What had Teacher Zhao told them? That he was the Great Master's disciple? But even though the Great Master's research on Martial Souls was extensive, his personal strength was hardly impressive — it seemed unlikely to exert much pressure on the Peerless Dragon and Snake standing before them.
Sure enough, Meng Shu spoke: "So you're the Great Master's disciple. I didn't expect that his theories would finally have a chance to be put into practice. For the Great Master's sake today, I'll let you off. But mark my words, boy — if this happens again, I won't care who your master is. Let's go."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Grandpa." Meng Yiran watched her grandparents preparing to leave and panicked. "Grandpa, he stole my Soul Beast twice, and you're just going to let that go?"
Meng Shu gave his granddaughter a helpless look. "What do you want me to do? At my age, I can't very well bully a child, can I? Let it drop."
Meng Yiran stared stubbornly at her grandfather. "No. It can't just end like this. If I can't have it, then he certainly can't either. If you and Grandma won't stand up for me, then I'll handle it myself. Tang San, if you're a real man, fight me again."
Tang San frowned. "You want to fight me again? Have you forgotten that you already lost to me?"
Oscar's sausages truly had their merits. In the short time since he'd eaten one, Tang San's Soul Power had recovered by thirty percent, and his stamina was replenishing rapidly. His complexion had improved considerably.
Meng Yiran nodded firmly. "Yes, I want another match. Don't think that just because you won last time, you can win again. I won't bully you while your Soul Power is low. We'll compete in something else. You stole my Soul Beast twice, so I should get to choose the method of competition, shouldn't I?"
Tang San took a deep breath, sensing that his condition had improved a great deal, and stepped forward. "What are the stakes?"
If it were only Meng Yiran, he was supremely confident. Though his Soul Power was depleted, he could still use his Hidden Weapons to fight back. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow in his hand was already loaded and ready. He knew that with the Peerless Dragon and Snake backing down, he couldn't actually kill Meng Yiran, but he had plenty of other ways to use his Hidden Weapons to render her combat-incapable.
Meng Yiran glared at Tang San with hatred in her eyes. "If you lose, you're forbidden from absorbing this Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring. If you win, then it's naturally yours."
The Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring was something Tang San was determined to obtain. Only with it could he restore his stamina quickly and go find Xiao Wu.
"Fine. What are we competing in?"
The Dragon and Snake couple no longer seemed in a hurry to leave. They stood off to the side in silence, backing their granddaughter up. The two exchanged quiet words from time to time, their conversation inaudible to the others.
Over on Shrek Academy's side, Zhao Wuji was frowning. He hadn't expected Meng Yiran to stir up trouble at this juncture. In order to get Dragon Grandpa to release Tang San, he'd already revealed certain secrets to Meng Shu — otherwise, given the domineering nature of the Peerless Dragon and Snake, would they have left so easily?
Just as Meng Yiran was about to speak, Oscar, who had been standing near Tang San, cut in: "Wait a second. This isn't fair."
Everyone turned to Oscar. He strolled over to Tang San's side and spoke with conviction. "This Human-Faced Demon Spider was clearly killed by Tang San. Even if you were also targeting it before, at best you each contributed half. And right now, Tang San is the only one who can absorb this Soul Ring. Your bet is obviously unfair."
A dangerous glint flickered in Meng Yiran's eyes. "Then what do you want?"
Oscar chuckled. "Nothing too extreme. If you lose, you naturally can't interfere with Tang San absorbing the Soul Ring. At the same time, shouldn't you put up something of your own? Our demands aren't high — if that happens, all you have to do is give Tang San a kiss."
"Xiao Ao." Zhao Wuji barked a low warning. The last thing he wanted was to further provoke the Peerless Dragon and Snake.
But to Zhao Wuji's surprise, Dragon Grandpa Meng Shu suddenly spoke up: "Fine, let it be decided. Young people need a bit of passion." As he spoke, a smile appeared on the Dragon Grandpa's face for the first time. Meanwhile, Snake Granny's cheeks took on a faint blush.
Oscar had no idea that the demand he'd just made had reminded the Peerless Dragon and Snake of a scene from their own youth. When Dragon Grandpa Meng Shu had first encountered Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang, it was under a similar bet that he'd gained the upper hand over her. Though it had taken all manner of twists and fate for the two to finally end up together, that original bet had played a pivotal role. Back then, the condition Meng Shu had proposed was word for word identical to what Oscar had just said.
In the eyes of the Dragon Grandpa and Snake Granny, Tang San's appearance was admittedly rather ordinary, far from comparable to Dai Mubai's. But his talent, combined with what Zhao Wuji had told Meng Shu moments ago, made them look upon this boy with great favor. As for their granddaughter's future, this elderly couple were already planning ahead. They wanted to see whether, under these circumstances, Tang San could defeat their granddaughter once more.
Meng Yiran was somewhat surprised by her grandfather's decision, but she didn't object — because she had absolute confidence in the fighting method she was about to propose.