Shaking his head and pushing aside his chaotic thoughts, Ma Hongjun began considering what kind of spirit ring he should look for.
Although changing Xiao Wu's fate was a top priority, finding the right spirit ring was just as critical.
After all, this had to do with some of his personal ideas and experiments.
And if he remembered correctly, wasn't the Silver Dragon King—half of the Dragon God and the leader of soul beasts, among those he might encounter?
Staring into the endless darkness before him, an audacious idea emerged from the depths of his heart.
The town was only about three times the size of Shrek Academy's village, but it had everything—from taverns and restaurants to shops selling poisons, armor, and weapons.
Even though it was late at night, the place remained brightly lit and bustling with activity.
After a full day of travel, everyone was naturally exhausted. They found a decent-looking restaurant at random, planning to enjoy a good meal and rest for the night.
As for Zhao Wuji's great idea of going out for fun? That was shut down before it even started—Flander had only needed a few words to crush it:
"No money."
"Bullshit! Didn't Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect just give you 200,000 gold soul coins?" Zhao Wuji hissed, pulling Flander aside, away from the others, and speaking in a low voice.
"You won't pay our salaries, and now you're embezzling that money too?"
Flander merely gave him a sideways glance. "Are Hongjun and Rongrong engaged?"
"Uh… no, but—"
"Then why would they give me money? They're not engaged."
Rolling his eyes, Flander patted Zhao Wuji's shoulder, pushed him aside, and leisurely went upstairs on his own.
Zhao Wuji stood there, scratching his head in confusion.
Damn. That actually… made sense.
What he didn't notice, though, was the sly grin Flander flashed as he turned away. Inside his collar pocket, a black-and-gold card gleamed briefly.
"Where are Teacher Zhao and the Dean? Aren't they eating?" Oscar asked, watching the two men disappear upstairs.
"No idea," Ma Hongjun replied with a shake of his head. "The teacher told us to eat and not to worry about them."
He flipped through the menu and smacked his lips in appreciation. "Not bad for a small place. They've even got some high-quality soul beast meat."
"You guys order whatever you want."
After picking a couple of dishes, he passed the menu to Xiao Wu.
"Alright."
The girl with scorpion braid took the menu, her bright eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion as she glanced at Ma Hongjun.
"Wow, they've got a lot. I want to see if they can actually cook this kind of meat."
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled as she ordered several expensive dishes without hesitation.
Apart from Tang San, who stayed quiet as usual, the others chatted merrily, and the atmosphere around the table was lively.
Just then, a group of people walked in. Ma Hongjun only needed a glance to recognize them as students from Canghui Academy, just like in the original story.
In the book, a conflict had erupted because of the fat man's foul mouth. But this time, Ma Hongjun had no intention of flirting with their female students.
And sometimes, even if you don't seek trouble… trouble seeks you.
"Hello there, handsome. Mind if we get acquainted?"
Just as Ma Hongjun was choosing a drink, a flirtatious voice purred next to him, accompanied by an overwhelming cloud of perfume.
Startled, he turned his head and saw the only female student from Canghui Academy smiling at him, her eyes shining with interest. She looked to be around twenty years old. Though not as beautiful as Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, or Zhu Zhuqing, she was attractive enough. Her figure, accentuated by her academy uniform, gave her an alluring charm.
He didn't even have to look—Ma Hongjun could already hear Dai Mubai and Oscar breathing heavily beside him.
The lively chatter at the table ceased immediately as everyone turned to look at the red-haired boy—and at the girl standing behind him.
"Well?"
The Canghui student blinked at Ma Hongjun and spoke with a sultry tone.
"If you can satisfy me, I promise to make you very happy tonight~"
The moment those words left her lips, Ma Hongjun felt the mood shift. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing's breathing became noticeably heavier—but their reaction was far different from Oscar and Dai Mubai.
"Hey, auntie, who do you think you are?" Ning Rongrong snapped with a smirk. "If you're that lonely, go buy a cucumber at the market. I'll pay. Just consider it charity for love-starved middle-aged women~"
The room went silent. The little witch had spoken—and no one could believe it.
The woman's face flushed crimson with rage. She clenched her teeth, about to retort—but when she glanced at Ma Hongjun again, she quickly shifted into a sugary smile.
"What's wrong, little girl? Are you jealous? Makes sense—young, sure, but besides a pretty face, there's nothing else going for you. Of course he wouldn't like that."
She giggled behind her hand and puffed out her chest slightly, her collar just "accidentally" slipping down to reveal deep cleavage.
Gulp—
Two very loud gulps echoed. Ma Hongjun turned to find Dai Mubai and Oscar nearly drooling. Even Tang San couldn't help sneaking a glance.
"You bastard… slut… shameless!"
Ning Rongrong exploded in anger, about to charge across the table.
Just like the girl had said—while Ning Rongrong had beauty and charm, her age and figure were still her weak points.
"Calm down, Rongrong, calm down!"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing quickly held her back, coaxing her until she finally settled down.
Then, her eyes gleamed with mischief. She shoved Zhu Zhuqing forward with a grin. "What? You think you're the only one with a good figure, old hag? Qingqing, show her!"
W-what?!
Zhu Zhuqing's icy, beautiful face turned bright red. But seeing the smug look on the woman's face—and Ma Hongjun's gaze—she bit her lip, swallowed her embarrassment, and straightened her posture slightly.
Boom!!
Oscar and Dai Mubai collapsed to the ground. They couldn't handle the shock.
"No way… this is impossible!!!"
The female student stared in disbelief at Zhu Zhuqing's youthful face—and her ridiculously developed figure. She couldn't help blurting out.
How… how could she be that big?!
And so young too?!
"Old women just lack good taste," Ning Rongrong declared proudly. Then she grabbed a still-dazed Xiao Wu and grinned. "Xiao Wu, show them your legs!"
M-me too?!
The scorpion-braided girl was stunned. She stammered, "I-I don't think I should…"
"Hurry up. Don't forget someone's watching~"
Ning Rongrong gave her a playful smack on the butt, a sly glint in her eye.
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu cried out softly. She glanced nervously at the red-haired boy who was staring at her, face flushed scarlet.
Gritting her teeth, she raised her long leg slightly.
Boom!!
Oscar and Dai Mubai, who had just climbed back up, collapsed again.