The two academy instructors were plotting to frame Dai Mubai, making him swallow the bitter fruit of their schemes.
This scene sent a chill down Ning Rongrong's spine.
At this moment, she matured significantly.
She realized that her so-called mischievous behavior was nothing more than child's play compared to the malice of adults.
At this moment, she gained the most direct understanding of the nauseating analogy You Chen had made earlier.
Ning Rongrong's worldview was severely shaken. She couldn't help but wonder if her seemingly gentle and dignified father, and her two grandfathers who always bickered but showered her with affection, also harbored such dark sides.
She felt fear, her lips trembling as she asked, "How can they treat their own students so... despicably?"
You Chen noticed the immense shock Ning Rongrong had experienced. He knew that today's revelations were already overwhelming for a young girl. If he didn't guide her now, she might end up becoming an extremist in the future.
He said, "The human heart is like an abyss, more cruel and terrifying than any evil in this world. But often, the most terrifying aspect of the human heart is triggered by love. At least, that's the case for the vast majority of people."
"Love?"
Ning Rongrong repeated the word, as if she didn't recognize it anymore, her face filled with disbelief. She questioned You Chen, "How can the love we praise be something like this?"
You Chen, looking at the two who were plotting against Dai Mubai, said, "Yu Xiaogang can abandon his conscience for his disciple Tang San, and Flender can choose to betray his students for his close friend Yu Xiaogang. Their actions are twisted and evil, but the root of such behavior is for the sake of others, committing such sins for others. How can that not be love? Your father and grandfathers might also have similar dark sides. But their intentions might not be to do evil, but to protect the family, the sect, and... you."
Ning Rongrong felt disoriented.
This perspective was novel to Ning Rongrong, something she had never been exposed to before, and it made her unconsciously agree with it.
It was like when we consider the motives of criminals, we realize that apart from crimes of passion, many who commit heinous acts are truly forced into it, and even outsiders might applaud them when they learn the reasons.
A father kills in a rage after his underage daughter is violated.
A son, after being cheated out of a dowry and imprisoned, kills the swindler's entire family upon his release.
A patriotic youth infiltrates an enemy country as a spy for his nation.
They might not escape the judgment of law and system, facing a death sentence, but some will certainly applaud their actions, while others will see them as demons and evil.
They betrayed the law but upheld what they, as humans, stood for.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but murmur, "In that case, how do we judge right and wrong? Does Dai Mubai deserve to be framed like this?"
You Chen said faintly, "That's why I say that so-called adults are the embodiment of evil. Because only children talk about right and wrong, adults only talk about positions. As the dean and teacher, these two are absolutely unqualified scum, but for Tang San, they are absolute allies. Your view of them depends only on whether you stand on the side of an ordinary student or plan to stand on the same interest line as them."
Ning Rongrong suddenly came back to her senses, then vigorously shook her head, looking at the two with disgust, and said righteously, "Although Senior Beast Soul mentioned positions and such, I still cannot accept their behavior!"
It had nothing to do with a sense of justice; at this moment, Ning Rongrong was more concerned with her identity as a student about to enroll, and naturally, she couldn't accept the persecution of students by the academy's teachers.
You Chen, seeing Ning Rongrong clenching her little fists and waving them, couldn't help but laugh, "What if I told you that Yu Xiaogang and Tang San are both connected to the Three Great Sects?"
"What!?"
The Three Great Sects were united. Regardless of the high-ranking members, at least the younger generation of the Three Great Sects, before they truly interacted with people from the other sects, couldn't help but take this statement seriously.
Because that's the education they received.
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened, and she abruptly turned to look at You Chen, "Senior Beast Soul, are you serious? How could this Yu Xiaogang and Tang San be related to our Three Great Sects?"
You Chen didn't bother to explain, only saying, "Go back and tell Ning Fengzhi this information, and he will naturally understand what's going on."
As soon as the words fell, Ning Rongrong felt the scenery of the world change again, and the sensation of being flown away reappeared.
"Wait, Senior!"
As the world changed, Ning Rongrong had already spoken out urgently, but by the time she made a sound, she had already returned to her room.
Whether You Chen used hypnosis or a star illusion, or the time away was too short, Ning Rongrong found that none of the guardians had noticed her departure.
"Tell Dad?"
Ning Rongrong murmured with a sense of loss. She knew that what followed might not be something she could control.
You Chen didn't retract his divine sense at this moment, and the entire Notting City was within his divine sense's vision. Naturally, Ning Rongrong's expression didn't escape his eyes.
In fact, this was just a signal he gave to Ning Fengzhi.
A minor test.
As for Yu Xiaogang, with the information he provided, it wasn't hard to deduce Tang San's origins from his surname, and it wouldn't be strange to directly link him to Tang Hao.
So, what would Ning Fengzhi do after learning all this?
You Chen's eyes flickered.
Although he had already considered the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School as his potential subordinates, he didn't necessarily need them.
If Ning Fengzhi wasn't clever enough to understand the message he conveyed through Ning Rongrong, then such a waste naturally didn't need to be kept.
And if he understood but still took the wrong side? The outcome goes without saying.
In any case, most of the wool that could be plucked from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had already been plucked, and whether to keep it or not was entirely up to You Chen's whim.
You Chen looked towards Shrek Academy again.
He didn't particularly care about Yu Xiaogang and the other's plot against Dai Mubai.
It was just a means to divert Dai Mubai's attention.
Normally, Dai Mubai shouldn't be able to see through Yu Xiaogang's design, because, as the saying goes, Yu Xiaogang's intelligence is more than enough for ordinary brute Soul Masters.
But... could Dai Mubai really accept the scapegoat Yu Xiaogang threw out?
He had no evidence, directly accusing Tang San in front of Flender, even taking off his pants!
You Chen silently looked at Dai Mubai.
Now, it seemed he had been placated by Flender.
Even under Flender's coaxing, he was doubting himself, suspecting he had been framed, and at the same time showing a venomous hatred towards Tang San.
He was constantly struggling back and forth.
From the look of this kid, You Chen knew he would never accept the step Yu Xiaogang and Flender offered.
After this, there would likely be more conflicts with Tang San.
Although he was indeed curious about the subsequent developments, there was another matter to attend to.
You Chen slightly turned his head, his gaze eastward, as if piercing through layers of barriers, landing on the Spirit Hunting Forest at the border between Star Luo and Heaven Dou.
There, a girl who happened to be related to the protagonist of Shrek's current incident was also facing her trial.
In the state of Martial Soul possession, a girl with a pair of black cat ears, her face pale, hunched over and hiding in a half-person-high grass pile, the sharp grass blades causing secondary damage to her wounds, but she, in the midst of evading pursuit, couldn't care less about such minor issues.
Her clothes had become tattered after thousands of miles of running, her face and body covered in dust and mud, but it couldn't hide her snow-white skin and natural cold, stunning beauty.
Especially against the backdrop of her childlike face still carrying a hint of immaturity, her overly exaggerated and full chest was too eye-catching.
If it weren't for the specially made binding corset, it would have caused great trouble for her escape.
Such appearance and characteristics naturally belonged to Dai Mubai's fiancée, Zhu Zhuqing, who had already been chemically castrated.
The period near Shrek Academy's opening was also the time she fled the Star Luo Empire.
This hadn't changed much due to You Chen's butterfly effect.
Taking advantage of the time before her pursuers discovered her, Zhu Zhuqing quickly recovered her state, recalling the scene of her sister Zhu Zhuyun leading a group of strong men to hunt her down, her delicate body trembling with fear uncontrollably.
There was no need to calculate or compare combat power; even without the killers sent by Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing had no ability to deal with Zhu Zhuyun herself.
For Zhu Zhuqing at eleven or twelve, the six or seven-year gap with her sister Zhu Zhuyun was a whole round of cultivation time.
In the same Martial Soul, under the same education, this half-round age difference was an insurmountable chasm.
Therefore, Zhu Zhuqing had no ability to fight back or counterattack; she just ran, fled, even when hit countless times by stray arrows or long-range soul power attacks, never looking back.
Even in fear, even in pain, she never gave up, because there was still hope in her heart.
Rustle rustle.
The sound of grass being brushed aside made Zhu Zhuqing, like a startled bird, almost jump out, but she suppressed her instincts because the sound wasn't urgent; it was likely the sound of another animal or spirit beast passing through the grass. If she jumped out rashly, it might startle the animal and attract pursuers instead.
She slightly raised her head, her pupils suddenly contracting, her eyes widening.
Unfortunately, her estimation was wrong.
It was the pursuers.
'Escape!'
The moment this thought emerged, the pursuing Soul Master suddenly fell straight into the grass, a crossbow bolt deeply embedded in the back of his head.
Zhu Zhuqing was startled and confused, about to retreat and flee, when a clear voice seemed to come from the sky, yet also seemed to be right beside her ear.
"Zhu Zhuqing of the Star Luo Zhu family. I haven't got the wrong person, have I?"
Swish swish swish.
Along with the orderly sounds, a group of people wearing white fox masks and black wolf masks, dressed in field uniforms, exuding a chilling aura, emerged from the woods.
At a glance, Zhu Zhuqing could feel the disciplined and well-trained nature of these people from their movements. Her intuition told her that their combat quality was far above the Zhu family's Soul Master army she knew!
The white fox and black wolf mask wearers split to the sides, and a handsome young man, like a god, dressed in a gold-patterned black robe, with an indifferent expression, walked out.
Even as a member of the Star Luo Zhu family, having seen countless handsome men, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but be stunned, briefly forgetting her nervousness.
Without any evidence, Zhu Zhuqing felt that the voice just now belonged to the young man before her.
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing, who had been betrayed by her sister and was being pursued, wouldn't keep fawning. Her face quickly showed a look of vigilance.
The reactions of the surrounding mask wearers indicated that the young man before her was their leader.
Even though they seemed to have killed her pursuer, the formation that subtly surrounded her couldn't make Zhu Zhuqing feel at ease.
"Who are you people?" she coldly retorted.
"You can call us—the Beast Soul Alliance," You Xing replied indifferently.
'An unheard name.'
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, quickly searching her mind, and soon her brows knitted. She thought of a rapidly rising force with a name very similar to the Beast Soul Alliance—the Beast Soul Commerce.
It was already spread in the Soul Master society of the Douluo Continent that behind the Beast Soul Commerce, besides Dugu Bo, the Titled Douluo on the surface, there was also a top powerhouse capable of defeating the combined forces of the Sword Bone Pagoda trio of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
As a daughter of the Zhu family, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't have not heard of it.
But...
'Why would such a force look for me?'
She naturally felt uneasy.
Fortunately, You Xing didn't plan to let her keep guessing.
You Xing said indifferently, "Zhu Zhuqing, join the Beast Soul Alliance, work for us, and the organization will naturally protect your safety."
Zhu Zhuqing's heartbeat involuntarily accelerated. This was indeed a very tempting proposal.
"What do I need to give in return?"
But there's no such thing as a free lunch. Zhu Zhuqing barely maintained her composure and asked.
"Become our pawn in usurping the Star Luo Empire."
You Xing calmly stated this goal that made Zhu Zhuqing's brain buzz.
She widened her eyes, "What, what are you saying?"
You Xing reiterated indifferently, "Don't understand? You join the organization to assist us in usurping the Star Luo Empire, and during this period, we will protect your safety. That's the content of the deal."
Looking at the surrounding mask wearers who made no reaction to You Xing's absurd claim, as if they were corpses, Zhu Zhuqing only felt that these people were crazy, absolutely a group of lunatics.
"You want me to help you deal with my homeland!?"
After initial disbelief, Zhu Zhuqing showed a rare expression of resistance and rejection.
But You Xing's expression remained unchanged, speaking with a calm tone as if tempting with demonic words, "Zhu Zhuqing, don't you want to take revenge on the Zhu family that's hunting you, on the Dai family that's the root cause of all this? Don't you want to destroy this corrupt and bloody competitive mechanism from the source?"
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils violently shook.
She couldn't help but recall the beautiful and harmonious days with her sister before this cruel hunt began.
She silently clenched her fists, the look in her eyes now completely different from before.
"If the plan succeeds, you can become the first empress of the Star Luo Empire. Although just a puppet emperor, we don't mind fulfilling demands like abolishing outdated systems."
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's wavering intensify, You Xing waved his arm without turning his head, and a black wolf mask-wearing Soul Arena Beast suddenly threw something at Zhu Zhuqing.
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