Trouble

Tang Ya greeted him with a grin, then gestured toward Mu Guiyun beside her: "Let me introduce you; this is my good friend, Mu Guiyun."

Upon learning that Mu Guiyun was a friend of Tang Ya, the smile on Ke En's face immediately relaxed: "So you're a friend of Xiao Ya's! Hello, I'm Ke En!"

"Hello, I'm Mu Guiyun."

After the introductions, the two followed Ke En to the only empty table currently available and sat down.

Handing the menu to Mu Guiyun, Ke En said with a smile: "Here is the menu. What would you two like to eat today?"

Mu Guiyun gave it a casual glance before tossing it into Tang Ya's hands.

"Hee hee hee!"

Taking the menu, Tang Ya let out a silly giggle before beginning to browse through it with great interest.

"Let's start with a serving of Mapo Tofu, then a serving of Vinegar-Glazed Cabbage, some Tomato and Egg, and finally, a serving of Stir-fried Leeks. As for the meat dish... just a serving of Braised Pork Ribs will do!"

Tang Ya ordered several dishes in one breath, all of which were common, everyday meals.

"Please wait a moment, you two; it'll be ready right away!"

After efficiently noting down the order, Ke En turned and headed toward the kitchen.

With Ke En gone, the idle Mu Guiyun began to size up Tang Ya once again.

Compared to a year ago, Tang Ya had become much more cheerful, growing closer and closer to the carefree, thick-skinned persona from the original story.

"Is there something on my face?"

Tang Ya, who had been lost in thought, felt a flush of red creep onto her pretty face as she noticed Mu Guiyun staring at her without blinking.

"No, it's just that it's been so long, and you've changed quite a bit."

Mu Guiyun shook his head slightly, and the two began to chat idly.

Taking a sip of juice, Tang Ya seemed to recall something and said softly: "I remember, don't you know Bei Bei?"

Bei Bei?

Seeing Tang Ya bring up Bei Bei, Mu Guiyun's expression turned rather strange: "We're on decent terms. Why do you ask?"

If Mu Guiyun remembered correctly, in order to be in the same class as Tang Ya, Bei Bei should have chosen to repeat a grade at this time.

"Why do I ask? He is simply infuriating!"

At the mention of Bei Bei, Tang Ya felt her anger flare up and immediately began to pour out her grievances to Mu Guiyun: "You have no idea how annoying he is!"

"I don't know what he was thinking—can you believe he actually repeated a grade despite having such great talent? And he just happened to be assigned to our class! If that were all, it would be fine, but he pesters me every single day, babbling about how he's admired the Tang Sect for ages and wants to join!"

Ignoring the strange look on Mu Guiyun's face, Tang Ya grew more animated as she spoke: "And that good buddy of his with the turtle martial soul—he's so sleazy, you can tell at a glance he's no good!"

By the time she finished, Mu Guiyun couldn't hold it in anymore.

One could only say that if "Prisoner Bei" managed to win Tang Ya over in the original story, it was entirely thanks to his handsome face.

Without even needing to think, the Tang Sect had suffered a tragedy less than two years ago. Even Tang Ya, the sole survivor, didn't want to mention the Tang Sect these days. For a stranger to show up and demand to join the moment they met...

It was only because Tang Ya was thick-skinned; anyone more sensitive would have assumed he was there to mock her.

"Oh, and that blockhead Bei Bei even tried to steal your seat, but I chased him off!"

After saying this, Tang Ya placed her hands on her hips, looking as if she were waiting to be praised.

"I really have to thank you for that!"

Seeing this, Mu Guiyun could only offer a helpless smile. Although he rarely went to the Outer Court for classes these days, he hadn't dropped out, so he still needed his seat.

"Hmph!"

Tang Ya tilted her jade-like neck with a haughty air, but her peripheral vision suddenly caught the Soul Tool on Mu Guiyun's wrist, and she exclaimed in surprise: "Eh? You changed your Soul Tool again!"

"That's right. This storage Soul Tool not only has a larger capacity but is also exceptionally sturdy. Most importantly, it was cheap to make!"

"Is that so? Then what about your old one?"

"The old one is, of course..."

Before Mu Guiyun could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a harsh, booming voice:

"Old man! Are you going to pay the protection fee or not? If you don't, believe it or not, I'll smash your shop to pieces!"

This sudden turn of events made Mu Guiyun instinctively frown. His gaze shifted toward the door, and the restaurant, which had been bustling just moments ago, fell into an instant, deathly silence.

A bald, burly man walked in shirtless, looking aggressive. The few lackeys behind him looked like nothing but trouble.

As they entered, a flicker of fear appeared on the faces of all the customers.

Collecting protection fees?

In Shrek City, there was actually someone daring enough to collect protection fees right under the nose of Shrek Academy?

Setting aside the bald man's strength, his sheer audacity was unmatched across the continent.

Hearing the commotion from the front, Ke En hurried out from the kitchen, followed by a kind-looking middle-aged man.

Upon seeing the intruders, expressions of disgust immediately appeared on both their faces.

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Ke En took the lead, pointing at the bald man's head: "Baldy Zhao! We already paid the required fees to the City Lord's Mansion long ago. Who do you think you are, trying to collect protection fees in Shrek City!"

The bald man, known as Baldy Zhao to Ke En, felt a surge of anger rise within him when even a little girl dared to point a finger at his nose and curse.

"Fine, fine, fine! So I'm nobody, am I? Today, I'll show you exactly who I am!"

As soon as Baldy Zhao finished speaking, a long staff appeared out of thin air in his hands, while one white and one yellow soul ring rose silently behind him.

A Soul Grand Master? Is that it?

Mu Guiyun raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but look at Tang Ya, who was wearing an expression of utter disbelief.

Seeing Baldy Zhao activate his martial soul, the middle-aged man hurriedly stepped forward to shield Ke En, swallowing his pride as he said, "Brother Zhao, Ke En is just ignorant. Please don't hold it against her. Take this money for you and your brothers to have a drink; I will definitely hand over the protection money with both hands tomorrow!"

With that, the middle-aged man took a handful of Silver Soul Coin from his pocket and placed them trembling on the table.

"Dad! You..."

Ke En wanted to say something more, but the middle-aged man waved his hand to cut her off.

"Hmph! You're sensible enough. If the protection money isn't paid by this time tomorrow, I'll smash your shop to pieces!"

Baldy Zhao let out a cold sneer, then retracted his martial soul, preparing to step forward and grab the Silver Soul Coin on the table.

However, at that very moment, a sudden change occurred. The Silver Soul Coin that had been resting calmly on the table transformed in the blink of an eye into a sharp blade. Before Baldy Zhao could even react, his palm was ruthlessly pierced through.

"Ahhh!!!"

A miserable scream rang out, and the crowd, still unaware of what had happened, instinctively turned their gaze toward Baldy Zhao, whose palm was bleeding profusely.

"You old geezer, you dare to double-cross me!"

Not understanding any of this, Baldy Zhao immediately pegged Ke En and her father as the culprits behind it all.

Enduring the excruciating pain in his palm, Baldy Zhao was just about to summon his martial soul again to teach the pair a lesson when a sharp shout suddenly came from behind him.

Turning his head, he saw a black-haired girl dressed in a maid outfit who had already rushed right in front of him.

"Double-cross you? This Sect Master is going to whip you today!"