Chapter 193: Xu Sanshi, Still a Love-Brain
Furina hadn't walked more than a few steps along the streets of Shrek City when she heard familiar voices up ahead.
Looking up, she saw Bei Bei and Tang Ya standing at the entrance of a shop, with Xu Sanshi standing beside them.
"Furina!" Tang Ya had sharp eyes and immediately waved at her. "You came out to shop too?"
Furina walked over and sized up the three of them. Bei Bei was holding several paper-wrapped packages in his hands, Tang Ya's hands were empty, and Xu Sanshi stood to the side with an expression that looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back.
"Just came from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion." Furina waved the blueprint in her hand. "Not a bad haul."
"The Treasure Gathering Pavilion?" Tang Ya's eyes lit up. "Everything in there is outrageously expensive. What did you buy?"
"A Class 7 soul tool blueprint. Taking it back for the Soul Tool Division to use."
Tang Ya let out an "oh" and nodded: "Soul tools, huh... I've heard blueprints are usually pretty crazy expensive. How much was this one?"
"Not bad. 2,800,000 Gold Soul Coins."
Tang Ya sucked in a sharp breath and stared wide-eyed at that blueprint, unable to speak for a long moment.
Xu Sanshi rubbed his hands together at the side and edged closer: "Uh... Furina, you've come at the perfect time. I was just about to ask for your help."
Furina glanced at him, then at Tang Ya, and had a rough idea in her heart.
"Looking for my help? Or looking for Tang Ya's help?"
Xu Sanshi chuckled twice and scratched his head: "Both, both."
Tang Ya looked at him suspiciously: "What are you up to?"
Xu Sanshi drew a deep breath, as if he had made a great resolution, and spoke: "Xiao Ya, look—you and Nannan are on pretty good terms, right? Could you... help me put in a few good words in front of her?"
Tang Ya froze for a moment, then furrowed her brow.
"Xu Sanshi, what do you mean by that? You're still hung up on Nannan? You still want to chase after her?"
Xu Sanshi hurriedly waved his hands: "No, no! Not chase after her... I just want to first ease the relationship between us. You know how it is—she avoids me the moment she sees me now, won't even say a word to me. I..."
He paused and sighed: "I just want her to not hate me so much."
Tang Ya stared at him for a good several seconds, her expression complicated.
"Xu Sanshi, what exactly happened between you and Nannan? I've never dared to ask her, but every time she brings you up, she has this look that says she doesn't want to talk much about it. If you really want my help, you've got to tell me the truth, right?"
She folded her arms across her chest, assuming a posture that said, "Don't even think about leaving until you spill it clearly today."
Xu Sanshi opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He looked at Tang Ya, then at Furina, then at Bei Bei, his face filled with awkwardness and inner turmoil.
"This... that..."
"Hemming and hawing—definitely nothing good." Tang Ya snorted. "Forget it, then. I can't be bothered anyway. Nannan is doing just fine now—with the cultivation resources Furina provided, her training is going smoothly. She doesn't need to bother with you."
"No, no, no!" Xu Sanshi grew anxious. "I'll talk, I'll talk, alright? It's just... just..."
He was just about to open his mouth—
BANG!
In the distance, a mass of red light suddenly exploded in the night sky.
All four raised their heads simultaneously.
"A signal flare?" Bei Bei frowned. "That direction... is outside the city?"
Before his words had even faded, two more figures appeared in the night sky, quickly flying toward the city gates. Blue-golden light was exceptionally conspicuous in the darkness of night—it was the Goddess of Light Butterfly.
"It's Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao!" Tang Ya cried out in alarm.
Furina narrowed her eyes, watching those two figures grow closer and closer. Neither of them had any visible injuries, and their flight posture was very steady. It looked like things weren't too serious.
Sure enough, the current Huo Yuhao was already capable of handling a crisis of this level.
She breathed a small, subtle sigh of relief in her heart.
Wang Dong landed with Huo Yuhao and withdrew his martial soul. Both of their faces were a little pale, but their spirits were still good.
"What happened?" Bei Bei hurried over to greet them. "What did you run into?"
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a glance. Huo Yuhao spoke: "Someone ambushed us. One Soul Emperor, five Soul Kings."
"What?!" Tang Ya's eyes widened. "A Soul Emperor? Five Soul Kings? How did you two escape?"
Wang Dong patted his chest, a hint of pride in his voice: "All thanks to Yuhao's quick wits—he detected them early. He first used Spiritual Detection to sweep for those people, then used his third soul skill to stall them while I flew us back."
"And we fired a signal flare," Huo Yuhao added. "Just in case."
Bei Bei's brows were tightly knitted: "Any idea who it was?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head: "Couldn't see clearly. But..."
He paused and didn't continue, though a vague suspicion stirred in his heart.
Just then, a squad of city defense soldiers jogged over briskly. At their head was a middle-aged man in armor, his expression stern.
"What's going on? Who fired the signal flare?"
"It was me." Huo Yuhao stepped forward. "We were ambushed outside the city."
The middle-aged man's expression changed dramatically: "Ambushed? Did you get a clear look at who they were?"
"No." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "It was too dark. They were all dressed in black—couldn't make out their faces. But there was one Soul Emperor and five Soul Kings."
The middle-aged man sucked in a sharp breath. He turned and instructed the soldiers behind him: "A few of you, go outside the city and investigate. Be careful. A few of you, go notify the academy."
He turned toward Huo Yuhao and the others: "Students, I'll have to trouble you to first return to the academy and report the situation in detail to your teachers. We will investigate this matter."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble." Bei Bei nodded.
The soldiers quickly dispersed and took action separately.
Once the soldiers had gone far, Tang Ya said quietly, "Who could have done this? How brazen—daring to make a move so close to Shrek City?"
Xu Sanshi, for once, became serious and spoke in a grave tone: "To be able to set up an ambush near Shrek City, they must be very familiar with this area. And to dare to send out a lineup led by a Soul Emperor—whoever's behind this is no small fry."
He looked at Huo Yuhao, a hint of probing inquiry in his eyes: "Have you two offended anyone recently?"
Huo Yuhao remained silent for a moment and said nothing.
Wang Dong, however, let out a "hmph": "We've offended plenty of people. We beat so many teams in the freshman assessment—there are definitely plenty of jealous people around."
The words were spoken obliquely, but everyone present understood.
Bei Bei gave Huo Yuhao a thoughtful look but didn't press further.
"Alright. Let's head back to the academy first," Furina spoke up, breaking the silence. "We can talk about whatever it is once we get back. No use standing around here."
Everyone nodded and walked together toward the academy.
After a few steps, Tang Ya suddenly turned back to look at Xu Sanshi.
"Oh, right—what were you about to say earlier?"
Xu Sanshi paused, then waved a dismissive hand: "Forget it, forget it. Another day, another day."
He stole a furtive glance at Huo Yuhao and thought silently to himself: Compared to this matter, my little problems really aren't much...
Tang Ya curled her lip and muttered quietly: "Fine, don't tell me. I'll ask Nannan about it anyway."
Xu Sanshi's expression stiffened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, just shut it again.
The night wind blew past, carrying a trace of chill.
In the distance, the signal flare had already dissipated, leaving only faint wisps of smoke, slowly scattering in the darkness of night.
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Thanks for reading the chapter!
I started a new translation and I would be very happy if you decided to check out my new translation for a rather rare fandom. It's a crossover based on Mondaiji (Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?)
This story has a somewhat similar style to my other translation for this fandom (same author, after all), but it's completely different from any other fanfic I've come across for this fandom! It's set thousands of years before the original novel/anime, and the MC literally plays a part in shaping the backstory of this world. I really enjoyed it—hope you will too!
Mondaiji: I Really Didn't Want to Become God https://www.webnovel.com/book/36945944200410205