Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"The king's… friend." Nash was stunned for a moment. As a magical beast, he didn't really understand the concept of friends. But since the king had spoken, he just had to follow orders.

"Little one, who's this?" At this moment, noticing the middle-aged man standing next to Cheng Xiao, Dugu Bo asked in confusion.

"I'll explain later." Cheng Xiao smiled and said, "I'm a bit hungry right now. Let's talk after I've eaten."

"If you were hungry, why didn't you say so earlier!" Dugu Bo huffed. "Let's go. I'll take you to breakfast. I haven't eaten either, so we can eat together."

"Damn it, I've been so worried about you, brat, that I haven't eaten properly these past two days. I'll make sure to feast at your expense later!"

"Alright, alright! If you don't eat enough, I won't be satisfied either!"

"Heh, you brat."

...

Shrek Academy.

Every day after awakening from cultivation, cultivating Mysterious Heaven Technique and Purple Demon Eyes had become mandatory for Tang San.

After gracefully jumping down from the roof, Tang San did some light training with his hidden weapons, then headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

Since he was always the earliest to rise, the dining hall was nearly empty when he arrived. After getting his meal, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun entered one after another. Oscar and Ning Rongrong were absent; who knew where they had gone.

As soon as Tang San sat down, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun came over, while Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing sat a little farther away. Although they were all members of the Shrek Seven Devils, there was an undeniable tension between them.

"Hongjun, how's your injury?" Tang San asked kindly, taking a sip of his porridge and looking at Ma Hongjun, who was munching on a bun.

"I'm fine, Third Brother. My skin is thick. I'm all healed," Ma Hongjun replied cheerfully. Ever since resolving his Evil Fire problem, he had been feeling much better.

"That's good." Tang San nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Dai Mubai, who was quietly eating. Curious, he asked, "Boss Dai, I've been focused on cultivation lately, but I've heard something big happened at the academy, and it seems to involve my teacher. Do you know anything about it?"

Hearing this, Dai Mubai's face twitched. His eyes glanced at Ma Hongjun, whose expression had also darkened. Clearing his throat, Dai Mubai said, "Xiao San, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but this is a rather embarrassing matter. I really can't bring myself to say it. How about you ask Fatty?"

"Hey, Boss Dai, you can't just dump this on me like that! You were watching the whole time—don't think I didn't notice you pretending to be asleep! I saw it all…" Ma Hongjun immediately tried to explain himself.

But before he could finish, Dai Mubai interrupted with a cold snort, "Fatty, some things should be said, but some things shouldn't."

"You…" Ma Hongjun was at a loss for words. Tang San, now thoroughly confused, looked back and forth between the two. He couldn't fathom what could be so embarrassing about his teacher. Could it be that his teacher had reconciled with Teacher Erlong? "Um, Boss Dai, Fatty, are you talking about my teacher getting back together with Teacher Erlong?"

"Xiao San, you're still too young." Dai Mubai shook his head with a sigh. "Your teacher and Teacher Erlong haven't reconciled. It's something else."

"Come on, Boss Dai! Didn't we agree not to mention this?" Ma Hongjun said indignantly.

"Hehe, Fatty, you can't blame me for this." Dai Mubai chuckled mischievously. "Xiao San's teacher is his mentor; he has a right to know what happened."

"Xiao San, to tell you the truth, your teacher was researching Fatty's Evil Fire issue recently, and something embarrassing happened. I won't go into the details, but after that incident, your teacher was bedridden for quite some time. If you want to know why, you'll have to ask Fatty."

"Fatty, you…" Tang San's face darkened. He couldn't believe that something like this could happen to his respected teacher, and the culprit was none other than his friend, Ma Hongjun! "Third Brother, you can't blame me for this! It's just that your teacher—" Ma Hongjun tried to defend himself, but Tang San wasn't having it.

Suddenly standing up, Tang San picked up his tray and looked at Ma Hongjun with a stern expression. "Fatty, I consider you a brother, so I won't hold you accountable this time. But my teacher is like a father to me. I don't want something like this to happen again. Next time, you won't get off so easily."

After saying this, Tang San cast a glance at Ma Hongjun's lower abdomen before coldly turning and leaving the dining hall.

Watching Tang San's departing figure, Ma Hongjun angrily turned to Dai Mubai. "Boss Dai, why did you bring this up? Look, now Tang San's threatening me!"

"Don't worry, Fatty. Xiao San's just talking. He won't actually do anything to you," Dai Mubai said nonchalantly, unaffected since the issue hadn't involved him directly.

"Damn it! If he really comes after me, Boss Dai, don't blame me for not showing any brotherly loyalty. If I lose that part of me, you won't be safe either," Ma Hongjun fumed, stomping out of the dining hall.

"Hey, Fatty, let's talk this out!" Dai Mubai called, leaping up and chasing after him.

"What's going on with them?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled as she watched the three of them rush out one after another.

"No idea," Zhu Zhuqing replied coldly. Ever since that incident, any hopes she had for Dai Mubai had vanished. Whatever happened to him now was of no concern to her.

"Oh, okay then." Xiao Wu, sensing that Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to talk about it, quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Zhuqing, do you know when Rongrong will be back? She said she'd bring me a gift."

At the mention of a gift, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. She had been diligently cultivating for some time now without any rest.

Ning Rongrong had promised to bring her a present, which had added a bit of color to her otherwise monotonous routine. She didn't even dare visit Cheng Xiao at Heaven Dou Royal Academy to avoid exposing her identity. After all, she wasn't sure if there were any Titled Douluo-level experts at the academy.

"She should be back soon," Zhu Zhuqing replied absentmindedly. Last time, Oscar had gone to find Ning Rongrong, likely intending to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. She could tell that Oscar's main motivation was to get closer to Ning Rongrong. Compared to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who were rather despicable, Oscar's character was indeed better, even though he was a bit sleazy.

"Mm-hmm. Zhuqing, I'm going to train in a bit. Want to join me?" Xiao Wu asked with a cheerful smile, inviting her along.

"Xiao Wu, I don't know where you get all your energy," Zhu Zhuqing said, shaking her head slightly before standing up. "Alright, let's go."