Just then, however, hurried footsteps suddenly rang out in the woods ahead, followed by an anxious female voice-
"Yutong!"
Gu Xingyue looked toward the voice. A man and a woman came running out from the overlapping shadows of the trees.
His gaze first fell on the woman.
Her azure hair was tied in a neat high ponytail, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
Her features were gentle and graceful, as though she had stepped out of an ink-wash painting of Jiangnan.
Yet there was a heroic air about her brows and eyes.
And her figure... had developed far faster than those of her peers.
She already had quite substantial curves where they counted, enough to almost rival certain agility-type soul masters with a particular spirit cat martial soul renowned for their figures.
This isn't right.
He frowned, turning his gaze to the man beside her.
Then his expression became that of the old man looking at his phone on the subway meme. His mouth twitched as he sank into a peculiar state of cognitive dissonance.
The newcomers were indeed a man and a woman.
But the man looked more delicate than dashing. His manner was mild as he spoke, and he stood half a step behind the woman.
Then Huo Yutong spoke.
After spotting them, she jogged a couple of steps to meet them. "Sister Bei Bei!"
Bei Bei.
Not Beibei.
Gu Xingyue stood where he was, feeling some gear at the back of his mind turn with a click.
He had never, ever expected even Tang Ya and Beibei's configuration to change along with everything else.
Beibei had become Bei Bei, and Tang Ya had become Tang Ya with a different character in his name. What sort of bizarre permutation was this?
He silently repeated to himself three times: It doesn't matter. There's always a parallel universe like this. Stay calm.
Meanwhile, Bei Bei had already hurried forward and swept Huo Yutong into her arms, her azure ponytail whipping through a crisp arc.
She patted Huo Yutong's back, her voice anxious and aching. "It's all our fault. We shouldn't have let you leave alone. The Great Star Dou Forest is too dangerous. You're not allowed to do that again, understood?"
Huo Yutong buried her face against her shoulder and gave a muffled "Mm."
Bei Bei looked her up and down again. Only after confirming that she was unhurt did she sigh in relief, finally turning her gaze toward Gu Xingyue, who stood to one side.
Huo Yutong hurriedly stepped out of her embrace and sniffled, introducing them. "Sister Bei Bei, Brother Tang Ya, this big brother named Gu Xingyue saved me. A really fierce ape soul beast charged at me just now, and he defeated it. Otherwise, I..."
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.
Tang Ya stepped forward then and cupped his hands toward Gu Xingyue, his gentle smile carrying a touch of scholarly refinement. "Hello. Thank you so much for saving little Sister Huo. My name is Tang Ya, and this is Bei Bei. We're both students at Shrek Academy. May I ask who you are?"
Gu Xingyue looked at him, then at Bei Bei beside him, and finally failed to hold back a snort of laughter.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei both froze, exchanging a glance with confusion written all over their eyes-what was he laughing at?
"Sorry, sorry. That was rude of me." Gu Xingyue hurriedly composed himself, cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "So you're students from Shrek, the continent's number one academy. No wonder you have such extraordinary bearing. Even from a distance, I could tell you both stood tall and carried yourselves remarkably. As expected of students from a prestigious academy-nothing like us self-taught types."
The barrage of praise left Tang Ya a little embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and smiled modestly. "You flatter us, you flatter us. We really don't deserve it."
"Why wouldn't you deserve it?" Gu Xingyue gave him a thumbs-up, his face utterly earnest. "The future belongs to you!"
Bei Bei raised an eyebrow beside them, seemingly quite taken with Gu Xingyue's instantly familiar manner.
She looked him up and down a couple of times, then asked, "Where are you headed now? If it's convenient, we can travel together. Having more people is always a little safer in the Great Star Dou Forest."
"Oh, what a coincidence." Gu Xingyue spread his hands, his smile carrying a hint of fate works in wondrous ways. "I'm on my way to apply to Shrek. Doesn't that make you two my future seniors?"
Bei Bei's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands. "Well, that's perfect! We're heading back to the academy too, so come along. Once you're in Shrek, this senior of yours will have your back!"
She held her chin high as she spoke, looking every bit the big sister in charge. Her azure ponytail swayed behind her head, full of heroic flair.
Tang Ya chimed in at just the right moment, his tone carrying a hint of reflected pride. "Bei Bei is really strong. She's already an outer court disciple practically guaranteed a place in the inner court."
At this point, his voice suddenly dropped a little, and his gaze flickered, as though he had remembered something unpleasant.
Bei Bei slapped his shoulder blade with a sharp smack, hard enough to send him stumbling half a step forward. "You're a grown man. What's with that hangdog look!"
Tang Ya hurriedly straightened his back, rubbed his numb shoulder, and leaned closer, lowering his voice with a hint of pleading. "At least leave me a little dignity. Our juniors are watching..."
Bei Bei tossed her head, her azure hair sweeping past, and ignored him entirely. She walked straight over to Huo Yutong, draped an arm around her shoulders, and led her forward. "Come on, Yutong. Let's ignore him."
Half pushed and half pulled along, Huo Yutong quietly glanced back at Gu Xingyue, a faint, reassured smile in her eyes.
Gu Xingyue stood where he was, watching the three figures ahead. With her high ponytail, Bei Bei walked with brisk, dashing strides.
Tang Ya followed half a step behind her, with Huo Yutong in the middle.
He slipped his hands into his pockets and leisurely followed.
The four traveled together through the Great Star Dou Forest, surrounded by towering ancient trees and luxuriant branches and leaves, with the occasional chirp of insects.
Bei Bei walked along one side of the group. Seemingly finding the prolonged silence a little awkward, she took the initiative to break it. "Xingyue, did you come to the Great Star Dou Forest to obtain a soul ring too?"
"Mm." Gu Xingyue gave a mild reply and said nothing more, his expression still as calm as water.
Seeing this, Bei Bei couldn't help muttering, "Look at me. I might as well have said nothing."
She scratched her head in frustration, then seemed to remember something and hurriedly added, "Um... Xingyue, would you mind if we spent a little more time here? Someone in our group still needs to obtain a soul ring." As she spoke, she turned toward Huo Yutong and Tang Ya beside her and explained, "When we met earlier, little Sister Huo mentioned that she'd come to hunt for a soul ring. I imagine she should still need one."
Hearing this, Huo Yutong shook her head slightly and said softly, "Sister Bei Bei, there's no need to trouble you any further. I've already obtained my first soul ring."
Bei Bei paused, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.
She instinctively looked toward Gu Xingyue, inwardly wondering, Could he have helped Yutong hunt for it?
But on second thought, that made perfect sense.
Anyone who could attend Shrek Academy either came from an illustrious family or possessed an outstanding martial soul. Given Gu Xingyue's strength, helping her hunt for a hundred-year soul ring truly would not be difficult.
Since the soul ring was already secured, Bei Bei did not ask what specific soul beast it had come from. After all, with Gu Xingyue's strength, a mere hundred-year soul beast would naturally pose no problem.
She gathered her thoughts and looked at Gu Xingyue again, waiting for his final decision.
Gu Xingyue met her gaze, the corners of his lips curving into a gentle smile. His tone was casual yet carried a measure of composure. "I have no objections. Just arrange things as you see fit."
Seeing how agreeable he was, Bei Bei inwardly sighed in relief, a hint of gratitude at her good fortune showing in her eyes.
Before you continue