Xuanming Sect, Xu Jiangliu

Heaven Dou Empire.

Xuanming City.

Xuanming City was the Xuanming Sect's headquarters. The entire foundation of the Xuanming Sect was hidden within Xuanming City. After the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire split apart, because Xuanming City lay within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect at the time gave up the Dou Ling Empire king's tempting offer and submitted to the Heaven Dou Empire.

In the city, no one noticed two figures, one large and one small, walking down the street, looking around at their surroundings.

Su Wen frowned.

Although it was broad daylight, lanterns hung all along both sides of the city streets, bright and festive, as if some joyous occasion was being held.

Without a doubt, if he had guessed correctly, this was probably prepared for Xu Sanshi's martial soul awakening. For this most talented rising star of the current Xuanming Sect, the Church Master of the Xuanming Church could be considered to have gone to great lengths...

Su Wen tugged at the clothes of a passing peddler and asked about the situation.

Sure enough, it was more or less exactly as he had thought.

Yan Shaozhe's face had turned completely dark, but he was also terribly stifled. After all, regardless of whether the Xuanming Sect had schemed against Jiang Nannan or not, Shrek Academy was not much better off. When the time came and the Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect brought it up—if Shrek had given her even a little help, she would not have been "forced" into taking the bait—this Martial Soul Department dean would likely have nowhere to put his face at all.

Su Wen fell silent.

He feared that after they returned to the academy, that Yang He fellow would not have an easy time of it.

But that had nothing to do with him.

"Let's go, Dean. We'll visit Jiang Nannan's home first. If possible, we'll bring her out without bloodshed as much as we can," Su Wen said, shaking his head.

In truth, there was no possibility of bloodshed anyway.

With Yan Shaozhe personally here, the Xuanming Sect would only swallow its broken teeth and personally hand Jiang Nannan over. They might complain a bit and argue a few words, but it was absolutely impossible for a fight to break out.

"Why? I'm going to meet Xu Jiangliu. He actually dared scheme against a student of my Shrek Academy! I want to ask him where he got the nerve!" Yan Shaozhe said angrily.

As the dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department, with students all across the world, his prestige within the Martial Soul Department was still rather high.

"Oh, forget it. You want the whole world to know that Shrek forced a poor student to offer herself to a noble in exchange for medicine for her mother, is that it?" Su Wen rolled his eyes.

"This is the first time I've seen someone slap themselves in the face."

"Hmph... Doesn't his Xuanming Sect care about face too? Haven't they always claimed that these women all offered themselves willingly, and after the deed was done, they would marry them as concubines or proper wives?" The corner of Yan Shaozhe's mouth twitched as he said gloomily.

"It really is 'willing.' Nothing wrong with that," Su Wen said with a shrug.

Yan Shaozhe: "..."

They had simply grasped human nature all too well. The Xuanming Sect had probably long since investigated that Jiang Nannan and her mother were very close, and that she was also extremely filial.

In truth, aside from a certain Great Love Immortal Venerable and the rare few who could not be chosen, most people were very easily controlled by such despicable methods...

The two of them asked around along the way.

They arrived before an old, shabby tile-roofed house.

After they knocked and the door opened, a beautiful woman with a pale complexion yet a trace of charm looked at the two of them blankly, then spoke carefully. "May I ask who you two are...?"

"I am the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe. He is... Nannan's friend. May I ask if you are Nannan's mother?" Yan Shaozhe revealed a warm smile.

"So it's Dean Yan. Please, come in and sit. The house is a little messy, please don't mind." Mother Jiang looked a bit flustered. With such an important figure from Shrek Academy personally visiting, she, who had been a commoner for so long, also carried a trace of humility. She hurriedly began tidying up the room in a flurry.

Of course, perhaps she was also afraid of embarrassing her daughter...

Yan Shaozhe hurriedly stopped her and personally helped her back onto the bed.

Su Wen clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched. Although Dean Yan was sometimes stingy and fussy, when it came to matters like this, he handled them extremely well. There was not the slightest trace of a dean's airs about him, nor the slightest impatience in his expression.

Su Wen looked around.

The room was filled with the smell of medicine. On the table sat a bowl of pitch-black soup and some loose medicinal herbs.

Although the family was poor, the place was clean and tidy, giving off a faint scent of gardenias and medicinal herbs.

"Please don't be nervous. We have come this time on behalf of Shrek Academy. Previously, Nannan applied to the academy for relief funds, but Nannan's teacher set the letter aside and did not report it, resulting in the academy never receiving the news. By chance, this child, Su Wen, informed me of the matter, and only then..."

Yan Shaozhe pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression solemn.

"The academy will guarantee to Nannan that this situation will never happen again. Her teacher, Yang He, will also be severely punished! There will be no tolerance!"

"Thank you, thank you..."

After learning the truth.

Mother Jiang's face was streaked with tears, and she kept thanking them. In particular, she held Su Wen's hand and thanked him, Jiang Nannan's "good friend," in a tearful voice.

"Then may I ask where Sister Nan Nan is right now?"

Su Wen waited for a while, but still did not see Jiang Nannan.

"That girl went out to buy groceries. By rights, she should be back around now..." Mother Jiang said hesitantly.

"..."

Su Wen and Yan Shaozhe looked at each other.

Their eyes narrowed slightly.

They made an excuse and left.

Su Wen looked at Yan Shaozhe, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry.

The latter understood, his expression turning cold as he gave a slight nod. "It's true..."

"Can she be saved?" To be safe, Su Wen still asked.

"She's only an ordinary person. Even a healing-type soul master at around rank ten should be able to treat her. Besides, the illness isn't that serious. It's only because she never received treatment and dragged it out until now that her condition worsened. What do you think?" Yan Shaozhe raised an eyebrow.

"Then let's go. Any later, and I'm afraid the rice will already be cooked." Su Wen held his head.

"This is it."

Yan Shaozhe pointed at the side room ahead, secretly letting out a breath of relief. They hadn't come too late. If they had missed this, he feared he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Such a fine seedling, someone worthy of Shrek's full effort to nurture—if she had been ruined by the Xu Family, he would have had to drag Xu Jiangliu out and give him a brutal beating.

"Bring her out."

Su Wen pushed open the wooden door.

The room was dimly lit.

Jiang Nannan was sitting in the innermost part. Hearing the door, her fair little hands clenched tight at once. She bit her lip, a flicker of fear crossing her stunning face as she unconsciously shrank farther inside.

"Sister Nan Nan?"

Su Wen spoke softly.

Jiang Nannan, sitting on the bed, froze. Through the dim light, she could still make out Su Wen's appearance—a child of eleven or twelve. But Chen Wen had clearly said their young master was Xu Sanshi, hadn't he? There was no way she would fail to recognize Xu Sanshi...

"Dean Yan is right outside."

Su Wen did not waste words. With a single sentence, he steadied Jiang Nannan's mind.

"Yang He abused his authority. Because you didn't give him Gold Soul Coins as payment, he privately withheld your plea for help, so the academy never knew."

"Ah..."

Jiang Nannan went weak all over. Covering her mouth, she began to sob quietly.

Going from hell to heaven was probably something like this.

"Let's go, Sister Nan Nan. The dean is waiting for us. When the time comes, he'll take you and your aunt back to the academy together," Su Wen said softly.

"Mm."

Jiang Nannan gave a soft hum, wiped away her tears, and followed Su Wen outside.

"You two go back first. I'm going to settle accounts with that Xu Jiangliu!"

Only after seeing that Jiang Nannan was safe and sound did Yan Shaozhe let out a breath of relief. His face full of anger, he turned and left.

"..."