As time slowly entered autumn, the autumn wind whistled mournfully. Heaven Dou City, situated in the north, had already taken on a slight chill. The avenues remained crowded with people and bustling traffic, yet compared to before, they seemed somewhat desolate. The iron cavalry that occasionally passed by with a shrill neigh made passing pedestrians frown.
Several months had passed without notice. The Tang Sect's development had entered a steady phase, while the newly established Battle Hall trained under Ma Hongjun's leadership according to plans devised by the Grandmaster.
Although the Battle Hall was the Tang Sect's branch responsible for external combat and would possess the Tang Sect's greatest fighting force in the future, it was not currently part of the Tang Sect's core. After all, the screening for spies within the Battle Hall was far from complete, and the Tang Sect's core had always been its Hidden Weapons and poisons.
"The Tang Sect will be in your hands from here on."
Outside the Tang Sect, Tang San looked wistfully at the plaque above his head before solemnly speaking to Zhao Xuan before him.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen while I'm here."
Zhao Xuan smiled at Tang San, then swept his gaze over the row of people standing behind him. Shrek's Nine Monsters had gathered together today. Everyone was here.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and... Hermione.
When his gaze reached those eyes at the end, Zhao Xuan's expression seemed to soften considerably. After meeting the girl's eyes, he said to Tang San, "You can't let anything happen to her."
"Don't worry. Even if something happens to us, nothing will happen to her."
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others gathered together and laughed heartily.
A blush rose on Hermione's face. After