In a hotel in Shrek City, Lin Xiu slowly got out of bed, dressed at once, and walked out of his room. There was no way he could find Zheng Yiran.
The girl hadn't even been born yet, so he settled for looking up Zheng Yiran's father instead. As for how to find him, Lin Xiu had his own way: he would use the connections Lin Jiahao had left him when he departed.
Lin Xiu took out his soul communicator, found a girl with the surname Leng, and called her directly.
A moment later, the call connected. Leng Yulai's voice came through the communicator, urgency impossible to hide: "Lin Xiu, Lin Xiu! Has your younger brother, Lin Jiahao, arrived?"
Hearing how excited she sounded, Lin Xiu could only sigh helplessly and let her down gently. "Sorry, Miss Leng Yulai. Jiahao's busy taking care of some things right now, so he can't come for the time being."
"But he needs your help with something. Would you be willing to lend a hand?"
Leng Yulai had been about to end the call when she heard it wasn't Jiahao. But at Lin Xiu's last sentence, her finger stopped mid-motion, and she asked at once, "What is it? What do you need me to help with?"
Seeing that Leng Yulai hadn't hung up, Lin Xiu marveled inwardly. Sure enough, bringing up his main body worked like a charm. She'd agreed straightaway.
Praise Lin Nuo!
"Miss Leng, Lin Jiahao needs to know where the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor Family is. We want to make a deal with them." Lin Xiu briefly explained the situation to Leng Yulai.
"What do you two want with that family full of poisonous snakes and pests?" Hearing this, Leng Yulai couldn't help remembering how the family kept all sorts of rare venomous insects. Just thinking about it made her feel sick.
She didn't understand why the two of them wanted to visit that family, but since Lin Jiahao needed her help, she agreed in the end.
At the Spirit Pagoda, after ending the call, Leng Yulai immediately went to find her older sister and ask where the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor Family was—or whether any members of the family had recently visited the Spirit Pagoda.
Leng Yaozhu was cultivating when her younger sister came rushing in. She asked in confusion, "What's the hurry, little sister?"
Leng Yulai immediately said, "Sis, come with me to see Father. I want to find out about the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor Family."
Leng Yaozhu was even more puzzled. "Why do you want information about that family?"
Hadn't her little sister always looked down on that family?
Leng Yaozhu remembered the last time she'd gone with their father to visit them and brought her along. After just one visit, her sister had been so disgusted that she refused to go again.
Now she was acting strangely, asking about the Jade Phosphorus family. There was definitely something going on.
"Sis, don't ask. Just come with me!" Leng Yulai's face showed impatience and urgency. Clearly, she had no mind to explain. She tugged lightly at Leng Yaozhu's sleeve.
Looking at the hand clutching her sleeve, Leng Yaozhu slowly folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at her, teasing with absolute confidence. "If you don't explain yourself, I'm not going with you."
Seeing how her sister wouldn't be swayed, Leng Yulai knew she wouldn't get her to budge without telling the truth.
She pressed her lips together. Some of the urgency faded from her expression, replaced by a hint of awkwardness.
After hesitating for a moment, she leaned close to Leng Yaozhu's ear and lowered her voice, a touch of shyness in it. "Sis, actually... Jiahao needs the Jade Phosphorus family's information. That's why I wanted you to come with me to ask Father."
"I knew it was something like that." Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes helplessly, though a trace of amusement lurked in them. She'd already guessed that her sister's urgency had something to do with that boy named Jiahao.
She didn't tease her any further. Rising briskly, she patted Leng Yulai's shoulder. "Let's go. We shouldn't keep him waiting."
"Okay, Sis!" Leng Yulai instantly broke into a delighted smile, her shyness swept away. She hurried after Leng Yaozhu, chattering as they headed toward their father's room.
In the Spirit Pagoda's main hall, Lin Xiu sat waiting for news from Leng Yulai. The staff saw him arrive but said nothing. Everyone now knew that he was friends with the two young ladies of the Leng Family.
While he waited, a black-haired boy about his age walked in. Lin Xiu glanced at him and felt a sense of danger coming from him.
The boy seemed to notice him too and looked in Lin Xiu's direction. The two boys stared at each other for several seconds, then both looked away after Lin Xiu nodded in greeting.
"Yun Ming?" Watching the boy walk away, Lin Xiu guessed his identity. He was a peerless genius among the talents of this era, the future leader of the Shrek Seven Monsters, and a student of Heaven's Favor Douluo.
Lin Xiu didn't take Yun Ming too seriously. In this era, if things went according to plan, Yun Ming might have been the protagonist. But with Lin Xiu here, he was destined to leave everyone in the dust.
In the distance, Yun Ming had already taken several steps when his feet came to a halt against his will.
He slowly turned around. Looking past the stream of people coming and going, his gaze settled precisely on the place where Lin Xiu had been. His glance was filled with wariness and curiosity, as if he wanted to etch the boy's image into his mind.
As a gifted young genius, he had a keen sense for danger. Yet the boy who had seemed about his age carried an oppressive presence that made Yun Ming's heart skip a beat.
It wasn't the aggressive force of a sharp, forward assault, but a vast potential hidden beneath a restrained exterior—like a peerless blade sheathed in its scabbard. It seemed calm, yet could cut through the sky without warning, placing him under a pressure he'd never felt before.
He fell silent for a moment, then murmured, "It seems Shrek City really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with young talents like him tucked away."
After speaking, he finally looked away and didn't linger. He turned and headed toward the Ascension platform, his back straight but carrying a trace of weightiness that was hard to detect.
Some time later, the Leng sisters appeared in front of Lin Xiu. But when Leng Yulai saw that he was alone, the happiness vanished from her face. She'd thought there might be a surprise.
"Where's Jiahao?"
Leng Yulai walked up to Lin Xiu and immediately asked.
Lin Xiu looked at her and answered helplessly, "He has some things to take care of, so I came alone."
"Oh?" Leng Yulai was a little disappointed, but quickly asked, "Then when are you going to the Jade Phosphorus family?"
"In a couple of days," Lin Xiu replied. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Then I'm going with you."
"Yulai." Leng Yaozhu hadn't expected Leng Yulai to make such a request. Hadn't she sworn never to visit that family again?
Lin Xiu looked at Leng Yulai's earnest expression and fell silent. Sure enough, something bad was happening. He glanced at the information in their hands, then finally nodded. "All right."
It just meant letting Lin Nuo play Jiahao for one more day. He'd probably be happy to do that.
Lin Nuo: "?"
High above in the Spirit Pagoda, Old Leng looked down at his two daughters and couldn't help clenching his fists. His heart was bleeding!
Beside him, Qiangu Dieting patted his old friend on the shoulder in sympathy and understanding.
"I understand, Old Leng."
Old Leng: "What the hell do you understand..."
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