Daily Life at Shrek

Upon arriving at the Sea God Pavilion, Ya Li saw Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu returning with Lin Chen and the girl. She hurried forward to inspect them, her fingertips gently brushing Lin Chen's arms as she carefully looked Na'er over. "Let me see, are there any bumps or bruises anywhere?" Her soft, gentle voice was filled with concern.

Seeing that neither child was injured, Ya Li finally let out a sigh of relief.

Nearby, Yun Ming had learned the ins and outs of the situation through Ya Li's account. His gaze fell upon Lin Chen as he praised, "Not bad. To be so young and yet understand the importance of acting righteously."

Zhuo Shi's expression carried a hint of lingering anger. "It is a pity that the Shrek enforcement team is in such a state of disarray; they nearly caused the children to suffer an injustice."

Feng Wuyu chimed in from the side, "If they aren't severely punished, who knows how many more absurd things will happen in the future."

Yun Ming waved his hand, his expression indifferent. "Since the matter has already been handled, there is no need to pursue it further." He paused, then added, "Lin Chen, you must cultivate diligently from now on. Only when you are truly strong yourself can you genuinely protect those you wish to protect."

Lin Chen looked up at Yun Ming and replied, "I understand, Father."

Ya Li patted the tops of both children's heads. "Alright, I'm going to go get some snacks. You two go outside and rest for a while."

The next day, just as dawn broke, the distant sky was still tinged with a faint, fish-belly white.

Lin Chen had just finished a night of meditation, while Na'er was still sleeping soundly in her room, showing no signs of waking up.

He walked slowly out of the room, and with a thought, a vine-like shadow emerged from his body, the Thunder Hell Vine spirit slowly manifesting.

Lin Chen raised a hand to stroke the rough surface of the vine, whispering to himself, "Today, I shall properly hone my soul skills." After speaking, he retracted the Thunder Hell Vine into his body and walked toward the residence where Zhuo Shi stayed.

"Knock, knock, knock." A series of knocks rang out. When Zhuo Shi saw that it was Lin Chen, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. "Why aren't you out playing so early? What are you doing here looking for me?"

Lin Chen rubbed his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I was thinking about practicing my combat techniques and getting more familiar with using my soul skills."

Zhuo Shi retorted, "So, you didn't go find Feng Wuyu, you just set your sights on me instead?"

Lin Chen immediately spoke with a sincere expression, his tone carrying just the right amount of admiration. "Of course! In my heart, Uncle Zhuo, you are far more impressive than Uncle Feng."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Shi thought about it and couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "That goes without saying. Lin Chen, you certainly know how to talk. Come on then, today Uncle Zhuo will accompany you for some practice."

Zhuo Shi compressed his soul power to the same level as Lin Chen's and placed his hands behind his back. "Come, Lin Chen. Give it your all; don't hold back."

Lin Chen took a deep breath, and his Azure Dragon martial soul instantly possessed him. Dragon scales spread from his neck down to his arms, and azure lightning surged around his body.

"First soul skill, Thunderous Might." Following a low shout, several dragon-shaped bolts of lightning appeared above Zhuo Shi, crashing down toward him with immense force.

Zhuo Shi's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected Lin Chen to go all out right from the start. He no longer dared to be even slightly careless, condensing his soul power into a protective barrier to take the blow head-on.

Before the shockwaves of the collision had even dissipated, Lin Chen lunged forward, his right hand transforming into an Azure Dragon claw. With a sharp whistle that tore through the air, he lunged straight for Zhuo Shi's face.

The dragon claw was imbued with Ultimate Lightning, its power incredibly domineering. Zhuo Shi raised his hands to block, and with a muffled "bang," the lightning exploded outward.

The impact traveled through his arms, and even though Zhuo Shi had compressed his soul power, this heavy, forceful strike still forced him to retreat half a step.

After a round of sparring, Lin Chen's soul power was nearly exhausted, and his movements became increasingly sluggish.

Seeing this, Zhuo Shi slowly reined in his power and stopped attacking.

Lin Chen's legs went weak, and he plopped down onto the ground, gasping for air with beads of sweat covering his forehead. He waved his hands. "No more, no more. I'm completely out of energy."

Watching him in this state, Zhuo Shi couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily. He walked over slowly and reached out to pull Lin Chen up from the ground.

"Not bad, not bad. Keep it up," Zhuo Shi patted his shoulder, his tone full of gratification. "It's just that your sustainability is a bit lacking. You need to polish that more, otherwise, you'll be at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle."

Lin Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded. "I understand, Uncle Zhuo."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gentle figure appeared at the courtyard entrance.

Na'er stood in the morning light, still wearing her loose nightgown. Her short silver hair was draped casually, and her violet eyes still held the haziness of someone who had just woken up.

She rubbed her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and spoke in a soft, clear voice. "Brother Lin Chen, I didn't see you when I woke up, so I asked Aunt Ya Li. She said she saw you run over to Uncle Zhuo's place, so I came to find you."

As she spoke, she reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Lin Chen's forehead.

Zhuo Shi teased, "The little girl has come knocking on the door; aren't you going to take her to get something to eat?"

Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately wore a cunning smile, seizing the opportunity to say, "Uncle Zhuo, I heard from Uncle Feng that you have a lot of those black buns here. Could you give us a few to try?"

Zhuo Shi's smile instantly stiffened. His hand, which had been twisting his beard, froze, and he glared at him. "You little rascal, I was wondering why you ran over here so early. So, this was your plan all along."

He cursed that old man Feng Wuyu for knowing nothing but how to gossip behind his back all day.

Feng Wuyu, who was busy elsewhere, was hit by a stray bullet and suddenly sneezed, wondering suspiciously who was talking bad about him behind his back.

In reality, that wasn't the case at all; it was purely Lin Chen's curiosity about whether those black buns were as terrible as described in the original story.

Na'er blinked her violet eyes, looking at Zhuo Shi with curiosity, and chimed in softly, "Uncle Zhuo, are those black buns tasty?"

Originally, Zhuo Shi hadn't wanted to bring them out, but he couldn't resist Lin Chen and Na'er acting cute. With those azure-glass and violet-colored eyes looking at him with anticipation, he soon found himself unable to hold out.

Zhuo Shi sighed helplessly. "Fine, fine, I give up. You win. I specifically saved those; I wouldn't be willing to give them to just anyone!"

Zhuo Shi told the two little ones to wait outside while he went in to get some for them to eat.

Before long, he returned from the house with three for Lin Chen and Na'er.

Lin Chen and Na'er both took the pitch-black buns, exchanged a glance, and simultaneously took a bite.

After chewing only twice, Na'er's delicate little face scrunched up, her cheeks puffing out as she fought to keep from spitting it out immediately.

Lin Chen's expression also stiffened. He thought to himself that it was exactly as the original story described—the taste was truly hard to accept.

However, he soon felt the miraculous nature of the black bun. Its nutritional value was extremely high; he felt somewhat full after only two bites.

Na'er felt it too, and she quickly polished off the rest of the black bun.

Lin Chen had wanted to ask for more, but Zhuo Shi was left between laughter and tears. "Do you think these are cabbages? They are made from a type of deep-sea fish and are very precious. Even I only receive a monthly allotment; only the Sea God Pavilion Elders are qualified to eat this stuff."

Zhuo Shi shook his head, turned around, and brought out two more, stuffing them into Lin Chen and Na'er's hands. "That's all there is, take them."

Lin Chen and Na'er took them with both hands and bowed in unison. "Thank you, Uncle Zhuo."

The two of them walked toward their residence, munching on the black buns as they went.