Returning to Shrek Academy, Zhang Lexuan's Embrace

Di Tian.

The master of the Star Dou Great Forest, the nominal King of Soul Beasts, and a Limit Douluo-level Great Fierce Land beast.

Mu En stopped in his tracks.

The two stood ten paces apart, their gazes locked.

The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, ready to ignite at the slightest touch.

Di Tian spoke first, his golden pupils resting calmly upon Mu En.

His voice was neither high nor low, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.

"Bright Sacred Dragon, let it end here. Any further, and you violate the pact between us."

Mu En's footsteps faltered. Before he could speak, a gray shadow darted out from behind him.

"Bullshit!" Xuan Zi's face flushed red as he pointed a finger at Di Tian's nose. "Your beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest snatched our child away, and you have the nerve to bring up a pact?"

"Di Tian, if you don't hand him over today, I—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Di Tian didn't even lift an eyelid; he merely tilted his head to look at Xuan Zi.

From his golden pupils, an invisible aura crashed down like a physical force.

Xuan Zi felt a mountain-toppling, sea-crushing power slam into him, forcing the words back down his throat.

He stumbled back three steps uncontrollably, crushing several rocks beneath his feet before he could barely steady himself.

His face turned a deep, congested red, the veins on his forehead bulging, yet he couldn't utter a single word.

Mu En reached out to stop Xuan Zi, who was still trying to charge forward. He turned slightly, shielding Xuan Zi behind him, and cupped his hands toward Di Tian.

"Di Tian, my grand-nephew is hot-headed; please forgive his offense." The old man's voice was neither servile nor overbearing, calm yet laced with a hint of coldness. "But he is right. My great-grandson was brought into the Great Fierce Land today. As his Xuan Zu, I could not stay away."

"He is with me," Di Tian said indifferently. "And he wasn't snatched. He is a guest invited by the little one himself."

Mu En's brows twitched.

Di Tian offered no further explanation, raising his hand to slash casually at the air beside him.

Space tore once more, and a pitch-black rift opened in silence.

Beyond the rift, the emerald waters of the Lake of Life were vaguely visible.

A figure was lifted out of the rift by a gentle force, landing steadily on the ground.

Mu Tianyi blinked, seeing Mu En and Xuan Zi standing before him, his mind struggling to catch up.

"Xuan Zu?"

Mu En looked his great-grandson up and down.

His clothes were intact, there were no wounds on his body, and his complexion even looked quite good.

The old man's expression finally softened a fraction.

"Apologies, the matter was of great importance, and I was a bit hasty." Mu En cupped his hands again.

Di Tian waved a hand, his tone flat: "It was my Star Dou that was reckless first. The child was frightened, so we shall call it even."

"Leave quickly, before I change my mind."

Mu En said no more and bowed.

He grabbed Mu Tianyi by the back of his collar with one hand and pulled the still-scowling Xuan Zi with the other. Pale golden soul power enveloped the three of them, turning into a streak of light that shot away from the Great Fierce Land.

The wind whistled loudly.

Held in his Xuan Zu's grasp, Mu Tianyi turned his head to look at the dense forest growing smaller behind them.

In a daze, he felt as if he saw a golden figure sitting by the Lake of Life, watching the direction of his departure from afar.

That vertical eye shone as brightly as a star.

Mu En's speed was immense.

The thousand-mile journey from the Great Fierce Land to Sea God Island was covered by the old man in just half an incense stick's time.

The moment they touched the ground, Mu En finally let out a true sigh of relief.

Only after confirming that Mu Tianyi had no injuries, his soul power was circulating normally, and his mental state was sound, did the old man slowly straighten his back, the tension in his face finally relaxing.

"It's good that you're safe."

Mu En's voice was slightly hoarse. He reached out and patted the top of Mu Tianyi's head, his palm warm and heavy.

Mu Tianyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing the lingering fear that hadn't fully faded from his Xuan Zu's eyes, he swallowed his words.

Beside them, Xuan Zi kept his head down, standing three paces away like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Mu En turned around, his gaze falling upon Xuan Zi.

There was no rage in that gaze, no reprimand, not even a hint of intense emotion.

Yet, it was precisely this calmness that made cold sweat break out in layers across Xuan Zi's back.

"Let's go," Mu En said, leaning on his cane, his voice low. "Come with me to ring the bell."

Xuan Zi's body stiffened slightly, his lips parted twice, but in the end, he said nothing and followed silently.

"Dong, dong, dong."

The tolling of the bell signaled that the Sea God Pavilion meeting was being convened once again.

When Mu Tianyi returned to the small courtyard, the sky had already darkened.

He stood at the gate for a moment, gazing at the familiar wooden door, suddenly feeling as though the day's experiences were nothing more than an absurd dream.

To be hauled around by three Limit-level existences in a single day—that was certainly a rare life experience.

Mu Tianyi shook his head, pushed the door open, and began to cultivate.

Unknowingly, the moon outside the window had climbed to its zenith.

Mu Tianyi opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The exhaustion of the day was mostly washed away in this moment.

Although he hadn't eaten, his body felt even more energetic than it had during the day now that his soul power was replenished.

He rolled his shoulders, preparing to get up and wash, when he suddenly heard movement outside the door.

It approached from afar, paused for a moment at the entrance, and then came the sound of the doorknob turning.

The corners of Mu Tianyi's mouth curled up involuntarily as he stood and walked toward the entryway.

He knew it was Zhang Lexuan returning.

Over these past few days, he had grown accustomed to it.

It was just that their return times were never fixed; perhaps he was faster today, or perhaps she would be faster tomorrow.

But regardless of who it was, they would always go to the door to welcome the other back.

That feeling of being waited for, of being kept in mind, brought an indescribable warmth to this otherwise cold and desolate little courtyard.

As Mu Tianyi reached the entryway, the door was pushed open.

Zhang Lexuan stood in the doorway.

She was wearing the academy's standard uniform today, a dark green top paired with a matching long skirt.

Her hair was tied back casually with a ribbon, a few stray locks ruffled by the evening breeze.

The moment she saw Mu Tianyi, the tense expression on her face suddenly relaxed.

It was as if a stone that had been hanging in her heart all day had finally fallen to the ground.

"Tianyi."

She called out softly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Then, she stepped forward quickly and, before Mu Tianyi could react, reached out and pulled him into her embrace.

Mu Tianyi froze completely.

Zhang Lexuan's embrace was soft and warm, carrying a faint, clean fragrance like gardenias blooming under the moonlight.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and back, holding him tight as if she were afraid he might run away.

And Mu Tianyi's face...

He stood there, rigid.

He felt his nose and lips pressed against an extremely soft area.

The sensation was light and pillowy like a cloud; through the thin uniform fabric, he could even sense the softer contours beneath the cloth.

A "buzz" sounded in Mu Tianyi's brain, leaving it completely blank.

His height had undergone a transformation due to the Yin-Yang Divine Dragon Transformation, making him much taller than his peers.

But Zhang Lexuan was a few years older than him, and her young woman's figure had begun to mature; standing before him, she was actually half a head taller.

Thus, the result of this embrace was...

Mu Tianyi's face was buried squarely into Zhang Lexuan's towering peaks.

Soft, warm, and carrying the faint scent of a young girl.

Mu Tianyi could even feel the slightly raised arc beneath the fabric pressing against his face.

His ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The heat spread from his ear tips to his earlobes, his entire face feeling as if it were being roasted over a fire.

"Le, Lexuan-jie..."

Mu Tianyi's voice was muffled.

Because his face was buried, the sounds he made became indistinct.

He wanted to pull back, but Zhang Lexuan held him too tightly; he couldn't break free at all.

Zhang Lexuan did not seem to realize there was anything wrong with this embrace.

She simply held him, her chin resting lightly on the top of his head, eyes closed as she let out a long breath.

"I heard about what happened to you."

Her voice was very soft, so soft it was as if she were afraid of startling something.

Zhang Lexuan's voice paused slightly, and the hands holding Mu Tianyi tightened a fraction more, unconsciously.

Mu Tianyi felt her chin resting on his head, and a slight tremor traveled from her body to his.

"I've been worried all day."

Mu Tianyi was silent for a moment.

He had originally wanted to joke, "Aren't I perfectly fine?", but the words died in his throat.

He simply stayed quietly in her arms, neither struggling nor attempting to pull away again.

After a long while, Zhang Lexuan slowly loosened her grip, lowered her head, and looked at the little fiancé in front of her, whose face was flushed bright red, taken aback for a moment.

"Why is your face so red?"

Mu Tianyi gave a dry cough, his gaze drifting elsewhere:

"It's probably just too hot tonight."

Zhang Lexuan tilted her head, seemingly unconvinced, but she did not press the matter.

She raised her hand and used her fingers to gently brush the messy strands of hair from Mu Tianyi's forehead.

"Regardless, it's a relief that you're alright."