Chapter 19: Broken Bonds, Severed Legs
In the turbulent world of soul masters, insecurity reigns supreme—especially among women.
To survive, many have learned one undeniable truth: admire the strong, rely on the strong, become the strong.
And Dai Mubai?
He had long been marked with a mental "≠" in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
He is not the one she wants.
"That's all," she murmured inwardly, her expression cold.
Dai Mubai, on the verge of frustration, pointed at the young man standing atop the shaft of the royal carriage.
"Is he the one you want?" he asked, his voice low but biting.
Qin Chuan, clad in black, stood tall and unbending in the wind. His refined features and commanding aura radiated quiet dominance—a man apart from others, clearly far beyond Dai Mubai in stature and strength.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate.
"Don't you feel inferior to him?" she countered softly.
Even if Qin Chuan continued to reject her now—so what?
Eventually, he would accept her.
At least she had fought for the chance to change her fate.
She would not resign herself to relying on a failure like Dai Mubai.
"Zhuqing…" Dai Mubai muttered, his voice choked with disappointment. "I'm really disappointed in you."
He turned and left, a lonely figure fading into the distance.
Xiao Wu rushed over, flustered.
"Zhuqing, Boss Dai just left. Aren't you going after him?"
Zhu Zhuqing only smiled faintly, her expression filled with quiet sorrow.
"No, Xiao Wu. I'm not going. That's all there is to it."
On the other side, Ning Rongrong had already received the long wooden box from the cardinal, under the gaze of the onlookers.
It was… heavy.
A faint, metallic scent of blood wafted out from the cracks, causing Ning Rongrong to frown slightly in discomfort.
"Rongrong, are you going to betray us too?"
Oscar approached, voice laced with pain and disbelief.
"Betray?" Ning Rongrong turned around slowly. Seeing it was Oscar, her tone softened slightly.
"Didn't you want to drive me away long ago?"
"That was in the past. I didn't mean—"
Oscar tried to explain, but Ning Rongrong interrupted him with a look.
Tang San stood up and stepped forward as well.
"Rongrong, come back. Please. Don't let Uncle Ning or me down."
Ning Rongrong pursed her lips, her eyes calm.
"My father won't be disappointed."
If she could bring Qin Chuan back to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, her father would be ecstatic.
Disappointment? That was never an option.
Tang San was left speechless.
After a moment, he tried another approach.
"Rongrong, Zhuqing just left. Boss Dai's upset. The teacher is missing. If you leave too… can we still call ourselves the Shrek Seven Devils?"
"Can we still achieve our dream?"
"And what about Oscar? He likes you. Don't you care for him too?"
"What about the teacher? He put so much effort into us. If he returns and finds the team disbanded, how heartbroken do you think he'll be?"
"Don't be selfish, Rongrong."
Ning Rongrong smiled—but said nothing.
Whenever someone accuses you of being "selfish," it only proves one thing: they wanted something from you and didn't get it.
That's not morality. That's emotional blackmail.
True selflessness doesn't guilt-trip others.
She turned toward the shaft and lifted the wooden box upright by her feet.
"Your Majesty Qin Chuan, I've retrieved the item. Would you like to see it?"
Qin Chuan smiled faintly.
He had silently watched all that transpired. The internal collapse of the Shrek team amused and surprised him. He hadn't expected that his presence alone would stir such upheaval.
Qian Renxue turned to glance at him, her eyes questioning—why had Bibi Dong sent something so abruptly?
Qin Chuan merely shook his head, signaling that he didn't know either.
After a brief moment of thought, he looked back at Ning Rongrong.
"Please help me open it," he said gently.
Calling her "young master" would not have been inappropriate. After all, she was the chosen successor of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Upon hearing the polite request, Ning Rongrong's face instantly lit up.
"I love unboxing things!" she said playfully.
She picked the box up horizontally again and began to slowly lift the lid in full view of the crowd.
Suddenly—
A thick, pungent smell of blood assaulted everyone's noses.
Gasps rippled through the crowd as their eyes locked on the contents of the box.
No one noticed that the cardinal from Spirit Hall had already quietly retreated from the scene.
Except for Qin Chuan—who saw everything.
But he said nothing. He simply let the man go.
"Pah!"
A heavy thud broke the silence.
Ning Rongrong had dropped the box.
Frozen in shock, she stood as still as stone. Her face had gone deathly pale.
The contents spilled out:
A pair of severed human legs, bloodied and mangled.
They lay side by side, covered in a bloodstained garment, and sealed with soul power to preserve them.
The sight was horrifying. The legs looked as though they had been freshly chopped off.
As the box toppled, the legs and cloth both tumbled to the ground, stabbing like daggers into everyone's eyes.
"A pair of legs?!"
"Oh my god—this is too cruel!"
"Someone help! I can't take it!"
"M-mom, I want to go home—this world's too scary!"
The panic escalated quickly.
Even though the crowd was filled with soul master students from various academies, most had never encountered real bloodshed, much less such grotesque cruelty.
Especially the young women—screams burst out from all sides.
Only the Shrek Academy group remained relatively composed.
They had not only seen blood… they had shed it.
Still, when Tang San's eyes drifted toward the blood-soaked clothing, his calm facade cracked.
His gaze narrowed in sudden recognition.
That cloth—he had seen it before.
Tang San's face paled.
With trembling hands, he stepped forward and picked up the fabric from the ground, drawing confused glances.
"Third Brother, what are you doing?" Xiao Wu followed behind, concerned.
But Tang San didn't respond.
He just stared at the cloth—completely stunned.
His actions had drawn the attention of the Shrek team, including Flender and Liu Erlong.
Flender approached cautiously.
"Xiao San, what did you find?"
But before Tang San could answer, a piercing scream rang out.
"Ahhh!"
Liu Erlong darted forward like a whirlwind and snatched the cloth from Tang San's hands.
Her entire body trembled.
She held the fabric tight, her hands trembling violently as she touched a small seam stitched near the hem.
She had sewn that seam herself.
There was no doubt.
"It's him… it's him…" Liu Erlong's lips quivered, her voice barely a whisper.
Flender's face darkened with dread.
"Erlong… what are you saying?"
Xiao Wu gasped softly.
"It's… the master."
Two streams of tears slid down her cheeks.
Flender staggered, as if hit by a sledgehammer.
Behind him, Ning Rongrong finally came to her senses.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"T-this… this is…"
She stepped back slowly, her face deathly pale.
Then, her gaze drifted downward to the severed legs on the ground.
Slowly… tremblingly…
Her eyes lifted to look at the man standing tall above them all—Qin Chuan.