Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Zi landed with Huo Yuhao and the others.
Mu En spotted his great-grandson Bei Bei behind Xuan Zi, then looked at Huo Yuhao. With some effort, he managed to suppress his anger.
Thank goodness Shrek still has young talents like Yuhao and Bei Bei. As long as they grow up and take charge of the Sea God... No, the Ancient Life Tree Pavilion, Shrek still has hope.
"What's the rush?" Having seen a glimmer of hope, Mu En had no desire to talk to Xuan Zi or those other unreliable bugs like Yan Shaozhe. He snapped at them, then turned to greet Huo Yuhao and the others.
"Yuhao, Bei Bei, Xiao Ya, did anything happen on your way back?" The frail-looking Mu En didn't have the slightest trace of the oppressive presence one might expect from the Dragon God Douluo, the Continent's Number One Expert. Instead, he seemed warm and approachable, like a kindly old man.
"Great-grandfather!" Bei Bei answered first. Then he turned to introduce the old man to Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya. "Yuhao, Xiao Ya, this is my great-grandfather, the Sea... Uh, Dragon God Douluo Mu En."
Huo Yuhao looked at the old man before him and opened his mouth, apparently unsure what to call him.
Mu En chuckled. "You can just call me Elder Mu."
"Hello, Elder Mu!" Huo Yuhao showed the respect for elders expected of a well-behaved child.
"Hello, Tang Ya. I'm Elder Mu..." Tang Ya, who had frozen on the spot as soon as Bei Bei finished introducing them, spoke instinctively.
Only after she'd said it did she jolt, her cheeks instantly flushing red. She hurriedly tried to correct herself. "No, I mean, I'm Elder Mu. Hello, Tang Ya..."
"No, that's wrong. Hello, Elder Mu... I—I'm Tang Ya..."
After messing up twice in a row, Tang Ya's eyes went completely blank.
"Hahaha, it's all right. You don't need to be nervous, little one. Bei Bei has told me about you." Mu En laughed heartily. Looking at the three young people before him, he felt as if a sliver of fresh vitality had entered his withered body.
"Oh..." Tang Ya replied stiffly, lowering her head and not daring to look at Mu En again. She stood silently to one side. Though she tried hard to keep up appearances, the disappointment beneath her forced smile was plain to see.
Mu En had lived a long and eventful life, so of course he noticed. But he didn't point it out. Instead, he turned to chat warmly with Huo Yuhao.
In particular, he promised to immediately arrange for people to go to the Heaven Dou Empire and bring back Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er. His words brimmed with concern and showed how much he valued them.
While Mu En was talking with Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei quietly moved closer to Tang Ya and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Ya, what's wrong? You look so pale."
But this time, Tang Ya didn't immediately correct the way Bei Bei addressed her as she usually did. She looked up and gave him a complicated glance. Deep in her eyes lay confusion and disappointment, along with a trace of sadness that was hard to notice.
She shook her head, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "It's nothing..."
Bei Bei didn't fully understand the meaning behind her gaze. He assumed she was just nervous about meeting an elder and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Xiao Ya. My great-grandfather's a very nice person. He's easygoing—he won't hold a little slip of the tongue against you."
"...Mm, I know." Tang Ya managed to force a smile and tamp down the surging emotions inside her, putting on the lively, cheerful face she usually wore. "I'm fine."
But beneath that calm exterior, her heart was being pierced again and again by countless fine needles, each one causing a sharp, stinging pain.
She'd known Bei Bei for so long! They'd spent their days and nights together, walking side by side... Yet she'd never known he came from such an illustrious family!
His great-grandfather was Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo, a peerless powerhouse at the very pinnacle of the continent! The Pillar of the Sky of Shrek Academy!
The shock of that revelation turned her whole world upside down!
Unbidden, every little moment they'd shared began replaying in her mind, each scene taking on a different meaning.
Bei Bei had always known! He knew what haunted her night after night! He knew what she'd been working so desperately toward!
She wanted revenge on the people who had murdered her parents and slaughtered her fellow Tang Sect members and friends! She wanted to reclaim a place for the Tang Sect!
He'd always encouraged her. He'd even solemnly vowed that they would rebuild the Tang Sect together, overcome every obstacle, and make the Tang Sect great again...
After the Heavenly Screen appeared, her feelings had changed. Now she only wanted to avenge herself, then dissolve the Tang Sect and put it all behind her.
But for all those years, she'd been gnawed at day and night by hatred, struggling in a swamp of despair!
She couldn't sleep because she was too weak. She doubted herself because her progress was so slow. Bei Bei had seen all her pain and torment!
She'd given everything she had, trained desperately, and exhausted herself searching for every possible way to become stronger. But her poor talent and weak Martial Soul had been like invisible shackles, locking away all hope!
They'd made her stumble from the very beginning of her Path of Revenge, and reality had crushed her resolve time and time again.
As she'd strained with all her might to struggle, to piece together that distant vision of revenge, what had Bei Bei been doing?
He'd smiled gently and encouraged her, saying, "Let's work hard together."
What else? Help her hunt souls? Keep her company and fool around?
He'd watched her teeter alone at the edge of the abyss, watched despair slowly swallow her up, and all he'd ever done was offer her comforting words from the sidelines.
He'd never considered... or perhaps had never been willing... to use his status, to draw on the power that could so easily change the course of events, and shoulder even a fraction of her burden.
She'd thought they understood each other, that they were friends who could keep fighting side by side.
She could sense Bei Bei's rather straightforward affection for her. But the Family Grudge and Blood Feud had weighed on her like a mountain, leaving her too afraid to truly accept his feelings.
Now, it seemed, she'd simply read too much into things.
She'd thought too highly of herself, naively believing she was special to him.
At the thought, Tang Ya unconsciously turned her gaze toward Huo Yuhao, who was chatting happily with Mu En. A tangle of complicated feelings stirred inside her, feelings she herself didn't fully understand.
Tang Ya remembered the boy on the Heavenly Screen, the one willing to do anything for his mother and risk everything for his companions.
If it had been Yuhao... perhaps the outcome would have been different?
Beside her, Bei Bei had no idea that Tang Ya had been spinning all these thoughts in her head. He was still standing with a group of former Sea God Pavilion members, grinning as he watched Huo Yuhao happily chat with his great-grandfather.
Meanwhile, Mu En and Huo Yuhao had moved on to discussing arrangements for after Huo Yuhao enrolled.
Qian Duoduo spoke up too, assuring Huo Yuhao that he needn't worry. This time, he definitely wouldn't run into another Heaven-Defying Teacher like Zhou Yi.
He also told Huo Yuhao that Zhou Yi had already been dismissed, and that they'd be improving the teachers' professional standards going forward. He was afraid that, after watching the Heavenly Screen, Huo Yuhao might get a bad impression of the academy because of a few outrageous people.
However, to everyone's surprise, Huo Yuhao blinked and said, "Although Teacher Zhou Yi has a bit of a temper..."
"But the Heavenly Screen is the Heavenly Screen. I hope the school won't convict someone over something that hasn't happened in real life."
"Although I don't like what Teacher Zhou Yi did on the Heavenly Screen, I still hope the school won't dismiss her so hastily. That wouldn't be fair!"
Huo Yuhao was laying the groundwork for the later Heavenly Screen Plot. They couldn't let an incredible character like Zhou Yi leave the story so easily.
Before you continue