In Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, on a grassy field shimmering with silver light, a beautiful young woman lay on her side, draped in sheer gauze.
Silver-white hair half veiled her ample curves. Beneath the gauze, her figure rose and fell, her waist narrow enough to fit in one hand, the full curves of her thighs appearing and disappearing from view.
A soul-stirring allure shimmered in her long, narrow, foxlike eyes. She was none other than the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox, transformed into a Wisdom Soul Ring.
The Nine-Tailed Silver Fox gave a teasing chuckle. "Don't you like your big brother Tang An? Isn't living together a good thing?"
"But... but Big Brother Tang An doesn't know I'm a girl!"
"Really?" The Silver Fox's tone held unmistakable mischief.
Huo Yuhao froze, her heart skipping a beat. "Sister Silver Fox, what do you mean by that? Could it be... Big Brother Tang An knows I'm a girl?"
The Silver Fox smiled softly, her voice evasive. "Guess for yourself."
Huo Yuhao's heart pounded like a drum. She secretly glanced up at Tang An, only to see him saying goodbye to Tang Ya, completely unaware of her turmoil.
Does Brother Tang An... know or not? If he knows, why has he never let on? If he doesn't, why did Sister Silver Fox say it like that?
The more she thought about it, the more muddled her mind became. She didn't even notice when Tang Ya walked up to her.
"Yuhao, what are you spacing out for? Stay close to the sect leader and don't bring shame on the Tang Sect."
Tang Ya patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, stole a glance at Tang An, and felt her ears grow faintly warm. She quickly looked away and turned to leave.
Holding the still-sleeping rabbit Xiao Wu in his arms, Tang An led Huo Yuhao toward the dormitory area, wondering, I wonder if I'll run into my niece Wang Dong'er.
The dormitory entrance was just ahead. The gatekeeper was an old man with a head of white hair, sitting in a bamboo chair and basking in the sun. His eyes were half closed, and he looked half asleep.
Tang An walked up to the old man and stopped.
Huo Yuhao stopped too. Though Sister Silver Fox's words were still on her mind, she never neglected her manners. She bowed respectfully to the old man. "Hello, Grandpa."
The old man lifted his eyelids. His eyes were cloudy, and he gave a casual "Mm" before lowering his head again.
Tang An turned to Huo Yuhao and smiled. "Yuhao, go upstairs first. I'll chat with Grandpa Gatekeeper for a bit and learn about the academy."
Huo Yuhao had already been distracted, so she simply said, "Mm," and obediently went upstairs.
Only after she disappeared at the top of the stairs did Tang An turn back. Looking at the "Grandpa Gatekeeper" before him, he raised the corner of his mouth and chuckled inwardly. Let's see if I can give you a good scare.
"Greetings, Elder Mu."
Elder Mu's half-closed eyes snapped open. The cloudiness vanished, replaced by a sharp gleam, as an invisible pressure silently spread through the air.
"How do you know who this old man is?" Elder Mu slowly straightened his back. His voice was hoarse and low, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Who are you?"
Tang An thought, Haha, once I tell him, Shrek will be mine.
With his hands behind his back, Tang An declared proudly, "The young sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang An."
Tang An raised both hands. The phantom of the Immortal Scythe appeared in his left palm, glowing emerald green, while the phantom of the Crimson Annihilation Hammer rose in his right, wreathed in dark red.
Though he had suppressed the auras of the two divine king Martial Souls to an extremely low level, Elder Mu was no ordinary person. That faint trace of their presence was enough for him to judge their grade.
Elder Mu's cloudy eyes suddenly blazed. "Twin Martial Souls! And the source auras of both are divine-grade Martial Souls!"
"Elder Mu has a discerning eye." Tang An put away his Martial Souls and shifted the subject. "I've come to Shrek under the guidance of the Godhood Inheritance of Sea God Tang San, to revive the Tang Sect's glory and face the coming war between the two continents."
Elder Mu's expression changed drastically. The imposing aura that burst from his aged body in that instant made the air itself seem to freeze. "You mean Sea God Tang San? The Tang Sect's ancestor from ten thousand years ago? Do you have proof?"
Tang An turned his hand over and took out the black First Generation Tang Sect Leader Token, handing it to Elder Mu.
Elder Mu took the token. The instant his fingertips touched it, a vast, surging aura of the Sea God welled up from its surface. That boundless presence, embracing all things, was impossible for anyone to forge.
Elder Mu's hand began to tremble.
"This aura... It can only be the Sea God's..." He jerked his head up, eyes shining as excitement overflowed from his expression.
"Heaven favors Shrek! The Sea God has manifested and guided you here. This is the will of heaven!"
Elder Mu seized Tang An by the wrist, his voice urgent. "Come, I'll take you to the Sea God Pavilion meeting right now and tell the elders!"
A thought crossed Tang An's mind. In the original story, every elder in the Sea God Pavilion had a peculiar temper. It would be better to let them argue it out first and make their entrance after they'd reached a consensus.
Tang An smiled faintly and waved a hand. "Elder Mu, go inform the elders and discuss it with them first. Come find me once you've reached a decision. I'll go settle in at the dormitory."
Elder Mu was taken aback, then laughed in spite of himself. A flicker of approval crossed his cloudy eyes. "You're young, but you've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve. All right, this old man will make the trip for you."
Tang An watched Elder Mu leave, then turned and entered the dormitory building. He pushed open the door, looked inside, and froze for a moment.
The girl by the window wore a silver-white dress. Her silver-blue hair fell over her shoulders, and the curves usually bound tight by her chest wrap were now revealed. She wasn't particularly full-figured, but had the youthful, upright shape unique to a young girl. Her skin was fair, her neck slender, and her Spirit Eyes gazed at him timidly.
She twisted her hands in front of her, pinching one finger with another until all ten knuckles had gone white.
"Brother Tang An... there's something important I need to tell you. I'm actually a girl. My real name is Huo Yutong."
After saying those words, Huo Yutong seemed to have used up all her courage in one go. She quickly lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer until it was barely more than a mosquito's buzz.
"Brother Tang An... would you still be willing to live with me?"
Tang An looked at her, his heart stirring slightly. He'd known it—she really was a beauty in the making.
But why had this girl suddenly gotten so bold? It didn't seem like her.
The answer lay with the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox.
Earlier, Huo Yutong had arrived at the dormitory first. When she saw the single double bed, her heart had leaped up into her throat.
Just as she stood there, at a loss, the Silver Fox had leisurely spoken from the Sea of Consciousness. "Little girl, how much longer are you planning to keep this secret?"
Huo Yutong twisted her fingers. "I... I don't know how to bring it up..."
"If you don't speak up soon, your Big Brother Tang An is going to be snatched away by that little girl Tang Ya."
The Silver Fox rolled onto her other side, her gauzy wrap slipping from her shoulder. Her tone carried the rueful wisdom of someone who had been around the block.
"You saw the way that girl looks at Tang An. She's no pushover. Have you forgotten how she looked when she came out of Tang An's room this morning?"
Huo Yutong froze.
"Your Big Brother Tang An is an outstanding man. Do I really need to spell it out?" The Silver Fox narrowed her foxlike eyes, the corner of her mouth curling into a playful smile.
"A man like that—forget you, even I'm tempted. If you don't make a move now, you'll be crying over it later."
"But... but I don't know if Brother Tang An will hate me for lying to him..."
"Your Big Brother Tang An might already know. Trust me, he won't get angry."
Huo Yutong bit her lip and finally made up her mind.
Back in the present.
Tang An looked at the young girl in front of him, so nervous she was practically about to start smoking, and chuckled.
"I knew all along."
"My little sister Yutong is so strong and so cute. Of course I'm willing to live with you."
Huo Yutong's mind buzzed. Only one voice remained, repeating frantically.
Hehe, Brother An said I'm cute! He said I'm cute! She giggled foolishly to herself, so caught up in it that she didn't even hear what Tang An said next.
Tang An ruffled her hair. "All right, close the door. I'll teach you some of the finer points of cultivation."
Before you continue