Master's Arrangements

The carriage slowly came to a stop beside Shrek Academy's battered gate, which was missing a plank. Its wheels rolled over the uneven gravel road outside, making a soft rumbling sound before screeching to a halt. The friction of the turning axle was like a dull saw, tearing through the silence of the deep-night forest.

"We're here! Wake the hell up!" Zhao Wuji's hoarse voice suddenly exploded, like an old bronze gong at the village temple being struck hard. Even the carriage walls trembled slightly, instantly waking the drowsy group inside.

Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes groggily, her long lashes still damp with unshed moisture. Mumbling, "Let me sleep a little longer," she accidentally bumped her elbow against the side of her waist that Yu Tianxin's Soul Power had injured during the day. She sucked in a sharp breath, and the hiss sounded especially clear in the quiet carriage. Oscar sat up with a yawn, his head still muddled. His backside slipped, and he nearly fell off the hard wooden seat. He hurriedly grabbed the handrail beside him and barely steadied himself, his hair a complete mess like a chicken's nest. Dai Mubai leaned against the corner of the carriage. Hearing the shout, he took a deep breath. A faint, suppressed pain accompanied the rise and fall of his chest, but he was still the first to straighten his back and stand. The movement pulled at the wound on his back where he had been struck by Thunder Power. A low groan escaped his throat, and fine cold sweat seeped from his brow, yet he stubbornly held his head high, refusing to let anyone see even a trace of weakness.

The commotion in the carriage jolted Xiao Xiaoxiao awake. As though someone had yanked her, she instinctively sat up straight, her back still carrying the warmth of whatever she had been leaning against. When she turned her head, she found Tang San's shoulder. He calmly withdrew the hand that had been cushioning the side of her forehead. His fingers curled slightly, apparently numb from holding the same position for too long. He lightly moved his arm a few times, his joints making faint sounds, his expression as composed as if her sleeping against his shoulder the entire way had been the most natural thing in the world.

"Uh... thank you." Xiao Xiaoxiao's cheeks abruptly heated, as if scorched by coals. She quickly shifted aside to put some distance between them, her gaze evasive as she did not dare look into his eyes.

Tang San merely gave a quiet "Mm." His voice was low, revealing no emotion. He then stood and followed Dai Mubai out of the carriage, the hem of his black clothes swaying gently in the night wind.

Outside the carriage, Teachers Shao Xin and Lu Qibin had already been waiting. Shao Xin held a cloth bundle and hurried over to Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu. He first lifted Dai Mubai's clothes to inspect the wound on his back, frowning slightly. Then he pressed Xiao Wu's waist before pulling several round sugar pills from the bundle and stuffing them into their hands. He gave one to each of the others as well, speaking urgently. "Hurry! Go back and find somewhere quiet to meditate. Absorb the medicine in these pills, and don't waste it! I made these with medicinal herbs I saved up for ages!"

Flender stood nearby with his money pouch in his arms. For once, his usually smiling face did not mention his winnings. Looking at the little monsters before him, all listless and carrying injuries of varying severity, he waved his hand. There was a faint, almost imperceptible ache in his tone, though he still spoke harshly. "Get back and rest! You have half the morning tomorrow to recover. Master has plans for you in the afternoon, so don't be late!"

The group felt as though they had been granted a pardon. Their taut nerves instantly relaxed, and they supported one another as they headed toward the dormitories. Oscar draped an elbow over Ma Hongjun's shoulder, his steps unsteady as he kept muttering, "I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted." Ma Hongjun burped, still carrying a faint scent of flames. He did not have the energy to bicker with him and simply trudged forward.

After walking a few steps, Tang San caught sight of Xiao Xiaoxiao still lagging behind from the corner of his eye. Her face remained pale, like a thin sheet of white paper without the slightest trace of color. Her steps were unsteady as well. When she got out of the carriage and stepped onto the stone road, she swayed slightly and nearly fell, hastily grabbing the carriage shaft for support. His steps paused, and he instinctively slowed down to wait for her. The two silently walked side by side at the back of the group. The laughter and chatter ahead gradually faded away, leaving only their footsteps softly echoing in the night.

Moonlight slipped out from behind the clouds and spilled across the ground like a thin layer of silver frost. It stretched their shadows long and long, overlapping them before slowly separating with their steps, then drawing close again.

As they neared the fork leading to the dormitories, Tang San suddenly spoke. His voice was low, as though afraid of disturbing the night's quiet. "Your Spiritual Power exhaustion is more serious than your Soul Power depletion. After you return, try using the circulation route of the Mysterious Heaven Skill to guide your Soul Power slowly toward the Sea of Consciousness between your brows. Nurture it for half an hour, and you'll recover faster."

Xiao Xiaoxiao froze, even stopping in her tracks as though she had not processed his words. The Mysterious Heaven Skill? Wasn't that a secret technique of the Tang Sect? Though he had only mentioned a basic application, techniques like this were not something Tang San would casually pass on, even in the slightest. She had heard Master mention before that Tang San's techniques were family inheritances, never easily shown to others.

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill?" she repeated instinctively, uncertainty in her voice.

"A basic cultivation technique. Teacher knows about it." Tang San's tone remained ordinary, as though he were saying the moon was round tonight. Yet he stopped as well and turned to look at her, his gaze calm. "It helps restore Spiritual Power. Give it a try."

"Oh... all right. Thank you." Something seemed to gently strike Xiao Xiaoxiao's heart, leaving it a little ticklish and a little warm. She secretly glanced at him. Moonlight fell over his profile, outlining his clear features—the high bridge of his nose, the taut line of his jaw. His expression was as calm as ever, without the slightest ripple, as though he had not just shared a secret technique, but merely offered an ordinary reminder.

By the time they reached the girls' dormitory, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong had already supported each other upstairs, their quiet conversation drifting from the corridor. Zhu Zhuqing stood on the steps outside the dormitory door with her arms crossed over her chest, her black hair cascading down her back. She glanced at Tang San and Xiao Xiaoxiao as they approached side by side. Her gaze lingered for an instant on Xiao Xiaoxiao's pale face before shifting away. "Do you need help?"

"No, no. I'm fine now. Thank you, Zhu Qing." Xiao Xiaoxiao hurriedly waved her hands. She could feel her strength slowly returning, though her complexion was still poor.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded and said nothing more. She turned and entered the dormitory building, her black figure quickly vanishing into the shadows of the corridor.

Only the two of them remained downstairs. The night wind blew past, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees from the forest, along with a hint of chill.

"Go back and rest." After saying that, Tang San turned to head toward the boys' dormitory, his steps steady.

"Tang San!" For some reason, Xiao Xiaoxiao blurted out, her voice sounding somewhat abrupt in the night.

He paused and turned around. There was no expression on his face as he simply looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Um... you were injured too. Your arm... is it all right?" She remembered that in the arena during the day, he had taken several of Yu Tianheng's thunder strikes head-on to protect her. His sleeve had been burned black at the time. Though he had later used Soul Power to suppress the injury, it could not possibly have healed so quickly.

Hearing this, Tang San raised his right arm and moved it gently. His joints gave a faint crack. His tone was calm, as though he were speaking of someone else. "It's a minor injury. A night of meditation will take care of it." His gaze swept over her still-pale face. After a brief pause, he added, "Just take care of yourself. Don't overthink it."

With that, he did not linger. He turned and strode toward the boys' dormitory, his black figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the dormitory area, leaving behind only his upright back.

Xiao Xiaoxiao stood where she was. The night wind stirred her hair with a touch of coolness, but her cheeks remained hot, as though she were holding a tiny stove against them. She still held the sugar pill Teacher Shao Xin had given her. Warmth from the pill seeped into her fingertips, while its sweet, cloying taste seemed to linger on her tongue and slowly spread. She took a deep breath. The heaviness in her chest seemed to dissipate considerably. Though her steps were still a little unsteady, they felt inexplicably lighter. She slowly turned and walked up the steps of the girls' dormitory.

That night, Shrek Academy was unusually quiet. Even the normally noisy insects chirped far less often. Only moonlight silently fell over the dilapidated school buildings, draping everything in a gentle halo.

In the boys' dormitory, Tang San returned to his room but did not immediately lie down to rest. He sat cross-legged on his bed, formed a hand seal, and closed his eyes as the Mysterious Heaven Skill slowly began to circulate. Pale blue Soul Power flowed through his body, slowly surging along his meridians toward his right arm. It cleared the meridians that had become somewhat congested from the impact of Thunder Power. With each cycle, the soreness in his arm eased a little. A faint white mist rose from around him like a thin veil, enveloping him within it.

His eyes were closed, yet the scene in the carriage earlier surfaced uncontrollably in his mind—Xiao Xiaoxiao resting against his shoulder, breathing softly, her long lashes hanging quietly like those of a docile kitten. Her soft head had lightly brushed against his shoulder with the rocking of the carriage, carrying a faint fragrance. Then there was the scene in the arena that day: her nearly translucent pale face as she forced herself to overdraw her Spiritual Power and release the illusion to help everyone win, and after their victory, her eyes shining brilliantly as though filled with starlight, the smile at the corners of her lips brighter than the sun.

The rhythm of the Mysterious Heaven Skill suddenly faltered for an instant. His Soul Power paused within his meridians and nearly strayed from its route.

Tang San's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, the space between them twitching faintly. He swiftly gathered his focus, forcibly casting aside those chaotic thoughts and sinking back into cultivation. His Soul Power became steady and smooth once more. Yet in that interrupted instant, moonlight from outside happened to spill in and fall across his face, as though it had glimpsed the faint, barely noticeable ripple beneath his calm exterior. It silently flowed on until the east turned pale with dawn.