Yu Daoyun cleared his throat, the corner of his mouth lifting as he said in a low voice:
"Senior Sister, let me tell you a story from Journey to the West's Eighty-One Tribulations: Zhu Bajie Crashes the Heavenly Wedding."
"On their journey to fetch the scriptures, Tang Sanzang took on three disciples and a White Dragon Horse. The eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, was mighty; the second, Zhu Bajie, was greedy and lecherous; and the third, Sha Wujing, was hardworking and dutiful."
"Of the three disciples, Zhu Bajie was the most amusing. Every time their master was captured, he'd start clamoring to split up the luggage and go back to Gao Family Village."
"One day, they arrived at Four Saints' Village. Four bodhisattvas transformed into beautiful women and pretended they wanted to marry their daughters to Tang Sanzang. But Tang Sanzang had come to obtain the true scriptures, so naturally he refused."
"At that point, the lecherous Zhu Bajie stepped forward to take his master's place and suffer in his stead. He even wanted to marry all four of them. The bodhisattvas saw the perfect chance to have some fun at the pig's expense."
"So the bodhisattvas played a game with Zhu Bajie. They blindfolded him in a room and told him to grab one of them. Whoever he caught would marry him."
Zhang Lexuan blinked her beautiful eyes and asked curiously, "Did Zhu Bajie catch one?"
"No."
Yu Daoyun smiled and continued, "The bodhisattvas toyed with Zhu Bajie, then let them go."
Zhang Lexuan laughed like a honking goose. "Those bodhisattvas were so wicked, picking on that lecherous pig. If he hadn't been so lustful, they wouldn't have tricked him."
But as she laughed, she suddenly fell silent.
Wasn't she just as pitiful? She was no different from Zhu Bajie, the one who'd been toyed with.
Her family had been wiped out. After coming to Shrek, she'd agreed to become Beibei's child bride, but now she and Beibei were drifting farther and farther apart.
Wasn't Beibei toying with her, too?
Just then, Yu Daoyun moved closer and asked, "Senior Sister, is something weighing on your mind? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help."
"You can't help me. It's not really something weighing on my mind. I just remembered some unpleasant experiences." Zhang Lexuan shook her head, with no intention of sharing it with Yu Daoyun.
Yu Daoyun sighed. "You're troubled by that promise, aren't you?"
"You... How did you know?"
Zhang Lexuan's eyes widened. She glanced at the younger disciples around them and quickly stepped away, afraid someone might overhear their secret.
Yu Daoyun explained, "I heard Old Mu mention it. He once regretted it in private, too. He felt guilty for letting you make that promise."
As he said this, even his own conscience stabbed at him.
Mu En had never said any such thing. He was just bluffing Zhang Lexuan.
At his words, tears immediately welled in Zhang Lexuan's eyes. She said softly, "That was my choice. It has nothing to do with Old Mu."
She truly hadn't expected Old Mu to still remember it.
Yu Daoyun consoled her. "Senior Sister, don't make things hard for yourself. Don't sacrifice yourself just to make someone else happy. It's a foolish thing to do. No one will see what you've given up. We should live happy lives."
Zhang Lexuan was stunned by his words. She remained silent for a long time.
Her junior disciple had a point, but she would still honor the promise she'd made back then. Even if she never married, she wouldn't break it.
Beside her, Yu Daoyun sighed quietly.
Poor Senior Sister.
The two didn't speak about Beibei again for the rest of the journey, but Zhang Lexuan's impression of Yu Daoyun improved. She thought the little guy had a real way with words.
After all, he was only eight, yet he could say something so profound. He was truly extraordinary.
Two days later, Shrek's Supervisory Team reached the Spirit Mountain Range in the Dou Ling Empire.
After they landed, Xuan Zi instructed them, "According to the intel, these Evil Soul Masters are active around the Star Dou Great Forest and the Spirit Mountain Range. They use Soul Beasts to conceal their movements, then seize the opportunity to mine the ore deposits and slaughter innocent villagers and Soul Masters."
"Our team will split into three groups and comb the Spirit Mountain Range. The moment you discover any sign of Evil Soul Masters, notify the others immediately."
The other members of the Supervisory Team followed his orders and began dividing into groups, ready to carry out the mission.
Yu Daoyun, however, was at a loss for words.
How was it that every time Xuan Zi had something to do, he either drank or slept, forgetting the task entirely?
The Grand Elder had really let himself go.
Yu Daoyun immediately asked, "What are you going to do, Elder? You're a Super Douluo. Searching for Evil Soul Masters should be what you're best at."
Xuan Zi chuckled, took a sip from his wine gourd, and said, "Naturally, I'm going to protect your safety."
Yu Daoyun rolled his eyes.
Sure enough, it was the same as always. The moment they arrived, he started slacking off.
Xuan Zi really couldn't be relied on.
Yu Daoyun said at once, "Elder Xuan, you're the one who should be carrying out the search. Your Soul Power is the highest, so you'll find the Evil Soul Masters quickly. We can just handle the execution once you do."
"With you on the job, those Evil Soul Masters would be as good as caught!"
His words were like a bell ringing in their ears. The members of Shrek's Supervisory Team agreed that he was right.
With Xuan Zi on the job, they could find the Evil Soul Masters much faster.
It was just that no one had ever asked Xuan Zi to go on a mission before, so he'd naturally gotten lazy and taken on the role of bodyguard.
Xuan Zi only chuckled. "I'm honing your skills and improving your ability to scout. Your safety is what matters most."
Lazy is lazy. Why come up with so many excuses? Yu Daoyun cleared his throat. "Then I'll just have to tell Old Mu all about how this mission was carried out once it's over."
At those words, Xuan Zi, who'd been drinking, suddenly choked.
His expression changed, too.
It was like a blade had been placed against his neck, ready to fall at any moment.
Left with no choice, Xuan Zi agreed. "All right, I'll go search first. Stay here and wait for me. If anything happens, notify me immediately."
With that, Xuan Zi put his gourd back into his Soul Tool and dashed into the dense forest, beginning his search for the Evil Soul Masters.
Zhang Lexuan and the others silently gave Yu Daoyun a thumbs-up.
In all these years, this was the first time they'd seen anyone make Xuan Zi obey so completely and go carry out a mission himself.
Sure enough, it had to be Yu Daoyun.
If Xuan Zi took the lead on every mission, things would be much easier, and the Inner Court students would have a better chance of surviving.
Yu Daoyun merely shook his head with a smile.
Xuan Zi was strong, no doubt about it. He really was Level 98. When nothing was happening, he could serve as a mascot and scare people. But when it came to carrying out missions, he was just too lazy.
If Mu En were around, he wouldn't dare sleep.
Afterward, the team began putting on their Soul Tool equipment, ready for any unexpected situations.
Not far away, Cai Mei'er had watched it all.
She thought to herself, As expected, Old Mu's concerns weren't unfounded. Xuan Zi really can mess things up. It's a good thing little Yu Daoyun is clever.
This child really is Shrek's future.
If Old Mu is gone, this little guy will be able to keep Xuan Zi in line.
About two hours later, Xuan Zi returned, dusty and travel-worn. Dew clung to his unkempt hair as he took a long swig of wine.
The students from Shrek's Supervisory Team hurried over to him.
Zhang Lexuan asked, "Elder Xuan, did you find anything?"
Xuan Zi chuckled and replied, "Those Evil Soul Masters were good at hiding, but I still found them. They're mining ore three hundred meters underground, dozens of li away."
With that, he planted his hands on his hips, waiting for the students to praise him.
But, unexpectedly, the members of Shrek's Supervisory Team all turned their eyes toward Yu Daoyun, admiration written plainly on their faces.
Amazing!
Truly amazing!
They'd never been given such an easy mission before. So all their past hardships had come from failing to make use of their resources.
If only Xuan Zi had gone out first sooner.
Before you continue