In the Defense Clan's courtyard, the lanterns were hung one by one just as the sun set, their warm yellow light spilling through the paper shades onto the bluestone pavement. Clutching the Godly Zhuge Crossbow she had just borrowed from Tang San, Bai Chenxiang briskly found Ma Hongjun, her eyes full of curiosity. "Ma Hongjun! Tell me about Lin Zhixia. She's not only beautiful, but her temperament is incredible too. What's she really like?"
Ma Hongjun was chewing on roasted meat. At her words, he swallowed, wiped his mouth, and grinned. "You mean Fourth Sister? She's amazing! To sum her up in two words—extremely protective and fiercely loyal!" Setting down the meat, he counted on his fingers as he recalled, "Back during the Spirit Master Competition against Canglan Academy, remember Jing Ling? Mo Xuan suddenly unleashed his Fourth Spirit Skill, Dark Iron Break, straight at Jing Ling's back. Fourth Sister didn't hesitate for a second. She rushed over and took the hit squarely on her back. She coughed up blood on the spot and lay seriously injured for three days!"
The Godly Zhuge Crossbow in Bai Chenxiang's hands paused, her eyes filled with astonishment. "She went that far?"
"You bet!" Ma Hongjun slapped his thigh, pride in his voice. "Ever since then, everyone at Shrek has recognized her—she's both our academy's 'princess' and our backbone! Whenever anyone got bullied, she was always the first to stand up. Back then, she had no domain or spirit bone; she protected us purely with her own strength!"
As the two talked, in another guest room, Tang San had just placed the wooden box containing Xiao Wu's true body on the table when he heard a knock. When he opened the door, Bai He stood outside holding a brocade box, with two members of