Arriving at Shrek and Parting Ways, Zhu Lu Strikes Up a Conversation

The other two nodded as well, agreeing that the beef fried rice was delicious.

After dinner, Lin Fan curled up with his bundle and went to sleep against a tree. Tang Ya had eaten so much that she fell asleep right beside the campfire.

At first light, the four ate a little breakfast, packed their things, and hurried northwest toward Shrek Academy without stopping.

Shrek Academy lay northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest, so they were not far away and encountered few Soul Beasts.

They made their way toward Shrek Academy at a modest pace. Since they had to go around the Star Dou Great Forest, the journey stretched nearly a thousand li.

A few hours later.

Lin Fan finally caught sight of Shrek City. They followed the main road out of the woods and entered the city.

Carriages and pedestrians streamed through the streets, filling the city with bustle and life.

"So, Lin Fan? Shrek City is beautiful, clean, and lively, isn't it?"

Tang Ya turned to look at Lin Fan behind her and introduced the city with a smile.

"Mm. There are lots of people, and it's lively. The streets are clean, too. I haven't seen a single piece of litter."

Lin Fan nodded and said calmly.

"Of course! Shrek City is one of the greatest cities around, with over two million residents. It was also the most important trading city where the Three Great Empires met. Roads lead in every direction, and with Shrek Academy here, public safety is excellent."

Tang Ya lifted her chin proudly. She tapped a finger in the air and said with a soft laugh.

"Oh, right, Lin Fan. Do you want to come into Shrek Academy with us?"

"No. Let's part ways here. Remember, you owe me two Gold Soul Coins every month."

Lin Fan shook his head and smiled.

"I know! Fine, see you next time."

Tang Ya's face scrunched up at once.

Two Gold Soul Coins every month. What an annoying brat. It wasn't as if I wouldn't pay him back.

"Mm."

Lin Fan gave Tang Ya a brief reply.

With that, he turned and walked into the crowd, soon disappearing from the three of them's sight.

A little while later.

Tang Ya suddenly remembered what she had forgotten. She turned urgently to Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao.

"Oh no, Bei Bei! I almost forgot to invite Lin Fan to join the Tang Sect. I forgot again. This is awful."

"Teacher Xiao Ya, I think Lin Fan probably already belongs to a sect or a family. Judging by his clothes, he doesn't look like he comes from an ordinary household."

Bei Bei drew on his powers of observation and explained his reasoning to Tang Ya.

"That doesn't sound right, Bei Bei. A sect would give him its uniform, and a family would send someone with him. How could he have come to the Star Dou Great Forest all alone, carrying a map that might not even be real?"

Tang Ya rubbed her chin and thought it over, turning the question this way and that.

No, I have to ask him next time. How could I not ask such a wonderful boy?

It would be such a shame if he had neither a sect nor a family. Then I'd have found a treasure of a boy!

Having seen Lin Fan's strength and talents along the way, she felt a little more hopeful about the Tang Sect.

Lin Fan soon reached the east gate. Several second- and third-year Shrek Academy students stood there in yellow fitted school uniforms.

The moment he stepped through the gate, they stopped him and demanded to know who he was.

He explained that he was a new student coming to enroll and took a City Lord's Recommendation Letter from his bundle.

Only then did the students believe him and let him pass through Shrek Academy's east gate.

Lin Fan entered Shrek Academy and saw lush greenery everywhere he looked.

He followed the broad avenue. A few hundred meters ahead stood more than a dozen enormous statues, each ten meters tall and carved from granite.

Beyond the statues, the road remained wide, with signposts along its edge.

Before long, he reached the shore of Sea God Lake.

The lake was vast. He walked along its shore for more than an hour before a rectangular plaza slowly came into view.

Behind the plaza stood classroom buildings in different colors, each color representing a different year.

Lin Fan went to a white classroom building and headed for the administrative office to register.

A crowd of new students like him was lined up to enroll. He took one look at the queue, which stretched like a dragon, and joined it at the back.

"Hello. Do you know what happened up front? Why isn't the line moving?"

Zhu Lu spotted Lin Fan approaching the queue and leaned over to ask him.

Hearing her voice, Lin Fan looked up and noticed the alluring girl standing before him.

She had long black hair and two cat ears atop her head. She wore a tight black leather outfit that left the smooth, jade-white skin of her back exposed.

She had a full, curvaceous figure, like ripe fruit, with a striking bust and a pair of straight, snow-white legs.

He glanced at the motionless line ahead, then turned back to her.

"I don't know. I only just got here to register too."

"Oh, so you're a new student like me! Hello, I'm Zhu Lu."

Zhu Lu's expression shifted slightly, as though something had clicked. She introduced herself with a gentle smile.

"I'm Lin Fan. Zhu Lu, why hasn't the line moved at all?"

The sun was blazing. Lin Fan took an umbrella just large enough for two people from his bundle, stepped behind her, and opened it.

Seeing that the line ahead still had not moved, she voiced her frustration.

"I wish I knew! It's been like this the whole time. Nobody up front has budged. And now that the sun's out, it's unbearably hot."

Zhu Lu folded her arms tightly across her chest. Sweat ran from her forehead to her chin as she spoke with a sigh of complaint.

Then she turned, saw Lin Fan's umbrella, and brightened at once.

"Could I stand under your umbrella? It looks big enough for two."

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment.

"Sure."

With his permission, Zhu Lu took a few steps back beneath the umbrella. The moment she looked up at Lin Fan, a faint blush touched her cheeks.

"Okay. Thank you, Lin Fan."

Only now, taking a proper look, did she realize how handsome he was. She had barely paid attention to his face before.

"It's nothing."

Lin Fan gave a soft laugh.

A little while later.

The line finally began to move. Only then did they learn that a teacher had arrived late, leaving everyone waiting.

Half an hour later, more than half the hundreds of students in line had registered. Soon it was their turn.

Registration went smoothly. They filled out their forms and each paid ten Gold Soul Coins for a year's tuition, which did not include meals.

The academy would not refund the tuition if a student failed the assessment or withdrew partway through the year.

Lin Fan also asked a teacher to notify Yan Shaozhe that a student named Lin Fan had arrived.

After receiving their dormitory keys, two sets of uniforms, and a white freshman badge each, they left the administrative office.

Zhu Lu turned to Lin Fan and asked.

"Lin Fan, I'm heading to the dormitory now. Want to go together?"

Lin Fan agreed, then teased her.

"Sure. But if we walk together, aren't you afraid people will think we're a couple? I'm a boy, and you're a girl."

"That's none of their business. We can just ignore them."

A hint of indignation showed on Zhu Lu's face as she shot back.

If someone said that about us, maybe I wouldn't mind... No, no, no! How could I think that?