"Maybe it's developed pretty quickly these past two years," Ning Yuhao said uncertainly. When Dai Mubai had come to visit them before, he had mentioned that his imperial elder brother had helped improve his living conditions, but he had never said the changes were this big.
Shrek Academy was not hard to find. Before long, the two of them spotted its entrance.
It was not grand, but it was clean and presentable. A sign bearing the words "Shrek Academy" hung over a large gate, with a picture of a Shrek monster on it. It looked quite new, seemingly only recently replaced. An old man had set up a table beside the gate and sat behind it. A long line stretched out in front of the table, all people who had brought their children to register.
Besides the old man, there was a boy who looked fifteen or sixteen, with beautiful blond hair, handsome features, and luxurious clothes. The young married women and girls in line could not help stealing glances at him, but the boy kept peering ahead, muttering, "It was today, all right. Why aren't they here yet?"
Ning Yuhao waved to the boy. The boy spotted them too, and his grin grew so wide he could not close his mouth. He walked toward them. "Brother, you're finally here! You sure kept me waiting!"
Who else could this boy be but Dai Mubai?
Dai Mubai came over and gave Ning Yuhao a fierce bear hug before turning to Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, you came too! Welcome, welcome! Welcome to Shrek Academy!"
Ning Rongrong shot Dai Mubai an annoyed look. "What do you mean, I 'came too'...? Has little sister Zhu Zhuqing arrived yet?"
Ning Rongrong deliberately stressed the word "too."
Dai Mubai rubbed the back of his head with a goofy smile. "Don't mind the little details. Zhu Zhuqing doesn't seem to be here yet, but she said she'd arrive today too. We can wait for her a bit, then all go in together."
Looking at Dai Mubai, Ning Yuhao could not resist snarking, "Standing there, you actually look the part of a respectable aristocrat. How come the moment you open your mouth, you sound like some simple, honest young lad? Neither 'simple' nor 'honest' has anything to do with you."
Dai Mubai burst out laughing at Ning Yuhao's words, then patted his shoulder. "Hey! I'm just happy to see you! We might all be in Heaven Dou, but every trip to visit you still takes me a while there and back. Now we can cultivate and have fun together."
As he spoke, he tugged Ning Yuhao a little farther away from Ning Rongrong and leaned close to his ear to whisper, "Brother, I made a reservation especially for today. Tonight, I'll throw you a welcome feast to wash away the dust of your journey."
Then he gave Ning Yuhao a look that said, "You know what I mean."
Just then, a cool voice rang out, seemingly carrying a faint trace of anger. "Oh? Where did you make that reservation? I wonder if big sister Rongrong and I might have the honor of joining this welcome feast."
Hearing that voice, Dai Mubai sucked in a cold breath, then sighed helplessly. "Ah, brother, it's not that I'm letting you down. Looks like you won't get to enjoy that treat."
Ning Yuhao turned to see a girl in a close-fitting black outfit approaching with graceful steps. Her figure was catlike, her chest full of grand ambitions, and her long black hair fell loose. She had a cool, aloof air about her, like a flower on a lofty peak.
Ning Rongrong had already gone to meet her, and the two girls linked arms. "Little sister Zhu Zhuqing, you're here."
"I was held up on the road for a while. Sorry for the wait."
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "No, no, we only just got here ourselves."
As they spoke, the two girls walked over toward Ning Yuhao.
"You're here, Zhu Zhuqing. You look lovely today." Ning Yuhao decided to strike first and get a compliment in. Whether there were dates on the tree or not, he would give it a whack first. If it worked and she stopped being angry, that would be a win.
Zhu Zhuqing chuckled. "Thank you."
But her bright black eyes kept roaming over Ning Yuhao, making even him feel a little embarrassed. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, merely thrusting out her chest.
Now Ning Yuhao was even more confused. What was she doing? Showing off her figure?
Even Ning Yuhao had to admit that a good figure depended far too much on natural gifts. Ning Rongrong was a little older than Zhu Zhuqing, yet the difference was like dates and pomelos. Dates were not bad either, but one pomelo alone was enough to eat your fill.
Ning Yuhao smiled and offered a sincere compliment. "Your figure is great too."
At those words, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed pink with embarrassment, while Ning Rongrong's eyes widened in anger. She smacked Ning Yuhao. "What are you saying?"
Zhu Zhuqing coughed lightly, then thrust out her chest again. Only then did Ning Yuhao notice that she was wearing a necklace. It looked like an animal's tooth, with a hole drilled through the root so it could hang around her neck.
It could not be helped. The difference in size between the two was simply too great, and people's eyes were always drawn to larger objects first. Ning Yuhao genuinely had not noticed the necklace at first.
Ning Yuhao recognized the tooth as well. It was a tooth from the Shadow Cat they had hunted that year. Back then, Zhu Zhuqing had given Ning Yuhao one too.
With a beckoning motion of his hand, Ning Yuhao took the tooth out of his Soul Tool. A little hoarding mouse, he had kept it stored away all this time.
At the sight of the tooth, Zhu Zhuqing's gaze grew a little subtle. "You could actually make it into an accessory."
Ning Yuhao waved a hand helplessly. "I can't help it. I always have trouble choosing when it comes to little things like these. I really couldn't decide what to make it into, so I just left it as it was. But I do take it out and rub it every now and then."
"Look!" Ning Yuhao showed it to Zhu Zhuqing. The tooth had a lustrous shine now, almost like jade.
Zhu Zhuqing was a little helpless, but there was a smile in her eyes. In the end, she made the decision. "Make it a necklace too. I'll do it for you."
"That works." Ning Yuhao did not particularly mind. A necklace was fine too, so he handed the tooth to Zhu Zhuqing.
Ning Rongrong looked rather displeased, while Dai Mubai remained perfectly composed.
"Little sister Zhu Zhuqing, you heard them just now too. Those two were being all sneaky. Who knows what mischief they were planning?" Ning Rongrong said, tattling a little.
Zhu Zhuqing also gave Dai Mubai an annoyed look. He turned his head aside and started whistling as though nothing had happened.
Ning Yuhao put on an indignant face as well. "Exactly, Mubai! I'm a good boy. How could I go to a place like that? I never said I would!"
Dai Mubai's eyes widened as he stared at Ning Yuhao in disbelief, his gaze seeming to say, I treated you like a brother. How could you do this to me?
Ning Yuhao wore a righteous expression. Sorry, brother. There's no escape for you now. You can't make your brother suffer along with you too.