Douluo Dalu: The Eyes That Defy Fate

Chapter 242 Struggling at the End of the Road

After making inquiries from various sources, Wu San received an answer in the kitchen that was both laughable and absurd.

It turned out that one night more than a month ago, Xuanzi had a craving for fried chicken and ran into the kitchen again to steal a basket of fried chicken legs.

Then, in full view of everyone, he took out a bottle of strange seasoning of unknown origin and sprinkled it on.

The head chef initially intended to stop him, but upon remembering that Old Deng would often steal food from the kitchen, he immediately suppressed his good intentions.

Less than three minutes later, Xuanzi suddenly turned red all over and began to pant heavily.

He dashed out of the kitchen and ran back to the Shrek residential area.

According to a certain Food-type Soul Emperor who wished to remain anonymous, the white powder had an incredibly fragrant aroma that was so enticing that just one whiff was enough to make one linger and feel their blood boil.

At least in his lifetime, this was the first time he had ever smelled such a sweet and mysterious seasoning.

White powder, with a strange fragrance, and this effect... it feels like a defective product that the merchant guild's pharmacist failed to refine a while ago!
Weren't they all secretly disposed of?! Where did that old bastard Xuanzi find them?!
Although he was still full of questions, Wu San knew very well that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Now we'll see how the Shrek veterans react.

Sure enough, when the other elders learned of Song Yunzhi's pregnancy, their expressions were quite varied.

The most interesting one was Xianlin'er. Still in the emo phase, she immediately regained her full energy after learning that she was about to become a big sister.

She even forgot about Yan Shaozhe, whom she couldn't forget, and stayed by Song Yunzhi's side at all times, afraid that she might do something rash or something unexpected might happen.

Qian Duoduo also looked strange. His former teacher and senior had suddenly become his father-in-law, and this unexpected turn of events was really making him a little uneasy.

The reactions of the two parties involved were quite ordinary, nothing special.

Song Yunzhi still had a cold face, leaving Lin Huiqun, who didn't know how to comfort her, feeling helpless and inwardly cursing Xuanzi for being such a shameless old man.

Xuanzi, his face bruised and swollen, knelt on the ground, chuckling foolishly and muttering things like, "This old man is going to have offspring," which made the two-hundred-year-old woman grit her teeth.

No one knows the final outcome, but the continuous return of the titled Douluo scattered throughout Shrek Academy truly speaks volumes.

Upon seeing this change, Wu San was overjoyed and immediately arranged for Zhang Peng to make another trip to deliver the latest orders to various parts of Douluo.

Thus, after enjoying more than three months of peaceful life, Shrek finally faced the first painful blow from the Spirit Soul Merchant Guild, a despair hidden within hope.

Since the protection of the Title Douluo was removed, the injury rate during the Shrek Academy's inner court escort missions has risen almost linearly, with cases of severed hands and legs even occurring.

Although no one has died yet, the issues revealed are quite thought-provoking.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, these disciples who were once given high hopes, tried many times to persuade Xuan Zi, hoping that a titled Douluo could be spared from the inner court disciples.

However, the current Shrek Academy leadership is all immersed in the joy of having a 'successor' and has no interest in managing the affairs of other ordinary inner court disciples.

Not long ago, Song Yunzhi had suspected that Wu San had ulterior motives, but she has also lost her rationality.

Not only did he reject Beibei's proposal, but he also claimed that only through constant fighting and injuries could one become a true strongman.

To confirm the Shrek elders' true intentions, Wu San even pretended to be in a difficult position and personally went to "persuade" them, hoping to temporarily slow down the escort frequency of the inner courtyard disciples and give them ample time to cultivate and heal.

The elders unanimously refused, demanding that the intensity be increased and that the disciples be allowed to perform tasks other than escorting.

The purpose, of course, is to obtain more resources to help Song Yunzhi recuperate.

This response naturally pleased Wu San, and he indeed did as Shrek's management requested.

As a result, the Chamber of Commerce's business flourished, and it made a fortune every day.

Song Yunzhi was also well-nourished, with a rosy complexion and a plump figure.

Even Shrek Academy's infamous reputation was somewhat redeemed by their repeated missions to strike down evil spirit masters, which made many of the elders laugh heartily.

The only ones who had no right to object or withdraw were the teachers and inner disciples who spent their days either recuperating from their injuries and cultivating, or carrying out various tasks in a miserable manner, without any rest time at all.

This continued for three months.

In his private office, Wu San, resting his forehead on his hand, put down all the intelligence he had gathered from the mainland over the past three months and said softly:

"After all this time, I'm really looking forward to seeing how you guys react, Shrek."

"Ready to make a move?"

No sooner had the words been spoken than an aged yet powerful voice rang out, forcing Wu San to subconsciously open his eyes.

Following the direction of the voice, Zhang Peng, dressed in a black robe, slowly emerged from the corner, looking travel-worn, clearly having just returned from outside. "Brother Zhang, you're back. That's right, things have developed to this point, there's no point in dragging it out any longer, it's better to act sooner rather than later and leave enough time to deal with the situation."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm about 95% sure."

Hearing his younger brother's 'self-deprecating' words, Zhang Peng couldn't help but twitch his lips, immediately swallowing back the words of comfort he wanted to say.

Damn it! 95%?! Why not 100%? What, you think you're so special?!
Furthermore, this mannerism is exactly the same as the Lord's. No wonder he is the Lord's most capable subordinate, he can learn everything!
"Alright, alright, what are you going to do next? What am I supposed to do?"

"Let's make this clear beforehand: forget about Xuanzi and Old Woman Song. One is too strong to beat, and the other is pregnant. My conscience isn't completely dead; I can't bring myself to be ruthless!"

After saying that, Wu San smiled and shook his head, indicating that Zhang Peng could rest assured.

"Brother, don't worry, you don't need to take action yet. Just leave it to those elders... former elders."

After all, given the opportunity to settle long-standing grudges, they wouldn't pass it up, knowing their nature.

"Moreover, the target is not the two of them."

Killing Xuanzi and the others from the start would be too drastic, easily causing Shrek Academy to fall apart instantly, which doesn't fit my plan.

"So it's better to boil the frog in lukewarm water."

Zhang Peng: "."

That bastard, he bullies the old man every day because he can't understand! Oh well, I can't blame him.

"Just don't go too far."

"But there's something I'm curious about. The Lord clearly gave us three years, and even now there are only two and a half years left. Why are you still in such a hurry to take action?"

Upon hearing this, Wu San's lips curled up slightly, his usually mature and composed face now filled with anticipation.

"Because I want to see the Lord sit in that position as soon as possible! I also want to follow behind the Lord and experience the scenery I have never seen before."

"Brother Wu, can we talk this out? If you keep playing the riddle game like this, you'll get a beating! A beating from your big brother!"

When Wu San saw that Zhang Peng was actually starting to show his arms and roll up his sleeves, he quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"Brother, hold on! Let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!"

Then, strange sounds such as "oh," "ah," and "hiss" came from the office, causing the servants outside the door to fantasize.

. . .

As the ancients said, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

No matter how tight the border defenses between Xingluo and Tianhun are, some news that is meant to get out will eventually get out.

For example, the three-nation alliance initiated by the Star Luo Empire was signed, and the details of the negotiations were presented in full to Empress Zhang Lexuan of the Moon Soul.

Furthermore, important information such as the conferment of marquises, the ascension of the Moon Soul Empress to the throne, and the Sun and Moon Limit Douluo were all subject to the 'strict' investigation by the original Three Kingdoms.

After a mere three months, this information, which had been kept under wraps, finally reached the Star Luo Emperor.

So much so that at this moment, Xu Jiawei's roar echoed throughout the entire palace.

"Who can tell me why it took three months for news of the Sun Moon Empire's dynastic change and its acquisition of the ultimate throne to reach the Star Luo Empire's palace?! Why?!"

Xu Jiawei's furious and seemingly deranged outburst terrified all the ministers, who knelt on the ground, too afraid to utter a word of explanation.

Moreover, they couldn't explain it either.

The order to close the border was personally issued by Xu Jiawei. Given the current situation, who would dare to be so reckless as to go and get attacked?

After shouting and cursing for a while, Xu Jiawei slumped weakly onto the dragon throne, gently rubbing his throbbing temples.

"Get out of here, all of you! I don't want to see you today!"

Before the cursing had even subsided, a hundred or so ministers hurriedly ran out of the main hall, fearing that Xu Jiawei would notice them.

"Alas, Xingluo, is in grave danger."

"Zhang Lexuan, Moon Soul Empress Shrek... Hahaha... What a brilliant scheme!"

(End of this chapter)