Ye Xuan acted as if he were playing a game.
Slap! Another slap...
Blow after blow rained down on Dai Mubai's face.
For some reason, the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils remained completely silent, as though someone had pressed the mute button.
Tang San was inwardly relieved.
With Ye Xuan's attention shifting from Xiao Wu to Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu was safe—at least for the time being.
*(Dai Boss, you're a guy and Xiao Wu is a girl, so you'll just have to take the brunt of this.)*
*(We just need to buy some time. Once the people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan realize something is wrong, they're bound to send someone to find Clan Leader Ning Fengzhi.)*
*(When that happens, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo will come too, and Ye Xuan won't be able to act so arrogant anymore!)*
Ma Hongjun's lecherous eyes rolled around. Watching Dai Mubai get slapped around like a pathetic dog stirred a deep sense of sweet revenge in his chest.
He had known Dai Mubai for a long time.
Not only had Dai Mubai given him the humiliating nickname "Fatty," but he also constantly mocked him for sleeping with dirty women or country bumpkins.
Dai Mubai spent his days indulging in wild debauchery, hiring multiple high-end hostesses at a time and staying exclusively in luxury hotels.
Yet whenever Ma Hongjun simply asked him to treat him just once, Dai Mubai flatly refused, mocking him as a mere "fire-scarred rooster" whose only recourse was to visit brothels and relieve himself with wrinkled old crones!
Now, watching Dai Mubai take a beating—his face swollen into an even uglier and more disgusting pig-head than his own—was immensely satisfying.
All of Dai Mubai's previous haughtiness and arrogance were completely gone. To be humiliated like this in front of other girls without even daring to let out a fart made him look like a completely different person from the fierce and domineering Evil-Eyed White Tiger he used to be.
A twisted sense of glee welled up inside Ma Hongjun.
*(That's it, beat him to a pulp! What kind of damn "Dai Boss" are you? Let's see what face you have to act high and mighty in front of me after going through this today!)*
Oscar, on the other hand, turned deathly pale.
Naturally timid, he was terrified at the sight of the once-overbearing Dai Mubai being humiliated like a dead dog.
He held his breath, terrified of drawing Ye Xuan's attention.
*(Don't look at me, don't look at me. I'm just a support-type Spirit Master, I haven't even had a chance to say anything yet...)*
Xiao Wu's eyes were filled with profound sorrow, her heart consumed by the grief of impending parting and death.
She knew she was as good as dead today.
*(As long as San-ge doesn't get dragged into this...)*
Ning Rongrong was consumed by frantic anxiety.
At that moment, she felt like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in sheer panic.
*(Why is time moving so slowly? Haven't the people from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan noticed something is wrong yet? Why haven't Dad and Sword Grandpa arrived yet...)*
Ye Xuan strode forward.
Dai Mubai was on his knees, his face beaten to a pulp, while Ye Xuan ground his heel remorselessly into the back of his head.
"Enough!"
Finally, among the silent Shrek Seven Devils, someone spoke up.
It was none other than the usually reticent Zhu Zhuqing.
Ye Xuan looked at Zhu Zhuqing with a hint of curiosity.
"Little kitty, are you talking to me?"
Zhu Zhuqing desperately wanted to say something tough, but her strength failed her, and she lowered her head powerlessly. "Can you... please stop hurting him?" she pleaded.
"Even though I hate him, he is still my fiancé..."
Ning Rongrong also mustered her courage.
At that moment, she looked as though she were sacrificing herself to save everyone.
"Ye Xuan, aren't you just upset that I broke off the engagement?"
"Right now, as long as you stop what you're doing, I can honor the betrothal and become your fiancée!"
"Whenever you want to get married, we can discuss it!"
As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone stared at Ning Rongrong in shock.
"Rongrong!"
The timid Oscar let out a miserable wail, staring at Ning Rongrong with a broken heart. His white moonlight—his beloved, wealthy, and beautiful goddess—why did she have to abandon all principles and boundaries? Just because this man was young, handsome, and possessed the strength of a Title Douluo, she was willing to compromise like this? Sob, sob...
Ignoring Oscar's inner weeping and wailing, Ning Rongrong took a deep breath. At that moment, she was filled with a self-sacrificing righteousness.
Wasn't it just marrying someone she didn't know well? For the sake of her companions, what did it matter if she, Ning Rongrong, suffered a little grievance?
"Ye Xuan, even though my dad doesn't like you, as soon as you demonstrate your Title Douluo strength, he will change his mind."
"After we're married, with the resources of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan backing us, your strength will still see significant growth, even though you're already a Title Douluo."
"There are still several hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones in the clan vault. Once we're married, I can ask my dad to give them to you."
"Isn't everything you're doing right now just because you're harboring resentment? I can understand. You were full of anticipation wanting to become my husband, only to be rejected by me—of course you felt humiliated."
"But now you've won back your dignity. No one will look down on you anymore, and I'm apologizing to you. From now on, let's work together to make the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan even more powerful. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Stop being so stubborn..."
Ye Xuan: "..."
He felt like there was something seriously wrong with Ning Rongrong's brain.
Where on earth did she get the confidence to think he liked her? Did she really think that just because they got married, he would act like a simp, let bygones be bygones, and even obey her every command? Ye Xuan touched his chin, putting on a thoughtful expression.
"What you're saying actually makes a lot of sense. Even though I don't really like you, this engagement was, after all, my grandfather's dying wish. His final desire was for me to leave descendants for the Ye Family and make our clan prosper."
A look of delighted surprise appeared on Ning Rongrong's face.
She felt a slight flutter of embarrassment.
"Ye Xuan, your conditions are actually quite good. We don't know each other well right now, but love will grow over time. I believe we'll have a bright future..."
Without needing anyone to teach her, Ning Rongrong had already started painting a grand picture of the future for Ye Xuan.
"Don't rush," Ye Xuan said with a grin.
The next second, his voice turned ice-cold.
"It sounds like you think things are pretty wonderful..."
"Wait, didn't you just say that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was merely using the Ye Family? That you were actually wishing for me to die early so the Ye Family line would be completely wiped out?"
"When I came here this time, Ning Fengzhi gave me the cold shoulder, and you arrogantly tried to break off the engagement. But the moment I showed my strength, you shamelessly crawled back and said you could accept the marriage."
"Ning Rongrong, you are truly cheaper than a whore. No, you're even worse than a whore!"
"With trash like you, do you really think you're worthy of being my fiancée?"
Ning Rongrong's face drained of color, turning a mottled shade of pale and green.
She had been humiliated yet again.
To be told she was worse than a whore...
Humiliation surged deep within her heart.
Ye Xuan stepped down hard on Dai Mubai's head, sneering:
"And you, you absolute moron. You claimed Zhu Zhuqing is your fiancée? Does scum like you even deserve to have a fiancé?"
Ye Xuan shifted his gaze to Zhu Zhuqing, his voice biting and stern: "You clearly despise this person, yet you still risk your life to save her. How pathetic..."
"Zhu Zhuqing, do you know? Among the seven of you, you are the most pitiful one!"
"Because you always follow the crowd, drifting with the tide without a single ounce of independent thought! Even when Dai Mubai abandoned you, even when he was out whoring and drinking, you still let yourself be bound by the Star Luo Imperial Family, not daring to resist!"
"Even though you lack the power to resist, you don't even have the *thought* of resisting—and that is your crime! You will ultimately pay the price for your own cowardice!"
His words landed like a thunderclap on a clear day.
Zhu Zhuqing trembled, lowering her head as conflicting thoughts raced through her mind.
Ye Xuan flashed forward, appearing right in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
He hooked the little kitty's chin up with his finger and said softly, "Are you a glutton for punishment? Why won't you fight back? Why marry a cowardly piece of trash? When Dai Mubai was sleeping with multiple prostitutes at once, do you really think he had you on his mind?"
"You even stood in my way for his sake. You're so cowardly—who gave you the guts to do that?"
"If you ask me, you're a truly strange creature..."
"Stupid and foolish to the core."