Lao Bei's Jealousy

From Zichuan's sharp, angular features that were beginning to show the handsome contours of youth, to his high-bridged nose, and down to his clearly defined jawline... Tang Ya's gaze grew brighter and more agitated, even tinged with a hint of unbelievable ecstasy.

Then, under the bewildered gaze of Beibei, the blank stare of Huo Yuhao, the watchful eyes of Xuan Zi who was still gnawing on a chicken leg, and the confusion of Zichuan himself.

Tang Ya suddenly threw her arms wide and pulled Zichuan, who was still sitting on the stone, into a solid, tight embrace!

"Xiaochuan!!!"

The girl's cry, filled with tears yet brimming with infinite surprise, echoed through the forest.

"It's really you! It's you! You've changed, you've grown taller, you're... you're even better looking, but I recognize you! Your eyes, your presence, I can't be wrong! It's me! Your Sister Xiaoya!!!"

Tang Ya held Zichuan tightly, her strength surprisingly great, as if she were trying to knead five years of longing and worry into this single hug.

She buried her face in Zichuan's shoulder, and warm tears instantly soaked his lapels.

Her body trembled slightly from excitement, her voice choked with sobs, yet it carried an unmistakable, ecstatic intimacy.

Zichuan was a bit stunned by this sudden embrace, his nose filled with the girl's unique, familiar scent—a mixture of faint herbal fragrance and the smell of sunlight.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, who was weeping like a rain-drenched pear blossom yet remained breathtakingly beautiful. His memories were instantly pulled back five years to the edge of the Sunset Forest, to the stubborn, desperate girl with blue hair who had regained her vitality under the nourishment of his life force.

It was Xiaoya. Tang Ya. Five years had passed; she had truly grown up and changed so much.

She had shed her former immaturity and despair, gaining confidence and competence, and her appearance had fully blossomed into a graceful and stunning beauty.

Yet the spirit and stubbornness in her eyes, and the unmasked reliance and closeness she showed while holding him now, had not changed at all.

"Sister Xiaoya?" Zichuan spoke with some uncertainty, his arm hesitating for a moment before finally patting Tang Ya's trembling back gently. "Is it really you? How did you..."

"It's me! Of course it's me!" Tang Ya looked up, her eyes teary but her smile brilliant. She wiped her face messily with her hand and nodded vigorously.

"I'm about to be promoted to the inner courtyard! I'm already level 50! This time, coming to the Star Dou Great Forest, it was Xuan Zi who accompanied me to obtain my fifth soul ring!"

As she spoke, her face beamed with pride and gratitude, her eyes burning as she looked at Zichuan.

"All of this is because of you! Xiaochuan, if it weren't for you back then, I might have died long ago, let alone awakened my true martial soul and cultivated to this point! I... I've been looking for you all these years! I asked everywhere, went to Heaven Dou City, but I couldn't find you at all! Where have you been all these years?!"

Her tone carried a deep sense of resentment and longing, and her arms tightened around Zichuan again, as if she feared that if she let go, the person before her would vanish once more.

Zichuan felt Tang Ya's unreserved closeness and reliance, and his heart was stirred.

Watching Tang Ya, who was weeping with excitement and refusing to let go, and listening to her choked yet proud words, Zichuan had an instant realization.

So that was it. The butterfly effect.

Five years ago, he hadn't just saved Tang Ya's life; he had nourished her Blue Silver Grass martial soul with the aura of the Heart of Life, causing it to awaken early and set her on the path to evolving into the Blue Silver Emperor.

This not only greatly increased her soul power cultivation speed, but it must have also made her talent shine even brighter after entering Shrek Academy, thereby attracting the attention of the higher-ups.

Otherwise, given the talent and background Tang Ya had in the original story, it would have been impossible for a Sea God Pavilion elder like Xuan Zi to personally accompany her deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a fifth soul ring.

This explained why Xuan Zi had appeared at this time and place, where he shouldn't have been.

Tang Ya's talent was likely already viewed by Shrek Academy as being on par with the top-tier seedlings like Ma Xiaotao, which was why they had bothered to have Xuan Zi personally escort her to ensure nothing went wrong.

It seems this little butterfly of mine has stirred up quite a wind.

Zichuan thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over Beibei, whose expression was shifting and complex, and the slovenly yet unfathomably powerful Xuan Zi.

Beibei's mood at this moment was a mix of many flavors. He had entered Shrek a year before Tang Ya, and with his outstanding talent and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, he had always been a prominent figure in the outer courtyard and a designated core disciple for the inner courtyard.

The first time he saw Tang Ya, he was deeply attracted to this elegant, refined girl who carried a hint of stubborn melancholy. He had pursued her for years, showing concern and putting in all his effort, yet while Tang Ya was friendly to him, she had always maintained a certain distance, never showing any intimacy that crossed the line of friendship.

But this black-haired boy before him—who looked younger than Tang Ya, dressed plainly, and had an unknown background—was actually able to make Tang Ya lose her composure so completely, throwing herself into his arms so proactively, and calling him her "lifesaver" and "best friend"?

Seeing the unmasked reliance and closeness—even a hint of... coquettishness—as she held him, Beibei felt as if a jar of vinegar had been overturned in his heart. It was sour and unbearable, accompanied by a sense of unwillingness and anger at being ignored and outshone.

He was a Shrek genius; how could he be inferior to this wild boy?

Xuan Zi's seemingly cloudy old eyes scrutinized Zichuan for a moment, especially when he sensed the extraordinary, steady aura that Zichuan was deliberately restraining but which a powerhouse like him could still detect.

And when he felt the faint but high-level fluctuations of spiritual power and the aura of destruction lingering in the surrounding air, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

He finished the chicken leg, wiped his hands casually on his robes, and spoke slowly, his voice raspy yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"Oh? So you're the boy that little girl Xiaoya talks about every day, the one who saved her? Zichuan?"

He paused, asking with interest, "Kid, your talent is good. It seems Xiaoya wasn't exaggerating when she said you were impressive. How about it? Any interest in joining our Shrek Academy?"

"With the talent of a girl like Xiaoya, plus you, I can make the decision to grant you both spots in Shrek Academy with the best resources tilted in your favor. Shrek is the number one academy on the continent; it's where geniuses belong."

Although Xuan Zi's words were an invitation, the arrogance of a Shrek elder and a peak powerhouse of the continent was fully revealed in his tone.

In his view, being personally invited by him was already a tremendous honor and opportunity for a young soul master.

However, Zichuan's reply caused the smile on his face to freeze instantly.

"I am a member of the Body Sect." Zichuan's tone was calm, without any boasting or self-satisfaction; he was merely stating a fact.

The moment the three words "Body Sect" were uttered, the atmosphere at the scene felt as if it had been instantly frozen.

The complex expression on Beibei's face was instantly replaced by shock and a hint of hostility; the relationship between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect had never been good!