A Way to Escape, a Return to Shrek

Wang Dong'er dressed and pushed open the door.

Morning light spilled over the eaves and fell upon her.

Mornings at Clear Sky Castle were just as she remembered.

She stood in the corridor and took a deep breath.

Every breath of air was real.

She was alive.

She was truly alive.

Wang Dong'er followed the corridor toward the outer courtyard. As she passed the training ground, she stopped.

A dozen or so young disciples of Clear Sky Castle were sparring, gripping Clear Sky Hammers of various sizes. Hammer shadows whirled, and their blows struck the ground with resounding thuds.

A boy of twelve or thirteen missed with a swing. His fellow disciples laughed and scolded him, and he scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

Watching them, Wang Dong'er suddenly felt a little dazed.

In her previous life, she had grown up here, too.

She recognized every one of those faces.

She lowered her eyes and held out her left hand.

With a thought, a small black-and-gold hammer appeared in her palm.

The Clear Sky Hammer.

The world's strongest assault-type tool martial soul.

But this was not her martial soul.

This was Tang Wutong's martial soul.

She closed her eyes and tried to sense the state of her body.

Perhaps she was too weak, or perhaps Tang San's seal ran too deep. She could sense nothing.

The only thing she could sense was the mark branded onto that soul.

The Sea God Trident, the mark of God King Tang San.

Whenever she encountered danger, the Sea God Mark would protect her.

Now Wang Dong'er understood. What protection? It was clearly surveillance, control!

She had to find a way to escape Tang San's control and throw Tang Wutong's soul out of her body.

But compared to Tang San, she was far too weak.

She put away the Clear Sky Hammer and considered what she should do.

Since she could not clash with him head-on, she would stall for now.

Using the Clear Sky Hammer less should delay the awakening of Tang Wutong's divine soul. As long as nothing serious happened to her, Tang Wutong would not awaken so easily.

But this was only a stopgap.

To remove Tang Wutong completely, she needed the intervention of another god's power.

The power of a god...

Wang Dong'er's gaze settled on the distant horizon, where mountain ranges rose and fell beneath a surging sea of clouds with no end in sight.

There were many other gods in the Divine Realm. Perhaps she could draw on their power.

These thoughts churned through her mind for a moment before a voice interrupted them.

"Dong'er."

She turned her head.

Niu Tian and Tai Tan stood at the end of the corridor. She did not know how long they had been there.

Niu Tian's towering figure blocked half the sunlight. Tai Tan stood beside him, and there was a hint of complicated emotion in both their gazes as they looked at her.

"First Dad, Second Dad."

Her voice faltered involuntarily as she spoke those two forms of address.

In her previous life, she had sincerely regarded them as her fathers.

They had raised her, taught her, given her the best cultivation resources, and pampered her like Clear Sky Castle's little princess.

But now Wang Dong'er was confused. She did not know whether they treated her well because she was Wang Dong'er or because she was Tang Wutong's vessel.

Niu Tian did not notice anything unusual about her. He ruffled her hair as he always did.

"Dong'er, everything's been arranged at Shrek. In a couple of days, you can go and enroll."

"To keep up appearances, you'll have to disguise yourself as a boy. Our Dong'er draws too much attention. Being a boy will make things easier," Tai Tan added from beside him.

Wang Dong'er lifted her head and looked at their faces.

Disguising herself as a boy was meant to protect her. That was what she had believed, too.

Now Wang Dong'er suddenly understood. This was really meant to let her approach Huo Yuhao as a boy.

That was exactly what had happened in her previous life. She and Huo Yuhao had become roommates in Shrek Academy's dormitory, spent every day together, cultivated together, and grown up together.

Then, naturally, Huo Yuhao had fallen in love with her, and she had fallen in love with him.

And then?

Then Tang Wutong had come.

She had stolen her body, stolen her beloved, stolen everything she had.

She still remembered Wang Qiu'er's words. Huo Yuhao was the child of destiny. After falling in love with her, and then with Tang Wutong, he had become one of the Tang family.

At last, she understood Tang San's chess game.

From beginning to end, Wang Dong'er had been a pawn. Her existence, her growth, her love—all of it had been arranged.

Huo Yuhao was the child of destiny, someone who could inherit a divine position in the future. Whoever won his love would claim his future.

For Tang Wutong to descend into the world, she needed a suitable physical body and a beloved whom Huo Yuhao could never let go.

And so Wang Dong'er had come into being.

Wang Dong'er's nails dug into her palms.

But she showed no sign that anything was wrong.

Her eyes curved into a sweet, obedient smile, and she nodded. "All right. I'll go."

Tai Tan nodded in satisfaction and waved his large hand. "Go pack your things. We leave tomorrow."

"Then I'll go pack my clothes."

Wang Dong'er turned and walked toward her room.

The smile vanished from her face the moment she turned away.

Of course she would go to Shrek, but she would not follow Tang San's script.

The person she would make Huo Yuhao fall in love with was Wang Dong'er herself, not a substitute for Tang Wutong.

Huo Yuhao was hers. No one would take him away.

Early the next morning, before dawn had fully broken, Wang Dong'er set out with Tai Tan.

Tai Tan flew through the sky at an astonishing speed. Wind howled past her ears, and the mountains and rivers below raced backward.

Carried along by him, Wang Dong'er stood steadily in midair.

She watched Clear Sky Castle recede into the distance without the slightest longing.

After flying for an unknown length of time, the scenery below gradually became familiar.

This was the route she had traveled in her previous life, the scenery she had seen then.

With every step closer, more memories surged up.

Tai Tan landed on a plain.

Wang Dong'er looked at the cluster of buildings ahead—Shrek Academy.

All the memories of her previous life kept flooding into her mind.

She had come to Shrek, entered the dormitory, pushed open that door, and seen that boy.

That first glance had been the beginning of everything in her previous life.

That first glance had also been the starting point of all her tragedies.

She drew a deep breath and forced back the tears welling up.

"Dong'er, let's go." Tai Tan patted her shoulder.

Wang Dong'er nodded and followed him toward Shrek's main gate.

As a disciple of Clear Sky Castle, Wang Dong'er could be admitted directly without taking the entrance examination.

Registration was far simpler than she had imagined. Tai Tan escorted her to the academic affairs office, where the teacher handling admissions glanced at Clear Sky Castle's recommendation letter and processed her enrollment without another word.

"Your dormitory room has already been assigned. Here's the key."

The teacher handed her a brass key engraved with the dormitory building number and room number.

Wang Dong'er took it and glanced down.

"Room 108."

The key, and the room number on it, were exactly the same as in her previous life.

After they left the academic affairs office, Tai Tan patted her shoulder and instructed her, "Cultivate diligently. Don't disgrace Clear Sky Castle."

"I know, Second Dad."

Tai Tan gave her another look, as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he only nodded, turned, and left.

His towering figure disappeared at the far end of Shrek Academy's long, tree-lined avenue, soon vanishing from sight.

Wang Dong'er withdrew her gaze, tightened her grip on the key, and headed toward the dormitory.

Huo Yuhao, I'm here.

This time, I'll stand before you as my true self.