Herta Mom

"Hey, little one! Did you come to the Far North all by yourself?"

"Uh... Actually, I came half by myself!"

Bai Mo put on a serious face.

The girl, dressed brightly despite being in the Far North, froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed.

"You're so funny, little brother! But it's dangerous for you to be half by yourself in the Far North!"

"My mom came with me! Didn't this granny see her?"

Bai Mo earnestly rolled his big eyes toward the old woman behind the girl.

"Heh." Herta's scoff sounded in Bai Mo's mind, but he remained unfazed.

Medicine Immortal Douluo Wang Xian'er, who was accompanying Xu Jiujiu, turned pale and immediately swept her spiritual power around the area.

"Impossible! Even I can't sense her presence. Could your mother be a Level 97 Titled Douluo?"

Wang Xian'er stared at Bai Mo in shock.

Xu Jiujiu was just as shocked as she looked at the little boy who came up to her chest. She hadn't expected that by casually teasing a cute child in the Far North, she'd run into a high-level Titled Douluo!

"I see. Then Jiujiu was indeed presumptuous. With Your Excellency's strength, there's no need to worry about danger."

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

"Wow! Sister Jiujiu, are you a princess? My mom said there might be a chance to work with you in the future!"

Bai Mo pretended to have just heard the conversation and spoke in surprise.

"Ah! That's right. The emperor of the Star Luo Empire is my elder brother. If Your Excellency ever needs anything from Jiujiu, just let me know!"

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

"Mom says she won't hold back!"

"Mm!"

Xu Jiujiu glanced at the Medicine Immortal Douluo behind her, who was on high alert, and knew it was time to end the conversation.

"Since Your Excellency is protecting you, little brother, Jiujiu won't presume to interfere. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave!"

Xu Jiujiu bowed once more, then left with Wang Xian'er.

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

"I can't help it, Mom Herta. People rarely stay on guard around kids. It's good to get my face known. It'll definitely come in handy when I start promoting the Jade Abacus."

"Quit talking nonsense! Hurry up. I want to see what's going on with these Soul Beasts that can turn into human form."

Seeing that Herta had stopped talking to him, Bai Mo sighed in boredom and patted Little Ice Bird on the rump, signaling it to keep going.

Deep in the Far North.

The conditions grew harsher and harsher. Even Bai Mo could feel the force of the wind pushing against his body.

It wasn't cold, though. Ms. Herta's methods were still very effective—provided the talisman had power.

"That should be far enough!" Bai Mo felt that Little Ice Bird could barely walk any farther. Beyond this point was a place ordinary people couldn't reach.

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

The pale green jade was smooth and lustrous, hovering quietly above his hand.

At Bai Mo's command, a faint ripple seemed to spread out from the jade, traveling into the distant reaches.

This was one of Bai Mo's only two single-use trump cards, so he naturally couldn't use it here. But there was no harm in releasing a little of its aura to scare someone.

Sure enough, when Bai Mo opened his eyes, he saw two streaks of light flying toward him in the distance.

One was snow-white, the other emerald green.

The two streaks of light took shape before Bai Mo.

One was a snow-white, female humanoid creature. The other was a scorpion about a meter and a half tall, its body a mix of emerald green and sky blue.

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

The giant scorpion swung its gleaming pincers and asked coldly. Its tiny eyes stayed fixed on the jade in Bai Mo's hand, tense with worry.

"Human! The object in your hand is indeed wondrous, but it's not enough to threaten the Far North!"

Snow Empress stared impassively at Bai Mo, who held the jade.

"Neither of you, I mean any harm. I've come presumptuously to propose a deal that would benefit us both."

Bai Mo put away the rippling aura of the jade and spoke slowly to the two creatures high above him.

Shrek City

Minghuo Chamber of Commerce

"Oh dear, what a shame. Young Master Bai left the chamber of commerce a few days ago. As for where he went, this young lady has no way of knowing."

Tingyun spoke softly, still waving her fan.

"I see. When we came back together that day, he clearly said he'd be staying for a while..."

Zhang Lexuan lowered her head in disappointment, feeling even more troubled.

"Oh my~ Don't worry, miss. His master really is a strange one. Who knows, maybe one day he'll bring Young Master Bai back again~"

Zhang Lexuan nodded in agreement.

Xuan Zi had been kneeling outside Sea God Pavilion these past few days, while Dean Yan had often come himself or sent someone to plead on Xuan Zi's behalf.

But there was no way those students would forgive Xuan Zi so easily.

Feeling stifled, Zhang Lexuan finally couldn't take it anymore and came to the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce, hoping to see that gentle boy again.

She hadn't expected such bad luck.

"This young lady can see that something is weighing on you. If you don't mind, perhaps I could help you work through it~"

Tingyun spoke softly to the girl, who looked even more worn out than she had a few days ago.

"I appreciate your concern, President Tingyun. I'm just a little lost. I don't know what I should do..."

"So you came to my young master to chat and unwind?"

Tingyun's lighthearted voice cut in at once, clearly teasing Zhang Lexuan.

"Mm... I suppose so. There are some things at the academy that I can't really talk about with my classmates."

"I see~ Since you're my young master's friend, Miss Lexuan, you can tell me about any troubles you feel comfortable sharing."

One look at Zhang Lexuan told Tingyun that she, too, had been wronged by Shrek Academy.

"This young lady may not be skilled in force, but when it comes to a war of words, I do have some experience~"

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

Zhang Lexuan hesitantly began. Tingyun's gentle voice really did make her want to confide in her, but...

"Zhang Lexuan! Dean Yan needs to see you. He wants you back immediately!"

Du Weilun called out from outside the reception room of the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce, his expression stern.

Tingyun frowned slightly, then took Zhang Lexuan's hand and walked her out the door.

"Oh my~ Shrek people really are in such a hurry. They can't even wait long enough to send word?"

Tingyun's gentle voice was barbed.

"Well... President Tingyun, this is truly urgent. Dean Yan has something important to discuss with Zhang Lexuan. I heard Lexuan was at Minghuo, so I hurried over."

Tingyun didn't reply. She only gave Zhang Lexuan's hand a gentle squeeze.

"It's all right. Thank you for talking with me, President Tingyun. Since the academy needs me, I'll head back now..."

Zhang Lexuan's dark hair hung over her face, making it impossible for Tingyun to see her expression.