Jiang Shengyu and his companions' goal was to teach those three men a lesson, not to kill them. After all, they weren't evil soul masters, and their opponents had only been tailing them — hardly worth killing over.
Once he had immobilized the three of them, Jiang Shengyu sheathed his Tanhua/Twilight Sword, dusted off his hands, and motioned for Huo Yuhao to stop hiding.
Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao walked over to stand beside Jiang Shengyu.
Jiang Shengyu said casually, "Don't hold back. Go ahead — beat them."
Xiao Hongchen was already rolling up his sleeves. The three men released their martial souls — one had three rings, the other two had two rings each. Their spirits were a yellow tiger and two blue eagles, all ordinary beast-type martial souls that looked rather imposing at first glance.
But when Xiao Hongchen released his own martial soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, the three so-called "beasts" could only cower and tremble.
"Try fighting back, and I'll kill you," Jiang Shengyu said softly from the side.
They didn't kill lightly, but of course, the three men didn't know that.
Jiang Shengyu's words froze the courage right out of them; they didn't even dare resist.
Once they were cowed, Xiao Hongchen got to work. He didn't use any soul power — just pure physical strength, every punch landing solidly and satisfyingly.
At first, only Xiao Hongchen and Jiang Shengyu were hitting them. But before long, Huo Yuhao joined in too.
Three versus three — perfectly fair!
By the time they were done, the three men were battered and bruised beyond recognition. Xiao Hongchen flexed his knuckles, tilted his head toward the sky, and said with a blissful sigh,
"I've never felt so refreshed in my life. It's like I've been reborn."
Hearing that, Jiang Shengyu tilted his head and stared at him blankly, as though he were gazing into the vastness of the universe.
"You… feel refreshed too?"
"Of course! You don't feel good after beating someone up?" Xiao Hongchen looked at him as if to say, What kind of dumb question is that?
While the two of them chatted, Huo Yuhao glanced down at the three groaning figures on the ground and said coldly,
"Go back and tell the Duchess that if she's got the guts, she can come herself. Stop sending lackeys to die."
The three men managed a few weak groans in response.
Jiang Shengyu glanced toward the end of the alley and said to Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao,
"It's getting late. Let's go."
"It's still pretty early. What's the rush?" Xiao Hongchen looked up at the sky, puzzled.
"Just go," Jiang Shengyu said curtly.
Huo Yuhao didn't question it and followed Jiang Shengyu toward the alley's exit. Xiao Hongchen didn't know what Jiang Shengyu was hurrying off to do, but he followed as well.
As soon as the three of them stepped out of the alley, they spotted a group walking down the street toward them — the Shrek Academy team.
Wang Yan was at the front, followed by the entire reserve team — everyone except Dai Huabin.
Seeing them approach, Xiao Hongchen immediately understood. He nodded and said,
"Ah, I get it now. So, how are we playing this scene?"
Jiang Shengyu sighed helplessly.
"Just act like you usually do. Don't improvise. Don't steal the spotlight."
"Relax. I know how to be a supporting actor," Xiao Hongchen said confidently. "No need to worry. Being angry? That's my specialty."
Huo Yuhao still had no idea what was going on. As the Shrek group drew closer, Jiang Shengyu quickly filled him in on the plan — they were going to "act," putting on a show to make it look as if Jiang Qingtong had broken ties with the Sun Moon Empire.
Once he understood, Huo Yuhao nodded in realization.
Before long, Shrek Academy's group stopped in front of them.
The looks in Wang Yan's, Wang Dong's, Bei Bei's, and He Caitou's eyes were full of restrained anger and cold distance. Only Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao didn't show much hostility, which surprised both Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao took the initiative to greet them.
"Brother Bei Bei, long time no see."
Bei Bei merely gave a curt "Mm" in reply.
Although Bei Bei had always been uneasy about Huo Yuhao joining the Sun Moon Empire, he hadn't personally disliked him — until yesterday, when Yuhao's actions left Dai Huabin comatose.
To Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao was just a younger student he'd met once or twice in the Star Dou Forest. But Dai Huabin had been his comrade in the Soul Master Tournament.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Jiang Qingtong asked Jiang Shengyu.
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Xiao Hongchen cut in before Jiang Shengyu could answer.
His sudden interruption caught both Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong off guard; they exchanged exasperated looks. Still, since Xiao Hongchen had spoken first, Jiang Shengyu decided not to say anything for now.
"Qingtong, Bei Bei, let's not waste time," Wang Yan said from the side. "We're leaving."
As he tried to lead the team past, Jiang Shengyu slowly raised his hand, his gaze locking onto Wang Yan.
"Teacher Wang," he said with a cold smile, "you're being rather impolite, aren't you? We did save your lives in the Mingdou Mountains, after all. No need to bow and thank us, but not even a greeting for your saviors?"
Wang Yan frowned. "You did help us once, yes. But you also hurt Huabin yesterday. I think that makes us even."
The Soul Master Tournament meant everything to Wang Yan — not only for Shrek Academy's honor, but because he was the one leading the team.
Now, with Dai Huabin in a coma and the still-recovering Ling Luochen forced to take his place, Wang Yan felt personally humiliated and furious.
So naturally, he had no patience for Jiang Shengyu's group.
"Even? Teacher Wang, that's quite a joke."
Jiang Shengyu actually laughed at that.
"If it hadn't been for us back in the Mingdou Mountains, those heavily injured students of yours might not even be alive right now. And as for Dai Huabin being unconscious — he brought that on himself."
"Exactly!" Xiao Hongchen chimed in, nodding vigorously. "He came to us demanding a fight. What, Shrek Academy can lose but can't admit it?"
Before Wang Yan could respond, Xiao Hongchen kept going, words tumbling out in rapid fire:
"If that's how it is, maybe you shouldn't bother entering the tournament at all. Just tell the organizers to crown you champions in advance! Save everyone the trouble."
"You could make it a rule, too — as long as Shrek Academy participates, just hand them the trophy. The rest of us can fight for second place. Saves you the embarrassment of losing and then denying it."
"If you're too shy to say it yourselves, we can help deliver the message! After all, as the so-called Number One Academy on the Continent, you've got to keep up appearances, right?"
Wang Yan's face darkened visibly with each word. His fists clenched as he barked out,
"Xiao Hongchen! Do not insult Shrek Academy's honor!"
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