Time slipped by, and the next day arrived.
Shrek Academy.
The group set out one after another, heading toward Star Dou Forest.
A hundred meters behind them, Tang Yin led Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong in stealthy pursuit.
Tang Yin kept his Blue Silver Domain active.
The area was full of plants and Blue Silver Grass, so he didn't need to worry about draining his Soul Power.
"I didn't expect Flender and Yu Xiaogang to come along too. That's something I never saw coming."
Tang Yin thought to himself.
Through his Blue Silver Domain, he had a clear grasp of the Shrek group's members.
"Tang Yin, are we just going to follow them the whole way?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"That's right." Tang Yin nodded slightly.
"What treasure are we even looking for?" Ning Rongrong asked again.
Xiao Wu shrugged, showing she didn't know either.
Tang Yin smiled. "Don't ask. Just follow along."
Evening.
In a small town a hundred miles from Star Dou Forest.
Flender picked the plainest inn in town as their place to stay.
Tang Yin chose an inn near Flender's group as their own place to stay.
"Xiao Wu, tomorrow I'll follow them by myself. You and Ning Rongrong can wait here for me to come back." Tang Yin thought it over for a long time and decided that was the best plan.
"I want to go with you~" Xiao Wu gently tugged at Tang Yin's arm, pleading.
"Be good~ Listen to me. I'll be back in seven days at most." Tang Yin stroked Xiao Wu's little head and spoke softly.
"Seven days..." Xiao Wu's head drooped at once.
"You'll have Ning Rongrong to keep you company while I'm gone. Wait here for me," Tang Yin said with a smile.
"Then you have to come back quickly!" Xiao Wu gazed at Tang Yin with a pitiful look.
Tang Yin smiled and nodded, but still reminded her worriedly, "Be careful while you're here. Try not to go out much. It'll be bad if you run into some unsavory people."
Xiao Wu pouted. "Then why not bring me with you? You could protect me that way. If you're not here and Rongrong and I run into danger, I'll have to protect her too. What if I can't beat them? What then?"
Tang Yin froze for a moment, then gently pulled Xiao Wu into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it through."
The corners of Xiao Wu's lips lifted slightly. "So, does that mean you'll take me with you?"
Tang Yin smiled and softly murmured, "Mm."
Xiao Wu was overjoyed.
Tang Yin thought for a moment, then said, "I'll go ask Ning Rongrong to stay with us too. That'll be safer. You two can sleep in the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."
Xiao Wu considered it briefly. She didn't think much of it or refuse. "That sounds good. She's a Support Soul Master, all alone in this little town, and she has to sleep in a room by herself. She might get scared and cry at night..."
Hearing this, Tang Yin couldn't help laughing.
Then,
he went to the room next door and knocked. "Rongrong, it's me, Tang Yin."
Ning Rongrong had been sitting rigidly at the table, nerves taut. The moment she heard his voice, she relaxed.
She hurried to open the door for Tang Yin.
"Tang Yin, what brings you here~"
Ning Rongrong gazed at him with gentle eyes, feeling much less nervous now.
Tang Yin smiled and suggested, "I'm worried you'll be scared staying here alone tonight. Why don't you come sleep with Xiao Wu and me? I can sleep on the sofa or on the floor."
"Ah? Is that really okay?" Ning Rongrong was taken aback, but then she felt delighted.
She was all alone in this godforsaken place and honestly a little scared.
Tang Yin smiled and nodded.
Ning Rongrong didn't hesitate again and immediately followed Tang Yin back to his room.
"Tang Yin, thank you~"
"No need to thank me. You came out with me, so I should look after you."
That night,
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong shared the bed, while Tang Yin sat cross-legged on a cushion and meditated with his eyes closed.
The night passed quietly.
At dawn, Tang Yin woke early and roused Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
Flender and the others in the inn nearby were also entirely within the range of his Blue Silver Domain, under his watch.
Before long,
the two groups left town, one after the other.
With the Blue Silver Domain concealing them, Tang Yin wasn't worried that Flender would notice they were being followed.
Along the way,
Tang Yin, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong kept a distance of about a hundred meters behind the others.
"Xiao Wu, as far as I know, Star Dou Forest is the oldest and most primitive Soul Beast forest on the continent. It's nothing like those Soul Hunting Forests where the beasts are kept in captivity. There's danger everywhere, but you don't seem worried at all."
Ning Rongrong asked, looking puzzled.
Along the way, she hadn't seen a trace of nervousness in Xiao Wu.
"I..." Xiao Wu was instantly at a loss, hesitating to speak.
"That's just how Xiao Wu is. I'm used to it," Tang Yin said with a smile.
"Hehe~" Xiao Wu smiled foolishly.
"It's still best to be careful. This is my first time in Star Dou Forest, too." Ning Rongrong swallowed and glanced around from time to time.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen." Xiao Wu gently patted Ning Rongrong's shoulder.
The three of them followed Flender's group for a long while. Tang Yin frowned slightly and thought, Could we have... missed them? Had Snake Matriarch and the others already killed the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and left? If so, where am I supposed to find that Man Faced Demon Spider?
Just then,
Tang Yin noticed someone else enter the range of his Blue Silver Domain.
Through the Blue Silver Grass, he saw an old woman with a young girl, chasing after a snake.
"Oh? They're here!"
Tang Yin's heart leapt with delight.
Xiao Wu noticed the corners of Tang Yin's mouth suddenly lift. She poked him in the side and asked softly, "What are you smiling about? Tell me."
Tang Yin waved a hand. "Nothing. Let's rest for a bit and keep going later."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong let out a long breath. "Finally, we can take a break."
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, looked at him strangely.
At that moment,
in Tang Yin's vision, Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran had come face-to-face with Flender and Zhao Wuji.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had already fallen into Zhao Wuji's hands.
A Soul Emperor facing two Soul Saints.
Even though Chao Tianxiang had quite a reputation and a husband at the Soul Douluo level,
the situation favored the stronger side, and she could only reluctantly give up the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Tang Yin noticed Chao Tianxiang preparing to leave and hurriedly called out.
At that,
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong quickly got to their feet.
This time,
Tang Yin stopped following the Shrek group and instead turned to pursue Chao Tianxiang.
Oscar had obtained his Soul Ring, so there was no reason for that group to stay any longer.
"Grandma, what do we do now? Are we really going to just swallow this loss?"
Meng Yiran said indignantly.
"There's no helping it. They have two Soul Saints, and your grandma is only a Soul Emperor. I'm no match for them."
"But we're not letting this matter go just like that."
"We're going to find your grandfather."
A fierce glint flashed in Chao Tianxiang's eyes.