Tang Ya greeted him with a cheeky grin, then pointed to Mu Guiyun beside her. "Let me introduce my good friend, Mu Guiyun."
Once Ke En learned that Mu Guiyun was Tang Ya's friend, the smile on his face became much more relaxed. "So you're Xiao Ya's friend! Hello, I'm Ke En!"
"Hello, I'm Mu Guiyun."
After exchanging greetings, the two followed Ke En to the only empty table and sat down.
Ke En handed the menu to Mu Guiyun and said with a smile, "Here's the menu. What would you two like to eat today?"
Mu Guiyun gave it a casual glance, then passed it to Tang Ya.
"Hehehe!"
Taking the menu, Tang Ya giggled foolishly before beginning to peruse it with great interest.
"First, a serving of mapo tofu, then stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and tomato and egg. Finally, a serving of stir-fried chives! As for meat... a serving of braised ribs will do!"
Tang Ya rattled off several dishes, all of them without exception ordinary fare commonly found in any household.
"Please wait a moment. It'll be ready soon!"
After quickly jotting down the order, Ke En turned and headed to the kitchen.
With Ke En gone and nothing else to do, Mu Guiyun studied Tang Ya again.
Compared to a year ago, Tang Ya was much more cheerful now, increasingly resembling the carefree girl from the original story.
"Is there something on my face?"
Tang Ya had been staring into space, but when she noticed Mu Guiyun watching her without blinking, a faint blush crept across her pretty face.
"No, I just feel like you've changed quite a bit since we last saw each other."
Mu Guiyun shook his head slightly, and the two began chatting.
After taking a sip of juice, Tang Ya seemed to remember something. "I remember—you know Bei Bei, don't you?"
Bei Bei?
At the mention of Bei Bei, Mu Guiyun's expression turned a little strange. "We get along pretty well. Why?"
If Mu Guiyun remembered correctly, Bei Bei should be choosing to repeat the year around now so he could be in the same class as Tang Ya.
"What do you mean, why? He's absolutely infuriating!"
Just hearing Bei Bei's name made Tang Ya's anger flare. She immediately poured out her complaints to Mu Guiyun. "You have no idea how annoying he is!"
"I don't know what he was thinking, but with talent that good, he actually repeated a year. Can you believe it? And he just happened to end up in our class! That would've been bad enough, but he clings to me every day, saying he's admired the Tang Sect for ages and wants to join!"
Ignoring the odd look on Mu Guiyun's face, Tang Ya grew more and more animated. "And his good friend with that turtle Martial Soul is always acting like a little punk. He doesn't look like a decent person at all!"
By the end, Mu Guiyun couldn't hold it in any longer.
All he could say was, Bei Bei had his handsome face to thank for winning Tang Ya over in the original story.
You didn't even have to think about it. The Tang Sect had suffered a tragedy less than two years ago. Tang Ya, its sole remaining heir, wasn't even willing to bring up the Tang Sect now. And then some stranger comes along and says he wants to join it the moment they meet...
Tang Ya might be a little scatterbrained, but if she'd been the suspicious sort, she would've thought he was there to mock her.
"Oh, right! That blockhead Bei Bei even tried to take your seat, but I chased him off!"
Tang Ya finished with her hands on her hips, looking like she was waiting for praise.
"I really have to thank you!"
Mu Guiyun could only smile helplessly. Even though he hardly ever attended classes in the outer court these days, he hadn't dropped out, so he still needed a seat.
"Hmph!"
Tang Ya lifted her elegant chin smugly. Then the corner of her eye caught sight of the Soul Tool on Mu Guiyun's wrist, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? You changed Soul Tools again!"
"Yeah. This Storage Soul Tool has a larger capacity, and it's really sturdy. Best of all, it's cheap to make!"
"Oh? What happened to your old one?"
"The old one, of course, is..."
Before Mu Guiyun could finish, a gruff voice cut him off:
"Hey, old man! Are you paying the protection money or not? If you don't pay, I'll smash up your shop!"
The sudden disruption made Mu Guiyun frown instinctively. He turned to look outside, and even the bustling restaurant fell completely silent.
A bald, shirtless man strode in, radiating menace. The few lackeys behind him looked like no good, either.
At the sight of them, fear appeared on every customer's face.
Protection money?
Someone was actually daring to demand protection money right under the nose of Shrek Academy, here in Shrek City?
Never mind the bald man's strength. Just that audacity alone was unmatched on the continent.
Hearing the voice from out front, Ke En hurried out of the kitchen, followed by a kind-looking, middle-aged man.
As soon as they saw who had come, disgust appeared on both their faces.
Before the middle-aged man could speak, Ke En stepped forward and pointed at the bald man. "Baldy Zhao! We already paid every fee we owed to the City Lord's Mansion. Who do you think you are, demanding protection money in Shrek City?"
The bald man—Baldy Zhao, as Ke En had called him—saw a young girl pointing at his nose and cursing him. Anger immediately surged in his heart.
"Fine, huh? You wanna know who I am? I'll show you!"
As Baldy Zhao spoke, a long staff appeared out of thin air in his hand. At the same time, two gleaming Soul Rings—one white and one yellow—rose behind him.
A Soul Grandmaster? That's it?
Mu Guiyun raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tang Ya, whose expression was now just as hard to watch.
The middle-aged man saw Baldy Zhao activate his Martial Soul and hurriedly stepped in front of Ke En. Swallowing his anger, he said, "Brother Zhao, Ke En doesn't know any better. Don't hold it against her. Take this money as a round of drinks for the brothers. I'll bring the protection money with both hands tomorrow, I promise!"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man pulled a handful of Silver Soul Coins from his clothes and placed them on the table with trembling hands.
"Dad! You..."
Ke En wanted to say more, but her father raised a hand to stop her.
"Hmph! At least you know what's good for you. If you don't pay the protection money by this time tomorrow, I'll smash up your shop!"
Baldy Zhao sneered, then put away his Martial Soul and stepped forward to grab the Silver Soul Coins on the table.
But just then, something unexpected happened. In the blink of an eye, the peaceful-looking Silver Soul Coins on the table transformed into a sharp dagger. Before Baldy Zhao could react, it stabbed straight through his palm.
"Argh!!!"
A miserable scream rang out. Everyone, still unsure what had happened, instinctively looked toward Baldy Zhao, whose palm was gushing blood.
"Old man, you fucking dared to trick me!"
Baldy Zhao had no idea what had happened. He immediately blamed Ke En and her father.
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his palm, Baldy Zhao was about to summon his Martial Soul again and teach the two of them a lesson when a sharp cry rang out behind him.
He turned around and saw a black-haired girl in a maid outfit rushing straight at him.
"Trick you? Today, I, the Sect Master, am going to beat you too!"