Once they had digested their food, the two packed up their things and prepared to say goodbye.
It had only been simple food from a snack street, yet this had been Na'er's most enjoyable meal of the trip, and the one that had left her the fullest and most satisfied.
Although her attempt to do something naughty had failed, she had unexpectedly made a good friend. Perhaps it was the meaning of sharing with a friend that had given these snacks a different flavor.
Now that it was time to say goodbye, she found herself reluctant to part.
"You..."
After hesitating for a moment, Na'er took the initiative to speak, intending to add Zhou Yang's contact information.
"Na'er!"
Just then, a gentle, friendly voice rang out, interrupting what she was about to do.
Zhou Yang and Na'er looked over and saw a woman standing outside the pavilion, slowly approaching.
Her long, dark green hair, as deep in color as a secluded pool, was loosely pinned with a single elegant jade hairpin and fell to her waist, lending her an air of effortless composure. Dressed in a pale green gown, she stood tall and slender, like emerald bamboo beneath newly cleared skies after rain.
A mature, generous grace flowed through her features, and a warm smile rested on her lips. Her gentle, intellectual air seemed capable of embracing all the clamor and restlessness in the world, so pure that it brought peace to the heart.
If Zhou Yang had to describe her in a single sentence-
This woman had the potential to become his mother.
Judging by appearances alone, that was indeed the case.
But in Zhou Yang's eyes, beneath her outward gentleness lay a cool reserve. She was not as loving as he had imagined; instead, she carried sadness and desolation, like a widow whose husband had died, leaving her no choice but to hold everything up alone. An indissoluble loneliness clung to her.
There was no need to guess. This was the gentlest Douluo from Douluo III-Holy Spirit Douluo Yali.
She could be considered a fairly important character in Douluo III.
Although Zhou Yang only knew Douluo III's plot secondhand, he still knew something of her deeds.
After all, as one of the exceedingly rare people who went to the slums of Douluo to treat the poor for free, she had left Zhou Yang with a fairly good impression. If he were just an ordinary person, she would be the only kind of Soul Master he could hope to count on.
If only she were not from Shrek. That alone was an inseparable sticking point.
After Yun Ming had snatched Yali away to Shrek, she had been placed on a high shelf, always kept far from the masses.
Otherwise, if Yali had continued doing things her original way and gathering the power of faith, she might well have become a First-Class God right where she stood someday.
Yali walked over to Na'er and rubbed her head, her words warm and gentle.
"Na'er, did you have fun?"
"Yes, lots of fun."
"Oh, right, this is Zhou Yang. He's a friend I just made."
Na'er smiled and nodded in reply, then introduced Zhou Yang.
Hearing the name, Yali raised her eyes toward Zhou Yang, but her body stiffened slightly. A barely perceptible flash of astonishment crossed her peaceful eyes, which always seemed to embrace everything.
Along with it came the emotions and turmoil building in her chest.
Her lips moved slightly. She wanted to say something, yet did not know how to put it into words.
Her lapse had lasted only an instant. For this Limit Douluo, managing her emotions was a compulsory lesson, and she quickly suppressed every impulse to act.
Naturally, Zhou Yang had not noticed the complicated inner drama that had just played out in Yali's heart. He was merely studying the first Limit Douluo he had seen with his own eyes on the Douluo Continent.
In the end, Yali brought herself under control and offered a friendly smile.
"Hello, I'm Na'er's teacher, Yali. Just call me Yali."
"Thank you for helping look after Na'er just now. She's put you to some trouble."
"Not at all. You're too kind."
Yali merely smiled gently, but her warmth, as encompassing as the sea that accepted a hundred rivers, seemed to spill down like the light of the setting sun. With the shadows beneath that radiance, it added a few more traces of melancholy behind the sunset's afterglow.
Wow, those widow vibes are strong. Did your husband die? Why so melancholy?
As the saying went, you did not strike a smiling face. Zhou Yang returned a gentle smile.
Rank eight acting path, activate-!
He did not intend to get too close to Yali and Na'er. He had nothing against either of them, but he had no fondness for Shrek.
If they said they wanted to take him to Shrek, he would absolutely hiss at them with all his might.
Zhou Yang: Hiss! (FINAL VENT!)
"Hehe, I know Na'er's temperament well enough. I've spoiled this girl, and she's a little willful and mischievous. Please bear with her."
"No way! I'm not like what you're saying, Teacher..."
Hearing Yali's assessment of her, Na'er protested, but as she spoke, she grew less and less confident. She remembered that she did seem to have caused some trouble.
Having adopted Na'er and treated her like her own daughter, how could Yali fail to notice her guilty unease?
Yali made Na'er apologize without standing on ceremony. Naturally, Zhou Yang had not taken that little matter to heart.
After all, he had not lost out, and had even taken the opportunity to have some fun teasing the little foodie Na'er.
With Yali keeping her in line, Na'er did not dare act up. Besides, she really had realized that her impulsiveness back then had been wrong, so she took this opportunity to apologize properly.
"It's all right. It wasn't anything serious. Na'er treated me to lots of delicious food afterward, too."
Zhou Yang smoothed things over for Na'er, finally helping her perk up again.
A serene smile rested on Yali's face, while a gleam flashed through her eyes. Like a predator that had caught its prey, she did not let the opportunity slip by.
"From the look of you, you're not an Eastsea local, are you? What brings you to Eastsea City? I can help."
"Uh, I'm indeed not a local. I'm moving up to the next stage of school, so I'm planning to enroll at Eastsea Academy. I'm also planning to go to the Spirit Pagoda to obtain my second Spirit Soul."
"I may not look it, but I'm already rank thirty."
Zhou Yang spoke with some pride.
Even though he usually lazed around and slacked off, that did not stop his cultivation from running on auto. Coupled with the terrifying intensity of his training, it would have been hard not to get ahead.
Still, obtaining a Spirit Soul and all that was just an excuse.
He wanted to use power that belonged to him.
But as part of the underlying code that made up the Douluo Continent, putting rings on oneself was as inviolable in this plane as ancestral law.
Whether it was strength and background or a symbol of status, none of it could be separated from those things.
One could say those things were the Douluo Continent's various credentials and qualifications for advancement. It really was inconvenient to get by without a ring.
Fortunately, he came with his own. Besides, Dragreder could disguise himself as a Spirit Soul, and there were a whole bunch of Contract Beasts in the Mirror World he could use later.
Moreover, watches would be issued automatically when he broke through to a new tier, saving him the trouble of looking for them.
He did not need to hunt desperately for watches like a certain little demon king, then excitedly run up to his future self after awakening his final form, only to get kicked into pieces by the veteran driver in six kicks.
Sigh, Oma Drive, you turned TV Grand Zi-O into pieces (sobbing).