Wu Changkong looked at the mischievously grinning youth before him and felt utterly helpless.
In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered anything like this.
Someone had rushed up to him out of nowhere, called him senior brother the moment he opened his mouth, and claimed to be Zhuo Shi's disciple.
And the guy's personality was all over the place.
But looking at the security department people pursuing them, now wasn't the time to discuss it.
No matter how reluctant he was, he had to deal with this first.
The burly men from the security department had already caught up.
Panting for breath, the man in front pointed at Qing Linyun and was just about to speak.
Wu Changkong turned around first and glanced at them.
When the security officers saw that the person standing in front of Qing Linyun was Wu Changkong, they forcibly swallowed the words on their lips.
"T-Teacher Wu..." The lead guard immediately put on a smile. "These two forced their way into the academy, and..."
"They're with me."
Wu Changkong spoke flatly.
The guard froze.
"...Huh?"
"I said, these two are with me."
Wu Changkong's tone was even, no different from how he usually spoke. "He's my junior brother. He came to seek me out. What happened just now was a misunderstanding. You can go back."
The guard opened his mouth.
He looked at Wu Changkong, then at Qing Linyun, then at the pretty girl beside him, whose face seemed to say, "I don't know him."
...They're with Teacher Wu?
Teacher Wu actually has a junior brother?
And no matter how I look at them, those two don't seem to be together.
But the security officers didn't dare ask any more questions.
What kind of standing did Wu Changkong have at Eastsea Academy?
Word was that his backing was so powerful that even the principal and the others didn't dare provoke him. His strength was formidable, and he was a strict teacher. From the principal at the top to the cleaning lady at the bottom, who in the academy didn't show him some respect?
Never mind claiming this was his junior brother. Even if he said this was his own father, the security department would have to nod along.
"Oh, all right."
The lead guard immediately put on another smile.
"If they're with Teacher Wu, then it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
"We'll head back, then."
The group turned and left in a flurry, though they didn't forget to glance back a couple of times, their eyes full of curiosity.
Qing Linyun watched the scene and clicked his tongue inwardly.
Not bad. Looking at it this way, Wu Changkong's doing pretty well for himself at Eastsea Academy. Then again, it makes sense. In the original story, I heard he even beat up some senior students and still managed to stay at the academy. He must be doing pretty well.
He leaned in and gave Wu Changkong a thumbs-up with a grin. "Senior brother, nice! You sent them packing with a single sentence. You've got quite a fearsome reputation at the academy."
Wu Changkong ignored him.
He merely gave Qing Linyun a cool glance, his gaze scrutinizing and questioning.
Then his gaze fell on Gu Yue, who stood beside Qing Linyun.
"And who are you?"
Gu Yue was distracted at the moment.
Her attention wasn't on Wu Changkong at all.
Her gaze went straight across the field and landed on a short-haired boy standing in a daze not far away.
That person was Tang Wulin.
Gu Yue frowned slightly.
She could sense it.
There was a very special presence about that boy. It was faint, but very... familiar.
The Golden Dragon King.
Gu Yue's heart skipped a beat.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline she had searched for so long was right here.
Right here in this academy. Right there in that ordinary-looking short-haired boy.
...Interesting.
These human youngsters are more interesting than the last.
Gu Yue was making plans in her head and didn't even register that Wu Changkong was speaking to her.
"Hey."
Qing Linyun gave her sleeve a gentle tug.
Only then did Gu Yue come back to her senses.
She looked at Wu Changkong and tried to keep her expression calm. "I'm here to enroll."
Wu Changkong frowned.
He looked Gu Yue up and down, then glanced at the grinning Qing Linyun beside her.
...What's the relationship between these two?
One said he had come to seek out his junior brother, while the other said she had come to enroll.
But in the scene just now, the boy had been dragging the girl along, and the girl had looked as though life held no more hope for her.
No matter how he looked at it, they didn't seem like strangers.
Gu Yue saw Wu Changkong's suspicion.
She immediately spoke up. "I have nothing to do with him."
Almost at the same time, Qing Linyun also spoke. "This is my niece."
The air fell silent.
Gu Yue: "..."
Qing Linyun: "..."
The two looked at each other.
Gu Yue's face twitched.
Qing Linyun awkwardly rubbed his nose.
Wu Changkong's frown deepened.
He looked from one to the other, his tone growing heavier. "What exactly is going on?"
"I..." Qing Linyun was just about to speak.
Gu Yue shot him a glare.
Her eyes said, Just try saying one word.
Qing Linyun wisely shut his mouth.
Gu Yue cursed Qing Linyun's ancestors back eighteen generations in her heart.
...Niece?
Why doesn't he just go die?
In all my years, when did I pick up an uncle like him?
She took a deep breath, pulled a letter of recommendation from her clothes, and handed it over.
"I'm here to enroll. This is my recommendation letter."
Wu Changkong took it and gave it a quick look.
There was nothing wrong with the letter, and all the paperwork was in order.
He looked up at Gu Yue. "Release your Martial Soul. Let me see it."
Gu Yue nodded.
A Yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath her feet.
The famous One-Ring Soul Master.
Six elements pulsed in unison around her: wind, fire, water, earth, light, and darkness. Their six colors shone against one another, as though the colors were holding a grand assembly.
"Elementalist," Gu Yue said calmly. "My Martial Soul."
Qing Linyun watched from the side and rolled his eyes inwardly.
Elementalist?
Bullshit.
This is obviously the Silver Dragon King's control over the elements. The six elements pulsing around Gu Yue are proof.
Who in their right mind could produce such an overpowered Martial Soul?
Ahem... Of course, I don't count. That's all thanks to the system.
It might fool people who don't know the truth.
Qing Linyun grumbled inwardly, but his face betrayed nothing as he watched at his leisure.
Speaking of the system, Qing Linyun suddenly remembered that he had been too busy catching rides today to check the Daily Shop's refresh.
Taking advantage of the moment, he hurriedly opened the Daily Shop.
[System Daily Shop] [Item 1: Cold Blue Silver rabbit ears] (Price: 780 Federation Coins) [Item 2: Thousand-year Silver Ring Snake right arm bone] (Price: 860,000 Federation Coins) [Item 3: Level-six charging soul tool] (Price: 120,000 Federation Coins)
"A bunch of trash. None of it's worth buying."
Qing Linyun curled his lip. The items were all too crappy, and he had no interest in buying them. But when he turned over the last item card, his gaze shifted slightly.
[Item 4: 150,000-year Light Unicorn Soul Spirit.] (Price: 97 million Federation Coins)
"Interesting. Looks like I can still buy something good today. A 150,000-year Light Unicorn Soul Spirit. Mm, not bad, not bad."
Qing Linyun was delighted. After all, he could never have too many good things, and besides, 97 million Federation Coins wasn't a large sum for him, so he bought it on the spot.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on purchasing item 4: 150,000-year Light Unicorn Soul Spirit. Have a pleasant day!"
Qing Linyun's lips curved upward, and he closed the system interface in a cheerful mood.
His gaze fell on Wu Changkong, who was still deep in thought.
Wu Changkong had come from the Shrek Inner Court, after all, and he had at least that much discernment.
He watched the six elements pulsing around Gu Yue, and his gaze shifted slightly.
This Martial Soul... isn't simple.
Although Elementalists were common, this was the first time he had seen one capable of controlling six elements at once.
This girl has a promising future.
Wu Changkong nodded and returned the recommendation letter to her. "All right, there's no problem with your eligibility for admission."
He collected himself and looked at Qing Linyun, then at Gu Yue. "You two, wait here a moment."
With that, he turned and walked toward the field.
The students scattered across the field had been sneaking glances in their direction the whole time. When they saw Wu Changkong approaching, they all immediately straightened up and pretended to be diligently running laps.
Wu Changkong glanced at them.
He said nothing.
Nor did he punish them.
He simply said, "Dismissed."
The students scattered in a flurry, as though granted a pardon.
Qing Linyun's gaze followed Wu Changkong's departing figure.
But his attention was actually focused more on the two people at the edge of the field.
Xie Xie was nudging Tang Wulin with his elbow, saying who knew what.
Tang Wulin stood there obediently, looking adorably dazed.
Just as Qing Linyun looked over, Tang Wulin happened to raise his head too.
Their eyes met.
Qing Linyun gave him a friendly smile.
Tang Wulin: "..."
He froze for a moment and looked at the unfamiliar older boy in bewilderment.
...Who is this guy?
What's he smiling at?
Tang Wulin touched his face but found nothing amiss.
Standing beside Qing Linyun, Gu Yue followed his gaze and glanced over.
"What are you looking at?"
Qing Linyun looked away and said with a grin, "Nothing."
"Then why did you say I was your niece just now?"
Gu Yue asked through gritted teeth.
"Wasn't I finding you someone to lean on?" Qing Linyun said with a perfectly serious face. "Otherwise, how dangerous would it be for you to enroll all by yourself? Wouldn't it be great to have an uncle like me looking out for you?"
"Who wants you looking out for me?"
"Then why are you trying so hard to distance yourself from me?" Qing Linyun raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I eat people."
Gu Yue couldn't be bothered to answer him.
But then he thought of something else. This guy wasn't really planning to stay at Eastsea Academy, was he? Surely not?
For a moment, Gu Yue looked a little horrified. She couldn't shake the feeling that if she stayed around this guy, something bad was bound to happen.
She paused, then couldn't help asking, "Then why did you smile at that fair-skinned kid with short hair just now?"
"Oh, him."
Qing Linyun glanced in Tang Wulin's direction and said casually, "I thought he was pretty cute."
"...Cute?"
The corner of Gu Yue's mouth twitched.
A man looking at another man and calling him cute?
Why did she feel like there was something wrong with this man's head?
Wu Changkong walked back.
He glanced at the two people whispering to each other nearby but didn't ask any questions.
"Let's go."
He said indifferently, "I'll take you to complete the enrollment procedures first."
He glanced at Gu Yue, then looked at Qing Linyun. "As for you..."
Wu Changkong paused.
"I'll call my junior sister first to confirm your identity."
"If it's true..."
He looked at Qing Linyun, a trace of scrutiny in his eyes.
"The two of us will have a private talk."