Enthusiastic Girl

Star Luo Empire.

Zhu Manor.

"You mean, just as you were about to succeed, you happened to run into that person?!" Zhu Zhuyun's expression was cold, and her tone gave no hint of how she felt.

"Yes."

Scarface Soul Saint said with lingering fear, "Moreover, I suspect that person may have been hiding in the shadows and observing Second Miss for a long time, but never revealed themselves."

After all, upon suddenly learning that one would take someone as a disciple in the future, anyone would likely be curious. They would probably seek that person out and observe them in secret.

They had acted too late. They had failed to kill Zhu Zhuqing before that person found her, and now that this future master and disciple had met, killing Zhu Zhuqing was no longer possible.

Naturally, Zhu Zhuyun understood this as well. She only hated that her subordinates had been unlucky and found Zhu Zhuqing too late, thus missing their chance.

It truly seemed that Heaven wanted me dead.

"..."

Zhu Zhuyun let out a soft breath, closed her eyes, and suppressed the urge to curse. She waved a hand, signaling for him to leave.

Scarface Soul Saint said nothing more. After giving a bow, he turned and left.

Not long after Scarface Soul Saint departed, a series of smashing sounds suddenly erupted from the previously quiet room! Clearly, someone was throwing things again.

And in the days to come, Zhu Zhuyun would likely be unable to live in peace. Every day, she would be fearful and anxious, terrified that the younger sister she had bullied so miserably would seek revenge after rising to prominence.

The next day.

After casually finding an inn and resting for the night.

Zhu Zhuqing finally adjusted her mood. She left the inn, exited Suotuo City through the South City Gate, and headed toward her destination.

Zhu Zhuqing did not know much about Shrek Academy. She only knew that Dai Mubai was currently attending that academy.

She had originally harbored a sliver of hope, thinking the academy ought to be rather extraordinary. But after seeing Dai Mubai's drunken, debauched state yesterday, she had to question the academy's educational standards.

After leaving Suotuo City, Zhu Zhuqing followed the road south. Vast stretches of farmland lay on both sides of the official road. Suotuo City had not earned its reputation as the Granary Capital of the Balak Kingdom for nothing. Yet aside from those broad fields, there was not a single building in sight that resembled an academy.

Zhu Zhuqing's lovely brows could not help but furrow slightly. According to the address she knew, Shrek Academy should have been visible not far after leaving Suotuo City's southern gate, right? Why was there not even the slightest sign of an academy now?

After walking a little farther.

The outlines of some buildings gradually appeared ahead.

She realized it seemed to be a village?

Then she might as well ask the villagers whether they knew where Shrek Academy was.

Having made up her mind, Zhu Zhuqing immediately quickened her pace. As she drew closer, she estimated that it was a village of roughly a hundred households. A wooden fence encircled it, seemingly meant to keep out wild beasts.

At that moment, quite a few people seemed to have gathered at the village entrance. She did not know what was happening.

After walking a little farther and approaching the place, Zhu Zhuqing realized something was off. There truly were quite a few people gathered at the entrance, most of them boys and girls around twelve or thirteen years old. Most were accompanied by their parents.

A table had been set up at the entrance, and behind it sat an old man in his sixties.

Of course, that was not the important part.

Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at the village entrance. Hanging from a wooden archway was a somewhat shabby plaque carved with five simple words—Shrek Academy.

Before those five words was a green portrait that looked like the head of some humanoid monster. The old man behind the table also wore a similar green circular badge on his chest. It appeared to be Shrek Academy's school emblem.

In other words, this shabby little village was the so-called Shrek Academy???

Zhu Zhuqing felt her mind go dizzy.

Even though she had long since stopped expecting much from the academy Dai Mubai attended, she had never imagined it could be this absurd!

Could this dump even be called a Soul Master Academy?

Just as she was struggling to accept reality and her mind was somewhat blank, a voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Hello..."

The voice was soft and pleasant. Just from hearing it, one could imagine that its owner was surely a gentle, well-bred young lady.

Zhu Zhuqing came back to her senses, and her expression returned to its usual indifference, though she seemed even colder than before.

She turned around and looked at the owner of the voice.

She wore a long blue-green dress, and her smooth coffee-colored hair fell around her shoulders. Two slender braids held in place the center-parted bangs combed to either side of her head. Beneath those bangs was a delicate oval face, fair and tender with a faint blush, charming and adorable~

The girl's eyes were the color of sapphires. Framed by long lashes, they looked bright and watery, and her entire person exuded a fresh, elegant air.

It's her?!

Though her appearance was somewhat more youthful than in the video, Zhu Zhuqing recognized the girl before her at a glance. She was Ning Rongrong, the partner who had fought in spirit battles alongside her in the earlier Future Video, the one whose martial soul was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

"Ah, it really is you!"

When Ning Rongrong saw Zhu Zhuqing turn around, her face immediately lit up with delight. Then, acting as though they were already familiar, she said, "Hello, my name is Ning Rongrong. I hope we can be friends. And you?"

"Hello."

Zhu Zhuqing remained cool and distant. The outwardly aloof girl found it rather difficult to deal with such enthusiasm. But she also knew that without the Future Video's interference, the girl before her would become one of her closest friends in the future.

Thus, after learning of the future, it was perfectly normal for Ning Rongrong to want to be friends with her.

And having watched the earlier Future Video, Zhu Zhuqing naturally would not shut out the enthusiastic girl before her. She gave her own name as well. "Zhu Zhuqing."

She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Are you also here to apply to Shrek?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not say whether she wanted to be friends. But Ning Rongrong did not mind in the slightest and remained just as enthusiastic. "Yes, what a coincidence. Then maybe the two of us will be classmates in the future. Perhaps that's why we teamed up for spirit battles in the future."

"Mm."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, looking like a woman of few words. She truly was not good at handling overly enthusiastic people.

But while Ning Rongrong wore a smiling face, deep down, she was recalling her father's repeated instructions before she had left home: "If you meet your Brother Ye Cheng, you must do your best to build a good relationship with him!"

That was the true reason Ning Rongrong was being so enthusiastic!