Ma Xiaotao's Visit

At the same time, Yue Ling woke from his bed feeling refreshed.

He raised a hand and gently pushed open the wooden window. A cool breeze drifted in through the opening, carrying the fresh, dewy scent of grass and trees.

The Soul Power concentration in this small courtyard was exceptionally abundant. Everything was quiet, and the atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful.

Yue Ling suddenly realized he could no longer hear Gongyang Mo's distinctive snoring in the dormitory, which actually felt a little strange.

He raised a hand and neatly folded his bedding, then took off his white Shrek uniform.

His lean, capable figure was fully revealed. Though he did not look very old, his muscles were cleanly defined and firm.

After four years of daily training, the sinews and bones in his arms stood out clearly, radiating a steady, solid sense of strength.

His striking orange-gold hair contrasted sharply with his delicate, clean-cut face.

Especially his eyes—whenever his gaze fell upon someone, it was as though everything around them faded away, leaving only that one person in his sight.

Unfortunately, no woman got to see this exceptionally lady-killing appearance.

After a rustle of fabric,

he changed into his own casual clothes, looking completely renewed.

He had none of the greasy smell Xuan Zi carried year-round, nor any other strange odor. There was only a faint chrysanthemum fragrance that seemed to seep from his very bones.

Once he had changed into clean clothes, his entire body relaxed.

His days at Shrek Outer Court had always been tightly wound: endless cultivation, classes and problem sets, preparations for the freshman assessment. Life had been complicated and unfamiliar.

Only when he returned here was it different.

The familiar pots and pans, the flowers and plants lining the path, and the elders close to him...

Here, he did not need to deliberately put on a social mask for others, force himself through theory textbooks he despised, or mechanically repeat the same things day after day.

Only in this little courtyard could he truly lower his guard and feel safe and at ease.

Just as he was immersed in that peace, a sudden, urgent knock sounded outside the courtyard gate.

"Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!"

His thoughts were immediately pulled back.

"Huh? Who is it?"

There was no response from outside.

He pondered it silently. The knocking was so urgent; if it were one of the resident elders or teachers, most of them would have simply flown through the air into the courtyard.

Zhang Lexuan was courteous and refined. She would never knock so hurriedly.

Looking at it that way, it was most likely Bei Bei.

He had not eaten breakfast yet. Since Bei Bei had come right around mealtime, they could have a good meal together.

Yue Ling casually hummed a tune, ran a hand through his hair, and leisurely walked to the courtyard gate before pulling it open.

A brilliant red figure stood quietly outside.

He froze for a moment. Then, after taking a closer look, he went completely blank.

"Damn, Ma Xiaotao, why are you here?"

Yue Ling was stunned for a moment before quickly recovering.

It did make sense.

Ma Xiaotao was Dean Yan's disciple, so naturally she had a way of finding this place. He simply did not know why she had come to visit.

"What, I'm not welcome? Then I'll take the Spirit Bone the academy assigned you and leave."

Ma Xiaotao slightly raised her chin and deliberately made as if she were about to turn and leave.

Yue Ling's heart suddenly tightened.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Yue Ling instinctively reached out and grabbed her fair wrist.

Yue Ling paused when he felt the smooth softness beneath his fingers.

"Hey, no, no, no. I was just too surprised to see you so suddenly. Uh, actually, I'm really happy."

"Let go!"

Ma Xiaotao gave a soft huff and quickly turned her face away, deliberately refusing to let Yue Ling see her expression.

A faint blush swiftly spread across her cheeks. Hearing the excuse he had hurriedly come up with, and feeling the lingering warm heat on her wrist, her heartbeat became a little disordered, and even the tips of her ears quietly burned red.

"Oh, right, right, right."

Yue Ling awkwardly scratched the back of his head and hurriedly released her.

He had been too anxious just now. Grabbing a girl so abruptly was indeed improper.

"Uh, sorry."

"Hmph."

Ma Xiaotao steadied herself, folded her arms, and turned back around.

Seeing that the person before her was safe and sound, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He's not seriously hurt.

She could still clearly feel the lingering warmth on her wrist. Suppressing the inexplicable flutter in her heart, she slowly said, "Are you not going to invite me in to sit? Coming all the way here was quite a hassle."

"Oh, right, right. Come in, quickly. The courtyard isn't very big, so don't mind it."

Only then did Yue Ling remember that his guest was still standing outside, and he hurriedly opened the courtyard gate all the way.

"As if..."

Ma Xiaotao stepped into the courtyard without ceremony, her gaze wandering around.

Her eyes first fell upon Xuan Zi's ancient, imposing main house. Beside it was a spotless side room, obviously where Yue Ling had been recuperating and staying.

She turned to look at both sides of the path, which were planted with all kinds of small chrysanthemums.

"The environment is pretty good."

Ma Xiaotao nodded lightly. Standing beside the flowers, she studied the lovely little blossoms with great interest.

This was also her first time entering a courtyard reserved exclusively for resident elders.

Yue Ling looked at her and asked curiously, "Hey, how did you find this place?"

Ma Xiaotao looked back at him helplessly and answered without hesitation, "Of course I reported it to my teacher, but going through the process for this trip was really troublesome."

"Troublesome? What exactly did you have to do?"

Ma Xiaotao carefully recalled the process and slowly explained, "First, I had to submit a visitation request to my teacher, and I also had to prepare a proper, reasonable reason."

"I submitted my request under the pretense of returning your Spirit Bone."

"Then my teacher had to send a message to report it to Xuan Zi. I had to receive Xuan Zi's permission first. After that, Xuan Zi had to issue a special access passphrase to the guards at the entrance to Sea God Island."

"Finally, I had to present my Shrek Inner Court disciple badge for registration and verification before I could enter smoothly."

"Shrek Inner Court?"

"Mhm~"

Ma Xiaotao narrowed her eyes slightly. Then she suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, right. In the end, I still needed your consent before I was qualified to enter a courtyard where resident elders live."

"There are actually that many steps?"

Yue Ling's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"Of course. It wasn't easy for this young lady to come all this way to see you, so you'd better cherish it."

"Oh my, I'm so touched, Miss Xiaotao."

"Oh, it was nothing."

Ma Xiaotao closed her eyes and waved a hand, slightly lifting her neck to reveal a stretch of snow-white skin.

She especially enjoyed being praised, particularly when that recognition came from someone stronger than herself.

"Oh, right..." Ma Xiaotao opened her eyes and took a Spirit Bone from her storage Soul Tool.

"This is your Spirit Bone. It's called the Ten-Thousand-Year Mountain-Weight Earth Gravity Left Leg Bone, taken from a Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Giant Bear." Ma Xiaotao paused, recalling Du Weilun's words before continuing, "Um... after absorbing it, it can increase your movement speed and unlock an exclusive Spirit Bone skill."

"...That's about it."