Family and Benefactor

When Da Ming asked, Xiao Wu told him everything without holding anything back.

That included how she had been threatened by a Titled Douluo and how Ye Xuan had stepped in to stop him.

Da Ming and Er Ming listened intently and, naturally, expressed their gratitude to Ye Xuan.

Afterward, they asked Xiao Wu about interesting things in the human world.

If it had been just the two of them, they wouldn't have been interested in the world outside.

But Xiao Wu had spent so long out there, and that made them curious. They wanted to know what was so fun about it that she'd grown so attached to the outside world.

At first, Xiao Wu was the only one telling them stories. But she hadn't spent all that long in the human world, and didn't have many interesting things to tell them. In the end, Ye Xuan, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all joined in, telling them about the outside world.

They stayed there for half a day before saying goodbye to Da Ming and Er Ming.

At last, they watched Ye Xuan and the others leave. Only after a long while did they reluctantly head back.

After several days on the road, Ye Xuan and the others returned to Suotuo City.

When they got back, they didn't go straight to the Spirit Hall Main Branch. Instead, they went to Shrek Academy first.

Since they were leaving, they still needed to say their goodbyes.

Ye Xuan and Zhu Zhuqing had long since lost any affection for Shrek Academy. But Xiao Wu and Tang San were sworn siblings, after all, and hadn't reached the point of severing all ties. Naturally, they needed to let him know.

Ye Xuan and the others went together to prevent any trouble from cropping up.

However, when they arrived, they saw the people from Shrek Academy packing their belongings. It looked like they were preparing to leave, too.

The first to notice Ye Xuan and the others was Zhao Wuji. He quickly came over and said, "Young Master Ye, you've come at just the right time. Now we won't have to go looking for you."

"Are you... leaving, too?" Ye Xuan asked.

"Too? Young Master Ye, you're leaving as well?" Zhao Wuji asked in surprise.

"Yes. We're going to Heaven Dou City. We came to tell Dean Flender, and Xiao Wu wanted to say goodbye to Tang San as well," Ye Xuan said.

"You're going to Heaven Dou City? That's perfect. We're planning to go there, too..."

Zhao Wuji was about to say something when a voice suddenly cut him off.

"Old Li has something to discuss with you. I'll speak with Young Master Ye!"

It was none other than Flender.

"All right, Dean." Zhao Wuji was a smart man. He understood that Flender didn't want him to continue, so he obediently left.

After Zhao Wuji had gone, Flender smiled warmly at Ye Xuan. "Young Master Ye, shall we talk?"

"Sure," Ye Xuan replied. He didn't mind.

Xiao Wu turned to Ye Xuan. "Big Brother Ye, I'm going to talk with Third Brother."

"Go ahead." Ye Xuan nodded.

Xiao Wu hurried off, while Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing went to the side.

Flender led Ye Xuan to another spot and said, "Young Master Ye, come to think of it, I owe you my thanks."

"Oh? Why's that?" Ye Xuan asked with interest.

"Xiao Wu is a fine talent, but Shrek Academy couldn't protect her. If not for you, Young Master Ye, I'm afraid it wouldn't have been just Xiao Wu who got into trouble. Shrek Academy would have been destroyed, too," Flender said gravely.

After all, if Spirit Hall had come to Shrek to seize someone, Shrek Academy would have been powerless to stop them.

Flender couldn't see the future. He didn't know that Tang San would one day be able to stand against Spirit Hall.

Besides, Tang San's ability to fight Spirit Hall depended on one stroke of fortune after another.

If even one of those crucial opportunities had been missing, things could easily have ended in disaster.

Put simply, the protagonist's halo had been protecting him.

Even so, Xiao Wu had sacrificed herself, Tang San had spent a long time on the run, and Shrek Academy had been forced to skulk from place to place.

But now?

With Xiao Wu by Ye Xuan's side, none of those problems remained problems. Naturally, Flender had to thank Ye Xuan.

There was just one thing he wondered about.

"Doesn't Dean Flender think I was the one who informed Spirit Hall?" Ye Xuan asked.

He was referring to Yu Xiaogang's accusation back then.

"I saw what happened that day. I can judge for myself what really happened. I don't know why Xiaogang targeted you like that, Young Master Ye, but I hope you won't hold what happened back then against him. I'll also do my best to keep Xiaogang in check," Flender said solemnly.

"Don't worry, Dean Flender. If I'd cared, I would have killed Yu Xiaogang right then and there," Ye Xuan replied.

Flender could only give an awkward, rueful smile.

That was true.

With Ye Xuan's strength, there was nothing Flender could have done to stop him from killing Yu Xiaogang.

"Then let me thank you again, Young Master Ye." Flender clasped his hands in thanks.

At the same time.

Xiao Wu went to find Tang San.

When he saw her again, Tang San hurried over and asked, "Xiao Wu, how have you been over there?"

"I've been great. Big Brother Ye has treated me very well," Xiao Wu said.

"Xiao Wu, we're leaving. Would you..."

Tang San had meant to invite Xiao Wu along, but before he could finish, she turned him down.

"Third Brother, I won't be going with you. You have an important mission, and I don't want to bring you any unnecessary trouble. No matter where we are, we're still family. You'll always be family to me, Third Brother," Xiao Wu said earnestly.

"Family?" Tang San fell silent.

He hadn't cared about such things before.

He'd always thought of Xiao Wu as his younger sister, but now, seeing how close she and Ye Xuan had become, it felt as though something that should have belonged to him had been taken away.

He was bitterly unwilling to accept it, yet felt utterly powerless.

That powerlessness tormented him. If Flender and Yu Xiaogang hadn't talked him through it so many times, he feared he would have gone mad.

"Yes. Third Brother is the only family I have in the human world." Xiao Wu nodded solemnly.

"What about Ye Xuan?" Tang San asked.

"Big Brother Ye? He's my benefactor," Xiao Wu replied.

"Your benefactor?" Tang San fell silent again.

The word "benefactor" always brought another phrase to mind for Tang San.

It was:

"Your great kindness is beyond repayment, sir. This humble girl can only offer herself to you."

In the jianghu of his previous life, there had been plenty of women like that.

But Tang San quickly shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about it.

If he kept going, he feared he really would go mad.

"Then are you staying here, or...?" Tang San asked.

"We're going to Heaven Dou City, so I came to say goodbye, Third Brother," Xiao Wu said.

"Heaven Dou City?" Tang San was startled. He hadn't expected them to end up in the same place again.

"Is something wrong?" Seeing his reaction, Xiao Wu asked in confusion.

"We're going to Heaven Dou City, too. The dean said he has friends there who can help us get better resources. He also hopes we can join a school there, form a team, and compete in the tournaments," Tang San said.