all, this boy was his financial lifeline.
Shrek Academy had only survived because of Dai Mubai's constant supply of gold soul coins.
—
End of Chapter