"Bei Bei, I'll leave Tang Ya in your care. Take her to the Sea God's Pavilion first."
Yan Shaozhe gave the order.
"All right."
Bei Bei nodded firmly, then tightened his grip on Tang Ya's hand. "Xiaoya, you probably don't know yet, but a lot has happened at Shrek Academy since you left. The Sea God's Pavilion has been rebuilt. It's nothing like it used to be."
However.
Tang Ya shook her head and said meekly, "Bei Bei, have you forgotten? I'd never been to the Sea God's Pavilion even before I left. In other words, I don't know what the old Sea God's Pavilion looked like either."
"Huh?"
Bei Bei scratched his head awkwardly. "Look at my terrible memory."
After Tang Ya and Bei Bei left, Yan Shaozhe slowly withdrew his gaze.
He walked over to a chair and sat down, his face full of exhaustion.
"Teacher, are you all right?" Ma Xiaotao hesitated before asking tentatively, "What's putting you under so much pressure?"
"Ah... It's a long story!"
Though a thousand words filled his heart, Yan Shaozhe let out only that sigh. It was clear that he truly felt powerless.
"Teacher, you can tell me whatever's on your mind. I'm not a child anymore. Everything I've been through has helped me grow, too. I believe I can shoulder some of your worries."
Ma Xiaotao walked behind Yan Shaozhe and gently kneaded his shoulders.
The gesture helped Yan Shaozhe relax.
"Well, there's a lot to tell."
Yan Shaozhe closed his eyes and said slowly, "There are several problems facing Shrek right now. The first, and most important, is that Shrek Academy no longer has a supreme expert guarding it.
"Who knows when that situation will change? Until a supreme expert capable of stabilizing things appears, I won't have a