Chapter 19: Goldfish Whisker Needle
Dai Mubai had gone bald.
He rushed back to Shrek Academy in a panic with a hat on his head, but was spotted by Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
The two stared at him with wide eyes, dumbfounded.
"Why is Boss Dai back so early today? And wearing a hat? Kinda suspicious, huh?"
Oscar glanced curiously at Fatty.
"Hmm, didn't he say his golden hair was a symbol of nobility? Why is he covering his noble self with a hat now?"
Ma Hongjun frowned, confused.
"Yeah, something's off. Let's keep watching!"
Oscar grinned mischievously.
Then—
They secretly followed Dai Mubai back to the dorm. There, they saw him lying on the bed still wearing the hat...
He even had the blanket pulled up over his head.
"Uh… it's so hot today. What's Boss Dai doing?"
Ma Hongjun whispered.
"Don't tell me his 'noble' hair got chopped off?" Oscar guessed.
"Very possible! Let's do this—I'll grab the hat, you yank the blanket!"
Curiosity was written all over Ma Hongjun's chubby face.
"Alright, operation go!"
Oscar nodded with a sly smile and darted to Dai Mubai's bedside. With a loud "whoosh…", he flung the blanket into the air.
"Swoosh…"
Ma Hongjun instantly appeared at the head of the bed, reached out, and snatched the hat off in one quick motion.
The next second, both Ma Hongjun and Oscar froze in place—
Staring, jaws dropped, completely petrified.
"Uh… Boss Dai, what happened to your hair? You're already going bald at this age?"
Ma Hongjun asked robotically, utterly bewildered.
"Yeah… 'premature balding' fits too well here…"
Oscar blinked, stunned.
"I'LL KILL YOU TWO!!"
Dai Mubai roared, eyes burning with fury.
He had nowhere to vent after suddenly going bald—and now these two idiots had to rub salt in the wound, even throwing out "premature balding" jokes. His lungs were about to explode from rage.
Like a tiger breaking loose, he instantly activated his martial spirit and pounced at them.
"AHHH! Teacher Zhao, save us! Boss Dai's gonna kill us!!"
Oscar and Ma Hongjun turned and ran like mad, heading toward Zhao Wuji's quarters. If they didn't, they'd get wrecked.
They hadn't expected this twist either—Boss Dai going bald? It was so funny their stomachs nearly burst…
But also incredibly dangerous.
Dai Mubai's evil eyes were blazing with murderous intent, filling the entire Shrek Academy with pressure.
"Whoosh…"
He lunged straight at Oscar.
Oscar, being a food-type soul master, didn't get far before being caught. "Aaaah!!" he screamed repeatedly as Dai Mubai dragged him across the ground.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun had already dashed off into the distance. But hearing Oscar's screams made him tremble.
"Whoosh…"
He heard footsteps approaching fast and immediately ducked into Zhao Wuji's room.
"Teacher Zhao! Dai Mubai's trying to bully me!"
Ma Hongjun cried out, clearly shaken.
"Tch, look at you—scared like a baby."
Zhao Wuji got up groggily from bed, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and walked outside. He saw Oscar being dragged by Dai Mubai, now just five meters away.
"Dai Mubai, what happened to your head? You're balder than me!"
Zhao Wuji stared, dumbfounded, and couldn't help but blurt out:
"Hahaha… You look absolutely ridiculous!"
"Seriously—how did you end up looking like this?!"
Zhao Wuji, never one to mince words, finally burst into laughter.
"Teacher Zhao, you—"
Dai Mubai ground his teeth in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. The guy was his teacher—and a strong one at that.
"What do you mean 'you'? You went bald and now you're attacking your classmates just because they laughed? Let him go already. Or do you want to spar with me?"
Zhao Wuji cracked his knuckles with a loud:
"Crack—crack—"
"I was wrong!"
Dai Mubai had no choice. He didn't understand how he, a strong and healthy man, suddenly went bald.
He was embarrassed.
And furious.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun even dared to laugh at him.
That was when the rage exploded.
Oscar, face bruised and swollen, quietly pulled out a sausage and started munching on it.
"Just shave it all off or wear a wig!"
Zhao Wuji said while looking at Dai Mubai.
"Yeah…"
Dai Mubai nodded helplessly. Could it be divine punishment for flirting with too many girls? Had the heavens cursed him into becoming a bald man?
He also thought back to the couple he ran into at the hotel. The boy had said something about shedding hair—and shortly after, he really started going bald.
Was that kid's mouth cursed?
The boy looked only around twelve, probably came to sign up for school in Soto City… but he was insanely strong.
One claw strike had pushed Dai Mubai back a few steps, and even nearly dislocated his fist. His hand was still throbbing.
Next time he sees him, he's gonna use full force and give that brat a proper beating.
Eventually, Dai Mubai shaved off his remaining golden locks and became full-on Bald Dai Mubai.
Better a full bald head than a patchy one.
When he walked back into the academy with his shiny dome, Ma Hongjun and Oscar didn't dare laugh this time.
"Wow… Boss Dai, you look handsome no matter the hairstyle!"
Ma Hongjun said sincerely, a little jealous. Way better than half-bald.
"Super cool!" Oscar smiled as well.
"Really?"
Dai Mubai didn't respond much and just left, head shining.
The next day, Zhang Fan and Xiao Wu left the Rose Hotel.
Compared to Notting City, Soto City's prices were 30% higher, but it was also way more bustling.
Xiao Wu clung to Zhang Fan's waist as they walked.
They came upon a clothing shop. Xiao Wu kept trying on outfits, spinning around in front of Zhang Fan and asking which ones looked best on her.
"Ding! Dialogue Modification Task Triggered."
[Tang San picks up the golden thread: Let's call it Dragon Whisker Needle. You can modify two words.
Zhang Fan focused and changed "Dragon" to "Goldfish."
[Tang San picks up the golden thread: Let's call it Goldfish Whisker Needle.]
"Ding! Dialogue modification successful. The plot is now slightly unhinged. Reward: 30 Modification Points."
Tang San picked up the golden thread: "Let's call it Goldfish Whisker Needle. A weapon's quality depends on who uses it."
Unbeknownst to him, with that one line, the mysterious ranked-8 weapon from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: Hidden Weapons Guide, formerly the sinister Dragon Whisker Needle, quietly morphed into the weird and whimsical Goldfish Whisker Needle.
Meanwhile, Zhang Fan and Xiao Wu continued heading south, passing vast farmlands, and soon reached a small village.
The village had about a hundred homes, with a wooden fence surrounding it.
At the entrance, a bunch of people had gathered—most were about the same age as them, some accompanied by parents.
A worn-out sign rested on a table near the entrance. Behind it sat a gray-haired elder in his sixties.
Next to him stood a tattered signboard that read "Shrek Academy", with a weird green-faced monster logo.
"This is supposed to be a school?" Xiao Wu blinked. "Isn't this a scam?"
"Should be real." Zhang Fan walked up.
Xiao Wu followed closely behind.
(End of Chapter)