"Xiao Wu, Zhu Qing, you two go call Rongrong. The rest of you, come with me to call Meng Bei!"
The Master issued the order and then led Tang San and the others toward Meng Bei's dormitory.
Zhu Zhuqing prepared to head toward Ning Rongrong's dormitory, but Xiao Wu stopped her.
"No need to go. We can just follow the Master to Meng Bei's place."
Zhu Zhuqing was puzzled.
"Why?"
Xiao Wu gave her a mysterious look.
"Take a guess!"
For a moment, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to realize something.
"You mean Rongrong? That's impossible!"
Xiao Wu pursed her lips.
"What's impossible? She only looks innocent."
With that, Xiao Wu followed the Master, and Zhu Zhuqing, though still doubtful, quickly caught up.
Even so, Zhu Zhuqing found it hard to believe Xiao Wu's words. If true, wouldn't that mean things had escalated between them incredibly quickly? They hadn't even known each other for long!
Meanwhile, the Master stormed ahead, his mind focused entirely on how he, as a teacher, should correct the mistakes of his students. So preoccupied was he that he didn't notice Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing trailing along behind the group.
Before long, they reached Meng Bei's dormitory. At Shrek Academy, each student had a small, individual room—although shabby, it offered decent privacy.
The Master banged on the door.
"Meng Bei! Meng Bei! Get out here! Why aren't you up and training yet?"
Inside, Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong woke with a start.
"What's going on? Why is the Master here? Did he mention training today?"
Ning Rongrong looked equally startled.
"I don't know! Maybe he said something at dinner last night. It's your fault—too busy fooling around to listen!"
Meng Bei slapped his forehead.
"My fault, my fault! Quick, get dressed!"
He vaguely remembered the Master mentioning a new training schedule, but at the time, he and Ning Rongrong were too engrossed in their playful antics to pay attention.
"Where are your clothes?!" Meng Bei asked anxiously.
Ning Rongrong searched around and finally found some shredded fabric at the corner of the bed.
"They're torn—by you!"
Meng Bei looked awkward. He suggested,
"Just use the Emperor's New Clothes for now."
Ning Rongrong lowered her head and mumbled,
"But I only have the undergarment piece…"
With no other options, Meng Bei sighed.
"Then just hide under the blanket!"
Outside, the Seven Monsters stood watching the commotion, entertained by the Master's anger. Fatty joked gleefully,
"Little Bei is in for it now! The Master will definitely give him extra training for days!"
Tang San nodded in agreement.
He had never seen the Master this furious.
"What's taking so long? What's he doing in there?" the Master shouted, increasingly agitated.
"I'll see for myself! What could he possibly be hiding?"
With that, the Master shoved hard against the door, and with a loud crash, it flew open. The Master strode inside, followed closely by the Seven Monsters.
Inside, Meng Bei had just finished wrapping Ning Rongrong in a blanket. The sudden intrusion made him furious.
Although Ning Rongrong's modesty remained intact, the Master's actions had crossed a line for Meng Bei.
This time it was fine—but what about next time?
He could not tolerate such behavior, not even slightly.
"GET OUT, ALL OF YOU!"
Meng Bei roared.
A flash of white light erupted in his eyes, and an icy wind burst forth from his mouth.
"Freezing Ray! Icy Wind!"
Fatty, who had already sensed something amiss upon entering, immediately smelled perfume in the air—a scent he was all too familiar with.
Then he saw a figure wrapped in a blanket on the bed. Even though only a face was visible, it was unmistakably Ning Rongrong.
"Oh no!" Fatty exclaimed, turning to flee.
But he wasn't fast enough.
The icy wind roared through the room, instantly chilling his blood.
The Master, standing at the forefront, bore the full brunt of the cold wind. Having observed Meng Bei's soul skills before, he had assumed this one was merely a control skill. He hadn't expected it to be deadlier than an attack skill.
"Meng Bei, calm—" The Master barely uttered half a sentence before his lips froze shut.
The other Shrek members hastily prepared their soul skills to defend themselves. Tang San activated Blue Silver Bind, and Dai Mubai used White Tiger Body Enhancement, but they were too slow.
Before they could complete their enhancements, a flash of white light swept through them.
In Soto City, a renowned healing Soul Emperor listed his fees:
"Level 4 frostbite, 500 gold soul coins per person. The eldest among them has Level 5 frostbite—that'll be 2,000 gold soul coins."
Flender ground his teeth in frustration. Yet, seeing his old friend nearly paralyzed by frostbite, he had no choice but to pay the exorbitant fee.
Other than Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, who had wisely stayed outside, everyone else had sustained severe frostbite, with the Master suffering the worst injuries. If not for immediate medical attention, he might have lost limbs.
In total, Flender paid a staggering 4,000 gold soul coins for the treatment of Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the Master.
The healing process began immediately, and with several high-level healing techniques, most of the group recovered enough to stand, albeit still weakened. The Master, however, remained bedridden due to the severity of his injuries.
"Meng Bei, you were too impulsive!" Flender scolded sternly.
"The Master is your teacher. No matter the issue, you should discuss it calmly. Using such extreme measures—go and apologize to him immediately!"
Suddenly, a system notification appeared:
[Ding! Side Quest Triggered!]
Quest: Gain the Master's Forgiveness. Your actions have deeply offended Tang San's teacher. Earn his forgiveness.
Difficulty: Nightmare
Reward: Slave Collar (Ensures unconditional forgiveness from anyone wronged).
The Master lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on Meng Bei, silently waiting for an apology.
Meng Bei's eyes narrowed as his mind raced.
The reward was tempting, but the "nightmare" difficulty label indicated the challenge ahead.
Meng Bei knew that merely apologizing wouldn't suffice. The Master, with his stubborn and self-righteous personality, would likely exploit the situation further, demanding endless conditions before begrudgingly forgiving him—if at all.
Such a direct approach was doomed to fail.
Instead, Meng Bei resolved to take a different path—one that would force the Master to forgive him, just as he had solved his first system quest.
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