Chapter 175: The Bitter Cotton Fields and the Prince's Suspicion
Shrek Academy could no longer afford to spend large sums of money to save the now "worthless" Huo Yuhao and He Caitou. With both of them claiming to have been captured for personal reasons, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had all the justification it needed for its actions.
Moreover, Shrek Academy had made it clear they intended to give up on them. As a result, the two captives were quickly subjected to soul-destroying drugs under Jing Hongchen's orders. Huo Yuhao gained a white fourth soul ring, and his soul power barely reached Rank 41. He Caitou received a white fifth soul ring, but his soul power remained stuck at Rank 50.
The soul beasts they had "hunted" were barely ten years old—spiritually worthless. It was already a miracle that Huo Yuhao managed to reach Rank 41 at all. Meanwhile, He Caitou's fifth soul ring didn't even raise his cultivation by a single level. It merely occupied a soul ring slot and gave him a pitifully weak fifth soul skill.
Soon after, the two were dragged to a cotton plantation.
Upon arrival, no explanation was offered. He Caitou was flogged with 100 lashes for stepping into the plantation with his left foot first. Huo Yuhao fared even worse: he received 300 lashes for stepping in with his right foot first.
No consideration was given for their injuries or the fact that they hadn't eaten. The plantation manager ordered them straight to work without so much as a word of sympathy.
If they failed to meet the minimum quota of cotton picked, they would be whipped at night. No exceptions. No food.
For half a month, the two toiled as serfs under the scorching sun, working and bleeding in misery. Then, a change came.
Once Jing Hongchen calmed down, he allowed the plantation manager to accept some of the bribes Shrek quietly offered. The whip still fell regularly, but He Caitou was now occasionally given some watermelons and fried chicken—nutrients and vitamins to keep him from collapsing completely.
Huo Yuhao, however, remained in hell. Jing Hongchen specifically gave orders that he was not to be shown any mercy. Even if the plantation manager had ten thousand reasons to accept Shrek's money, he wouldn't dare violate Jing Hongchen's order.
Even when Shrek raised the offer, Huo Yuhao stubbornly refused to accept it. He didn't want to be treated like a tool—a slave. But deep down, the temptation gnawed at him. He wanted the comfort, the reprieve… but couldn't bring himself to take the money.
Frustrated and powerless, someone needed a scapegoat.
So, on one of the rare rest days, Huo Yuhao was dragged off the ground and thrown beside the toilet to sleep.
He Caitou, watching all of this unfold, had initially been filled with resentment. As a former prince of the Sun Moon Empire, it felt beneath him to pick cotton for the retainers of the Red Dust Family. But when he saw the miserable state of Huo Yuhao—limping, reeking, and eating scraps—he suddenly felt a twisted sense of happiness.
Compared to Yuhao, his life didn't seem so bad anymore.
The fates of Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had been sealed.
Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy resumed talks with Shrek Academy over the exchange student program. As the negotiations dragged on, an unexpected visitor arrived at Shrek: a prince from the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The prince made his way to Shrek's Sea God Pavilion, where he was greeted by Yan Shaozhe, dean of the outer court.
"Prince Xueyun, is something the matter?" Yan Shaozhe asked, his tone indifferent.
Under normal circumstances, a mere prince would only be received by a teaching director like Du Weilun. Shrek, as the top power in the Douluo Continent, had already developed the arrogance of a sovereign power. While not yet at the level of directly overruling the governments of the Three Kingdoms, the Shrek Supervisory Group—which operated independently and wielded judicial authority above the law—was slowly evolving into a force that stood above even the empires.
Even in the original records, it was said that even emperors had to bow respectfully to the dean of Shrek.
Had they not lost the last All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, and had they not expected to lose the next one too, Yan Shaozhe would have never bothered to meet this little prince.
Prince Xueyun bowed and spoke with polite urgency. "Dean Yan, I heard a rumor… that the Body Sect has become the Sun Moon Empire's national guardian sect and even helped the Sun Moon Empire's Mingde Hall fend off a sneak attack from the Haotian Sect. Do any of your students stationed there as exchange students know anything about this?"
The prince's voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed unease.
At present, the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Body Sect were enjoying a honeymoon period. They were just waiting for the marriage between Princess Vina and the Body Sect's young master, Long Aotian, to formalize their alliance.
But things had taken a strange turn.
The Body Sect, which was supposed to be aligned with the Heavenly Soul Empire, was now rumored to be siding with the Sun Moon Empire. There was even talk of Long Aotian pledging to protect the Sun Moon Empire's princess, Liu Bo, to the death.
This contradiction sent alarm bells ringing in the prince's heart.
He had seen Long Aotian's devotion to Princess Vina, but the idea that the Sun Moon Empire's only princess—beloved by her royal siblings—was now involved with him as well… it complicated everything.
Prince Xueyun couldn't trust mere instinct when it came to the fate of his empire.
He came to verify it for himself—if only to reassure both the emperor and the high command.
"The Body Sect helped the Sun Moon Empire repel the Haotian Sect?" Yan Shaozhe raised a brow. "We do have students stationed there, but I believe this rumor is false."
"That's… good," Prince Xueyun replied, exhaling in relief.
But before he could relax, Yan Shaozhe continued.
"Although we aren't exactly on friendly terms with the Body Sect, I can say with certainty that this incident was fabricated by the Sun Moon Empire. The Body Sect is extremely secretive—no one even knows the name of their young master. Yet somehow, the Sun Moon Empire claims his name is Long Aotian? Please. That's a childish lie."
Shaozhe chuckled with disdain. "And now they're claiming he swore to protect a Sun Moon princess named Liu Bo? What kind of fiction is that? Honestly, they could've made a more convincing name than 'Long Aotian.'"
As he spoke, he noticed that Prince Xueyun's face was growing increasingly stiff.
"…What's wrong?" Yan Shaozhe asked, frowning.
"N-Nothing… it's fine." Prince Xueyun forced a strained smile, but the sweat on his forehead told a different story.