We Finally Meet, Young Man

Wang Dong looked at Song Que and continued, "Besides, I don't think Shrek Academy is all that great. I don't like the atmosphere there, so I'm coming with you."

Song Que sighed inwardly. He knew he probably couldn't interfere with Tang God King's plans, so he could only let the matter rest for now.

"All right, come with us, then. But you haven't completed the withdrawal procedures yet."

"Bei Bei, why don't you handle them for her? You probably can't leave anyway."

At that, Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao both looked at Bei Bei.

A wry smile appeared on Bei Bei's face. He opened his mouth, then hesitated.

"I... I..."

"It's all right. If you want to go, then go."

A deep, weathered voice suddenly sounded beside them.

Bei Bei jolted at the sound and turned toward it.

"Great-grandfather?!"

A stooped old man slowly appeared before them.

"Isn't that the old man outside the dormitory?" Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged astonished looks.

Song Que frowned slightly, taken aback.

He knew the old man. This was Mu En, master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo, and the true authority behind Shrek.

He had never expected Mu En to appear here in person. A hint of wariness rose in him; he couldn't guess what the old man wanted.

It seemed the old man had known everyone's movements all along.

Mu En smiled faintly and looked at Song Que and Huo Yuhao.

"Song Que, Huo Yuhao."

"First, on behalf of Shrek Academy, I owe you an apology."

"Xuan Zi and Shaozhe are too narrow-minded. They place too much weight on immediate gains and have lost the integrity Shrek ought to have."

"Unfortunately, these old bones of mine don't have much time left. I have no better choice than to entrust Shrek to them."

"Things have already come to this. It's too late now. Ah..."

Song Que studied Mu En, deep in thought.

Mu En sighed and continued, "If I were still in good health, perhaps I would do my best to persuade you to return."

"But I'm already at death's door."

"Perhaps leaving isn't necessarily a bad thing..."

"Bei Bei, you should go with them. See the world beyond the academy. The experience may do you more good than staying here."

"I'll take care of all the academy paperwork for you. And you, Xu Sanshi—do you want to go too?"

"Huh?!" Everyone froze, then looked around.

"Xu Sanshi? He came too?"

Xu Sanshi scratched the back of his head and stepped out of the shadows nearby with a sheepish grin.

"I was just curious. I saw you all leaving one by one, so I followed to see what was going on."

"I thought you were going out for a picnic! Hahaha..."

Only after laughing did Xu Sanshi realize what Mu En had said. "Wait, why would I leave too? I only just got selected for the Shrek Seven Monsters Reserve Team!"

Mu En glanced at him and spoke calmly.

"If you're not leaving, head back soon. If you don't, I'll process your withdrawal along with theirs."

Before Xu Sanshi could say another word, Mu En waved a hand to cut him off.

"Song Que, I'll leave these people in your care. I hope everything goes well for you from here on."

Song Que looked at Mu En, hesitated, then asked, "Mu En, could we speak in private?"

Mu En nodded, took Song Que's hand, and rose into the air, vanishing from everyone's sight.

A long while later, Song Que drifted down from high above.

Mu En turned and departed. Within moments, his figure had melted into the night.

Xu Sanshi stood there utterly bewildered, while the others exchanged baffled looks.

Song Que watched Mu En disappear into the distance, lost in thought.

Why would Mu En make arrangements like that...?

The next morning, inside the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy.

"Bei Bei left? And second-year Wang Dong left too?" Yan Shaozhe stared in shock.

He had never imagined things would turn out this way.

At first, only Song Que and Huo Yuhao had requested to withdraw. Du Weilun had already reported the matter to him. In Yan Shaozhe's view, neither of them possessed top-tier talent or potential, so he had approved their applications without hesitation.

But then Tang Ya, Wang Dong, and Bei Bei had chosen to leave one after another.

Tang Ya was one thing. They had only kept her because she was a successor of the Tang Sect. But Bei Bei and Wang Dong were both core disciples the academy had devoted great effort to cultivating. Their futures were boundless; they were Shrek's future.

"Song Que and Huo Yuhao really know how to cause trouble."

Yan Shaozhe cursed under his breath, and a sharp look from Mu En immediately fell on him.

Yan Shaozhe drew his neck in awkwardly and gave a sheepish smile.

"Teacher, you met them yourself. Why did you still let them go?"

Mu En shook his head and sighed deeply. "Shrek is an academy, not a prison."

"Shaozhe, you need to reflect on yourself. I don't have much time left, and you're the one I worry about most. You lack breadth of spirit, and your outlook is too narrow."

"Ah..."

"Let Bei Bei and the others go their own way. Everyone has a path of their own; there's no need to interfere too much. Traveling and training with Song Que's group may even be better for them."

Yan Shaozhe nodded meekly, not daring to argue, but his brow furrowed deeper. He still couldn't understand Mu En's decision.

Mu En glanced at him and said no more. He gazed into the distance, thoughtful.

Song Que, Huo Yuhao... Why does the Golden Ancient Tree care so much about these two children...?

Half a day passed. It was now the afternoon of the following day.

Song Que slowly pushed open the wooden door of his home and led Huo Yuhao inside.

"This is your home, Song Que?" Huo Yuhao looked around the plain, shabby house in surprise.

He had imagined that Song Que, who had made it into Shrek Academy, came from a reasonably comfortable family. He had never expected Song Que's earlier life to have been so hard.

Song Que nodded and ran a hand over the mottled earthen wall, his eyes tinged with nostalgia. "It is. It's humble, but it's warm enough."

"My mother and aunt both came from ordinary families. In this age, it's terribly hard for common people to get ahead."

"My mother thought her younger sister would have a good life after entering a grand household like the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Who could have imagined how it would end?"

Huo Yuhao was moved. He nodded silently.

With Huo Yuhao's help, they tidied the house and offered incense before the memorial tablets of Song Que's mother and aunt.

Once they had finished, Song Que was about to call Huo Yuhao over so they could head into town and meet up with the others.

"Song Que, what's that?" Huo Yuhao's gaze suddenly settled on a crack in the wall by the bed. He pointed at a crystal-clear bead lodged inside, his face full of curiosity.

Song Que followed his finger and smiled. "That? It's something I played with as a child. It got stuck in the crack, and I couldn't pry it out, so I left it there."

He stepped forward, gripped the bead, and pulled it free with a little force. As he held it in his palm, a refreshing coolness spread through his fingertips.

"It's been in this house for as long as I can remember." Song Que toyed with the bead in his palm, his thoughts drifting back to the distant past.

Just then, a deep voice sounded directly in Song Que's mind.

"We finally meet, young man!"