Pain, such excruciating pain—
Though the actions of that subordinate weren't directly ordered by Dai Huabin, they had become the biggest stain on his life. The position of White Tiger Duke was now completely out of reach, and upon returning home, he would face the wrath of his mother.
Moreover, Zhu Lu had annulled her engagement with Dai Huabin.
If the White Tiger Dai Family were still part of the royal family, the Zhu Family wouldn't dare to act this way. Unfortunately, even tigers fell prey to dogs when they lost their power.
Hmm, it should be "tigers fall prey to cats in Shrek."
Thinking about his bleak future, Dai Huabin's eyes grew heavier with despair.
*Thud. Thud.*
Suddenly, a steady rhythm of footsteps echoed from outside.
The familiar sound made Dai Huabin's expression grow even darker.
Moments later, a young man with golden hair and heterochromatic evil eyes, much like Dai Huabin's, appeared before him.
It was none other than Dai Huabin's older brother, Dai Yueheng, now a student in Shrek Academy's inner court, with cultivation reaching the level of Soul Emperor.
Even Shrek Academy wouldn't expel someone of this caliber, so Dai Yueheng retained his status as an inner court student—though his treatment was certainly worse than before.
Compared to the impulsive Dai Huabin, Dai Yueheng was more like their father, Duke Dai Hao—calculating, cunning, and far more composed.
"Worthless trash."
Dai Yueheng didn't hold back; he immediately launched into a scathing verbal assault.
But under the bloodline suppression of his elder brother, Dai Huabin could only lower his head, too afraid to utter a word.
Seeing Dai Huabin's cowardly demeanor, Dai Yueheng found himself at a loss for words. His frustration boiled over as his face reddened, and he finally exhaled sharply in resignation.
"Go home and focus on your cultivation. Stop causing trouble. The family can't afford any more chaos right now."
With that, Dai Yueheng turned and left. This entire situation was utterly infuriating—he didn't even know where to begin venting his anger. But the overwhelmingly powerful Shrek Academy forced the Dai Family to swallow this bitter pill.
From now on, the family would need to focus on training their subordinates' minds as well as their strength.
Watching Dai Yueheng's retreating figure, Dai Huabin's eyes flickered with envy, hatred, and malice, but ultimately settled on overwhelming regret.
"Damn it, why does everything go wrong—"
In Dai Huabin's mind, memories of his miserable experiences since encountering Huo Yu'er after the New Student Assembly replayed endlessly. The resentment in his heart swelled, but he had no outlet to release it.
At this moment, the servants finished packing his belongings and came to inform him that he could leave.
Dai Huabin said nothing, merely trudging toward the carriage in a desolate manner. But as he walked, his steps suddenly halted, and a cruel, sinister smile crept onto his lips.
"Huo Yu'er, it's all your fault, you wretched bitch! Why didn't you just let me defeat you?! Why didn't you just let me kill you?! If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this?
Hahaha—
You treasure that little girl, don't you? Then I'll kill her before I leave. I'll make you suffer the same lifelong regret as me!!!"
In the astonished gazes of the servants, Dai Huabin disappeared into the night.
They wanted to stop him, but how could mere servants restrain a soul master like Dai Huabin?
The only one who followed him was his personal bodyguard—the last remaining Soul Emperor-level expert under the employ of the White Tiger Duke Family.
But as someone raised by the White Tiger Dai Family since childhood, the bodyguard had no thoughts of his own. His sole purpose was to protect his master.
---
Meanwhile, at Shrek Commercial Street—
"Aww, Little Xuexue, come here. Uncle will give you some candied haws."
A candied haw vendor saw Little Xue Nu and eagerly handed her a stick of candied haws, his eyes gleaming.
{T/N: It's Snow Emperor's younger body}
Little Xue Nu wasn't shy at all and happily accepted it, taking a big bite.
In less than a year, Little Xue Nu had already won the hearts of every shop owner on this commercial street with her adorable appearance and soft, sweet voice.
It wasn't that no one had attempted to kidnap her—it was just that her charm had even won over Shrek Academy's enforcement team. Anyone daring to harm this little fairy was practically signing their own death warrant.
As Little Xue Nu strolled around, more and more shop owners came to offer her treats. Watching her adorable antics, the hearts of everyone on the street melted.
But no one noticed the pair of evil eyes observing her from the shadows of a dark alley.
Dai Huabin muttered to himself.
"Not yet… It's not time… Once there's no one around, I'll…"
Dai Huabin continued to suppress his presence, trying his best to blend in as an ordinary passerby.
This was the first time Dai Huabin had seen Little Xue Nu in person—he had only seen her in reports before.
He couldn't deny it; the moment he laid eyes on Little Xue Nu, his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to take this cute little girl home and "train" her to become his wife.
But Dai Huabin knew it was impossible. Even without doing anything, Little Xue Nu was the brightest star on the street just by walking past.
"Er, kill that little brat and run. If anyone tries to catch you, self-destruct immediately. Understand?" Dai Huabin coldly ordered.
Er remained silent for a moment before accepting the task.
Little Xue Nu, reborn anew, was pure and innocent in every way.
However, she still inherited some of Snow Empress's abilities from her past life—her keen perception of killing intent, malice, and any ill will directed toward her.
"Hmm? Who—"
Little Xue Nu's instincts kicked in, and she instinctively turned her head.
Er, cloaked and expressionless, approached. Beneath his cloak, he had already discreetly unleashed his spirit—a longsword.
There was no need for soul skills to kill a child. Er planned to slit the little girl's throat cleanly and escape immediately.
As for whether he could survive under Shrek's enforcement team, Er didn't think too much about it. For him, the mission was life itself. The White Tiger Dai Family had no use for failures.
"Die!"
Seeing the distance was right, Er abandoned all unnecessary flourishes and thrust his sword forward with deadly precision.
Though Little Xue Nu was exceptionally intelligent, she was still only at the mental level of a three- or four-year-old. At the sight of the sharp blade, her mind went blank.
But instinctively, she activated her fledgling ability.
Ultimate Ice · Frozen World!!!
A piercing cold erupted, instantly frosting the area within dozens of meters.
Er's face twisted in shock. In his view, Little Xue Nu shouldn't have been old enough to awaken her spirit, so where did this power come from?
However, the gap in strength meant Er wasn't significantly harmed. He quickly snapped out of his daze. What was he doing, spacing out like this? All he had to do was kill the little brat and run!
Er's eyes once again filled with murderous intent. His previous thrust now transformed into a slashing motion.
This time, Little Xue Nu could do nothing to stop him. She could only watch helplessly as the blade descended toward her.
------------------------------------------------------
Thank you to our new Patrons: Mike Foster, miney laster, Jose Carrillo, Jean C, Aaron Gurrola and It's_Bleau! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 860: Undermining the Foundation - Part 11' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.