Encounter Tang Wulin

The sea breeze brushed gently through the night, and as dawn broke over the horizon, clear morning light blanketed the entire beach.

Yun Linchen knew nothing of what had transpired the previous night.

Near noon, Yun Linchen and Na'er walked along the beach, the surf washing over their ankles with a cool, briny dampness.

The youth's cyan-glazed eyes reflected the rolling turquoise waves, while the silver-haired girl beside him let her hair dance in the sea breeze; the two of them whispered and laughed from time to time.

After walking for a while, Na'er seemed to react to something, her gaze fixing on a small boy not far ahead who appeared to be the same age as Yun Linchen.

Noticing the change in Na'er, Yun Linchen followed her gaze.

Coming into view was a couple with gentle temperaments, walking hand-in-hand with a black-haired little boy. The family of three was chatting and laughing.

The boy had a well-proportioned build, but what was most striking were his eyes, which were excessively beautiful.

Just as they were about to speak, the group walked right up to them and noticed Yun Linchen and Na'er.

The moment the middle-aged woman's eyes landed on the two, she couldn't help but exclaim, "What adorable little ones."

She walked over quickly, her eyes filled with affection as she looked Yun Linchen and Na'er over carefully.

The youth had handsome features, his cyan-glazed eyes clear and translucent, possessing an ethereal air; the girl beside him had hair like silver snow, features of exquisite perfection, and skin so pale it was nearly translucent. Standing on the beach, they looked like a fairy boy and jade girl stepped out of a painting.

Tang Ziran followed beside her, a gentle smile on his face as he looked at his wife with a helpless expression.

Tang Wulin hid behind his parents, peeking out half his head, his dark, bright eyes looking curiously at the two before him, a sense of inexplicable closeness rising in his heart.

"You two children, are you here at the beach with your parents?" Lang Yue asked softly.

Yun Linchen tightened his grip on Na'er's hand and responded politely to Lang Yue, "Hello, Big Sister. My name is Yun Linchen, and this is Na'er. I brought her here to see the ocean."

Hearing this, Lang Yue's eyes grew even fonder, and she immediately turned back to call out, "Ziran, hurry and bring Wulin over so these three children can get to know each other."

Tang Ziran smiled and nodded, reaching out to take the hand of the still-shy Tang Wulin, and walked over slowly.

Once brought close, Tang Wulin's large, dark eyes looked first at Yun Linchen, then at Na'er.

What they did not notice was a flash of golden light in Tang Wulin's eyes, and the mark of a trident flickering on his forehead.

Within Tang Wulin's spiritual sea, a solid golden figure suddenly emerged, wreathed in the faint pressure of a deity. His face was blurred—it was Old Tang, a wisp of divine consciousness left behind by Tang San.

Surging with unconcealable rage, he roared, "What is happening? The Silver Dragon King should have followed destiny to approach Wulin. Why has it not developed according to my plan!"

In the next moment, Old Tang caught a peculiar aura from Yun Linchen and understood everything in an instant.

"I see," his anger intensifying, "It was this youth beside the Silver Dragon King who forcibly disrupted the predetermined path of fate!"

Old Tang's form heaved, his breathing ragged as he glared with wide, furious eyes: "You have ruined my ten-thousand-year grand plan, you variable of fate—you have already invited your own death!"

Outside, Tang Wulin remained oblivious, looking shyly at Yun Linchen and Na'er, completely unaware of the turmoil within his spiritual sea.

Lang Yue smiled at her child and spoke softly, "Linlin, hurry and say hello to Brother Linchen and Sister Na'er."

Yun Linchen explained, "No need for 'Brother,' just call me Linchen. I think I'm about the same age as him."

Tang Wulin clutched the corner of his shirt, his clear black eyes looking at the two, his voice crisp and shy: "Hello, my name is Tang Wulin."

Yun Linchen nodded slightly, a flicker of doubt crossing his cyan-glazed eyes, but he responded politely: "Hello, Tang Wulin."

His tone was flat, and he failed to notice the change in Na'er beside him.

Na'er's fingertips, hanging at her sides, curled slightly, her silver eyelashes trembling as a stormy sea surged in her heart.

When she had drawn near just now, she had clearly felt the bloodline aura within Tang Wulin's body—it was unmistakably the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King.

Na'er was filled with confusion: "How could the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King appear in a human?"

"Na'er, what's wrong?" Yun Linchen noticed the girl's distraction and called out to her softly.

Na'er finally snapped back to reality, suppressing the confusion churning in her heart, and smiled at Tang Wulin: "Hello, my name is Na'er."

Seeing the three children getting along well, Lang Yue's smile grew even gentler: "Since you've all met, why don't we have a meal together?"

Tang Ziran also chimed in with a smile, while Old Tang in Tang Wulin's sea of consciousness stared daggers at Yun Linchen. Constrained by the current situation, Old Tang's rage flared, but he could only swallow it and plan for the long term.

Lang Yue extended the invitation, "Linchen, Na'er, it's nearly noon. Why don't we go grab a bite to eat together?"

Yun Linchen's gaze fell on Na'er beside him, and he made an excuse: "Thank you for your kindness, but Na'er eats quite a bit; I'm afraid it might be a burden to you."

As soon as these words were out, Lang Yue laughed, her tone becoming even more enthusiastic: "It's a blessing for a child to have a good appetite, it's no trouble at all."

Yun Linchen had no choice but to agree.

Before long, the group walked into a seafood stall. After finding a seat, Lang Yue gently pushed the menu toward Yun Linchen and Na'er first, her smile easygoing: "Linchen, Na'er, you two order first. Order whatever you'd like."

Yun Linchen picked a few affordable, hearty seafood dishes and pushed the menu back to Lang Yue.

"This will be enough for us."

Na'er sat quietly to the side, letting Yun Linchen make all the decisions, though a flicker of anticipation crossed her eyes when she saw several meat dishes.

Seeing this, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue felt even more affection for these two sensible children and proactively added two more substantial dishes, saying with a smile, "Children are at the age where they're growing, they need to eat more."

The dishes were brought to the table one by one, filling the entire table with steam.

At first, Lang Yue smiled as she served the children, and Tang Ziran also gently encouraged them to eat more; neither of them had taken Yun Linchen's comment about "Na'er eating a bit much" to heart.

But after only a short while, the two of them froze.

Na'er ate quietly and elegantly, her movements measured and unhurried, yet the food on her plate vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, not a whit slower than Tang Wulin's, and perhaps even slightly faster.

Tang Wulin was wolfing down his food from a large bowl, a sight Lang Yue and her husband were long accustomed to, but seeing Na'er's slender and delicate frame possess an appetite equal to, or even more exaggerated than his, left the couple momentarily dumbstruck.

Lang Yue thought to herself, This child's appetite is truly no smaller than Linlin's.

Once the meal was finished, the dishes on the table had been wiped clean, with barely even any sauce remaining.

After a brief rest, Tang Wulin couldn't wait to take out his soul communicator to exchange contact information with Lin Chen, and they made a pact to meet again in the future.

After bidding them farewell, Lin Chen took Na'er to the soul train station and returned to Shrek City.