Chapter 41: Collateral Damage

Flender hesitated and said, "That's impossible, right? Who in the city doesn't know the reputation of Shrek Academy? If they ask around a little, it should be very easy to find the right door."

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, "Is it possible they encountered some kind of trouble that prevented them from getting away?"

Dai Mubai blinked; it seemed that was a possibility.

But it was already late, and it was not convenient for them to go out and look for traces of the others.

Dai Mubai tried hard to recall, "Dean, I heard they often participate in Spirit Fighting at the Great Spirit Arena."

"How about this: we search the city during the day, and go check the Great Spirit Arena later?"

Flender agreed with his suggestion.

After a pause, he asked another question, "What are the names of the girls?"

A few days ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had sent him a letter, and it was a personal letter from Ning Fengzhi.

The letter clearly stated that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would send Ning Rongrong over and asked him to help correct her temperament.

Because Wu Qi and the other had unexpectedly not arrived, he was unclear about Ning Rongrong's situation, so he asked a bit more.

As Dai Mubai spoke the names of the two girls, Flender was stunned on the spot once again.

"She didn't come?"

"Dean, who?" Dai Mubai asked.

Flender did not respond.

Ning Rongrong's safety was of the utmost importance; if she had not arrived at Shrek Academy, there was a high probability something had gone wrong.

Flender dared not be careless; he immediately wrote a letter to be sent to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and at the same time, entered Suotuo City overnight to search for traces of Ning Rongrong.

Tonight, he was destined to return empty-handed.

At this moment, Wu Qi and the other two had already arrived at the Spirit Master Town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was only a half-day carriage ride from Suotuo City.

In the original timeline, the Shrek Seven Devils went there on foot, but for Wu Qi, since he had the money to rent a carriage, why run? Wasn't that just looking for suffering?

Besides, he didn't have a masochistic streak.

Upon entering the Spirit Beast Town, Ning Rongrong felt everything here was novel and kept looking around.

"Miss Rongrong, when you hunted for spirits in the past, did you never stop to rest in a Spirit Beast Town?" Qiangu Changkong couldn't help but ask.

Ning Rongrong shook her head.

In the past, when hunting for her first and second Soul Rings, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would always locate the Soul Beast beforehand, and Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo would take her directly there.

Furthermore, they always went and returned on the same day, never staying in a Spirit Beast Town.

Wu Qi reminded her, "Don't look around aimlessly; there is no lack of riffraff here, and quite a few people even have murder cases on their hands."

Criminals with murder cases on their hands were quite sensitive to everything around them.

If one focused their gaze on them for too long, it was very likely to arouse their alertness, or even cause them to act desperately.

Finding the nearest restaurant, the three of them finally managed to eat dinner.

In the private room, Wu Qi let Xiao Lu out as usual.

Seeing Xiao Lu for the first time, Ning Rongrong couldn't put the furry little fellow down.

"Brother Wu Qi, is this a Soul Beast? It looks so cute."

"It is a Soul Beast, and it already has a hundred years of cultivation," Wu Qi replied.

Ning Rongrong was startled, but seeing that Xiao Lu had no aggression, she felt at ease to pet it.

Qiangu Changkong spoke intermittently about the shared experiences they had with Xiao Lu.

This little fellow had helped them in two major ways.

The first time was in Death Canyon, where it found poison for them, indirectly killing a Soul Ancestor.

The second time was before they entered Tiandou City, when it helped them avoid an ambush by bandits.

If one had to say, with the Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo protecting them in the shadows, they likely wouldn't have been injured, let alone in life-threatening danger.

But, if they had been caught in a trap shortly after leaving home, the Consecration Hall would inevitably have lost "confidence" in them.

After Golden Eagle Spirit Douluo brought them back to the Consecration Hall, they probably wouldn't have a chance to come out again for the next few years.

Ning Rongrong rubbed Xiao Lu's fur and said with a smile, "I didn't expect the little fellow to be so capable."

Counting it up, Xiao Lu was more than old enough to be her grandmother.

However, a Soul Beast with a hundred years of cultivation was still in its infancy in the Soul Beast world.

The waiter served their dishes, and the two small horns on Xiao Lu's head did not flash, proving the food was not poisoned.

Having had the previous experience, Qiangu Changkong and Wu Qi observed the waiter's actions at all times.

After the door to the private room closed, seeing that the waiter had no unusual behavior, Qiangu Changkong breathed a sigh of relief, "Thankfully, this isn't a black-hearted shop."

In the Spirit Beast Town, a large number of Spirit Masters gathered, so under normal circumstances, no one dared to tamper with the food.

The previous encounter was unlikely to be repeated.

Halfway through the meal, a huge commotion came from the restaurant.

Just as Qiangu Changkong was preparing to investigate, a figure flew into the private room, overturning the dining table.

"Damn it, my luck is so bad!" Qiangu Changkong muttered.

Wu Qi bent down to check the identity of the man lying on the ground.

"It's someone from the Spirit Hall!"

Qiangu Changkong nearly let it slip, "Why are they looking for trouble with us, what are they doing here?"

Wu Qi's gaze looked outside the private room, where he could barely see people fighting in the restaurant lobby.

Immediately after, he glanced out the window; a large group of Spirit Hall Spirit Masters had already completely surrounded the restaurant.

With this kind of formation, they were most likely hunting down a criminal.

They were purely caught in the crossfire.

The dining table had been overturned, so this meal definitely could not be finished.

Moreover, it would not be appropriate for them to step in and help.

For one, they could not expose their relationship with the Spirit Hall; for another, they did not know who the criminal was, and acting blindly would only make the situation more chaotic.

"Brother Wu Qi, how about we climb out?" Ning Rongrong pointed at the window behind them.

Wu Qi shook his head.

Not everyone within the Spirit Hall knew them, and climbing out at this moment would have the flavor of trying to cover something up.

If they were accidentally injured by a powerhouse from the Spirit Hall, that would be a huge joke.

"Close the door, we'll wait until the commotion outside ends," Wu Qi made up his mind.

The three of them waited patiently in the private room; before long, the door to the private room was struck by a soul skill and shattered into pieces on the spot.

"Damn it, I can't take this anymore."

With an angry curse, Qiangu Changkong summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul, and two yellow Soul Rings shone beneath his feet.

This time, Wu Qi did not stop him, letting him rush out of the private room.

Ning Rongrong quickly activated her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, providing him with a buff.

"Brother Wu Qi, aren't you going to help?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Wu Qi leaned against the wall and shook his head, "No rush, it's not time yet."

Qiangu Changkong had the Pope Token in his hand; the people from the Spirit Hall would not attack him upon seeing it, and they could also learn the target of the Spirit Hall's mission this time.

Under normal circumstances, the Spirit Hall would not act so recklessly.

It was very likely that they were facing a heinous villain this time.

About five minutes later, the commotion inside the restaurant vanished, and Qiangu Changkong returned.

The Spirit Hall never needed a reason for their actions, so Ning Rongrong did not ask what had happened.

Qiangu Changkong gave Wu Qi a look, and the two walked out of the private room.

"Brother Wu, it's the Southwest City Spirit Hall handling business; they chased two Evil Spirit Masters all the way here from Southwest City."

Wu Qi suddenly understood; when facing Evil Spirit Masters, the Spirit Hall would indeed "stop at nothing."

(End of chapter)