The next day, Shen An stared at the horse, which was suffering from severe diarrhea, deep in thought. It was clear that the horse had eaten something wrong.
Shen An glanced at Tom, who looked guilty and pointed at Jerry.
Jerry, without hesitation, opened its mouth and bit Tom's finger. This sneaky rat always pushed the blame onto Jerry whenever it messed up.
Tom's white glove instantly turned red and swollen. With a yelp of pain, Tom scurried up to the ceiling of the hotel room, causing Shen An to incur yet another unnecessary expense.
Afterward, Shen An looked at Tom helplessly and said, "Alright, Tom, no more mischief from now on. Be a magnanimous cat."
Tom raised its paw and nodded solemnly, though it was unclear whether it actually understood or not.
Or perhaps, it understood but would still cause trouble next time.
"Let's go, Rongrong. We had some fun yesterday, so let's take Zhuqing to the academy first."
Zhu Zhuqing felt a strange sensation upon hearing this, as if Shen An were some kind of overbearing parent.
Along the way, Shen An kept nagging Zhu Zhuqing with various instructions, such as:
"Zhuqing, focus on your training at the academy, and make sure to eat on time every day."
"Don't cause trouble, but if anyone bullies you, don't be afraid! Let me know, and I'll help you get revenge."
His tone was entirely that of a worried parent, which made Ning Rongrong, walking behind them, chuckle quietly. It was just too amusing.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing responded softly, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "I'll listen to what you say, but you better be careful too. Stay out of trouble while you're out there."
Now, Ning Rongrong, who had been laughing earlier, couldn't find it funny anymore. Zhu Zhuqing's words seemed to be targeting her, but she had no proof.
Meanwhile, the Shrek Academy group, who had run two thousand kilometers from Shrek Academy, was also on their way to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Flender, wanting to save some money, had made the five Shrek students run the entire distance, claiming it was for their training.
The Shrek group wandered around Heaven Dou City, unable to find the location of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Finally, with the help of some locals, they learned where the academy was.
On the way to the academy, Tang San and the others were filled with excitement.
Training at this top-tier academy, with its excellent facilities, would undoubtedly accelerate their progress and help them defeat Shen An faster.
This time, the Shrek group mentioned Qin Ming's name and were allowed to enter the academy.
The distance from Heaven Dou City to Heaven Dou Royal Academy was about twenty miles. The group walked at a leisurely pace, neither too fast nor too slow.
"Rongrong, Heaven Dou Royal Academy is really extravagant," Shen An remarked.
"Of course. This entire mountain belongs to the academy. Oh, and so does the forest behind it and the lake at the foot of the mountain."
"Training in such a beautiful place is a hundred times better than being stuck in some small village like Shrek Academy."
Shen An couldn't help but criticize Shrek Academy here.
One of the academy's gatekeepers happened to be a branch disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Naturally, he was familiar with Ning Rongrong, the young lady of the clan.
He bowed first and said, "Young Lady, are you here to report to the academy today? The clan has already prepared everything. I can take you there."
"No, I'm just accompanying my friend today. Take her there. I'll just wander around," Ning Rongrong said, pointing at Zhu Zhuqing.
The other nine gatekeepers stared at Ning Rongrong in surprise. As noble disciples, they had naturally heard of the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
However, what caught their attention more than the beauty of the two girls was the sight of a cat walking upright and a mouse standing on its shoulder.
How strange. A cat and a mouse can actually get along? The gatekeeper thought to himself.
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan disciple present, there were no hiccups, and Shen An's group smoothly entered the academy.
"Eh? Shen An, you're here at Heaven Dou? And Tom's here too."
A familiar voice called out. It was Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan looked at Tom with delight. This was the cat that had saved her life.
"Shen An, wait here. I'll go get my grandfather. He's been wanting to meet you and Tom for a while now," Dugu Yan said quickly before running off without giving Shen An a chance to respond.
Shen An shrugged helplessly. What was this about? But since she was so enthusiastic, he couldn't just leave and let her come back to an empty spot.
Ning Rongrong teased Shen An, "Well, you wait here then. I'll go find Zhuqing and show her around the academy."
In front of the faculty building, Meng Shenji and the other two Soul Douluos were having a pleasant conversation with the Shrek group.
The Shrek teachers were all highly skilled, and their students were exceptionally talented. In Meng Shenji's eyes, they had the potential to rival even Yu Tianheng and the others. Tang San, in particular, had impressed them greatly.
Not only had Tang San withstood the pressure from Zhilin, a Soul Douluo, but he also possessed an external soul bone, a treasure among soul masters second only to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. Such talent was truly remarkable.
'It's him. Why is he here?'
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened when he saw Shen An and Tom.
Following the principle of hating the crow along with the nest, when Yu Xiaogang saw the mouse on Tom's shoulder, he sneered inwardly, "A mouse, actually getting along with a cat and being so close to it? How despicable."
Noticing Yu Xiaogang's strange expression, Meng Shenji asked with concern, "Grandmaster, is something wrong? Did you notice any issues in the academy?"
Yu Xiaogang initially wanted to say it was nothing, but then he thought it might be a good idea to use Meng Shenji's influence to teach Shen An a lesson.
So he said, "I saw someone with questionable character. He lets his pets run wild and has even injured our students before. I'm not sure why he's here at Heaven Dou Academy."
"Oh? Such a person managed to enter our academy?"
Meng Shenji followed Yu Xiaogang's gaze and saw Shen An, along with the cat and mouse.
Dai Mubai and Tang San were instantly excited. No matter how strong you are, how will you handle three Soul Douluos?
However, the three faculty members were fair-minded and didn't want to judge based on one side of the story.
Tang San decided to add fuel to the fire. "Please, esteemed elders, expel and punish this person. His character is flawed, and my sister Xiao Wu and I nearly lost our lives because of him."
The three faculty members pondered for a moment, deciding to hear both sides before making a judgment.
Dai Mubai grew anxious. If Shen An was given a chance to explain, how could they stir up trouble?
The hatred of having his wife taken away was unbearable. Dai Mubai stepped forward and said, "Shen An, not only did you injure us before, but you also took away two of our Shrek students. Now you've followed us to Heaven Dou Academy. What exactly do you want?"
Shen An, seeing the Shrek group, felt no goodwill toward them. "What I do here is none of your business. Back then, you brought it upon yourselves."
Zhilin, who had the most favorable impression of the Shrek group, said, "Young man, since you're not a member of our academy, please leave immediately. I won't hold you accountable for trespassing."
Hearing Shen An's response, Zhilin was certain that there was some conflict between Shen An and the Shrek group. However, in his eyes, Shen An was just an ordinary soul master. How could he compare to the entire Shrek group, with their powerful teachers and talented students? The choice was clear. As faculty members of a royal academy, they naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
Shen An found it amusing. Were they really going to side with the Shrek group against him? Shen An narrowed his eyes and said, "What if I refuse to leave?"
The three faculty members simultaneously frowned, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Tom quietly pulled out a revolver and aimed it at them.
Jerry also took out a small cannon and adjusted its position.
Threatening Shen An out of nowhere? This was a direct challenge to their pride.