A thunderous bang echoed through the entrance, as if the heavens themselves were announcing a disaster. Shrek Academy had made its grand entrance—the same Shrek that seemed to cross paths with trouble wherever they went, acting as if they were living Buddhas sent to "redeem" the world.
A fat youth, his skin looking horrifyingly ulcerated and raw, dressed in fiery red robes, strode into the restaurant with an air of unearned arrogance. While he made himself comfortable, the surrounding diners weren't so lucky; his reckless entry kicked up a cloud of dust and grit that settled right onto their fresh meals.
"Hey, kid! This is a restaurant, not your backyard! Do you even know the meaning of the word 'respect'?"
One of the diners, a man with a short fuse, slammed his hand on the table. Most people eating here were contestants from the Great Spirit Arena, fighting daily just to make ends meet. Nighttime was their only chance to relax, and now, their peace was being shattered by this hideous fat man.
"Heh, respect?" Ma Hongjun sneered, his distorted face twisting into a look of sheer disdain. "With a face like yours, you think you're worthy of my respect?"
Flender, standing nearby, didn't bother to intervene. After all, the Shrek motto was that those who don't cause trouble are mediocre. Besides, his senses told him the complaining diner was merely a low-level Grand Spirit Master. Why should a Spirit Saint care?
"Holy crap! Isn't that girl Doudou? The announcer from today's match?" Oscar's exclamation suddenly drew everyone's attention.
The Shrek team turned their gazes toward Doudou's table. Seeing this group of "oddly-shaped creatures" staring at her with varying degrees of intensity, Doudou felt a surge of panic. Her wings practically fluttered with anxiety under the table.
But just as she began to tremble, a warm, firm hand gently covered hers.
"It's alright. They're just a bunch of fools who haven't learned their lesson yet," Fu Ye said, his voice as calm as a mountain spring.
Feeling the heat radiating from Fu Ye's palm, Doudou's racing heart began to settle. Meanwhile, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who were currently "disinterested" in women due to certain... physical complications, only gave her a passing glance.
Oscar, however, was a different story. Emboldened by his own curiosity, he actually had the nerve to approach Fu Ye from behind.
"Beautiful lady, my name is Oscar, and I'm a—"
Before he could finish his rehearsed introduction, Fu Ye turned his head slightly, his golden eyes locking onto the peach-blossom-eyed youth who lacked any shred of true masculinity.
"Fu... Fu Ye! No! No, no, no! Your Excellency! Your Excellency Fu Ye!"
Oscar might act like a fool most of the time, but in moments of life-or-death peril, his brain worked faster than a Spirit Sage's. The moment he recognized that peerless face, he scrambled back three steps, his face turning pale as a sheet. Without a second thought, he bent his body in a perfect ninety-degree bow.
"Fu Ye?!"
Flender's heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. When he realized the man sitting there was indeed the one who had nearly ended him, he dashed to the front, pushing Oscar aside and bowing even deeper.
"Your Excellency Fu Ye!"
Flender was truly terrified. Memories of his bones shattering like glass flashed through his mind. He knew he only held onto his life because this man had shown mercy; otherwise, he would have been fertilizer for the Soto City outskirts long ago.
"Hmph. Flender, it seems you're still teaching your students that same old nonsense," Fu Ye said, his tone icy. " 'Those who don't cause trouble are mediocre'? Heh... truly pathetic."
The other diners gasped as they overheard the conversation. Not causing trouble makes you mediocre? That was essentially a license to bully the weak! If they ever ran into a truly hidden powerhouse, they wouldn't just be 'mediocre'—they'd be dead.
The patrons began to whisper, realizing that this arrogant group had clearly tried their "motto" on the young man sitting with Doudou before, and had clearly paid a heavy price for it.
"If you can teach, then teach properly. If not, disband as soon as possible," Fu Ye continued, not even bothering to stand up. "Look at your students. Aside from bullying those they think are weaker than them, what else can they do?"
Flender didn't dare to breathe. He nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at grain. "Your Excellency is absolutely right. I will... I'll make sure to..."
"People don't learn from words, but they learn quickly from consequences. Now, get out. I'm on a date and I don't want to see your faces."
"Yes, yes! We're leaving! Right away!" Flender stuttered, waving his hand frantically to gather his team.
As they retreated, the "reincarnated God King" Tang Chuan cast a dark, venomous look toward Fu Ye's back. Fu Ye only smiled inwardly. He didn't fear a God King in his prime, let alone a mere reincarnation who hadn't even grown his feathers yet.
As the Shrek team scrambled out, a heavy silence fell over the restaurant, followed by a wave of curious and awe-struck whispers. Doudou, sitting right next to the eye of the storm, was staring at Fu Ye with eyes wide enough to fall out of her head.
"Your... Your Excellency? That man called you 'Your Excellency'... does that mean you really are..."
Doudou knew who Flender was—a Spirit Saint and the leader of Shrek. For a Spirit Saint to bow like a servant, there was only one possibility.
"Tsk. Didn't you just insist I was a Spirit Emperor? Why the change of heart?" Fu Ye teased, reaching out to pick up a piece of tuna.
"But... I... I didn't think..." Doudou was spiraling. She had invited a handsome guy out to improve their relationship, only to find out she was sitting across from a Title Douluo—a pinnacle existence of the continent.
"Xiao Ye... no, Your Excellency, you..." Auntie Qin was equally stunned. A Title Douluo was someone even the Spirit Hall would worship!
"It's fine," Fu Ye said with a gentle smile, trying to ease the tension. "Even a Title Douluo needs a normal life. Right now, I'm just a guest chatting with Auntie Qin and having a meal with a cute little sister."
But Doudou was caught in a different trap of logic. If he was a Title Douluo, how old was he really? Every Title Douluo she knew was over a hundred years old. Could this handsome face be a mask of age?
"What's going on in that little head of yours?" Fu Ye chuckled, reaching over to playfully pinch her cheek. "You were so chatty a minute ago. Why the sudden silence?"
Doudou's face turned a shade of red that put the spicy chicken to shame. She couldn't find her voice.
Doudou's Inner Thoughts: Oh my god... this is my first time asking out a boy I like, and he turns out to be a living legend. World, please just end now. How can I, a mere Spirit Elder, have a sweet romance with a Title Douluo?
She had hoped for a handsome Spirit King or Emperor—someone she could at least stand beside. But a Title Douluo? The gap was like the earth and the heavens. Unless he's blind, there's no way he'd actually like me back...
Fu Ye, hearing her thoughts through his own means, smirked. Well then, call me blind.