Tai Long was direct and didn't hold back. With a sense of arrogance, he pointed his thumb at himself, "I am Tai Long, the young master of the Strength Clan."
Zuzong's lips twitched as he thought to himself, "Wow, he really is a big gorilla."
Zuzong replied casually, "So, what does the young gorilla master want?"
Although Tai Long's martial spirit was indeed a powerful gorilla, that didn't mean he enjoyed being called a gorilla. He pounded his massive fists against his chest, much like a gorilla in a zoo on Earth, and growled, "Don't call me a gorilla."
Tai Long continued to roar, "Now, you have three choices: first, get out of Shrek Academy; second, I'll beat you up and throw you out; and third—"
Zuzong lazily waved his hand, cutting him off, "Stop yelling. I'll take the third option."
Tai Long was momentarily confused, "But I haven't even told you the third one yet!"
Zuzong didn't bother to answer. Instead, he performed a backflip, landing several meters away in an open area.
"The third option is that I'll beat you up so no one bothers me while I wait for my girlfriend," Zuzong called out, motioning for Tai Long to come at him.
Tai Long, now embarrassed and angry at being shown up in front of so many girls, snarled, "You're dead!"
As he spoke, Tai Long charged forward, his speed picking up as he closed in on Zuzong.
Clearly, Tai Long was no novice in battle. His experience wasn't much different from Dai Mubai's. He swung his massive right fist with a force that created a whistling wind.
Zuzong didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his left hand and caught Tai Long's punch, then spun his upper body to the left while stepping forward. His right shoulder hit Tai Long squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. In an instant, Zuzong used a flash step technique and appeared behind Tai Long as he tumbled through the air. He lifted his foot, predicting where Tai Long would land, and waited for him to crash down.
Tai Long's pupils shrank as he lost sight of Zuzong. Suddenly, he felt a chill behind him, as though something bad was about to happen. Glancing back, he saw Zuzong standing behind him with his foot raised, the sharp edge of his shoe pointed directly at him.
His instincts were correct. The next moment, Zuzong's shoe connected with Tai Long's "weak point."
First, Tai Long's face turned blue, then an expression of strange ecstasy crossed his features, followed quickly by a wave of pain so intense he couldn't hold back a scream.
"Aaahh!"
As Tai Long howled in pain, Zuzong's shoe dug an inch deep into his vulnerable spot. If Tai Long's martial spirit, the powerful gorilla, hadn't given him such thick skin, his fate might have been even worse than Dai Mubai's.
The mighty gorilla—defeated.
Seeing Tai Long clutching his backside, the men around instinctively tightened their own grips on their bodies. The girls blushed furiously at the sight.
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing finally arrived, accompanied by Ning Rongrong and the shy female student who had led Zuzong here.
"Zuzong, is that you?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were red, with tears glistening. Ever since she learned that Zuzong had been captured by Dugu Bo, she had been unable to sleep. If it hadn't been for the others stopping her, and Ning Rongrong bringing Sword Douluo for help, she would have gone into the Sunset Forest alone to search for him.
Zuzong turned and, seeing Zhu Zhuqing's exhausted face, felt a pang of heartache. He opened his arms wide, not needing to say a word.
In front of the shocked, envious, and jealous gazes of the crowd, Zhu Zhuqing shed her usual cold demeanor and leaped into Zuzong's embrace.
"I thought I'd never see you again," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion.
Feeling the softness of the girl in his arms, Zuzong held her delicate waist tightly, his heart full of tenderness.
"Zhuqing, don't cry. I promise you, this won't happen again," Zuzong gently stroked her back.
Standing nearby, Ning Rongrong watched the couple, her expression complicated and tinged with sadness.
Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, Zhuqing, Zuzong, you two should probably be more mindful of the setting. There are a lot of people watching!"
Zuzong chuckled, unfazed. Zhu Zhuqing, however, couldn't handle the attention. Feeling the stares of the crowd, her face turned bright red. She grabbed Zuzong's hand and dashed off.
Ning Rongrong sighed with a bitter smile and followed after them.
Watching the trio walk away, the remaining crowd fell silent.
On that day, two people in Shrek Academy experienced heartbreak—one man and one woman.
The three of them walked for about ten minutes, eventually finding a peaceful spot in the forest. They sat on a bench by the side of the path, with Zhu Zhuqing in the middle, flanked by Zuzong and Ning Rongrong on either side.
During their walk, Zuzong recounted his experiences over the past two months, though he omitted some details.
"Zuzong, did you meet my Grandpa Jian today?" Ning Rongrong asked, turning to him.
Zuzong paused briefly before smiling, "You mean Sword Douluo? Yes, I did. Please thank him for me."
Ning Rongrong's face lit up, and she looked at Zhu Zhuqing with a sweet smile, "See, I told you! Once my Grandpa Jian stepped in, that old poison master was no big deal."
Zhu Zhuqing, smiling for once, replied softly, "Thank you, Rongrong."
As she spoke, Zhu Zhuqing gripped Zuzong's hand even tighter.
Feeling the warmth of her hand, Zuzong asked gently, "By the way, Zhuqing, do you have class tomorrow?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, "Yes, we have class both tomorrow and the day after. Why do you ask?"
A mysterious smile spread across Zuzong's face, "Well, you should take the day off. I have a gift for you. Oh, and for Lady Ning too."
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled, "I get one too? Tell me, tell me, what is it? And just so you know, I already have a revolver like Zhuqing's."
With that, she pulled out a silver revolver from her storage device.
Zuzong blinked in surprise, realizing Ning Fengzhi must have given it to her, but he didn't comment on it. "It's not a revolver; it's something else."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't care much about the gift. As long as Zuzong was safe, that was all that mattered to her.
--
Check out my pa**on to read 100 advanced chapters. Link is in synopsis/description of this fic.