Male Dormitory, room 108.
"Tang Qi, is it really okay for us to skip class like this?"
Xiao Xiao sat primly in a chair, her lower legs swinging restlessly. Hesitation was written all over her little face.
Her big eyes kept darting toward the window. She looked every inch the good girl doing something naughty for the first time.
"It's fine. Geniuses always get a few privileges. Besides-"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tang Qi raised an eyebrow at the little girl. "Is that class something our Tang Sect Leader should be attending?"
Beside him, Huo Yutong clung to his arm with both hands like a frightened little animal. Her head rested on his shoulder, her beautiful eyes squeezed shut, and her delicate body still shuddered in waves.
It looked as though she had fallen into a bout of "post-traumatic stress disorder."
"Oh." Xiao Xiao nodded, then looked thoughtfully at Huo Yutong. "Why don't we take Yutong back to the Female Dormitory?"
Tang Qi chuckled and tipped his chin toward the girl leaning on his shoulder. "Never mind how a guy like me is supposed to get into your Female Dormitory. Besides..."
He tried to pull his arm out of her embrace.
Instantly, Huo Yutong held on even tighter, a soft little whimper escaping her delicate nose.
Seeing this, Tang Qi immediately soothed her in a gentle voice. Only then did Huo Yutong gradually recover.
The girl let go and sat blankly on the edge of the bed, her little mouth twitching.
Tang Qi's gaze suddenly sharpened as it fell on her hands. Several wounds stood out shockingly against her pale palms.
Frowning, Tang Qi stepped forward and took her wrist without waiting for permission.
Huo Yutong trembled as though she had been shocked and instinctively lowered her face. Her watery eyes stole glances at Tang Qi's expression, as if she feared being scolded for doing something wrong.
He said nothing, slowly raising his other hand. A soft emerald glow quietly gathered in his palm. Pure life force spread over Huo Yutong's palm.
Within moments, both her hands were smooth and unblemished again.
Huo Yutong stared dazedly at her palms and murmured softly, "Thank you, big brother Tang Qi..."
Tang Qi said nothing, merely patting the little girl's head.
Let the Blue Silver Grass suffer a little; let its emperor shoulder the blame!
The little girl beside them had watched everything. Only after Huo Yutong's emotions settled did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"Yutong, you're..."
Huo Yutong blinked, letting her gaze linger briefly on Xiao Xiao before turning to Tang Qi.
After mustering her courage, the girl finally opened her heart and haltingly told them both about the misery she had endured since childhood.
It was a tale that broke hearts and brought tears to every listener's eyes.
Seeing Huo Yutong grow agitated again, Tian Meng decisively intervened from within the Sea of Consciousness.
A gentle wave of spiritual power softly enveloped the girl's consciousness. Huo Yutong's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She struggled to blink twice, then finally tipped her head to one side and collapsed onto Tang Qi's bed.
"Tang Qi, I'm letting little Yutong get some sleep," Tian Meng told him telepathically.
"Th-this..."
Xiao Xiao turned back in a daze, her eyes slightly reddened and her face utterly at a loss.
Tang Qi reached out and stroked her little head, his voice gentle. "Don't worry. She's just exhausted and fell asleep."
He stood up, removed the girl's shoes and socks, and pulled the covers over her.
"It's getting late, too."
Tang Qi turned to Xiao Xiao. "Let's go get something to eat and let Yutong sleep a while. We'll bring her some food when we come back."
With that, the two left the dorm room.
As they walked along a path through Shrek Academy, Xiao Xiao kept her head lowered, her spirits subdued. Clearly, Huo Yutong's story had affected her.
When she looked up at Tang Qi and saw him heading out of the academy, she couldn't help saying quietly, "Tang Qi, the cafeteria is over there."
Tang Qi paused and turned his head. "What self-respecting person eats at the cafeteria? I'm taking you to a restaurant today."
"Really? Yay!"
At his words, Xiao Xiao's big eyes lit up, and she skipped after him.
Meanwhile, inside Tang Qi's dorm room.
Huo Yutong lay quietly on the bed, her breathing gradually evening out.
Unconsciously, the girl rubbed her cheek against the pillow. Tang Qi's scent still lingered on it.
Huo Yutong's tightly knitted brows finally relaxed, and she sank into dreams.
In her dream, the sunshine was bright, and the sea breeze faintly salty.
Huo Yutong and her mother stood by the beach, their bare feet resting on fine, soft sand as they enjoyed the warmth of this imagined scene.
She crouched down and drew in the sand with her little finger, her pretty face glowing with childlike joy.
"Yutong, look up! Daddy's here." Huo Yun'er's familiar voice came from behind her.
The smile on Huo Yutong's face abruptly froze.
It was as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over her head, chilling her entire body. The girl raised her head, her eyes blood-red, and murderous intent surged toward the figure approaching against the light.
Dai Hao!
Why? Why won't you leave me alone even in my dreams!!
As the figure drew closer, his features became clearer and clearer. Huo Yutong's pupils abruptly contracted, and a flicker of astonishment crossed her pretty face.
"Tang Qi-"
"Daddy?"
Shrek City South District.
This was the busiest commercial street in all of Shrek City. Restaurants and small shops stood in dense rows amid a bustling sea of people and voices.
Tang Qi held Xiao Xiao's little hand as they walked through the crowd. The little girl kept turning her head, her big eyes looking left and right, brimming with curiosity.
Soon, they chose a small restaurant and went inside. It was clean and tidy, and they casually picked a table farther inside.
"What would you two like to eat?"
A lovely figure approached with a menu.
The voice sounded familiar, and the face that came into view was Tang Ya's pretty one.
"Tang Qi?!"
Tang Ya spoke before he could, her voice filled with surprise and delight. A gleam flashed through her beautiful eyes.
"Whoa, it weally ish you?!"
Tang Qi looked Tang Ya up and down in her server's uniform, momentarily at a loss for words.
"What are you doing here?"
Tang Ya didn't answer.
She leaned closer, craning her head to look around. "Where's Yutong? Why isn't she with you?"
"Yutong is sleeping in Tang Qi's dorm room," Xiao Xiao answered honestly, tilting her little face upward.
"What do you mean, 'Yutong is sleeping in Tang Qi's dorm room'?!" Tang Ya's eyes swept over Tang Qi several times.
Tang Qi went hard-his fist, that was!
"Forget it."
Tang Ya pursed her lips, then turned her gaze to Xiao Xiao. Her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up.
"What a tiny little girl! Who does this one belong to?" Unable to resist, she reached out and began kneading Xiao Xiao's soft little cheeks.
Xiao Xiao froze. She wanted to resist but didn't dare, and could only let out muffled whimpers of protest.
"Enough."
Tang Qi helplessly swatted away Tang Ya's mischievous paws.
"Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Xiao, our Tang Sect's fourth member. She has twin martial souls."
"Huh?!"
Tang Ya's expression changed abruptly, and she cried out in shock.
That shout successfully drew the eyes of everyone in the restaurant.
"Being an idiot again, are you?" Tang Qi said quietly, helplessly pressing a hand to his forehead.
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and plopped onto the chair beside them. Resting her elbows on the table, she propped her cheeks in her hands. "Tang Qi, maybe you really are better suited to being the Tang Sect Leader than I am?"
Isn't that an obvious fact?
"You still haven't answered me. What are you doing here? Why are you out working instead of focusing on your cultivation?" Tang Qi asked.
Tang Ya straightened and planted her hands on her hips, perfectly self-assured. "As Sect Leader, I'm obviously working to make money and save up the starting funds to revive the Tang Sect!"
"At this rate, you'll be saving until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse. You're just wasting your prime years for cultivation."
"Why not eat meat porridge, huh?" Tang Ya pursed her lips, rolled her eyes at him, and turned away. "If I don't earn money, are you going to support me?"
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
Thinking he was angry, Tang Ya quietly turned back.
At some point, Tang Qi had taken out a golden Soul Coin Bank Card. He held it up in the air and looked at her helplessly.
"Take it. Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins as the initial funding."
Tang Ya suddenly felt her heart skip a beat, and the tips of her ears unwittingly flushed red.
"I... I can't take it," the girl said in a subdued voice.
"Enough, Tang Ya! I'm the Tang Sect Leader!"
"I think you simply don't want the Tang Sect to rise again. Believe it or not, I'll strip you of your deputy sect leader position right now and assign you to observe a test detonation of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus up close."
"Th-then I suppose I'll reluctantly accept!" Tang Ya snatched the golden card, moving so quickly that she seemed afraid Tang Qi might change his mind.
Her eyes curved with her smile as she tilted her head and beamed. "Xiaoya thanks her generous sugar daddy for keeping her~"
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