Herta Mom

"Little one! Did you come to the Far North all by yourself?"

"Uh... actually, I came as half a person!"

Bai Mo put on a serious face.

The girl, dressed in bright and beautiful clothes even in the Far North, froze for a moment before covering her mouth and laughing.

"Little brother is so funny! However, in the Far North, being half a person is very dangerous!"

"My mother came with me! Did this grandma not see her?"

Bai Mo turned his big eyes sincerely toward the old woman behind the young lady.

"Heh~" Herta's sneer rang out in the depths of Bai Mo's mind, but he remained expressionless.

Wang Xian'er, the Medicine Immortal Douluo following Xu Jiujiu, had her expression change drastically and immediately released her spiritual power to scan the surroundings.

"Impossible! Even I cannot detect a trace. Could your mother be a Level 97 Title Douluo?"

Wang Xian'er looked at Bai Mo in shock.

Xu Jiujiu was also shocked as she looked at the little brother who only reached her chest; she never expected that by casually teasing a cute child in the Far North, she would run into a high-level Title Douluo!

"I see. Then it was Xu Jiujiu who was abrupt. With Your Excellency's strength, there is indeed no need to worry about danger."

After coming back to her senses, Xu Jiujiu bowed elegantly toward the space behind Bai Mo.

"Wow! Is Sister Jiujiu a princess? My mother said that she might cooperate with Sister Jiujiu in the future!"

Pretending to have just heard a voice, Bai Mo spoke in surprise.

"Ah! That's right, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire is my older brother. If there is anything Your Excellency needs Xu Jiujiu to do, you can tell me directly!"

Xu Jiujiu stepped forward and patted Bai Mo's head to show closeness, then made a solemn promise toward the space behind him.

"Mom said she won't be polite!"

"Mm!"

Xu Jiujiu looked at the Medicine Immortal Your Excellency behind her, who was acting as if facing a formidable enemy, and knew the conversation should end here.

"Since little brother has Your Excellency's protection, Xu Jiujiu will not be presumptuous. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave!"

After bowing once more, Xu Jiujiu called for Wang Xian'er to leave with her.

"Heh~ How many girls have you tricked now? Hmm? My good son~"

"I have no choice, Mother Herta~ After all, very few people are wary of children. Getting familiar with them now will definitely come in handy when we promote the Jade Abacus later."

"Stop with the glib tongue! Hurry up and move; let me see what a soul beast that has transformed into a human looks like."

Seeing that Herta would no longer speak to him, Bai Mo sighed in boredom and patted the Little Ice Bird's rump to signal it to continue.

Deep within the Far North.

The environment was becoming increasingly harsh; even Bai Mo could feel the pushing force of the cold wind against his body.

It wasn't cold, thanks to Lady Herta's methods being quite powerful—provided the talisman still had power, of course.

"That should be about enough!" Bai Mo felt that his Little Ice Bird could no longer move forward; the area ahead was not one that ordinary people could enter.

Bai Mo closed his eyes and took a cool, translucent piece of jade from his storage space.

The pale green jade was warm and clear, floating quietly in Bai Mo's hand.

Under Bai Mo's control, a faint ripple seemed to emanate from the jade, flowing toward the distant horizon.

This was one of the only two one-time trump cards Bai Mo possessed, so he naturally couldn't use it directly here, but releasing a bit of aura to scare people was no problem at all.

Sure enough, as Bai Mo opened his eyes, he saw two streaks of light flying from the distant sky.

One was snow-white, and the other was emerald green.

The two streaks of light manifested their forms in front of Bai Mo.

One was a snow-white female humanoid creature, and the other was a scorpion about 1.5 meters tall, colored in emerald green and sky blue.

"Who are you! What are you doing in the Far North! Why are you provoking us!"

The large scorpion waved its cold-glinting pincers and asked coldly. Its small eyes were staring extremely nervously at Bai Mo's hand.

"Human! The object in your hand is indeed profound, but if you think you can threaten the Far North with it, you are still lacking!"

The Snow Empress stared indifferently at Bai Mo, who was holding the jade, with her sky-blue eyes.

"The two of you, I have no malice. This presumptuous visit is for a mutually beneficial transaction."

Bai Mo retracted the fluctuations emitted by the jade and spoke slowly while looking at the two creatures in the high sky.

Shrek City

Minghuo Chamber of Commerce

"Oh my~ That is unfortunate. Young Master Bai left the chamber a few days ago. As for where he went, that is not something this little woman would know."

Tingyun continued to wave her fan gently as she spoke.

"I see. When we returned together that day, he clearly said he would be staying for a while..."

Zhang Lexuan lowered her head in disappointment, feeling an even deeper sense of unease in her heart.

"Oh my~ Miss, don't be so anxious. His master is indeed eccentric; who is to say he won't bring Young Master Bai back again one of these days?"

Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement.

For the past few days, Xuan Zi had been kneeling at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, and Dean Yan had frequently come himself or sent others to plead on Xuan Zi's behalf.

But how could those students ever forgive Xuan Zi so easily?

Feeling stifled, Zhang Lexuan could no longer hold back and came to the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce, hoping to see that gentle child once more.

But she hadn't expected such poor timing.

"This humble one observes that you have some heavy burdens on your heart, Miss? If it is convenient, perhaps I might offer some guidance~"

Tingyun looked at the young woman, who appeared even more haggard than she had a few days ago, and spoke softly.

"I am sorry to trouble you with my concerns, President Tingyun. I am simply feeling a bit lost, not knowing what I should do..."

"So you came to find my young master to chat and relax?"

Tingyun's lighthearted voice rang out immediately, clearly teasing Zhang Lexuan.

"Mm... I suppose so. At the academy, there are some things that are not quite convenient to discuss with my fellow students."

"I see~ Well, since Miss Lexuan is a friend of the young master, you are welcome to confide in this humble one regarding any troubles you feel comfortable sharing."

One look at Zhang Lexuan's expression told Tingyun that she had been wronged by Shrek Academy:

"Although this humble one is not skilled in martial arts, when it comes to the art of conversation, I have some small insights to offer~"

"I... Miss Tingyun, I... just a few days ago..."

Zhang Lexuan deliberated before speaking. It was indeed Tingyun's gentle, soothing voice that made her want to pour out her heart, but...

"Zhang Lexuan! Dean Yan has matters to discuss with you; you are to return immediately!"

Du Weilun, his face stern, shouted directly from outside the reception hall of the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce.

Tingyun frowned slightly and took Zhang Lexuan's hand as they walked out the door.

"My, my~ The people of Shrek are truly impatient~ Can they not even wait for a proper announcement?"

Tingyun's soft voice was laced with hidden barbs.

"This... President Tingyun, the situation is truly urgent. Dean Yan has pressing matters to discuss with Zhang Lexuan. When I heard she had come to Minghuo, I rushed over immediately."

Tingyun did not respond, only giving Zhang Lexuan's hand a gentle squeeze.

"It is alright. Thank you for speaking with me, President Tingyun. Since the academy is looking for me, I shall head back now..."

Zhang Lexuan's dark hair hung down in front of her face, preventing Tingyun from seeing her expression.