Xian Lin'er waved her hand. She wasn't in the mood to look at these things right now.
"Okay, goodbye, Dean! Goodbye, Senior Gui Yun!"
Hua Ying didn't think much of it. After greeting the two of them, she finally left, reluctant to go.
Only after the laboratory door closed again did Xian Lin'er's tense mood finally ease.
She gazed at Mu Guiyun's blazing eyes, then proudly thrust out her chest and said in a coquettish voice, "Why don't you go keep Xiaotao company? Why do you spend all your energy on an old woman like me every day?"
Looking at the smug Xian Lin'er, Mu Guiyun's hands began to wander. "Senior Sister, you're not old at all! Besides, haven't you heard that saying?"
The tingling sensation left Xian Lin'er's eyes a little hazy, but she still asked, "W-what saying?"
"Women are like fine wine—the older they get, the richer they become!"
In Grade 2 Class 1, Bei Bei glanced at Tang Ya, who was staring blankly into space nearby. After a moment's thought, he finally decided to invite her. "Xiaoya, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to check out the Treasure Appreciation Fair with me."
After speaking, Bei Bei gave her an elegant smile.
Although he'd witnessed the intimacy between Tang Ya and Mu Guiyun during the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament, Bei Bei firmly believed that if he kept swinging his hoe, he could dig up any corner of a wall.
Tang Ya had been wondering what to eat that evening. When someone interrupted her thoughts, she frowned in displeasure.
"Oh, it's Bei Bei. The Treasure Appreciation Fair? Sorry, I'm busy tonight."
Tang Ya rejected Bei Bei's invitation without a second thought.
Seeing that he'd been rejected yet again, Bei Bei's face stiffened. He was about to say something else, but Tang Ya cut him off without mercy.
With her hands on her hips, Tang Ya said impatiently, "And from now on, please call me Tang Ya or Classmate Tang Ya, Classmate Bei Bei!"
"Ah? Hahaha, got it, Classmate Tang Ya."
Rejected so mercilessly in front of everyone, Bei Bei looked embarrassed. The teasing looks from those around him made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He glanced at the seat that had been empty beside Tang Ya for ages. Though unwilling to give up, Bei Bei had no choice but to leave.
After sending Bei Bei away, Tang Ya suddenly caught sight of an all-too-familiar figure from the corner of her eye. She looked closer and saw that it was Mu Guiyun, who'd been gone for ages.
"Mu Guiyun!"
Tang Ya's shout instantly silenced the noisy classroom. Everyone turned to look toward the doorway.
Mu Guiyun had once kept a low profile and remained unknown throughout the outer court. But after the Inter-grade Challenge Tournament, his name had spread across Shrek Academy. There was hardly anyone who hadn't heard of him.
Ignoring the stares around him, Mu Guiyun smiled and spread his arms, catching Tang Ya as she rushed into them.
"Waaah! You heartless thing! Where have you been all these months? You didn't even come see me, your Sect Master!"
Tang Ya rubbed her little head against Mu Guiyun's chest. In the corner, Bei Bei's heart shattered at the sight of their intimacy.
Wrapping his arms around Tang Ya's slender waist, soft as if boneless, Mu Guiyun chuckled. "I've been busy lately. I came to see you as soon as I finished."
As for what he'd been busy with, don't ask.
Hearing that Mu Guiyun had come to see her first, Tang Ya smiled and said coyly, "Hmph, at least you have a little conscience."
"Oh, are you free tonight? I'll take you to the Treasure Appreciation Fair. What do you say?"
As he spoke, Mu Guiyun took an invitation from his Soul Tool.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Tang Ya's face lit up. She knew all about the Treasure Appreciation Fair, but because of her poor talent, she'd never been able to get an invitation from Shrek Academy.
When they heard Tang Ya agree to go to the Treasure Appreciation Fair, everyone's expressions turned strange. Almost instinctively, they looked over at Bei Bei, who had long since turned to stone.
Just then, Bei Bei's deskmate, an unnamed passerby, suddenly bent down and picked up a small red ball from the floor. "Classmate Bei Bei, did you drop this?"
Bei Bei: ...
Night came quickly. Mu Guiyun arrived at the venue for the Treasure Appreciation Fair, the Treasure Pavilion, with a delighted Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan.
The Treasure Pavilion stood in the heart of Shrek City. Its shape resembled an upside-down treasure bowl, and it was an establishment directly managed by the Sea God Pavilion. The person in charge was Sea God Pavilion Elder Lin Huiqun.
Tang Ya curiously studied the uniquely shaped building before turning to her friend. "Nannan, have you been here before?"
"Once, but there wasn't anything I needed."
Jiang Nannan nodded. She was a core disciple of the outer court's martial soul department and had a Purple VIP Card. Besides getting a ten percent discount, she could also buy up to 100,000 Gold Soul Coins' worth of goods on credit each year.
"All right, let's go in. The good stuff will be gone if we wait."
Mu Guiyun interrupted their conversation and pushed open the doors of the Treasure Pavilion first.
The greeter waiting nearby brightened at the sight of Mu Guiyun's handsome face and hurried forward with a bow.
"Welcome! Are the three of you Soul Masters here for the Treasure Appreciation Fair?"
Ignoring the deep cleavage the girl was deliberately showing, Mu Guiyun nodded calmly. "Here's my invitation. The one behind me is my girlfriend. She's here to broaden her horizons."
As he spoke, Mu Guiyun pointed to Tang Ya behind him.
Girlfriend...
Hearing Mu Guiyun call her his girlfriend, Tang Ya blushed furiously, but didn't deny it.
"This..."
The girl looked troubled. The rules were strict: one invitation per person, and no one else was allowed inside.
Seeing her predicament, Mu Guiyun had no choice but to use the Face-Face Fruit.
"Go tell the person in charge. Say my name is Mu Guiyun!"
On the stairs leading to the second floor, Tang Ya looked at the person beside her and asked shyly, "Gui Yun, when you said I was your girlfriend, did you mean it?"
It was rare to see Tang Ya acting so bashful. Mu Guiyun crooked his mouth into a grin and teased her. "You must've heard wrong. Or do you want that badly to be my girlfriend?"
"Ah!!! You jerk! I'm not talking to you!"
Realizing she'd been played, Tang Ya flushed bright red. She grabbed Mu Guiyun's arm and bit down.
"Nannan, let's go!"
The Treasure Appreciation Fair had two floors. The second floor was for core disciples of Shrek Outer Court, while only inner court disciples were allowed on the third floor.
Unlike Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, who were full of curiosity, Mu Guiyun wasn't interested in anything on the second floor. In the end, he bought a few pieces of Whale Rubber at random.
After all, Mu Guiyun and Xian Lin'er were using more and more of it these days, and the little stock Mu En had given him wasn't nearly enough.
"Wow, so this is a Spirit Bone! This is my first time seeing one!"
A cry of surprise rang out. Tang Ya had pressed her whole face against the glass case, her eyes shining as she stared at the Spirit Bone inside.
Mu Guiyun looked down: a 3000-Year Solitary Bamboo Left Leg Bone.