At the entrance of the Spirit Arena, Qian Jue returned the registration fee for the one-on-one duel to Flender, and also handed over the prize money he had won, keeping only the five gold soul coins from his team-up duel with Dai Mubai. Watching Flender carefully pocket the coins, Qian Jue asked with a smile:
"How about it, Dean Flender? How much did you win from betting tonight?"
After Qian Jue and Dai Mubai's victory in the pair battle, the group had gathered again. After registering their points, they left the Spirit Arena. Each type of duel could only be entered once per day. Having already finished both the one-on-one and the pair battles tonight, they couldn't take part in the team duel anymore. Staying around served little purpose.
Flender rolled his eyes. "Do you think anyone can just open a betting line in Soto's Great Spirit Arena? You're just a rank 23 Spirit Grandmaster with an Iron Spirit Badge. Who would bet on you? If you want your own betting line, first win ten matches in a row and upgrade that Iron Badge into a Bronze Spirit Badge."
"..." Qian Jue was speechless. He had completely overlooked this. He thought every match would automatically open a betting line.
Flender too was a little annoyed, since he hadn't thought of this earlier. Only when he rushed to the betting counter was he told that a Bronze Spirit Badge was the minimum requirement to open a betting line. He had even argued with the staff for a long while, but in the end, he still failed.
"Alright, enough. Go back and get a good rest. Tomorrow morning at six, assemble on the field!" Flender finished, then walked away alone.
Seeing him leave, the atmosphere among Qian Jue, Dai Mubai, and Oscar became cheerful again. Oscar grinned and suggested: "Why don't we grab some late-night snacks before heading back? It's not that late anyway."
Indeed, it was only a little past nine. Barely over two hours had passed since they had first arrived at the Spirit Arena.
"Sounds good! Let's go, my treat. I got five gold coins for free tonight, so let's eat something nice." Qian Jue also wanted to try Soto City's street food to see if there was anything special.
"Perfect, let's go! I know a place that serves Hui-liu pork, it's amazing!" Dai Mubai, brimming with excitement, dragged Qian Jue and Oscar toward a spot he remembered. He too had "freely earned" twenty gold coins tonight, so he was in high spirits.
---
Two hours later, Qian Jue, Dai Mubai, and Oscar staggered out of Soto City's gates with their arms around each other's shoulders. The more they ate, the better the food tasted, and the longer they talked, until eventually they even had a little sake. The result was an atmosphere of great closeness among the three.
Of course, none of them had gotten drunk—not even tipsy. They just indulged a little. After all, they had Flender's early training tomorrow morning, and all three knew his temper well enough to realize that if they missed it because of something like this, the whole year would be rough for them.
…
"Ah Jue, your martial spirit is unbelievable. Absolutely the strongest I've ever seen. That Clear Sky Hammer, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, all of them are trash compared to yours." Oscar marveled at Qian Jue's Kindred.
During the meal, Qian Jue had revealed some details of his martial spirit to Oscar and Dai Mubai. Since they would be together for years to come, the secret would eventually come out anyway. Whether sooner or later didn't really matter.
"Yeah, I've never even heard of a martial spirit splitting into two forms before. Tsk, it's simply—"
Dai Mubai suddenly cut himself off. His eyes fixed intently on something ahead.
Qian Jue and Oscar followed his gaze. Not far off, by the roadside woods, two dark figures were embracing. A faint mist drifted between them, lingering without dispersing.
Strange as it looked, it seemed like nothing more than a couple being intimate. Qian Jue turned back toward Soto City behind them.
"This close to the city, there shouldn't be any prob—"
"No! There's a problem!" Before Qian Jue could finish, Dai Mubai bolted toward the figures, releasing his martial spirit mid-sprint. Two yellow spirit rings glowed faintly in the darkness, trailing long streaks of light as he ran.
"Boss Dai!" Oscar called out, but Dai Mubai didn't slow down at all, charging headlong at the figures. Qian Jue and Oscar exchanged a glance, then quickly followed.
Startled, one of the two figures shifted, then immediately fled into the depths of the forest. By the time Qian Jue and Oscar caught up, they found Dai Mubai holding a young woman.
"Damn, there really is something wrong. Boss Dai, how is she?" Qian Jue asked anxiously, seeing the girl motionless.
"She's dead. Beyond saving." Dai Mubai gently laid her on the ground, then stood with blazing eyes fixed on Qian Jue and Oscar, as though struggling with something.
Qian Jue, confused by the look, crouched down to check the girl himself. Just in case Dai Mubai had missed something.
But no—just as Dai Mubai had said, she had no breath, no heartbeat. She was truly dead. Yet Qian Jue couldn't find any visible wounds. Instead, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Seeing Qian Jue continue searching, Dai Mubai said in a low voice: "Don't bother. The only wound should be on her chest."
"Her chest?!"
The words shocked Qian Jue. He quickly pulled down part of her collar and indeed found a fresh, tiny wound above her heart. Staring at that crimson mark, his mind flashed back to when he had first arrived in this world.
At that moment, Dai Mubai made up his mind. His eyes sharpened as he said firmly: "Ah Jue, Xiao Ao, go back now and bring Dean Flender or Dean Zhao here. I'm going after that man."
With that, Dai Mubai turned to chase the fleeing figure—but before he could, Qian Jue grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
"Boss Dai, do you know something about this? Wasn't this done by an Evil Spirit Master?"
Dai Mubai looked at him, struggling to explain.
"This is a long story. But yes, this is definitely the work of an Evil Spirit Master. Let me go after him first. I'll explain later."
"No!" Qian Jue held him tighter.
"If it's an Evil Spirit Master, then going after him is too dangerous. You're only a Spirit Grandmaster. What if he kills you just to cover his tracks? We should return and find Dean Flender first. Then we'll investigate however you like, and with him around, at least we'll be safe."
Dai Mubai glanced toward the forest where the figure had vanished. Already over a minute had passed. Any more delay, and the trail would be lost.
"Not all Evil Spirit Masters are strong. Some are just ordinary people who've learned dark rituals. From that man's fleeing posture, I could tell he was young and likely weak. If he ran just from seeing me, and didn't even release a martial spirit, then maybe he really was just a normal person. Don't worry—I won't act recklessly. I'll just follow him to his lair, then return for you."
"No! It's still too dangerous!" Qian Jue refused to let go. 'In the original story, none of this even happened. Who knew what would change if Dai Mubai went after him? What if something happened to him, and the Shrek Seven Devils were no longer complete? That would ruin everything.'
Dai Mubai locked eyes with Qian Jue. After a few seconds, he said: "This is my decision. You can't, and shouldn't, stop me. I have my reasons. Let go, Ah Jue. I've thought this through. If I miss this chance, I'll regret it for life."
Seeing the unwavering resolve in Dai Mubai's eyes, Qian Jue wavered. He knew that pressing further could damage their bond.
His grip loosened slightly. Dai Mubai noticed, brushed his hand away, and turned to leave.
"Wait." Qian Jue called again.
This time, Dai Mubai didn't turn around. He only paused, head tilted, waiting. If Qian Jue tried to stop him again, he'd sprint off immediately.
"I'm coming with you," Qian Jue said.
Dai Mubai froze for a moment.
"No. This isn't your problem. You and Xiao Ao should just get Flender."
"Of course it's my problem. My parents died like this. You tell me if it's my problem or not."
Startled, Dai Mubai turned back. He hadn't expected that Qian Jue, too, had faced this before—and that his parents were the victims.
"Besides, don't forget what I told you about my martial spirit. When it comes to tracking and scouting, how can you compare?"
Qian Jue spoke as he lifted the girl's corpse. With a flick of his hands, the body floated up into the air, quickly rising ten meters until it rested lightly on a tree branch.
"Xiao Ao, run back now. Bring the deans here. I'll leave pieces of cloth hanging in plain sight for you to follow."
Oscar looked at the two of them, remembering Qian Jue's words. He didn't insist on coming along; he knew he'd only be a burden. Fetching Flender was his best contribution.
"Alright. Be careful. Wait for us before doing anything!" Oscar warned, then sprinted toward the academy.
"Let's move!" Dai Mubai called, leading Qian Jue toward the direction where the shadow had fled. Their discussion had already cost them several minutes. Who knew if the target was still within reach?
Qian Jue silently followed, mind still uncertain whether his decision was right.
He didn't know if this risky pursuit would lead to disaster. But in the original story, Dai Mubai hadn't been harmed, so surely it would be fine… right?
That was what he told himself.
What he hadn't considered was—this never happened in the original story at all.
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