After returning to Shrek Academy from Sunset Forest, Huo Chen's daily routine had not changed much.
He still taught the core disciple class every day, still went to the Frost Cultivation Room every other day to guide Ling Luocheng, and was still dragged by Ma Xiaotao to little restaurants outside the academy for meals.
The only difference was that Tang Ya had begun living permanently in Shrek City. She rented a small courtyard in a quiet alley not far from the academy, neither too close nor too far from Homecoming Cottage—a fifteen-minute walk away.
She had not moved into Homecoming Cottage. In her own words, "The Tang Sect's sect master needs her own base. Otherwise, it wouldn't sound good when people heard about it."
Huo Chen did not object. He knew what she needed was not a place to live, but the sense of independence that said, I am still myself.
She had already given herself completely in love, but in terms of identity and position, she was still the Tang Sect's sect master and needed to retain a certain degree of autonomy and dignity. That sense of restraint made Huo Chen admire her even more.
However, some matters had to be faced sooner or later.
Bei Bei was no fool. He had seen the changes in Tang Ya over this period.
She no longer came to see him as often as before. Even when they met, something was missing from her eyes—the familiar light of dependence and anticipation she had once carried.
In its place was a calmness, an inner peace he had not seen in her for a very long time.
He began to pay attention. He noticed that Tang Ya looked far better than before, and the lingering gloom that had long hung between her brows had