"Hey!"
A figure appeared in the distance, waving and running toward them.
"Just now, did you..." Wu Changkong had just put the pieces together. He had recognized one of the two colliding auras as Cai Yue'er's, and when Arthur drew close he couldn't help asking.
"Shh." Arthur waved his hand with a self-satisfied air. "I went to pick up some money. Lucky day today. Just walking around and I stumbled into a windfall."
"You..." Wu Changkong shook his head, then glanced around. "This train probably isn't going anywhere for a while. We should head back to the hotel."
"Perfect, actually. Why don't we stay a few more days?" Arthur could barely contain his excitement. "Something just came up."
"Something came up?" Xu Xiaoyan blinked her big eyes and leaned in curiously. "Does it have anything to do with all that commotion just now?"
"Ah, more or less." Arthur didn't elaborate.
Gu Yue and Na'er looked over in silence. Na'er couldn't help herself; she sidled closer and gave him a quiet nudge with her elbow.
"Ow." Arthur winced. "What was that for?"
"Hmph." Na'er gave a soft snort, turned her head away, and left him to figure it out.
Don't you dare pull something like that again.
The moment Ya Li returned to Shrek Academy, she went straight to Yun Ming.
He was standing at the shore of Sea God Lake, that young man who was the single greatest power on the continent.
Yun Ming had been gazing out over the water. Sensing a familiar aura, he turned, and a warm smile rose in his eyes. "You're back. What happened?"
He could see the worry written plainly across Ya Li's face.
"Something went wrong." Ya Li walked up to him and didn't make him guess. Her brow was furrowed with gravity, and she recounted everything that had happened.
At first, Yun Ming listened with little concern. With his strength, there was nothing in the world he had reason to fear.
But against all expectation, the more he listened, the quieter he became.
A long silence followed.
"Cai Yue'er has always been reckless, and she relies too much on her standing as a Shrek member. It was only a matter of time before she caused serious trouble." Yun Ming's voice was low, his gaze drifting to the far horizon. "What I didn't expect was that she would go after someone so young."
At that moment, a string of messages came through on his soul communicator. He scanned them and froze, then pressed a hand to his temple with a pained look. "Getting Cai Yue'er released is going to cost a considerable amount."
He didn't hesitate for even a moment. "What if we just let them keep her?"
"Absolutely not." Ya Li fixed him with a sharp look. "How can you even think that?"
"Ha, I'm joking."
For the first time in a long while, Shrek convened an emergency session of the Sea God Pavilion.
The elders arrived one by one.
"Strange, where's Cai Yue'er?" someone said once everyone had gathered, noticing the absence.
Ya Li explained, unable to keep the weariness from her voice. "She caused trouble in Skysea City. She attacked Agravaine's nephew, Arthur, and the Spirit Pagoda's people have detained her."
"What?!" A white-haired elder slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet. "How dare the Spirit Pagoda! Cai Yue'er is a Titled Douluo of Shrek, and they have the audacity to hold her?"
"The Spirit Pagoda didn't initiate anything. Cai Yue'er was in the wrong." Yun Ming spoke calmly, giving a brief account of the events. "She attacked a junior without provocation and nearly destroyed Skysea City in the process."
"Outrageous!" An elder in blue robes brought his fist down hard on the table, sending the cups rattling. "What was she thinking? She has disgraced Shrek!"
"Even so, the Spirit Pagoda detaining her and demanding compensation is nothing short of brazen!" another elder said in a grave tone.
"It isn't only the Spirit Pagoda." Yun Ming's voice was heavy. "The Body Sect, which has been quiet for so long, has also moved."
The first elder reversed course immediately. "Well, when you put it that way, Cai Yue'er brought it on herself. A Titled Douluo attacking a junior. Shameful."
This particular elder had once belonged to the Body Sect, and now worked within Shrek's ranks. The old Body Sect disciples had truly scattered to every corner of the world.
Yun Ming continued. "Zhen Hua and Mu Chen from the Blacksmith Association have also issued a joint statement."
Every elder in the room went still. They were all sitting there waiting on multiple sets of battle armor from those two.
"And furthermore..."
There's more?!
"The Holy Angel family has also entered the picture."
"The Holy Angel family... I see." The elder in blue robes asked, "Arthur, is he the prodigy who defeated our people from Shrek?"
"He's Agravaine's nephew."
"So Arthur is the child of Xiao Ye and Huairou?"
He was referring to Arthur's parents, who, like Agravaine, had both attended Shrek Academy. Given their exceptional talent, they had naturally cultivated close relationships with several of the current elders.
Over the many years of its skewed development, today's Shrek had long since become a bloated nexus of interlocking interests. It was often said that most of the prominent figures across the Federation had Shrek Academy as their alma mater. This allowed Shrek to quietly stand above every other faction. But the reverse was equally true: people from those other factions could also influence Shrek's decisions. So long as the core interests of the Academy weren't threatened, these teachers were perfectly willing to advocate for students they had once taught.
The elder in blue swept his gaze across everyone present. "Xiao Ye and Huairou were among Shrek's finest in their day. Their child has been wronged. That is our failing. Let the world see what kind of institution Shrek truly is."
"Accountability is one thing, but if we handle this badly, we'll make enemies of half the continent!" A bald elder smacked the table in agitation. "Never mind the Body Sect for a moment."
The elder who had come from the Body Sect looked away.
"Zhen Hua is never partial to anyone, and even he has spoken up. How many sets of armor does the Blacksmith Association still have in the works for us?"
"The Holy Angel family is a solid bloc. Not to be underestimated."
"The Spirit Pagoda goes without saying."
"And the Federation will certainly use this as a pretext."
No one spoke. Throughout the entire meeting, those aligned with Cai Yue'er's faction had not uttered a single word. The mess she had made was far too large.
"All of that said, our concessions cannot be unlimited!" An elder from one of the interest factions frowned. "We can't simply give them whatever they demand."
The elder from the Body Sect gave a cold snort. "Limits?"
"Let me ask you something."
"When Cai Yue'er was trying to kill that young man, did she think about limits?"
"What an utter embarrassment. Someone who didn't know better would think she was from the Holy Spirit Cult."
"In this day and age, who but someone from the Holy Spirit Cult would ever strike at a junior like that?"
The objecting elder fell silent.
"That's enough." Yun Ming rapped the table lightly and spoke after a brief pause. "We must have limits. But they cannot be petty ones."
"Whether or not Cai Yue'er is brought back is not the important question."
"What matters is the reputation of Shrek Academy."
His gaze moved over every person in the room before he concluded: "Everything from this point forward will be handled by Ya Li. Accommodate their demands as fully as reasonably possible."
"As for Cai Yue'er, once she returns, all her positions are to be revoked. We will deal with her in due course."
"Understood." Ya Li inclined her head in acknowledgment.
As she rose, the sacred aura of her soul power carried with it a natural, settled authority.
"Any further questions?"
Silence.
"Then we are adjourned."
---
I've always felt that Shrek, in the world of Soul Land III, should be a deeply complicated web of competing interests and factions.