Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West

Cai Yue'er's heart was tangled with hatred and resentment. If she had known beforehand that the target's elders were Purgatory Douluo and Cold Rhyme Douluo, she never would have acted so recklessly.

Only mediocrities feared causing trouble—but even then, you had to pick the right people to provoke.

Having suffered the greatest loss of her life, Silver Moon Douluo wanted nothing more than to tear those two bastards from the Mystic Nether Sect apart with her bare hands.

Whoosh.

Before she could think further, a force of suction swept over her, and endless darkness engulfed Cai Yue'er's consciousness.

"We're handing her over to you, but if anything goes wrong, I'll come to your door personally and demand an explanation."

Watching Qian Gu Qingfeng take away Cai Yue'er's soul, Yun Ming spoke calmly. The instant his words fell, Heaven and Earth Origin Energy seemed to explode. Though the park remained silent, it was as if towering waves had been stirred up.

Qian Gu Qingfeng admitted that he was no match for him, but he was far from afraid. "Rest assured. At the Heavenly Spirit Tower, I'll prepare an entire floor for her alone. No one will disturb her."

"Bring him to the academy tomorrow."

Yun Ming said nothing more. After taking Cai Yue'er's body with him, he and Ya Li turned into streams of light and departed.

This negotiation had been so simple and swift that it was unbelievable. A member of the Sea God Pavilion had been left behind just like that.

Even Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng, who had prepared themselves for battle, were somewhat surprised.

"Liujing greets Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother."

After Yun Ming and Ya Li left, Nan Liujing respectfully bowed to the two elders.

"Your eyes are just like your mother's." The chill on Xia Zheng Leng's face faded, becoming a gentle warmth like a spring breeze.

Nan Liujing remembered that his mother's eyes had also been dark blue.

Qian Gu Qingfeng's burly figure stepped forward. He lightly patted Nan Liujing's shoulder and smiled. "To remain calm in the face of a Super Douluo's threat—you were far better than I was at your age."

"You flatter me." Nan Liujing answered honestly, "It wasn't that I was particularly calm. I mainly thought my teacher was nearby, so I had no fear. I just didn't expect him not to be there, while the two of you appeared instead."

Being able to take down Cai Yue'er was something Nan Liujing had never expected.

All because two juniors tattled on her—five years, do you know how long five years... Oh, wait, Cai Yue'er was the one being locked up. Then never mind.

Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng exchanged smiles. The latter said softly, "All these years, your Great-Grandfather and I never came to see you. Do you resent us for it?"

Nan Liujing replied sincerely, "Not only do I not resent you, I'm very happy instead. Because in this world, I now have two more family members."

Those words struck Xia Zheng Leng right in the heart. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she stepped forward and pulled Nan Liujing into her embrace. "Good child."

Though several generations separated them, the bloodline of Douluo Continent was exceptionally enduring. Nan Liujing could clearly feel his bloodline stir within him, and a warm smile formed on his lips.

The embrace soon ended. With tears glimmering in her eyes, Xia Zheng Leng softly said to her beloved, "Qingfeng, take that old witch Cai Yue'er back first. I have some things to say to Liujing."

"Alright." Qian Gu Qingfeng nodded.

Once he left, Nan Liujing could clearly sense that the atmosphere had become somewhat strange, because Xia Zheng Leng glanced several times at Ye Xinglan, who was still unconscious.

"Liujing, do you like this girl?"

She went straight for the heart of the matter.

Nan Liujing froze. He hadn't expected his Great-Grandmother to be so direct. Based on how she had been described in the original timeline, wasn't she supposed to be a pure-love warrior?

Did I say something wrong? Was I going to get hit?

After a brief pause, he chose to follow his heart. "I like her quite a bit."

Ye Xinglan still had her tsundere traits, but after two and a half years together, her arrogant, disdainful personality had basically disappeared.

Besides, who wouldn't like a girl who was mischievous only around you while remaining cold toward every other boy?

When he reunited with Wu Sidu in the Spirit Ascension Platform world, he had naturally noticed that Ye Xinglan was a little jealous. In truth, Wu Sidu had no special feelings for him at all. It was purely friendship—she had only been teasing Ye Xinglan the whole time.

Xia Zheng Leng continued, "What about that girl named Wu Sidu?"

"For now, we're just friends," Nan Liujing said frankly, then silently added, But who knows about the future.

He simply liked petting cats. He absolutely had no other intentions.

Xia Zheng Leng sighed. "I don't know whether we've hit rock bottom and rebounded, but for dozens of generations, our Xia family has pursued monogamy in every generation. Even childbirth was left to nature. So even now, your Great-Grandfather and I have no children, and our enormous family has withered until only you and I remain."

"If the family were flourishing, Great-Grandmother would definitely set some proper rules for you. But given the current situation, it's time to make some changes."

Nan Liujing's heart stirred.

Xia Zheng Leng said solemnly, "Remember this: never be indecisive in matters of the heart. With your talent and ability, all sorts of girls will surely approach you in the future. If you're devoted, then once you've found the person you like, shamelessly stick by her side for the rest of your life, just as your Great-Grandfather pursued me back then... But if you're romantic, Great-Grandmother will support you too. However, if you dare toy with some young girl's heart, I'll be the first to deal with you."

Nan Liujing knew that people on Douluo Continent were quite open-minded—after all, Ma Hongjun had visited brothels before he was even ten—but his Great-Grandmother's words still left him somewhat dumbfounded.

Bonk!

As if she had guessed what Nan Liujing was thinking, Xia Zheng Leng raised her hand and lightly knocked him on the forehead.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I've noticed signs that you might become a romantic. That boy Sun Kong is busy to death as Mingdu's governor, while your teacher is a hopeless romantic himself. His own love life is a mess, so he might easily lead you astray. If I don't educate you now, it really will be too late."

"Liujing understands." Nan Liujing broke out in a cold sweat and answered respectfully.

"As long as you understand." Xia Zheng Leng noticed Ye Xinglan's eyelashes twitch and immediately lowered her voice. "This girl is about to wake up too. Great-Grandmother will teach you a trick—don't foolishly wake her up directly later."

Nan Liujing leaned closer and listened intently, sighing inwardly. As expected, the older generation knew more tricks!

After returning to the inner court, Ya Li immediately placed Cai Yue'er's body within the Golden Ancient Tree.

Basking in the Golden Ancient Tree's life energy here, her body would be fine even if separated from her soul for years.

"I'm sorry," Yun Ming said apologetically.

Ya Li asked in confusion, "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Yun Ming sighed. "I actually knew about Yue'er's battle armor long ago. But she had just gone through the grief of our teacher passing away at the time, so I couldn't force her to remove the character in her battle armor that belonged to me. I just didn't expect that, in her emotional outburst today, she would say it aloud."

"I thought it was something serious." Ya Li smiled indifferently. "I don't even mind that another woman bore your bloodline. Why would I care about this?"

Yun Ming froze, but soon saw Ya Li's expression turn serious. "I just never expected Yue'er to be so bold. A dignified Sea God Pavilion member actually attacked a young child. Brother Ming, the academy's atmosphere is becoming more and more lawless."

Because she had come from the War God Hall, Ya Li saw the current situation far more clearly than many people of Shrek Academy.

Yun Ming's expression turned solemn. "That's also one of the reasons I agreed to Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng's demand to keep Yue'er in the Spirit Pagoda for five years."

Ya Li asked curiously, "Can you explain in detail?" She was also curious how her usually protective lover had so casually agreed to hand a Sea God Pavilion member over to an opposing force for five years of confinement.

Yun Ming walked out of the Sea God Pavilion and looked at the bright moon. "The academy has been powerful for many years, and the forces we've made enemies of have also grown in number. We've long been at the center of the storm. I can tell you clearly that the Federation has long wanted to get rid of us. You can see it from their increasingly close cooperation with the Spirit Pagoda."

"Even the Heaven Dou Continent has passed word to the Tang Sect that Evil Soul Masters have been vaguely spotted entering and leaving the Spirit Pagoda. Tell me, could there come a day when the Evil Soul Masters, the Spirit Pagoda, and the Federation join forces against us?"

Ya Li's pupils contracted sharply.

Yun Ming said in a deep voice, "The Federation has tolerated us until now only because I'm still here. Yet among Shrek Academy's next generation, I have not seen anyone qualified to support this ancient academy through their own strength. Once we are gone, what awaits the academy will surely be thunderous strikes from the Federation and other forces. They understand far too well the importance of uprooting the grass and eliminating the roots."

"When that time comes, the crisis the academy faces will be even more perilous than the eras of Ancestor Tang San and Ancestor Huo Yuhao."

Yun Ming turned around, his expression stern. "Qian Gu Qingfeng is upright and devoted to his wife. I can rest assured letting him take Yue'er away. Consider these five years a chance for Yue'er to settle herself. Besides, this is only the initial stage of my plans. That child named Liujing possesses talent far more astonishing than you or I imagined, so I intend to have him join the academy. I even intend to cultivate him into a special member of the Sea God Pavilion."

"A special member?" Ya Li did not understand, but she was greatly surprised. This was the first time she had heard her lover praise someone's talent as astonishing.

Yun Ming said, "Both of his elders are high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda, so convincing him to join the academy will be difficult. But we can give him a special position, allowing him to become a Sea God Pavilion member, granting him access to the academy's core, while not preventing him from becoming a Spirit Pagoda councilor. At that point, I believe Qian Gu Qingfeng will choose seriously. Even if he doesn't, Xia Zheng Leng will consider it carefully. Who wouldn't want their descendants to gain more benefits?"

Ya Li worried, "Giving him access to the academy's core may provoke dissatisfaction from the Tang Sect."

Yun Ming said sternly, "Of course I know the Tang Sect may be dissatisfied. But if this child can truly become a Sea God Pavilion member through his own strength, it will be equivalent to branding him as Shrek's. Within the Spirit Pagoda and the Federation, he will naturally be ostracized by those hostile to Shrek. When that time comes, the academy's doors, opened to him without reservation, will surely make him remember this bond."

"Yet no matter how much he is ostracized, it cannot change the fact that his elders are core high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda, nor can it change the possibility that he will inherit a high-ranking position in the future. By then, he will inevitably hold considerable influence within the Spirit Pagoda."

Ya Li frowned again. Was plotting against a child like this really any different from Cai Yue'er directly making a move?

Yun Ming and Ya Li were nearly of one mind. He knew what his wife's frown meant and patiently explained:

"If the academy encounters disaster someday in the future, I hope he can lend us a hand. This child's background and talent determine how I regard his position, and that is why I am doing all this."

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Today's child may not be unable to grow into a towering tree in the future."

"As for whether disaster will come, I don't know. After all, I, Yun Ming, have not fallen. For the next hundred years, as long as I live another day, any petty scoundrels who dare cause trouble will have to bear my wrath."

Future updates will be delayed until around six in the evening. I forgot to tell everyone yesterday—sorry, sorry.

Also, I have a question. I saw some readers say that Yun Ming achieved the rank of demigod through Ya Li's Power of Faith and his teacher's help, but the original text is too long and I couldn't find it. Can anyone tell me which chapter it was in?