The next morning, at the Fourth Prince's residence.
"Outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!!!"
Prince Xue Xing's furious roar nearly lifted the roof.
He clenched the note in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The contents of the note were concise and merciless:
[Your Highness, Prince—how should I even address you?]
[How did you lose the Fourth Prince again? Fortunately, I, a kind passerby, happened to find him. Otherwise, if he were sold into the slums, you probably wouldn't even have a place to cry.]
[Now prepare a thank-you fee of three million gold coins and place it under the stone thirty li north of the city before noon. For every hour you're late, a part will be removed.]
[If the money is not delivered by noon tomorrow, I will squeeze him into fine juice for you to enjoy.]
Every word was filled with mockery, sending chills straight through Prince Xue Xing's body.
What made him want to vomit blood was that the kidnapper demanded exactly three million gold coins—not one coin more, not one coin less.
That was precisely the "spare change" he had planned to use yesterday to bid on the Seven Treasure Ruyi Soft Armor.
It was also all the liquid funds he could scrape together in a short time!
"You beast!"
Prince Xue Xing was certain the kidnapper had heard about his actions at yesterday's auction and knew exactly how much money he still had.
Perhaps they had even been hiding among the guests, watching him spend lavishly!
"He knows… he knows everything!"
Prince Xue Xing's eyes were bloodshot.
"He's telling me that my every move is under his surveillance!"
"He's humiliating me!"
The butler asked nervously, "Prince… should we inform Lord Dugu?"
"What's the point of informing him?!"
Prince Xue Xing roared. "Did he find the culprit the last two times? Trash! All of them are trash!"
He took several deep breaths, forcibly calming himself.
Three million—he had it, locked away in the secret room. But handing it over like this…
"Prepare the money."
Prince Xue Xing forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Do exactly as he says."
"Then… should we set up an ambush?" the butler asked cautiously.
"An ambush?! Do you want Xue Beng dead?!"
Prince Xue Xing slapped the butler hard across the face.
"This kidnapper is elusive—so elusive that even a Titled Douluo couldn't track them down! If you dare play tricks, Xue Beng's head will be hanging on the city gate tomorrow!"
He collapsed into his chair, eyes bloodshot.
This was the third time.
The same group. The same method.
He, Prince Xue Xing—second only to one person and above ten thousand others in the Heaven Dou Empire—was being toyed with by unknown kidnappers, utterly powerless to retaliate.
What humiliation! What utter humiliation!
After sitting there in a daze for a long time, he finally let out a long sigh.
"Being kidnapped three times in a row… this can't be concealed anymore. After this, report it to His Majesty…"
His shoulders slumped, as if he had aged years in an instant.
"…Yes," the butler replied respectfully.
---
Meanwhile, the person they had planned to invite—Dugu Bo—was tending to his medicinal garden with bloodshot eyes.
"Bastard! Dead snake! Don't let me ever see you again!"
The growth rate of plants at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was ten times faster than anywhere else!
After much deliberation, he still couldn't bring himself to abandon the place.
---
By noon, Prince Xue Xing arrived at the designated location and dropped the black card containing the money into the hole beneath the stone.
As soon as he returned to Heaven Dou City, news arrived that the Fourth Prince had been found back at the residence.
"Uncle… do I really have to get kidnapped every single time?"
Xue Beng sniffled, looking at Prince Xue Xing with a pitiful expression.
"It's alright. I've already informed your Imperial Father. He will definitely arrange people to protect you."
Prince Xue Xing gently hugged Xue Beng, patting his back to comfort him.
"Uncle… you're so good to me~"
Xue Beng was deeply moved, smearing tears and snot all over Prince Xue Xing's clothes.
---
"We common folk~ are really happy today~"
Having received the thank-you fee, Bai Mu hummed cheerfully as he entered the Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City.
He went to the Mission Hall and posted an intelligence bounty for the special dragon-type Spirit Beast he was searching for.
After that, despite the enthusiastic attempts by Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe to keep him, he "reluctantly" bade them farewell and left.
"I'll have to trouble you again, Little Soft."
Bai Mu released Zygarde, a simple and honest smile appearing on his face.
"Awooo =_=~"
Zygarde shot him a speechless look.
Why are you pretending now?
If you want to ride me, just say so.
"You really understand me!"
Bai Mu immediately dropped the act, swung his leg over, and mounted its back.
"Go, go, go—let's set off!"
"Awooo~"
Zygarde's body flickered, transforming into a streak of white light that shot forward.
They didn't head north toward Tianshui City, but instead rushed south at top speed.
In just a few hours, they crossed from north to south and arrived at Suotuo City.
Bai Mu glanced toward Shrek Academy from afar, then checked the Great Spirit Arena, but didn't see the Shrek group.
"They've probably already set off for the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit rings."
"We need to hurry."
With his mind made up, Bai Mu urged Zygarde to accelerate again.
As dusk fell and the sun sank in the west, he successfully arrived at the largest market town outside the perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest.
This place was a chaotic mix of spirit-hunting teams, merchants purchasing materials, information brokers gathering news, and adventurers hoping to strike it rich.
Ecological Perception!
Bai Mu and Zygarde briefly glowed as the ability activated, successfully detecting the nearby auras of Tang San and the others.
"Perfect timing—we actually made it!"
Bai Mu's lips curled upward as he headed toward the unremarkable hotel where the aura originated.
As he approached, he saw two groups storming out of the hotel, heading aggressively toward the open ground on the outskirts of town.
"Oh~ they still ran into each other."
One group was the Shrek team—but compared to last time, they now had an extra dead Fatty with an utterly lecherous expression.
The other group consisted of teachers and students from Canghui Academy, their clothes embroidered with the characters "Canghui."
"Damn it. Seeing it in person is even worse—truly disgusting."
Bai Mu glanced at Ma Hongjun and felt his eyes sting.
He suddenly felt that his past self—who had once considered using sacred fire to purify the Evil Fire Phoenix—should kneel down and kowtow in apology to his current self.
"Those who don't stir up trouble are mediocrities…"
"Tsk tsk, what a boring drama."
Bai Mu shook his head, too lazy to interfere, and simply watched from the sidelines.
Compared to the original, he noticed that the relationships within the Shrek group were somewhat strange.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong—who should have been ostracized—seemed to get along fairly well.
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai, the two shameless lechers, were on good terms, while Oscar was stuck awkwardly in the middle.
Still, since they belonged to the same academy, they temporarily united against outsiders, so no major issues arose.
Soon enough, the two groups clashed fiercely, just like in the original.
Unfortunately, the fight was cut short by Zhao Wuji's belated arrival. Although the confrontation with the outsiders didn't reach a conclusion, the odd tension within the group noticeably eased.
However, when everyone returned to the hotel, the atmosphere suddenly became strange.
All because—
"What a coincidence, everyone. We meet again!"
Bai Mu stood up, smiling as he waved at the Shrek group.
His gaze swept over them, deliberately ignoring Dai Mubai—whose face instantly turned ashen—and Ma Hongjun, who still wore that lecherous grin.
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