Chapter 235
Shrek!
Zhu Zhuqing immediately understood his intention, a hint of understanding and curiosity flashing in her cat-like eyes.
"You want to see them?"
"Ah."
Lin Xia nodded.
"Shrek Academy's recruitment drive is bound to be quite a spectacle. Shall we treat it as a unique 'show'?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded as well.
"It does sound... much more interesting than shopping."
"class!"
Bangila waved its little paws in agreement, showing great interest in places where humans gather to study.
The next day, dawn broke.
Outside the south gate of Soto, a sparse number of pedestrians signaled the start of the day.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, carrying simple bags, walked out of the city gate side by side.
Tang San remained calm and deep in thought, clearly still processing the dramatic events that had occurred at the Rose Hotel the previous day and pondering the signals released by Dai Mubai.
Xiao Wu seemed much more relaxed, her braids bouncing with her steps, a blade of grass dangling from her mouth, occasionally looking around curiously.
"Little San, let's hurry up! Let's get to that Shrek Academy as soon as possible and see just how 'monster' it really is!"
Xiao Wu urged.
"it is good."
Tang San responded gently, but his gaze subtly swept over the vicinity of the city gate.
He had a feeling of being watched, and his Purple Demon Eyes quietly activated, but apart from a few early-rising farmers and vendors, there was no particularly suspicious person in his field of vision.
"Perhaps it's just my imagination..."
Tang San suppressed his doubts and quickened his pace.
About a hundred meters behind them, in the shade of a large, leafy tree, Lin Xia, Zhu Zhuqing, and Banjilas, almost blending into their surroundings, were quietly watching their target.
Lin Xia held a small, cylindrical soul tool in her hand, with one end close to her eye.
This is the portable soul-guided telescope he made in his spare time, which has a clarity, zoom capability, and a certain degree of soul power fluctuation shielding effect that far surpasses ordinary telescopes.
"The target has left the city and is heading southwest."
Zhu Zhuqing was equally focused. Her eyesight was already excellent, and with the addition of a little soul power, she could clearly see the figures in front of her.
Bangilas lay quietly on Lin Xia's shoulder, its small eyes gleaming with a metallic luster, sharply locking onto its target.
"Keep your distance and keep up."
Lin Xia put away the binoculars and made a gesture.
The three of them slid down the tree silently like ghosts, landing without a sound, and trailed far behind Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Their presence was perfectly concealed by the faint soul-guiding force field emanating from Lin Xia. They used the terrain and vegetation as cover, their movements fluid and graceful, like professionally trained scouts.
Along the way, Lin Xia and the others witnessed Tang San and Xiao Wu's interactions.
Xiao Wu seems to be naturally lively and curious about everything. A strange flower by the roadside or a colorful butterfly can make her exclaim and chase after it.
Tang San remained vigilant and composed throughout, acting like a responsible older brother, sometimes reminding Xiao Wu to watch her step, and sometimes helplessly helping her remove the target hanging high on the branch.
Whenever Xiao Wu shows dependence on Tang San, or Tang San shows concern for Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes always become somewhat complicated.
"They have a very good relationship."
Zhu Zhuqing commented in a low voice, her tone flat, but Lin Xia could detect a hint of envy.
She grew up under the cold and oppressive atmosphere of the Zhu family and the shadow of the marriage agreement with the Dai family, and had never experienced such pure and straightforward friendship.
Lin Xia nodded, a smile appearing on her lips, but her gaze remained fixed on Tang San.
"Hmm. Whether they get along well or not is another matter, but Tang San seems to have a controlling nature towards Xiao Wu? This isn't a normal sibling relationship!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's ears immediately turned bright red. Her eyes were filled with shyness as she looked at Lin Xia.
But Lin Xia didn't notice any of this.
After traveling for about half an hour, the road gradually became remote, with lush farmland and woodland on both sides.
The air became fresh, and birdsong replaced the city's hustle and bustle.
Tang San and Xiao Wu quickened their pace considerably.
Just then, a miniature soul compass in Lin Xia's hand vibrated slightly, pointing to an inconspicuous village fork in the road to the side.
"They turned in."
Lin Xia gestured.
The three of them spread out again, using the higher edge of the trees as a reference point for observation.
Tang San and Xiao Wu walked straight to the end of the village, where a large number of people had gathered, mostly teenagers of similar age, and a few accompanying parents.
At the front of the crowd was a dilapidated wooden table, behind which sat an elderly man of about sixty years old, with gray hair, wearing a faded gray robe, and a pair of badly worn black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
The old man looked lazy and was resting with his eyes closed, appearing indifferent.
Next to the table stood a bamboo pole with a tattered banner hanging from it, its edges frayed. Five large characters were written on it in crooked ink.
Shrek Academy.
A sparse queue stood in front of the wooden table.
At the end of the line, a richly dressed young man was speaking arrogantly to the old man, his face full of impatience.
The old man slowly extended a finger and pointed to a small opening in a dilapidated wooden box next to the table.
"This is Shrek Academy?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at the shabby banner, the dilapidated table, and the lazy old man, and a clear look of astonishment appeared on her usually aloof face.
"This... is a bit too much..."
Zhu Zhuqing couldn't find the right words to describe this disparity.
Is this the Monster Academy they're talking about?
How could it be so dilapidated and desolate?
Lin Xia smiled at this, and then said directly:
"Actually, we don't need to underestimate this academy. Look at that old man."
Lin Xia gestured for Zhu Zhuqing to pay attention to the gray-robed old man who was resting with his eyes closed.
"His aura was restrained and calm, seemingly lazy, but the surrounding soul power flowed extremely smoothly around him, indicating that he was no ordinary person."
Lin Xia didn't have much prejudice against Shrek Academy, or even Tang San and the others, since there was no conflict between them.
Therefore, we can view many aspects rationally.
Although Shrek Academy in the original story had almost no facilities and its teaching staff was just so-so, it still had more students than teachers.
One-on-one sessions are commonplace now.
As expected, the richly dressed youth, though dissatisfied, still grumbled as he pulled out ten gleaming gold soul coins and stuffed them one by one into the small opening of the wooden box.
The old man then slightly raised his eyelids, his cloudy gaze sweeping over the richly dressed youth, his withered fingers casually resting on his wrist.
"Bone age thirteen, soul power level twenty-one. Not up to standard, you can leave now."
The old man's calm voice rang out.
"what?!"
The elegantly dressed young man instantly erupted in anger.
"Old man! Are you kidding me? I spent ten gold soul coins! How can I fail at level twenty-one? You know I am..."
The old man didn't even lift his eyelids; he just waved his hand lazily, as if shooing away flies.
"Next." (End of Chapter)