Haozi's Assist

But that tiny flicker of emotion vanished in an instant, and soon her full attention was drawn back to the dazzling array of little trinkets along the street. She looked here and peeked there, having the time of her life.

Ye Yun followed leisurely behind her, his gaze falling on his system panel.

On the screen, the value of [Harmony Energy] was steadily rising in tiny increments with Xiao Wu's closeness and dependent emotions: +1, +1, +1...

Watching the energy continue to increase, Ye Yun felt especially pleased. He let the little rabbit cling to him, all sticky and touchy, and paid it no mind at all.

Sensing the spirit power in his body steadily climbing, Ye Yun was practically blooming with joy inside. Just winning over Tang San and Xiao Wu had already made his cultivation jump by a large margin.

He began calculating inwardly. Among the Shrek Seven Devils, there were still people like Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.

If he could pull them into his family as well, then his cultivation speed would absolutely soar all the way up and take off on the spot.

Although the two of them did have a few shortcomings, they were not that serious, at least.

Zhu Zhuqing's eventual choice to stay by Dai Mubai's side had also been forced by circumstance.

Dai Weis and Zhu Zhuyun were powerful and pressed them step by step. If she and Dai Mubai went their separate ways, either one of them alone would be utterly unable to resist, and in the end they would only die. There had been no other choice at all.

As for Ning Rongrong, she had a spoiled personality and loved throwing little tantrums, looking like a naughty little witch. But she was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, cherished in the palms of their hands, so having a bit of a young miss's temper was only natural.

Besides, that girl was not bad by nature. After she experienced more things in the future, her little temper would naturally be slowly worn down. She could absolutely be trained. Taking everything into account, winning her over would definitely be a guaranteed profitable deal.

But Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—Ye Yun directly crossed those three out in his heart.

They were too good at causing trouble, and they had all kinds of flaws, the kind that involved fundamental principles.

First was Dai Mubai, that coward. He clearly knew that if he participated in the imperial struggle and did not work hard, he would die, yet he simply ran away, settling into pleasure at Shrek Academy. At such an age, his spirit power was still only at that level.

Then there was Ma Hongjun. Nothing more needed to be said—frequent visitor to brothels, vulgar, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, gluttonous and lazy. His character was no good.

Oscar had mixed with them all year round, so one could not say he was all that clean either. Add Flender's set of hooligan sayings on top of that, and it would be hard for him to turn out normal.

Just as Ye Yun was thinking, Xiao Wu sidled over bashfully.

"Brother~ Can you help me carry some things? I accidentally bought too much, and I can't hold it all."

"Go, go, go, play by yourself. Also, you bought so much stuff—are you not planning to live the rest of your days?!"

Ye Yun rolled his eyes at her and scolded her with his mouth, but his hands very honestly took over more than half the bag.

Xiao Wu's eyes immediately curved into smiles. She reached into the bag, took out a piece of candy, and brought it to Ye Yun's lips. "Brother is the best. Here, have a candy. I haven't even been willing to eat it yet."

Ye Yun did not refuse and let her stuff the candy into his mouth. Sweetness spread across the tip of his tongue. It really did taste pretty good.

It was only when night fell that the two returned to the dormitory.

Xiao Wu happily piled the things she had bought by the head of the bed, while Ye Yun wearily buried his head straight into the bed.

Sigh... Why, even though I'm already a spirit master, am I still so tired from going shopping? Could this be damage from a rule-type effect?

Xiao Wu leaned close to him, her soft voice carrying a hint of coquettish pleading. "Brother~ Are you going to sleep already? Play with me a little longer."

Ye Yun glanced at her and spoke slowly. "Will you listen to me? If you listen, I'll play with you."

"Mm-hmm! I'm super obedient!" Xiao Wu immediately nodded hard, her big eyes sparkling and filled with anticipation.

"Then be obedient. We're not playing."

Xiao Wu instantly froze where she stood, and her little face collapsed at once.

Seeing her deflated look, Ye Yun could not help chuckling softly. He reached out and gently pressed down on her little head, pushing her aside a bit, planning to take a proper breather.

Just then, the room door was gently pushed open, and Tang San walked in holding a book of spirit beast illustrations.

The moment he looked up, he saw Ye Yun, weary-faced and resting with his eyes closed, and Xiao Wu, who kept pestering him and making a fuss. His brows instantly knitted tight.

"Xiao Wu, you're being far too inconsiderate." Tang San walked forward, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. "Brother Yun is obviously very tired, yet you're still pestering him and not letting him rest properly."

Being scolded by Tang San in front of others, Xiao Wu immediately became unhappy. Her little mouth jutted high, and she gave a huffy snort.

"Hmph, what's it to you! I just love sticking to Brother! Bleh, bleh, bleh—"

Then she grabbed her own pillow, moved it beside Ye Yun, and obediently lay down next to him in a row, quietly no longer making a ruckus.

Tang San shook his head, returned to his own bed, and continued studying his choice of spirit beasts.

In the dim grove outside the dormitory, Tang Hao, reeking of alcohol, stood quietly deep among the trees.

His murky gaze pierced through the window, taking in every movement inside the dormitory.

If not for this Ye family boy always helping Tang San in daily life, silently protecting his son as he grew, and possibly becoming a major force in the future against Spirit Hall and in aiding his revenge...

How could he possibly allow the Ye family boy and that hundred-thousand-year spirit beast to develop like this?

Forget it. He would simply wait until Little San grew up, then secretly trick Little San into killing her and taking her spirit ring and spirit bone.

A sinister glint flashed through Tang Hao's eyes.

And at that very moment, Ye Yun, who lay on the bed pretending to rest, suddenly felt a chill down his spine and sensed a surge of malice coming from outside the window. Tang Hao really was watching from outside.

Ye Yun forcefully suppressed the wariness in his heart, calmly slowed his breathing, maintained the posture of deep sleep, and pretended he had not noticed anything.

In secret, he silently selected the [Beginner Pathstrider Experience Card]. If Tang Hao intended to harm him, he would use it directly and smash him to pieces.

Even if it meant losing some progress on [The Hunt] in the future, he would not hesitate.

Xiao Wu, who had been implanted with the [Harmony] totem by Ye Yun, had senses far sharper than an ordinary person's.

The instant that icy, bone-piercing malice began to spread, she caught it.

Her little hand under the covers suddenly clenched Ye Yun's sleeve, and her petite body trembled softly beyond her control, her heart filled with an inexplicable fear.

Her throat tightened, and she murmured in a tiny voice with a faint tremor, "Brother..."

"Don't talk."

Ye Yun stopped her in a low voice, his palm gently landing on Xiao Wu's back and patting her softly again and again, his steady movements silently soothing her panic.

After being comforted by Ye Yun, Xiao Wu's soft rabbit ears drooped, and all her usual liveliness and spirit were gone. She instinctively curled up and pressed tightly into Ye Yun's warm embrace.

The malice outside the window was too cold and frightening. Only by staying close to Ye Yun could she feel completely safe.

Ding. Xiao Wu feels a deep dependence on the family head. [Harmony] Energy +50

Current soul power level: Level 14

[Harmony] Energy: 26/100

Ability obtained: Clamor of the Dancing Lantern Parade (Harmony Path Ultimate)

Applies a special effect to allies, increasing teammates' Break Effect by 30%. Deals additional Super Break damage of an equal amount to enemies who have already been broken.

Listening to the system notification, Ye Yun's eyes lit up. He had not expected an unexpected gain. After tightening his hold on Xiao Wu, he began communicating with the system.