Shrek City, the Spirit Pagoda.
Su Xun entered the hundredth floor, only to find the rooms empty.
Na'er wasn't there.
He went upstairs and pushed open the door to his beloved teacher's bedroom. Still no one.
Puzzled, Su Xun took his Soul Communicator out of his Storage Bracelet and discovered a pile of messages.
Several hours earlier.
[Beloved Teacher]: Something came up in East Sea. I'm going there to take care of it.
[Na'er]: Na'er in danger! Su Xun, save me!
[Na'er]: Su! Xun! Where did you run off to? Reply, reply! I'm scared!
Na'er had sent a whole pile, mostly deranged cries along the lines of "Come rescue your sovereign!"
The latest messages were:
[Beloved Teacher]: Your teacher has found you another wife. Think carefully about how you're going to flatter and please me when I get back!
[Na'er]: Su Xun! This girl Aunt Leng brought back is wickedly scheming. You're not allowed to play with her!
[Na'er]: If you don't reply, I'll take that as a yes! If I catch you getting close to her, I'll lose it! Not even ten feasts will soothe me!
[Na'er]: If I get into a fight with her, you're only allowed to help me! We'll have to train her to be as meek as a kitten, understand?
Another whole pile.
Su Xun was initially bewildered, then realization dawned.
She'd gone to pick up Gu Yue!
And from the looks of it, she'd brought Gu Yue straight back to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. They'd probably be living under the same roof from now on...
Well, uh...
Su Xun felt a persistent chill down his back.
After all, Na'er was still normal for now.
Gu Yue, however, was a genuine cheat who could switch on her hacks at the slightest disagreement, her strength following her feelings.
Confident as he was in his own strength, he really couldn't claim a hundred-percent chance of victory against that sort of Gu Yue.
Still, under his beloved teacher's watchful eye, Gu Yue probably wouldn't be able to go "beyond the syllabus."
He would have to see what level Gu Yue currently displayed now that the original timeline had been thrown into disarray.
Su Xun exhaled softly, stopped dwelling on it, and began meditating on his own.
Toward evening, the Black Phoenix Mecha entered Shrek City, and Leng Yaozhu returned to the hundredth floor with two girls.
Su Xun rose to welcome them. Seeing Gu Yue, whose beauty rivaled Na'er's, he raised his brows slightly.
Then he understood.
In the original timeline, Na'er had been split off because of a wager.
Gu Yue's ordinary appearance had also been a deliberate attempt to make herself look plain.
What he saw now was naturally Gu Yue's true appearance.
Na'er initially looked as though she'd found someone to back her up, waving excitedly at Su Xun in greeting.
But a moment later, her smile froze.
That big meanie Su Xun was staring straight at the bad silver dragon without even glancing at her!
Furious, Na'er darted over like an octopus, clamped both hands around Su Xun's neck, and wrapped her firm, fair legs around his waist as she accused him indignantly:
"You big meanie! You didn't take in a single word I told you, did you?"
"Are you going to gang up with this wretched girl and bully me from now on?"
"You're driving me mad!"
"Su! Xun! I'm going to get angry!"
Leng Yaozhu leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene with a faint, knowing smile.
Gu Yue's expression remained unchanged, but an almost imperceptible flicker passed through her dark eyes, and her heart sank slightly.
Only three and a half years, and Na'er had already become this rebellious. She'd even developed such powerful human emotions.
Fortunately, Leng Yaozhu's breakthrough had prevented Ten Thousand Demons from continuing his surveillance. Otherwise, if any more time had passed, something might truly have gone terribly wrong.
By then, she would probably have already joined Shrek according to the backup plan.
At that thought, Gu Yue inwardly breathed a small sigh of relief.
Yet immediately afterward, she wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or furious.
Meanwhile, Su Xun's thoughts were also racing as Na'er held him in a chokehold.
Knowing what had happened in the original timeline, he quickly pieced everything together and understood that Gu Yue must have some ulterior motive for still splitting Na'er off.
Judging by his personal contact with Na'er over the past three years, her rebelliousness had probably alerted Gu Yue that something was wrong. That was why she had intervened early, choosing this moment to enter the Spirit Pagoda directly.
Moreover, even in the original timeline, Gu Yue had been unable to forcibly merge with Na'er.
Clearly, once they had been separated and developed their own memories and personalities, the merger would inevitably be imperfect if either resisted. Serious problems could very well arise afterward.
So, for the time being, he didn't need to worry about Na'er's safety.
At that thought, Su Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he was also starting to struggle for breath.
Supporting Na'er's soft, pert bottom with one hand and lightly patting her back with the other, he said in a somewhat hoarse, exasperated voice, "Are you planning to strangle me to death? Then have Teacher throw a grand funeral feast so you can gorge yourself?"
A feast?
As though her underlying code had been triggered, Na'er's eyes instantly lit up.
Then she realized what he'd said and hurriedly released her hands in a panic. Embarrassed, she gently rubbed Su Xun's reddened neck, leaned closer, and blew little puffs of air on it. "Su Xun, a-are you okay?"
"Not dead yet." Su Xun rolled his eyes.
Then he lightly patted her soft, pert bottom. "How long are you planning to hold on?"
Na'er froze, then flushed all the way down to her neck, turning into a "steamed crayfish." She hurriedly unwrapped her legs, which were beginning to show their length, and fled shyly to her room, hiding her head beneath her pillow.
Su Xun chuckled softly, then turned to his beloved teacher. "Teacher, who is this?"
"Na'er was sending messages the whole way. She's never been this enthusiastic even when trading insults with people on the Soul Network Forum, and she didn't tell you her name?" Leng Yaozhu asked in surprise.
Su Xun rubbed his nose awkwardly.
The white snakes of text Na'er had typed were so densely packed that he hadn't read them all carefully...
One look at her beloved disciple's expression told Leng Yaozhu everything. Amused, she signaled Gu Yue with her eyes.
Gu Yue stepped forward and offered Su Xun her hand. "Hello. My name is Gu Yue. My Martial Soul is Elemental Master."
Su Xun clasped her small hand, so soft it seemed boneless, and said simply, "Su Xun. Six Desires Immortal."
He then tried to release her hand, only to find that Gu Yue was gripping his tightly and refusing to let go.
Su Xun looked at her in surprise, just about to ask, Hey, gorgeous, what are you doing?
Then he felt various elemental forces surging around Gu Yue, her eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
She went on to say bluntly, "I originally wanted to take Aunt Leng as my teacher, but she said you would be her only disciple and told me to call her 'Aunt.'"
"To be frank, I refuse to accept that. So prepare yourself for my challenge!"
"When I beat you, I hope I'll be the one calling her 'Teacher.'"
Compared with "Teacher," "Aunt" seemed to imply a closer relationship.
But to a Soul Master, "Teacher" here didn't mean an instructor holding a position at an academy. It meant someone who passed down a legacy, an existence closer even than family.
As the saying went, a teacher for a day was a father for life.
Su Xun smiled faintly at her words. Naturally, he didn't truly believe the mighty Silver Dragon King would want to compete with him over something like this.
It was nothing more than an excuse.
Clearly, in Gu Yue's eyes, he had become the primary reason for Na'er's betrayal.
So Su Xun exerted a little strength and pulled Gu Yue toward him.
Caught off guard, and having underestimated Su Xun's strength, Gu Yue lost her balance and fell straight into his arms.
Su Xun deliberately put on a roguish expression and said in a smarmy tone, "That's easy. We're all going to be family anyway. Isn't my teacher your teacher? Why bother with challenges? That's treating me like an outsider."
Understanding his insinuation, Gu Yue flushed scarlet and snapped in embarrassment and anger, "Shameless!"
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