Tremendous Changes

Jiang Nannan, standing beside him, saw Jiang Mu remain silent and felt her heart tighten. Afraid something might have gone wrong, she hurried forward and asked anxiously.

"Xiao Mu, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Jiang Nannan did not care what heaven-defying soul skill he had obtained. She cared more about his safety.

"Nannan, don't worry. I've already absorbed the soul skill I wanted."

"Who asked about your soul skill? I'm asking whether you're all right!"

Jiang Nannan hurried closer and bent down. The motion of her running over instantly carried a fragrant breeze, and the next second, her face was almost pressed against Jiang Mu's.

Jiang Mu closed the screen and met her eyes, which were fixed intently on him and filled with concern.

"Nannan, I'm fine too. Don't worry. Look at me."

As he spoke, he even raised his hand to show that he was perfectly fine.

Only after seeing that Jiang Mu was indeed unharmed did Jiang Nannan finally let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death. It's good that you're okay."

Jiang Mu raised a hand and brushed the corner of Jiang Nannan's lips. "Hehe, I haven't protected you and Mother yet, Nannan. How could I possibly die?"

Jiang Nannan gave a soft snort and turned her head aside.

"Hmph, how many times have I told you? Don't call me Nannan. Call me Sister. Nannan Sis is fine too."

The tension naturally returned to how it had been at the beginning, when they had been bickering over that form of address.

The two of them played around, when a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby.

Rustle, rustle~

The sound was obvious. Thinking another soul beast had targeted them, they immediately frowned and quickly looked over.

But what they saw was different from what they had expected.

"Huh?"

"Hmph, why is it you? Didn't you run away?" Jiang Nannan crossed her arms, looking extremely displeased.

That was right—it was Tang Ya. She was limping at the moment, and her pretty little face was full of anxiety. Faced with Jiang Nannan's mockery, she did not know what to say.

"I-I'm sorry."

After Tang Ya came closer and saw the corpse lying beside them, she knew she had arrived too late. She quickly smacked her own head and lowered it in apology.

She wanted to argue that she had not meant to run away; Bei Bei had been the one who took her away.

But the words reached her lips and would not come out. Whether she had been dragged away or not, the final result was that she had run, leaving them behind.

She had passively taken the blame.

Sometimes, all sorts of invisible blame fell onto you, yet there was no good way to explain yourself.

Tang Ya was experiencing that right now.

"What use is an apology? If we hadn't had some strength, and if this stupid ape hadn't been injured, we might already be dead."

Jiang Nannan was not about to let her off just because she had the upper hand. Their lives had been in danger—how could she possibly spare her?

The fact that she had not teleported over and kicked Tang Ya was already her restraining her temper.

"I'm truly sorry."

Tang Ya lowered her head and did not dare look at Jiang Nannan. She only dared to occasionally glance at Jiang Mu, who was sitting on the ground. Only after confirming that he was fine did she let out a breath of relief.

When she saw him meditating, her heart had been clenched tight. She could not accept that he had saved her, only for her to flee while Jiang Mu was seriously injured.

Reality was not like the wild thoughts she had imagined on her way back. That was good. There was still room to make amends.

"Enough, enough."

Jiang Mu stepped in to smooth things over.

It was not that he wanted to excuse Tang Ya or plead for her. He simply thought that even if Tang Ya had stayed, she would only have held them back and been of little use.

Tang Ya's eyes sparkled. At last, she found the courage to raise her head and look at Jiang Mu.

Before she could speak, Jiang Nannan spoke unhappily from beside her.

"Hmph, Xiao Mu, how can we just forget it? Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to her!"

She folded her arms and eyed Jiang Mu suspiciously, her expression seeming to say: If you dare say yes, I'll hit you!

"I can compensate you. The Tang Sect has a quota for admission to Shrek Academy without an entrance exam. I can use it to compensate you."

Tang Ya's face flushed slightly, but without waiting for Jiang Mu's response, she bent at the waist and stated her proposal.

For most people, a quota for admission to Shrek without an entrance exam was quite useful. They could enter directly without being assessed on their rank.

"Ah, do our ranks require something like an exam-free quota?" Jiang Nannan curled her lips.

Seeing Jiang Nannan's reaction, Tang Ya understood. It seemed they did not know the details of entering Shrek Academy.

"Uh, perhaps you don't understand. To enter Shrek Academy, you need a letter of recommendation from a city lord or some faction. The person's authority cannot be too low, and if you want them to write one, you'll definitely have to spend quite a bit of money."

Tang Ya's implication was already very clear. Even if they did not need it, they could treat it as a letter of recommendation. It could save them a great deal of money and time, sparing them from having to give gifts and make arrangements.

But...

Neither of them had planned to attend Shrek Academy.

Tang Ya, however, did not think so. Seeing Jiang Mu pause for the moment, she assumed he was tempted and secretly felt delighted. Her legs, clad in black stockings, lightly rubbed together as she took a step forward and took out the quota.

"The quota is my apology for abandoning you. As for saving my life, I had some hidden weapons made in Shrek City. Though soul tools have suppressed them and no one buys them anymore, ordinary people can use hidden weapons too, and they require no consumption. You can use them for self-defense."

Jiang Mu accepted it subconsciously. When she approached, a strange fragrance drifted from her body. It seemed beautiful women all carried that sort of faint, refined scent.

Seeing that he said nothing, Tang Ya continued.

"Once you get there, I can also treat you to food and drinks. Consider it repayment for saving my life."

"All right."

Faced with such enthusiasm, Jiang Mu nodded in agreement. It would be a good chance to see what this so-called Shrek City looked like.

Of course, he was not going merely to sightsee. If he could attract one or two enemies and add them to his list, then the next time he absorbed a soul ring, he would have two people to help bear the burden. Perhaps even a ten-thousand-year soul ring would not be impossible.

"Okay, I'll take you there."

Since Jiang Mu was going, Jiang Nannan could not possibly stay behind. What if her little brother got abducted? She was preparing to follow him when she suddenly realized something: where was the person who had been with Tang Ya?

"By the way, you're Tang Ya, right? Why are you alone? Where's that man who was with you?"

At those words, Tang Ya's smile slowly stiffened. She gradually shifted her gaze away from Jiang Mu, looked at Jiang Nannan behind her, and replied calmly.

"Oh, you mean Bei Bei? I expelled him from the Tang Sect."

Jiang Mu immediately became interested upon hearing that.

"Hm? Why?"

So much had changed just after arriving here. She had actually driven him straight out of the Tang Sect. He could not think of this world too simply, assuming everyone had good intentions, nor could he define them by their original personalities.

Caution. He had to be cautious.

He only had one life, and the people around him had no means of protection either.

"Hmph, he fled in the middle of a battle and stood by while others died. What reason is there to keep him? I won't wait until he leaves me behind someday too."

Tang Ya gave a soft snort, voicing her complaint. The atmosphere grew heavy.