Chapter 31: Xu Sanshi, Do You Dare?
Chapter 31: Xu Sanshi, Do You Dare?
A group of female students in purple uniforms emerged from Shrek Academy's gate. The leader, a stunning girl of fourteen or fifteen, drew every eye. Her slender, well-proportioned figure, long wavy golden hair, snow-white skin, and clear, elegant eyes exuded noble charm. Her jade-like complexion and graceful demeanor dimmed the world around her.
Behind her, Chen Feng and Ling Luochen approached the east gate.
"Sister Nan, what's that amazing smell?" a pretty girl beside Jiang Nannan asked, sniffing the air.
Jiang Nannan, catching the scent, led her friends toward Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall.
Her breathtaking beauty parted the crowd, allowing Jiang Nannan and her group to reach the front. She smiled politely at those who stepped aside, and the male students, enchanted by her, grinned dreamily.
"Junior, how much for your grilled fish?" Jiang Nannan asked softly.
As she haggled with Huo Yuhao, Chen Feng and Ling Luochen arrived.
Ling Luochen inhaled deeply. "Chen Feng, that smells incredible."
Spotting Huo Yuhao's bustling stall, she said, "It's lively there—let's check it out!" She tugged Chen Feng toward it.
Just as they approached, a tall, handsome man in a black Shrek uniform—thick-browed, tiger-eyed, with a square jaw—strode to the stall. Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan's devoted admirer, was furious that Huo Yuhao refused to sell to his goddess. "Kid, you dare deny her?"
He flung a gold soul coin onto Huo Yuhao's stall, stormed past Jiang Nannan, and grabbed the last two grilled fish from the oven.
Without his million-year first Spirit Ring or spiritual detection, Huo Yuhao couldn't protect the fish meant for Tang Ya, as he did in the original story. Xu Sanshi snatched them easily.
Grinning obsequiously, Xu Sanshi offered them to Jiang Nannan. "Nannan, grilled fish for you."
Jiang Nannan's face turned icy. Ignoring him, she left with her friends, saying coldly, "Xu Sanshi, stay away from me. Stop following me like a leech. I've told you, we're impossible. Don't bother me again."
"Nannan! Nannan! You're beautiful even when angry…" Xu Sanshi, clutching the fish, watched her go, arms outstretched, on the verge of tears.
Ling Luochen giggled. "Chen Feng, that guy's hilarious! Why's he so clueless?"
Xu Sanshi, stung by her words and Jiang Nannan's rejection, snapped, "Who called me clueless? Show yourself!" He glared at Chen Feng and Ling Luochen.
Recognizing Chen Feng as Beibei's rival, Xu Sanshi fumed, thinking, This pretty boy's a scumbag—first Tang Ya, now another beauty.
Huo Yuhao, nearby, also spotted Chen Feng, recalling him as the freshman who'd given him the soul beast for his first Spirit Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xu Sanshi, frustrated in love, seethed at Chen Feng's charm. "Pretty boy, nice woman, but can your scrawny frame satisfy her?"
Ling Luochen's face chilled. Not wearing her inner courtyard red uniform, she went unrecognized, or Xu Sanshi wouldn't have dared provoke her.
As she prepared to retort, Chen Feng squeezed her hand.
Blushing at his initiative, Ling Luochen understood his intent and stayed silent, letting him handle it.
Chen Feng's handsome face was expressionless. He mocked Xu Sanshi, "Just a turtle-licking clown. Dare to face me in the Fighting Spirit Arena? If I lose, I'll pay 5,000 gold soul coins. If you lose, same deal. Do you dare, coward?"
The crowd cheered. "Senior Xu Sanshi, don't chicken out!"
"Isn't that Chen Feng, the freshman who crushed his whole class?"
"This'll be good—the strongest freshman versus Shrek's outer courtyard twin star, Xu Sanshi!"
Word spread, and a crowd gathered at the East City Gate.
Xu Sanshi frowned, pressured by the onlookers. Refusing would brand him a coward. "Five thousand gold soul coins? I can't afford that."
Chen Feng shrugged. "Use items as collateral or pay in three installments. I'm giving you generous terms. You're not making excuses because you're scared, right?"
Furious, Xu Sanshi roared, "Who's scared? To the Fighting Spirit Arena! I'll crush you, pretty boy."
Confident in his level 39 Soul Elder strength, nearly a Soul Ancestor, Xu Sanshi scoffed at Chen Feng, whom Beibei had called a mere Great Soul Master. In the original story, Xu Sanshi could afford a 1,000-gold-soul-coin bet with Beibei.
(End of this chapter)