Something's Wrong, Very Wrong, Shrek

Yue Shen glanced at her through the mirror, picked up a simple white jade hairpin to secure her bun, and removed the jade comb from her mouth. Her voice was hoarse as she gave her instructions:

"Xiao Wu, I am feeling a bit... unwell today. You should accompany Linchuan for a walk and show him the sights of Soto City."

Unwell? Xiao Wu felt even more confused.

With Yue Shen's unfathomable cultivation, she should have long been immune to heat, cold, and illness. How could she be feeling unwell?

And... what did she just call the Young Master?

Linchuan?

No longer "Young Master"?

This change to an intimate form of address made Xiao Wu keenly sense an unusual atmosphere.

Despite the heavy confusion in her heart, Xiao Wu respectfully lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Yue Shen."

"Go on, I have already spoken to Linchuan." Yue Shen looked at herself in the mirror, carefully examining her overly flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips, a triumphant curve forming on her lips of its own accord.

She paused, as if remembering something, and added, "Remember, Linchuan... he might be tired from yesterday as well, so keep an eye on him."

"If he feels uncomfortable anywhere, remember to... take good care of him."

Xiao Wu was even more bewildered.

The Young Master is feeling unwell?

What a joke!

In her memory, Zhao Linchuan's body was even sturdier and stronger than those thick-skinned, hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest!

He would be tired? He would be uncomfortable?

But facing Yue Shen's gaze, which seemed calm yet carried an invisible pressure, Xiao Wu ultimately swallowed her questions and gave a vague, "Yes, Yue Shen."

Watching Xiao Wu leave the room with a belly full of questions, Yue Shen stood up gracefully.

However, the moment she straightened her back, a sharp, burning, tearing sensation flared between her legs, causing her to gasp and her lips to twitch involuntarily.

Hiss... damn little man! She leaned against the vanity to steady herself, cursing inwardly with a mix of sweetness and embarrassment. I really... underestimated you before!

She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and circulated her soul power to soothe the discomfort.

A moment later, with a thought, the space in front of her rippled silently with transparent waves.

She stepped forward and vanished from the room instantly.

The next instant, space rippled within Yan Fei's room, and Yue Shen's figure emerged quietly.

Yan Fei was sitting at a low table by the window, reading a pill recipe given to her by Zhao Linchuan. Hearing the movement, she looked up, and upon seeing Yue Shen appear suddenly, her brows furrowed imperceptibly.

Especially when her gaze swept over Yue Shen's radiant, spring-filled expression and the slight strangeness in her gait, an uncomfortable feeling rose in her heart.

Yue Shen, however, acted as if she hadn't seen the furrowed brows, walked gracefully to a spot not far from her, and stood still with her hands folded naturally over her abdomen.

"Heh."

She chuckled, lifted her chin slightly, and wore the smile of a victor, speaking slowly in her now-hoarse voice:

"Yan Fei, you have been the 'big sister' for so long... today, shouldn't it be your turn to call me 'big sister'?"

She paused, her smile becoming even more brilliant and bright. "Be a good girl, call me 'big sister' and let me hear it."

Yan Fei: "...???"

The fingers holding the pill recipe tightened slightly.

The air in the room seemed to freeze in that instant.

Outside Soto City, on a country path, the air was fresh and wildflowers dotted the green grass.

Zhao Linchuan held Xiao Wu's hand, walking at a leisurely pace while admiring the rural scenery.

Xiao Wu seemed to still be immersed in the morning's confusion, appearing somewhat distracted.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Xiao Wu suddenly blinked her large eyes, sensing something amiss.

She tilted her head slightly and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Young Master, it seems... someone is following us."

Zhao Linchuan's expression remained unchanged, his gaze still fixed on the winding path ahead as he said casually, "It's fine, let her follow."

He had long since detected that sneaky presence, which thought it was well-hidden.

With a sweep of his spiritual power, he "saw" the neurotic girl hiding behind a weathered boulder a hundred meters away, nervously peeking out.

"Phew... they couldn't have discovered me, right?" Behind the boulder, Ning Rongrong patted her sizable chest, her small face filled with the excitement of a thief and a hint of trepidation.

She carefully poked half her head out again, saw the man and woman in front still walking at a leisurely pace, seemingly unaware, and breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to herself:

"Good, good. My stealth skills are peerless in the world; I doubt they could ever discover me!"

After cheering herself on, she followed on tiptoe, thinking her actions were flawless.

Her clumsy yet cute stalking, along with her self-absorbed muttering, fell entirely into the view of another pair of eyes hidden in the shadow of a large tree further back.

And so, Zhao Linchuan and Xiao Wu "strolled" leisurely in front, Ning Rongrong "trailed" behind thinking she was clever, and Zhu Zhuqing "watched" coldly from the very back, forming a peculiar scene.

After a long trek, a rather dilapidated little village appeared ahead.

A crowd had gathered at the village entrance, mostly parents with half-grown children, forming a somewhat disorganized line. At the end of the line sat an old man behind a worn-out wooden table.

Hanging above the table was a crooked wooden sign with five barely legible characters carved into it: Shrek Academy.

"Xiao Wu, this is the Shrek I just mentioned..." Zhao Linchuan held Xiao Wu's hand and quietly took his place at the end of the line.

Soon, complaints began to drift back from the front.

A woman in decent attire muttered to her husband with dissatisfaction:

"Are you kidding me? This is the so-called Spirit Master academy? The one that claims you can become a viscount of the Heaven Dou Empire upon graduation?"

The middle-aged man also seemed uncertain. "This is what the people from Spirit Hall said; it shouldn't be wrong. But this..."

"..."

Hearing this, Zhao Linchuan merely smiled faintly.

Xiao Wu could not help but cover her mouth and giggle. She leaned closer to the couple and explained in a crisp voice:

"Uncle, Auntie, the laws of the Heaven Dou Empire do indeed state that a Spirit Master's noble title is linked to their spirit power rank."

"Generally speaking, once your spirit power reaches level forty—the Spirit Ancestor rank—you can automatically obtain the title of viscount."

"And as far as I know, the basic graduation requirement for this academy is roughly that level."

"So... technically speaking, this academy isn't entirely lying."