Er Ming Appears

"By the way, Xiao Wu asked me to let you know that she had officially withdrawn from Shrek."

"The male-to-female ratio here is seriously unbalanced. It was inconvenient for a girl like her to stay here, wasn't it?"

Yu Xiaogang looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was already ranting furiously.

Is this guy sick? He looks so young. Was he really as extraordinary as Flender made him out to be?

Look at that punchable face of his. If I could beat him, I'd slap him twice.

If you want to leave, then hurry up and go. Better yet, take Xiao Wu far away with you!

He wished Xiao Wu would never show up again. It would be best if she stopped distracting Tang San from his cultivation.

Speaking of which, after Xiao Wu left, Tang San had actually worked even harder at cultivating. He had just broken through Rank 30 yesterday, which only reinforced Yu Xiaogang's beliefs.

Coincidentally, he had just informed everyone that they would head to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow to help Oscar and Tang San hunt Soul Rings.

"Withdrawing is a personal freedom. If you came here to show off, then there's no need."

"Shrek never keeps students who are half-hearted and have no sense of belonging."

"If there's nothing else, please leave."

Ye Feiyang could not be bothered to look at Yu Xiaogang's sour face, as though someone owed him thirty cents. He turned to Tang San instead.

"Little San, why are you looking at me like you want to kill me? Oh~ You must really hate me, huh?"

"After all, I'm better-looking than you and stronger than you. It's normal for you to be jealous."

He reached out and patted Tang San's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

Tang San slapped his hand away, his face full of anger. His voice was firm and resolute. "I'll definitely defeat you! Just you wait!"

"That would be wonderful! I'll be waiting~"

"Oh, right. I came to deliver some Lan Yin Grass to you. Aren't you happy?" Ye Feiyang grinned as he held out the flowerpot in his hand.

Ah Yin, inside the flowerpot, imperceptibly released a trace of Soul Power, trying to make Tang San notice her.

However, without even thinking, Tang San directly slapped the flowerpot to the ground with a loud smack.

The flowerpot shattered, and one branch of the Lan Yin Grass broke as well...

For some reason, although he had clearly heard the flowerpot breaking, Tang San felt as though he had heard the sound of a heart shattering.

He suddenly felt a little regretful. He regretted taking out his anger on that pot of Lan Yin Grass.

Something inexplicably tugged at his heart. Watching Ye Feiyang crouch down to tidy up the Lan Yin Grass, he strangely felt a sense of familiarity from that blade of grass.

He had to have been angered out of his mind to have such a bizarre thought.

Heh, heh, heh. Tang San, you really are a genius, Ye Feiyang laughed wildly inwardly. Hahaha~ Ah Yin, look. This is your precious son!

All right, you've seen him now. Since he doesn't want you, I'll reluctantly take you with me.

Shaking his head with a sigh, he took out a new flowerpot and leisurely replanted Ah Yin.

"Tang San, you really don't want it?"

Tang San was still hesitating. Just as he raised his hand to take the flowerpot, Yu Xiaogang shouted angrily, "Ye Feiyang, please leave!"

Smack.

Ye Feiyang backhanded him across the face, the slap landing solidly on Yu Xiaogang's cheek.

Yu Xiaogang was instantly stunned by the blow. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared furiously at Ye Feiyang. "Ye Feiyang, you..."

Tang San hurried forward to help Yu Xiaogang up, his eyes blazing with fury.

Ye Feiyang clapped his hands, his tone icy. "I've put up with you several times already. I'll leave when I want to leave. Do I need you to rush me? Keep talking nonsense, and I'll knock every tooth out of your mouth."

He turned to Tang San. "I kindly came to bring you something. Fine if you didn't want it, but why did you have to smash it?"

Tang San's expression twisted. If he had been able to defeat Ye Feiyang, he would have long since wanted to rip that mouth apart. "You brought me a pot of Lan Yin Grass just to humiliate me. Did you really think I'd fall for it?"

That was truly what he thought at the moment. The fleeting regret he had felt earlier had vanished completely after Yu Xiaogang was slapped.

"Oh? So that's what you think." Ye Feiyang raised an eyebrow. "You think it's ordinary Lan Yin Grass, but I'm telling you, it's your mother!"

Tang San flew into a rage at those words—this man was not only humiliating him, but insulting his mother as well!

"Ye Feiyang, take your worthless grass and get out of Shrek Academy. You aren't welcome here!"

Ye Feiyang clicked his tongue twice and gave Tang San a somewhat pitying look. "Fine, you're the one who didn't want it!"

"Then I'm leaving. Don't regret it!" He laughed loudly and strode away.

As Tang San watched his retreating back, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, as though something important was about to leave him again.

But that feeling was quickly suppressed by anger. Right now, all he could think about was becoming stronger. Only strength would allow him to take everything back.

After returning to Supreme Academy, Ye Feiyang began rambling at the flowerpot. "Look, I sincerely wanted to return you to your rightful owner~ Too bad your son didn't want you."

"Did that fall hurt? Sorry, I didn't expect him to be so impulsive."

"I'm serious. How about you follow me from now on? You've already died once, so you don't owe them anything. Coming back to life means a brand-new life, and of course you should live it differently!"

"If you agree, I'll find a way to let you take human form ahead of time. How about it?"

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as agreement."

Ah Yin was nearly breaking down inside—she felt that Ye Feiyang was like a devil!

At the moment the flowerpot had shattered, her heart had trembled along with it.

She had clearly released a trace of Soul Power, yet no one besides Ye Feiyang noticed. She had clearly sensed the bloodline bond between them, yet Tang San had shown no reaction at all.

She desperately wanted to jump out and curse Ye Feiyang, but she did not dare—she was too weak. She had only just regained a tiny fragment of her consciousness and could not withstand any further turmoil.

She wanted to escape, but she could not.

She knew Ye Feiyang was full of nonsense and that not a word out of his mouth could be trusted, yet his words stabbed into her heart like needles.

Sometimes, she could not help wondering: would Hao-ge really carry other women off to "fly high"? Otherwise, why had he not come to save her after so long?

At times, she was also dazed by another thought: could Tang San truly be a soul inhabiting another body? Otherwise, why was his gaze so frighteningly unfamiliar, entirely lacking the clarity a young man should have, and instead far too mature?

Could it really be as Ye Feiyang said?

Once the seed of doubt was planted, it was difficult to uproot completely.

And just now, she had truly felt hurt—her own biological son had actually called her "worthless grass"!

Ye Feiyang was still wondering whether Tang Hao had discovered that his "home had been robbed." It had been so many days, yet Tang Hao had not come looking for him. It was rather boring.

He was still thinking about Tang Hao's legs as well. He wondered when he would finally run into him.

He had not expected that casually delivering a pot of grass would have such a huge effect.

Still, not everything he had told Ah Yin was false—he truly did intend to let Ah Yin take human form ahead of time.

Mature Ah Yin had the gentle appearance of a graceful married woman. If she transformed early, would she become a charming young girl instead?

Early the next morning, Ye Feiyang set off for the Star Dou Great Forest with the three girls.

After spending an entire day reaching the outskirts of the forest, they did not stop to rest and directly led the group deeper inside.

"Xiao Wu, now that you're back here, don't you feel a sense of familiarity?" Ye Feiyang suddenly asked.

Xiao Wu froze on the spot. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing beside her also looked utterly confused. "Teacher, what are you talking about?"

Xiao Wu stammered, her eyes darting away. "Teacher, I..."

Ye Feiyang patted her shoulder, his tone relaxed. "Say it. You'll have to come clean sooner or later. If you don't tell them, how are we supposed to meet your family?"

Ning Rongrong's curiosity exploded. "What secret are you two talking around?"

Zhu Zhuqing was also full of question marks.

Xiao Wu took a deep breath and finally gathered the courage to look at her two senior sisters. "Rongrong, Zhuqing, actually, I... I'm a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that took human form. My true body is a Soft Bone Demon Rabbit."

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing: "???????"

After learning that Xiao Wu was a Soul Beast, the two were struck dumb. They stood rooted in place with their little mouths slightly open, their expressions a vivid mix of shock, confusion, and a hint of curiosity.

Ning Rongrong was the first to recover. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Holy crap, that's so cool! This is my first time seeing a living Soul Beast that took human form!"

She held Xiao Wu by the shoulders and kept examining her from head to toe, clicking her tongue repeatedly. "Xiao Wu~ Are those rabbit ears real?"

"You hid something like this from us? Didn't we agree to be besties?"

"Now I finally understand why you acted so strange after meeting my Bone Grandfather that day!"

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. "If you'd told me sooner, I wouldn't have let you worry yourself sick for those days!"

Listening to their conversation, Zhu Zhuqing fell into thought.

She knew that what Xiao Wu needed most right now was their acceptance.

She stepped forward, pulled Ning Rongrong away, and took Xiao Wu's slightly cool hand with a sincere expression. "No matter who you are, you'll always be my third junior sister."

She suddenly understood many things—no wonder Ye Feiyang had defended Xiao Wu in front of Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo that day. He had been backing her up. No wonder Xiao Wu had acted so abnormally afterward and had not even dared to show herself for several days.

She glanced at Ye Feiyang and thought, Teacher must have known Xiao Wu's identity long ago, right?

Thinking back to when she had first met Xiao Wu, that amused smile on Ye Feiyang's face... He had probably planned all of this from the beginning.

Whether it was herself, Ning Rongrong, or Xiao Wu, Teacher's goal had always been very clear.

This teacher really was a scheming old fox! So only she and Ning Rongrong had been kept in the dark?

Xiao Wu was a little bewildered by the two girls' reactions—the scenes of being rejected and feared that she had imagined never appeared. Instead, she received two sincere displays of care.

Her nose tingled, and she was so touched that she nearly cried again.

Thinking about it now, being human was not actually that difficult.

As long as she met the right people and treated them sincerely, she would definitely receive something in return.

Watching the three girls hug one another in a touching sisterhood scene, Ye Feiyang could not help interrupting. "All right, emotional time is over. We came here not only to get your Soul Rings, but also to meet Xiao Wu's family."

"F-family?" Ning Rongrong looked at him blankly.

Ye Feiyang slightly raised his head and spoke calmly. "Mm. Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, there is a Lake of Life..."

He briefly explained the situation there, and the more Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing listened, the more their scalps tingled.

Ning Rongrong instinctively hugged his arm and openly buried her face against his neck. "Teacher, do we really have to go? I'm a little scared..."

Xiao Wu felt somewhat awkward at those words and did not know how to explain it—after all, her family consisted of two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. It really did sound terrifying.

Ye Feiyang patted the back of Ning Rongrong's hand. "What are you afraid of? With Xiao Wu here, there won't be any danger. Right, Xiao Wu?"

Suddenly called out, Xiao Wu hurriedly nodded. "Ah, right, right..."

Ye Feiyang added, "Besides, I was planning to rely on them for our Soul Rings."

All three girls froze at once. "???"

Ye Feiyang looked at the three dumbfounded faces. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ning Rongrong raised her hand. "Teacher, shouldn't you personally make a move, grab a few Soul Beasts with a couple of swishes, and let us absorb them?"

Ye Feiyang waved his hand. "No, no, no! Since we've come to their territory, of course we should let Xiao Wu's family fulfill their duties as hosts."

"Da Ming and Er Ming need to eat, right? When they eat, we can absorb Soul Rings first, and then they can eat afterward. Wouldn't that work?"

"Besides, would your consciences not hurt if you hunted Soul Beasts in front of Xiao Wu?"

"Honestly, you have no awareness at all." He gave Ning Rongrong a disdainful glance.

Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong looked at each other, unsure how to respond—so Soul Rings could be "borrowed" this way?

It sounded somewhat reasonable, but could it really work?

Ye Feiyang's words completely broke Xiao Wu's defenses.

This man always used the most casual tone to say the things that moved her most deeply.

She held back her tears. She had promised Teacher that she would not cry anymore.

"Teacher, did you really mean that?"

"Huh? Is there a problem? This saves us trouble, and it makes you feel better. It kills two birds with one stone." Ye Feiyang looked completely matter-of-fact.

Ning Rongrong immediately caught on and hurriedly added, "Right, right, right! Xiao Wu, we'll be relying on you for our Soul Rings!"

Zhu Zhuqing also gave her a firm look.

Xiao Wu's voice trembled with emotion. "Thank you for caring so much about my feelings. You're all so good to me..."

The group continued talking as they hurried onward.

Xiao Wu pushed aside a large patch of thorns and smoothed down her messy hair. Her eyes suddenly lit up—why was she working so hard to clear the way herself?

"Actually, I can have Er Ming come pick us up."

"Sure, it's getting dark anyway." Ye Feiyang came to his senses as well. Right, how had he forgotten that?

Wouldn't having a "tool" carry them along be faster and more convenient?

After receiving his approval, Xiao Wu used some unknown method. Before long, several earth-shaking booms sounded in the distance.

Birds scattered from the forest, and beasts fled in terror. From afar, giant trees toppled one after another, raising clouds of dust.

An enormous figure was charging recklessly through the forest, forcibly opening a path.

"No, Xiao Wu, does your Er Ming always make such a grand entrance?" Ye Feiyang could not help complaining. The commotion was way too big.

Xiao Wu smiled awkwardly—she had not expected Er Ming to be so straightforward either. It was probably too excited by her arrival.

Since it had bulldozed its way over like this, she could treat the noise as welcome firecrackers.

Looking at Ye Feiyang and Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, who were clinging tightly to either side of his arms, Xiao Wu did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Um, should you wait here first? I'll go say hello to Er Ming..."

Ye Feiyang gave the two girls a reassuring look and said to Xiao Wu, "No need. Since when have I needed you to protect me?"

"It's just a big gorilla..."

Before he could finish, he felt his arms being hugged even tighter.

"T-teacher, it... it's coming!" Ning Rongrong's voice trembled in fear.

Zhu Zhuqing's heart was racing as well—what was that? A moving mountain of flesh?

Er Ming's enormous size gave her an overwhelming visual shock.

Roar—

The moment Er Ming arrived, it immediately began pounding its chest and stomping its feet, for some unknown reason brimming with excitement.

Xiao Wu immediately shouted, "Er Ming, quiet down! You're scaring my senior sisters!"

Unexpectedly, after hearing Xiao Wu's words, Er Ming obediently quieted down. It even gave Xiao Wu a wronged look.

It then glanced at Ye Feiyang and the other two, its gaze instantly turning vicious.

"Er Ming, long time no see. Did you miss your Sister Xiao Wu?"

As she spoke, Xiao Wu took the initiative to pat Er Ming's enormous toe, then wiped her hand on herself with a look of disgust.

Roar...

"You really are stupid. After all this time, you still can't speak human language!"

Roar...

"Mm, I've been doing well. Don't worry."

Roar...

"Oh, you mean them? Come, come, let me formally introduce them to you..."