I Said We Would Definitely Meet Again

"We were introduced by someone, and we've come here with the intention of friendly exchange," Qian Yun explained.

"Friendly exchange?" Dai Mobai was truly at a loss.

Hu Liena added, "It's because of Qin Ming!"

Dai Mobai understood immediately. He laughed heartily, and his tone even became a bit more intimate. "Oh, so that's how it is. I understand now. Follow me."

Qian Yun nodded at Hu Liena and followed Dai Mobai. Hu Liena walked behind Qian Yun, with Oscar right beside her.

Oscar's peach-blossom eyes glanced at Hu Liena without a trace. On the surface, he was as calm as water, but his heart was pounding. Ever since he had learned of the beauty of women, he had never seen a girl with such outstanding looks and temperament.

Compared to the pure and cute Ning Rongrong, Hu Liena possessed an extra touch of heart-stirring sexiness. Compared to the well-proportioned Zhu Zhuqing, she had an additional layer of purity that radiated from within.

These two completely different temperaments were perfectly embodied in Hu Liena, making it hard not to be fascinated by her.

"Hello, fellow student, my name is Oscar." A smile appeared on Oscar's face, which was even more handsome than a woman's.

It must be said that his image as a pretty boy was indeed very deceptive to those naive young girls. Even if he had some lewd thoughts in his heart, they couldn't be seen on the surface, and his peach-blossom eyes were captivating.

But who was Hu Liena? She was no naive young girl; she was a Spirit Master who had been tested by blood and fire.

Moreover, she was a Spirit Master with very powerful mental strength who excelled in charm!

Even though Oscar hid it extremely well, Hu Liena still sensed the turbid aura on him and the lewdness that flashed through his eyes.

"My name is Hu Liena. Senior, please don't try to hit on me; I already have a boyfriend." Hu Liena wore a polite smile on her face and tilted her fair chin slightly toward Qian Yun's back.

"Uh... haha, you really misunderstood." Having his inner thoughts exposed directly, Oscar felt awkward and forced an explanation.

However, despite saying that, he quietly moved a little further away from Hu Liena.

Hu Liena curled her lips in secret, but she was happy to be left alone. Through their conversation just now, she could already guess what kind of people these two guys, who looked decent on the outside, really were behind the scenes.

On the other side, Dai Mobai was also chatting with Qian Yun. Although he had thoughts of turning over a new leaf, as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

He wasn't very old, but he was already a veteran in the field of romance, so he wouldn't be as impatient as Oscar. He could tell at a glance that the relationship between Hu Liena and Qian Yun was quite deep.

Therefore, if he wanted to get close to Hu Liena, he first had to figure out what kind of background this guy had so he could prescribe the right medicine.

"Brother, are you from the Imperial Fighting Academy? What brings you all the way to this remote corner?" Dai Mobai asked Qian Yun while leading the way.

Qian Yun shook his head. "No, we are from the Martial Soul Academy. We have some connection with Teacher Qin Ming, and he strongly recommended that I come to Shrek Academy to take a look, saying that he guarantees we won't be disappointed."

"Oh, so that's it. Then you might really be disappointed. Our academy is called an academy, but it's actually just a small village. It's thanks to the new students this year being quite good that we haven't gone out of business yet.

Even so, including myself and Little Ao, there are only seven students in the academy now. We might be the only academy with more teachers than students." Dai Mobai gave a self-deprecating bitter smile.

Qian Yun nodded; it seemed the situation was no different from what he had expected.

"You can't say it like that. I've heard that your Shrek has a tradition of only accepting monsters and not ordinary people. Since you were still able to attract students who met the requirements this year, I think the academy must be full of hidden talents, right?"

Dai Mobai laughed as if he had heard something very funny. "Hahaha, brother. You praise us so much that I'm blushing on behalf of our Dean."

He pointed to a wooden board standing in front of them and said, "Look, didn't I say you'd be disappointed? The academy is right here."

"This..." The smile on Qian Yun's face froze. He knew Shrek Academy was dilapidated, but he didn't expect it to be this poor. A wooden board stuck in the ground was the academy gate?

The scene inside went without saying. Looking ahead, it was full of poverty, to the extent that it could be drawn in a single stroke on paper.

Hu Liena was also dumbfounded. How was this an academy? It was clearly the poorest village!

Dai Mobai saw the look of surprise on their faces and felt happy inside. He put his large hand on Qian Yun's shoulder and smiled. "Let's go, shall we take a look around?"

Qian Yun looked back; Qian Yun nodded, but Hu Liena shook her head.

"Alright, please take us to find the Dean so we can state our purpose." Since Qian Yun had already come, how could he back down now?

"Fine." Dai Mobai didn't dawdle and gestured for them to follow.

Hu Liena sighed and rolled her eyes, then lifted her feet to follow.

They didn't see any idlers along the way, so it seemed that, as Dai Mobai said, this really was Shrek Academy.

The academy wasn't large. After crossing an open space, Qian Yun and Hu Liena were led by Dai Mobai to an ordinary wooden house.

Standing in front of this inconspicuous wooden house, the usually uninhibited Dai Mobai rarely restrained his expression and knocked gently on the door.

"Dean, people from the Martial Soul Academy are here to see you."

After a moment of silence, the door was finally creaked open. A tall man of about fifty years old squeezed out from the door frame. He had a very distinctive hooked nose with a pair of crystal glasses perched on it, and his expression was gloomy beneath his graying long hair.

This was the Dean of Shrek Academy, Flender.

As soon as Flender stepped out, his sharp eyes locked onto Qian Yun. His drooping eyelids lifted slightly, and a look of surprise flashed through his eyes.

Qian Yun frowned. Flender's gaze didn't linger for long, but he still had the feeling of being seen through.

"I am the Dean of Shrek Academy, Flender. Do you two little friends have business with me?" Flender introduced himself first. When he spoke, his mouth barely moved, and it sounded unclear, as if he had a thick tongue.

Qian Yun stepped forward and handed over an envelope with both hands. "Hello, Dean Flender. My name is Qian Yun, and this is Hu Liena. We were introduced by Teacher Qin Ming for an exchange. This is the letter of introduction; please take a look."

Hearing the long-lost familiar name, Flender opened the envelope in surprise.

Using the bright sunlight, he adjusted his glasses and read the text on it, nodding frequently. "Not bad, this is indeed the handwriting of that guy Qin Ming; it cannot be faked."

Flender put away the envelope and looked at the two of them again. His stiff facial muscles twitched slightly, which counted as a smile. "Good, I have received your purpose. On behalf of Shrek Academy, I welcome your arrival."

Qian Yun also said, "We are deeply honored."

"Hmm... Oscar." Flender looked toward Oscar, who was standing behind the others. "Go call Zhao Wuji, Hong Jun, and Tang San over here."

"Oh, oh." Oscar nodded, initially confused, then hurriedly took off running.

Dai Mobai stepped forward. "Dean, what are you doing?"

Flender simply raised a hand to cut him off. He didn't explain, only gesturing toward Qian Yun. "Please, the two of you, come with me. Mobai, you come along too."

With that, he didn't wait for their reaction and began walking ahead on his own.

Qian Yun cast an inquiring look at Dai Mobai, who simply shook his head. "Let's just follow for now."

Qian Yun followed Flender all the way back to the clearing they had just passed. Only then did Flender finally reveal his intentions.

"Students Qian Yun and Hu Liena, as you can see, our Shrek Academy cannot be considered a large institution. What we have to show for ourselves is the teaching philosophy we take such pride in. I believe that knowledge gained from books is shallow, so I sincerely invite you to engage in a friendly sparring match with the students of my academy. It would be a chance for mutual exchange and learning. What do you two think?"

Hu Liena and Qian Yun exchanged a glance. The style of this Shrek Academy was truly bold—they wanted to fight the moment they opened their mouths!

However, since the Dean, Flender, had extended the invitation personally, how could they possibly back down?

"We would be delighted!"

At this moment, Oscar, who had left a while ago, finally ran back, panting heavily. "Dean... huff, huff." He pointed behind him while gasping for air. "I've brought them."

Qian Yun and Hu Liena looked over. The first thing that caught their eyes was a man with a build as hulking as a bear. His shoulders were as broad as a wall, and his footsteps kicked up clouds of dust; even from a distance, one could feel the earth trembling slightly.

"Hey, Flender, what's so urgent that it's more pressing than a fire under one's tail?" Zhao Wuji slapped Flender on the back, his massive palm engulfing the man's entire shoulder.

Flender irritably adjusted his glasses, which had slid down to the tip of his nose. If he didn't have to maintain his image in front of outsiders, he would have kicked him away long ago.

"People from Martial Soul Academy want to have a friendly exchange with us. Qin Ming recommended them—here, look at the letter he wrote himself." Flender handed the envelope to Zhao Wuji.

"Whoa! A letter from that guy Qin Ming, written by an educated man! I'd better take a good look." Zhao Wuji carefully unfolded the paper, then tucked it back in.

He exclaimed with a beaming face, "Not bad! Hey, I've heard that kid Qin Ming is a big shot now, he's even become the leader of the Imperial Fighting Academy! He truly is a little beast—oh, I misspoke, a little monster—that I trained myself."

Veins throbbed on Flender's forehead. Sometimes, he really wanted to tear this uncultured bear to pieces.

"Let's get down to business. We're going to have a friendly match with Martial Soul Academy shortly. You're in charge of refereeing!"

"Huh? Refereeing." Zhao Wuji turned to look at Qian Yun and Hu Liena. "How strange, why are we suddenly having a match?"

Still, he stepped forward to introduce himself. "My name is Zhao Wuji. You can just call me Old Zhao."

Qian Yun introduced himself and Hu Liena accordingly.

At this moment, Qian Yun's eyes finally caught sight of three figures, and his heart stirred. The heavy hitters had arrived!

The youth in the blue tight-fitting outfit was dressed simply. Even while running, he didn't appear overly hurried, always giving off an air of composure. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, with a string of white jade beads draped over his body. Though his appearance was ordinary, he gave off an impression of being very easy to approach.

This was Tang San! How many years had it been since Qian Yun arrived in this world? Finally, they were meeting!

Behind Tang San were two more graceful figures: a girl in pink with rabbit-ear ornaments, holding the hand of a girl with skin as white as snow, dressed in a water-blue dress with a serene expression.

As for the fire-red fatty waddling at the very back... apologies, but neither Qian Yun nor Hu Liena paid him any mind.

Qian Yun narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing over Tang San to land on Xiao Wu, a smile curling the corners of his lips.

Xiao Wu, I told you we would definitely meet again!

As they drew closer, Xiao Wu finally recognized who the youth she had felt familiar with from afar really was, especially when she locked eyes with those distinctive golden pupils.

Master... oh no, Boss! Why is he here?!

Xiao Wu's straight, long legs came to an abrupt halt. Ning Rongrong was almost yanked into a stumble. After steadying herself, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Xiao Wu, what's wrong? You stopped so suddenly, you scared me."

Xiao Wu was silent. Her mind was a blank slate; she just turned around subconsciously, dazed.

"Xiao Wu?" Ning Rongrong found it strange and waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu still didn't respond. She lifted her foot, intending to drag Ning Rongrong away from there.

"Eh?" Ning Rongrong was slightly startled. She truly didn't understand why Xiao Wu, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, had suddenly turned into this state. However, she knew one method that would definitely bring Xiao Wu back to her senses.

Ning Rongrong's eyes shifted down from Xiao Wu's willow waist, lingering on that perky curve. She gave a mischievous smirk, raised her palm, and smacked it.

Because she was very confident in its elasticity, Ning Rongrong didn't hold back at all, not needing to worry about hitting bone.

"SMACK!!"

A crisp sound echoed in Ning Rongrong's ears, lingering for a long time.

"Ah! Rongrong, what are you doing? That hurts so much!!" Xiao Wu snapped back to reality, rubbing her backside. In her pain, she didn't even think to hit back.

"Hehe." Ning Rongrong triumphantly raised her palm. "Does it hurt? Go find your Brother San to rub it for you, and it won't hurt anymore."

Xiao Wu's face flushed slightly. "Tch, I don't want that."

Ning Rongrong stepped forward and linked her arm with hers. "What was wrong with you just now? You looked like you'd lost your soul."

"I..." Xiao Wu opened her mouth, subconsciously wanting to confide her fear to her best friend. But in the end, she didn't have the courage, so she just pouted aggrievedly.

"No, it's nothing."

Seeing that Xiao Wu had returned to normal, Ning Rongrong didn't dwell on it further. She pulled Xiao Wu's hand and walked forward. "Then let's hurry up. If we're late, we'll miss all the excitement."