Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

"Great! Great! As long as you come to Shrek Academy, I'll protect you from now on!" The unknown male student was so excited that his face turned red, as if it was a great honor to befriend such an extraordinary person as Shi Yu.

"Do you think your little brother needs your protection?" Han Ruoruo couldn't help but tease. "He saved your life. By the way, little brother, what's your name?" Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Shi Yu, and even her voice softened.

"Shi Yu, Shi as in time, Yu as in imperial edict," Shi Yu replied calmly.

"Shiyu? Shiyin?" Wu Ming subconsciously retorted, "Sounds like the name of a big eater."

"Ming'er! Don't you dare speak ill of our benefactor's name!" Zhang Lexuan immediately scolded, her tone serious.

"I'm so sorry! Sister Lexuan, I'll never do it again!" Wu Ming stuck out her tongue and quickly apologized.

Shi Yu touched his nose somewhat awkwardly—he really did have a huge appetite, and Wu Ming wasn't wrong about that.

Han Ruoruo smiled and provided further introductions for both sides, gradually easing the atmosphere. Shi Yu glanced at the sky and sensed the Crimson King's aura in the distance, knowing it was time to leave: "It's about time, I should go. Goodbye, Sister Lexuan, Sister Ruoruo, Sister Wuming, and Brother Luren Jia. Sister Lexuan, hurry up and absorb your soul ring, don't waste it."

"Goodbye!" the three replied in unison.

Looking at the handsome, refined-looking little boy, Zhang Lexuan said solemnly, "Goodbye, and... thank you."

At this moment, a strange feeling welled up in Zhang Lexuan's heart. She had always thought that her life was already predetermined, that she would follow Elder Mu's arrangements and dedicate everything to Shrek Academy, and that who her other half was had never been a consideration. But now, facing this little boy who had saved her life and whose strength was unfathomable, her heart was inexplicably racing.

Only after Shi Yu's figure disappeared into the depths of the dense forest did Zhang Lexuan suddenly come to her senses. She raised her hand and patted her burning cheeks, inwardly regretting, "What was I thinking? He's just a child..."

She looked around and found that the other three hadn't noticed anything unusual about her. Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo were joking with each other, while Passerby A, being a melee Soul Master, was seriously injured and sitting on the ground taking medicine to heal.

Zhang Lexuan sensed the surrounding aura again, but Xuan Lao's figure was still nowhere to be found, deepening her disappointment. She took a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and walked towards the massive corpse of the Blood Moon Shadow Serpent.

Arriving beside the snake corpse, Zhang Lexuan sat cross-legged and began guiding her soul power to absorb the red 100,000-year soul ring. Seeing this, Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo immediately stopped their playful expressions and stood guard on either side of her, vigilantly observing their surroundings to protect her.

Meanwhile, Xuanzi was still on his way.

Taking advantage of the moment when the guardian was away, Wu Ming carefully examined the snake corpse—a 100,000-year-old soul beast would inevitably produce a soul bone. Sure enough, not long after, she felt a cold bone in the snake corpse's torso and carefully removed it.

"It's a 100,000-year-old torso soul bone." Wu Ming looked at the soul bone in her hand, which glowed with a faint red light, but her eyes showed no joy. Instead, they gradually dimmed. This soul ring and this soul bone were obtained at the cost of the lives of eight junior students.

"Ming'er..." Han Ruoruo looked at her forlorn expression, wanting to comfort her, but unsure what to say. Those vibrant faces were still vivid in her mind; they had been chattering away about soul beasts and the future that morning, but now they were separated by death. Both of them instantly felt downcast, and a sorrowful atmosphere filled the forest.

Time passed slowly, and Zhang Lexuan finally finished absorbing the 100,000-year soul ring and slowly opened her eyes. Xuanzi, on the other hand, was still on his way.

"Sister Lexuan, here you go." Wu Ming forced herself to stay alert and handed over the 100,000-year-old torso and soul bone.

Zhang Lexuan took the soul bone, looked at Wu Ming's reddened eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Ming'er, they were all good. When we get back, I will definitely fight for the best compensation for them and will never let them sacrifice in vain."

Suppressing her grief, she sat cross-legged and began absorbing the soul bone once more. Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo stood to the side, tears welling in their eyes, but they bit their lips tightly to keep themselves from crying out loud.

After a long time, Zhang Lexuan finished absorbing the soul bone and felt the surging soul power within her body. Her level had successfully broken through to level 85.

"Senior Sister, have you finished absorbing?" Han Ruoruo asked hurriedly.

"Yes, my soul power has reached level 85." Zhang Lexuan nodded, her voice still calm, but deep in her eyes was an undisguised sorrow.

"Senior Sister, we've collected the... belongings of our junior brothers and sisters." Passerby A stood up, holding eight soul guidance rings in his hands, his voice hoarse. One of the rings was still covered in dark red flesh and blood, while the other seven were covered in corroded marks, remnants of the poisonous fog.

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind, and Xuanzi finally arrived. He landed in front of the four, his face full of anxiety: "Children, are you all alright?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the enormous corpse of the Blood Moon Shadow Serpent on the ground, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "You killed this? As expected of the geniuses of Shrek Academy's inner court, I am proud of you!"

But when his gaze swept over the number of people present, his smile froze instantly, and his heart sank: "Where are the other eight children?" He already had a bad feeling, but he couldn't believe it for a long time.

A long silence fell over the forest, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind adding to the desolate atmosphere.

Finally, Wu Ming broke the silence. She slowly raised her hand, displaying the eight soul-guiding rings in front of Xuan Zi, her tone terrifyingly calm: "They're all here."

Xuanzi stared at the familiar soul guide rings, his pupils shrinking as a chill ran from his feet to the top of his head. As a level 98 Super Douluo, he had seen countless life and death events, but he had never felt such fear as he did at this moment.

"They were all good children... It's my fault, all my fault!" Xuanzi staggered back a step, his voice trembling. "After I go back, I will resign from my positions as deputy head of the inspection team and elder of the Sea God Pavilion. I will give you, and those sacrificed children and their families, an explanation!"

"You defeated a 100,000-year-old soul beast and even collected your companions' belongings. You are all the pride of Shrek Academy!" Xuanzi tried to comfort him, but his words sounded particularly weak and powerless.

"No remains." Wu Ming's voice rang out again, piercing Xuan Zi like an ice spike. "Only these soul guide rings."

Zhang Lexuan also raised her head, her gaze fixed on Xuanzi, her calm voice laced with barely suppressed rage: "One junior was smashed into a pulp by the snake's tail, not even a complete skeleton could be found. The other seven juniors were corroded by the poisonous fog, leaving only these soul guide rings. Elder Xuan, do you know? Before they died, they kept calling out, 'Elder Xuan, save me!'"

Her voice gradually calmed, but carried a heavy weight: "So, Elder Xuan, where were you when they were calling for help?"

Xuanzi's gaze instinctively darted away. His clothes were still stained with oil, and his face was also shiny with oil. There were no signs of a fight on his body, only the lingering aroma of food.

Zhang Lexuan's last glimmer of hope was shattered. She had initially tried to deceive herself, believing that Elder Xuan was entangled by other 100,000-year-old soul beasts and had no choice in the matter. But the scene before her revealed the truth—he had missed the best opportunity to rescue her simply because of his gluttony.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Xuanzi could only utter these three words, repeating them over and over. His face was as pale as paper, and he looked much older in an instant.

Silence fell over the forest once more, with only Xuanzi's apology echoing in the air, sounding particularly jarring.

After a long while, Xuanzi stopped muttering and looked at the four survivors in front of him with a dejected expression: "Children, I will take you back. It was all my fault. I will take full responsibility and apply for the highest level of compensation and pensions for the children who sacrificed their lives."

The four of them remained silent, simply following behind Xuanzi.

Xuanzi unleashed his soul power, carrying the four of them towards Shrek Academy. Along the way, no one spoke; only the howling wind accompanied them. Xuanzi knew he had committed an unforgivable sin. He had ruined the future of eight children and forever lost the trust of these four. He was a sinner of Shrek, a sin he would bear for the rest of his life.