Returning, Still Young

The salty sea breeze, carrying fine spray, slowly propelled the boat toward the dock.

The ship's engine gradually lowered its roar, and the hull swayed gently with the waves. The dark rope was thrown from the bow and caught steadily by the workers waiting on the shore, and firmly tied to the stone pillars.

The ship's planks slowly clung to the edge of the dock, the turbulence gradually subsided, and the giant ship, which had been adrift for so long, finally came to a safe stop on the shore.

Port workers are orderly unloading and installing cargo.

"Hey, how much can this batch of goods fetch approximately?"

"Hmm... it'll cost at least 200,000 Federal Coin."

The bearded man chuckled and waved to the workers in the distance.

"The port where we stopped is Eastsea City, which is quite a distance from Shrek City. If you disembark here, head west to reach the Soul Guidance Station."

"Okay, thank you for the ride, sir."

The bearded man waved his hand, "It's nothing. My daughter just entered Shrek this year; she's practically your junior."

"I didn't expect there to be this kind of connection?"

Xie Xie the opportunity to speak, "Being able to enter Shrek Academy is enough to show that your daughter is exceptionally talented. She must have put in a lot of hard work to hone her Martial Soul."

The bearded man looked very happy. "Not at all, it's all thanks to her own hard work."

Tang Wulin smiled and said, "Uncle, the boat has docked, so we won't bother you any longer. See you next time."

"You're leaving already? I'll see you off."

Yun Jingheng quickly stopped him, "No need, no need, Uncle, you go ahead with your work."

After exchanging a few words of farewell, Yun Jingheng and the others disembarked.

"Ugh~ Ah!"

Xie Xie stretched lazily, "Two years! I'm finally back!"

"Beep beep beep..."

Yun Jingheng raised his hand and answered the phone.

After a moment, he said to the group, "The academy is on holiday now, we can go back when school starts."

Tang Wulin laughed and said, "That's great! Come on, let me show you some of the delicious food of the East Sea!"

Xie Xie chimed in, "Right, right, Jing Heng, Yuan En, Xing Lan never went to school here, they definitely wouldn't know. Let's go!"

Yun Jingheng hung up the phone and saw that Xie Xie had already run far away and was standing on the roadside waving vigorously at them.

"Hurry up! If you keep dawdling, all the good spots will be taken!"

Tang Wulin put his arm around Yun Jingheng's shoulder and followed with a smile, "What's the rush? Eastsea City isn't going anywhere. But you, you haven't been back for two years, do you even remember the way?"

Whom do you look down on?

Xie Xie raised his head, "I'm a native of the East Sea, I can do this with my eyes closed—uh..."

He stared at the three streets at the fork in the road, remaining silent for a full three seconds.

Xu Xiaoyan chuckled softly.

"The one on the left."

She pointed and said, "The noodle shop I used to frequent is on the left. The signboard has changed, but the owner hasn't."

How did you know?

"That's what my dad said."

After passing through two narrow alleys, we indeed saw a small shop.

The shiny wooden sign reads "Old Chen's Seafood Noodles," its edges slightly whitish from the sea breeze. A large pot on the stove bubbles with white broth, the aroma of which fills the street with the steam.

"Boss! Seven bowls of signature noodles, extra shrimp!" Xie Xie's voice boomed in before he even arrived.

The chubby boss, wearing an apron, peeked out and immediately chuckled, "Oh, you're back, kid? With friends? Sit down, sit down, that table inside is cool!"

Seven people squeezed into the small shop, the bamboo chairs creaking.

Tang Wulin skillfully poured hot tea for everyone. Yun Jingheng sat by the window, tapping the table with his fingertips. He turned his head to look out the window. The masts of the dock were densely packed, seagulls circled between the cargo containers, and the sounds of vendors and engines mingled together, broken up by the salty wind and carried in.

What are you thinking about?

Xie Xie already had a radish stick in his mouth. "Did two years on Devil Island make you stupid?"

Yun Jingheng snapped out of his reverie, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "I was thinking, why didn't you take us to eat braised beef in a clay pot? All four of you have tried it, but we still don't know what it tastes like."

"Don't worry about that~ Now that you're in the East Sea, do you think I'd let you go hungry or cold?"

Xie Xie waved his hand, "I am the eldest young master of the Eastsea Xie Family. To put it bluntly, I've said all that! I'll pay for everything in the East Sea!"

The noodles were served, the broth was milky white, the shrimp were plump, the oysters were piled up on the rim of the bowl, and a handful of bright green scallions were sprinkled on top.

The seven people were engrossed in slurping noodles, and for a moment the only sound was the crisp clinking of bamboo chopsticks against porcelain bowls.

Tang Wulin looked up halfway through his meal, soup still smeared on his lips, and mumbled, "By the way, since school starts so early, how about we go explore the Soul Guidance Station in a few days? The surrounding scenery is quite nice."

Gu Yue put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said, "Okay, I have no objection."

Yuanen Yehui rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, "Then we need to buy something to eat on the way. I just saw a specialty stall near the station; there was an old lady selling fish floss cakes, and they smelled really good."

"Arrange!"

Xie Xie slammed his hand on the table, "After we finish our noodles, we'll take you on a proper tour of Eastsea City. In a few days, we'll go to the train station, and tomorrow morning we can watch the sunrise at Tiandou. How perfect!"

As Yun Jingheng watched them arguing animatedly about how many snacks to bring and whether to buy a deck of cards to pass the time, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up in a smile.

The sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the rim of the bowl, making the soup surface shimmer with tiny golden sparkles.

He lowered his head and finished the last mouthful of soup. The bowl was empty, revealing a line of small characters at the bottom—

Welcome to the East Sea.

He paused, then looked up.

Across the table, Tang Wulin was raising his teacup towards him, smiling broadly.

"Come on, I'll show you around."

Xie Xie had already stood up, slammed the money on the table, and shouted at the boss, "Old Chen, put it in the books!"

The chubby boss grabbed a spoon as if to hit him. "You little brat, you said you'd keep accounts ten years ago!"

A burst of laughter erupted from inside the store.

The sea breeze rushed in from outside, carrying the scent of the dock and the youthful, vibrant figures of a few people, blending into the warm afternoon of Eastsea City.

"Xiao Yan? Are you going home?" Xie Xie looked at Xu Xiaoyan.

"Hmm... let's talk about it later. I can't just leave you guys behind and run away, can I?"

"Then don't go back."

Xie Xie waved his hand, as if making the decision for her, "Anyway, your home is in the East Sea, you can go back any day before school starts, right? We're all here today, it would be such a downer if you went."

Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled, her eyes crinkling. "That's true. Then I'll send a message home saying I've been kidnapped by a bunch of savages."

Tang Wulin leaned closer to look at her communicator screen. "What do you mean by 'savage'? I'm a proper Soul Master, after all."

"Soul Master, that's right, it's serious--"

Xu Xiaoyan drawled out the last syllable, her gaze sweeping over the scallions still smeared from Tang Wulin's lips, "That's open to discussion."

The group of people left the noodle shop laughing and joking. The afternoon sun was no longer so intense, casting long shadows of the seven people on the bluestone pavement.

Xie Xie walked at the very front, head held high, looking just like a lead rooster.

"Hey, Xie kid? When did you get back?"

"Ah, Uncle Li, he just arrived today."

"Alright, alright, you've grown up. How about bringing your friends to my little shop this afternoon?"

"Okay, remember to make a few extra for us!"

"Haha, okay."

Xie Xie smiled as he parted ways with Uncle Li, then saw Yuanen Yehui's smiling eyes.

Why are you looking at me like that?

"You always seem so carefree and irresponsible, I never knew you had this side to you?"

"Yuan En! I'm heartbroken!"

Hahahaha!