"Do you truly know that you were wrong?" Liu Erlong looked at Grandmaster, her eyes flickering with a trace of hope.
"I truly do. I was wrong. Back then, I shouldn't have run away, shouldn't have left you. Erlong, you've suffered so much all these years… I will definitely make it up to you." As he spoke, Grandmaster pulled Liu Erlong into his embrace once more.
"Then how do you plan to resolve the matter of our bloodline? And what about those rumors—how do you intend to deal with them?" Liu Erlong asked, her tone carrying the weight of a test.
"There's no resolving it, no dealing with it—let them talk. We're together because we love each other truly, not because you're my cousin or anything like that. As long as we're together, I won't fear anything anymore. Let them say what they will. At worst, we won't have children in the future. But no one—no one—can tear us apart again."
Grandmaster's voice was firm, filled with determination. Right now, he genuinely wanted to make it up to Liu Erlong. What she had revealed—that after his departure she had endured so much pain and humiliation—had truly shaken him.
"Mn. By the way, Flender called me here because of the Evil Spirit Masters, didn't he? That they might bring harm to the children?" Liu Erlong, seeing Grandmaster's heartfelt remorse, chose not to linger on the topic of love. Instead, she shifted the conversation to Qian Jue and the others. This was exactly what Qian Jue had suggested to her beforehand.
As expected, her words stunned Grandmaster for a moment. Then he sighed inwardly: 'So Erlong still hasn't truly forgiven me, still unwilling to give me a definite answer. Sigh… I'll just have to slowly make it up to her in the days to come.'
With that thought, he stopped dwelling on it and followed her lead into the new topic.
"Yes. This time it's a serious matter, which is why I thought of calling you over—to help us get through this trial." Grandmaster said, and then proceeded to explain everything Flender had told him about the Evil Spirit Masters.
Liu Erlong frowned as she listened. Truth be told, she hadn't paid much attention when Flender told her earlier—when he had mentioned that Grandmaster wanted to see her, she had rushed over in such a hurry that she barely registered anything about Evil Spirit Masters.
"Then… why don't you all move to my place?" she suggested.
"Your place?" Grandmaster asked, puzzled.
"Yes, my place." Liu Erlong nodded, meeting his eyes.
"You've wanted to know how I've lived all these years, haven't you? Let me tell you. After that incident, in order to escape the endless gossip within the family, I left them behind. I moved out and lived in seclusion, enduring nearly 10 years on my own. Until one day, a friend came to visit me. She saw how lonely I was and suggested that I open a spirit master academy, if only to distract myself.
I realized she was right—I couldn't go on like that forever. So I took her advice. What I didn't expect was that over the years, with the help of those friends, the little distraction I started has grown into an Advanced Spirit Master Academy. It's located right in Heaven Dou City, and I'm now serving as its dean. If you're all willing to move there, I can even hand the academy over to you, and we can rename it Shrek Academy. What do you think?"
Grandmaster's gaze softened with pain as he looked at Liu Erlong. He hadn't imagined that the fiery-tempered girl from the past had become the dean of an Advanced Spirit Master Academy.
He gently brushed her hair and said, "That's certainly a wonderful solution. But Shrek Academy is Flender's life's work. I think we should ask his opinion first."
To Grandmaster, Liu Erlong's proposal was the perfect answer—it would allow the three of them to stay together and combine their strength, while also moving away from Suotuo City, making it harder for Evil Spirit Masters to track them down.
"Then, call Boss Fu over. Let's discuss it together."
"Mn."
Grandmaster agreed, and stood up, ready to fetch Flender. As he reached the door, the group of little eavesdroppers scrambled to scatter. But suddenly, Grandmaster stopped, turned back, and asked:
"Erlong… if Flender doesn't want to leave, will you still stay?"
Seeing the hope in his eyes, Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at him. "Relax. I'm still the dean of an academy. Of course I won't abandon the children. Besides, I really like your disciple.
Even if it's just for their sake, I'll stay. As for forgiving you… we'll see how you behave from now on."
"...Alright!" Receiving her definite answer, Grandmaster's heart soared. He turned eagerly, opened the door—only for a group of kids to tumble right inside. His excitement instantly froze.
"So… you all heard everything?" Grandmaster's gaze swept over Qian Jue and the others, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Uh… Teacher, we'll just… head back to the dorms first! Boss Dai, you take us, right?" Tang San reacted the quickest, turning immediately to Dai Mubai.
"Right, right, let's go!"
Dai Mubai nodded hastily. He and Oscar grabbed Tang San and Xiao Wu, and together the four bolted away like fleeing rabbits.
That left Grandmaster's eyes falling squarely on Qian Jue.
Yet under Grandmaster's deathly glare, Qian Jue didn't panic at all. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh—because now, he had a solid backer.
"Teacher, I came here to find Mistress!"
He raised his hand and declared loudly. Without hesitation, he stepped past Grandmaster and went straight to Liu Erlong, even giving her a cheeky wink. Liu Erlong instantly pulled him to her side, hugging him protectively as she lifted her chin, meeting Grandmaster's deadly stare head-on.
And just like that, it was Grandmaster who lost his nerve, turning his eyes away in defeat. Instead, he looked at Flender, who stood at the rear.
Flender, at least, had maintained his dignity as a Soul Saint. Unlike the kids, he hadn't fallen through the doorway. Adjusting his crystal glasses calmly, he ignored Grandmaster's stare and spoke in a steady tone:
"I don't want to move to Erlong's place—not for now, anyway. With the three of us here, that's enough. Evil Spirit Masters won't appear on a large scale—otherwise, it would mean defying Spirit Hall's authority, and Spirit Hall won't stand by idly. Besides, our students here are exceptionally talented, far beyond those in ordinary academies. Moving them now would do more harm than good."
Flender pushed up his glasses again, deliberately steering the topic elsewhere, and openly admitting to their eavesdropping without a shred of shame.
'Hah. After all the trouble I've gone through for you two, suffering so much dog food, so what if I listen in a little?'
Grandmaster, unable to find words to reprimand him, could only follow his lead to ease the tension.
"But I noticed the academy's finances aren't looking good. You don't even have proper training facilities. I fear this can't support the students' growth."
"Relax. I've already found a solution—we can rely on the Spirit Arena." Flender replied, his eyes turning toward Qian Jue.
That brat had coaxed Liu Erlong into taking him to the Arena the very day she returned, and even managed to drag Flender along to Star Dou Forest for a spirit beast hunt for his Kindred Mark. Truly, he hadn't been idle for a moment.
And in just a few days of fighting at the Arena, the kid had already notched up 5 consecutive victories in solo battles. In Flender's eyes, it was only a matter of time before he became strong enough to open a betting line. Once that happened, the academy's expenses would no longer be a problem.
"Hm?"
Grandmaster followed his gaze and immediately understood Flender's idea.
"You mean to have them fight in the Spirit Arena to earn money? Absolutely not! They're far too young, with no real combat experience. What if something happens? Their strength is nowhere near ready—Xiao Jue has only just broken through to Grandmaster-level. Absolutely not!"
He spoke with resolute disapproval. But Flender only shrugged. "I know. That's why it's only Qian Jue and Mubai for now. Mubai's already level 26, and he loves to fight—he's had plenty of matches. And your precious disciple—you know better than anyone that with just the attributes from his four spirit rings, he can run rampant in the Arena. Besides, during the last Evil Spirit Master incident, the two of them fought against a Spirit Ancestor-level Evil Spirit Master… and won. Tell me, how am I supposed to stop them?"
"Er…" Grandmaster paused. When he thought about it, it did seem true. He didn't know much about Dai Mubai, but as for Qian Jue, his strength among Grandmasters was indeed overwhelming.
"Fine. Then only the two of them may participate. The others must never enter the Arena without our permission."
"Mm. Then the only issue is resolved. So, Xiaogang, what do you think of my proposal?"
Grandmaster nodded. "Since that's the case, I support your proposal. You're right—it would indeed do more harm than good to have these children mix with ordinary academy students right now. So let's settle here for the time being and see how things develop. Erlong, what do you think?" He turned to Liu Erlong—though his and Flender's opinions were aligned, hers mattered too.
"Of course I don't mind. You think I'd be afraid no one would take my academy off my hands?" Liu Erlong rolled her eyes and rubbed Qian Jue's head fondly.
"Then it's settled. Erlong, you should rest. I'll get myself settled too. Flender, is the room next to Erlong's available? Can you arrange for me to stay there?" Grandmaster asked eagerly, already tugging Flender away.
"Go on," Liu Erlong waved dismissively, as though indifferent to his departure.
Flender, however, caught Grandmaster's urgency and Liu Erlong's calmness. His eyes widened as he turned to look at Qian Jue.
'This brat's plan actually worked… And Erlong too! She had been so desperate to see Xiaogang, practically rushing to throw herself at him. But now? She's acting as though nothing matters. The key is—Xiaogang is actually eating it up! This stubborn man has been completely tamed by her.'
"Unbelievable…" Flender muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he followed Grandmaster out.
Once the two of them had left, Liu Erlong instantly flicked her hand, sealing the door with soul power. Then she grabbed Qian Jue and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Qian Jue, Mistress loves you to death! Did you see your teacher's face just now, all teary and overflowing with sincerity? It was—oh, it was just—wu…" Her laughter turned into sobs, tears spilling down.
"Xiao Jue, thank you. This is the happiest I've been in so many years. Truly… I think this time, your teacher and I won't be separated again. And it's all thanks to you."
"Hehe, Mistress, then why are you crying? This is a joyful thing. Just make sure you don't let Teacher slip away this time—take him down as soon as possible!" Qian Jue patted her back gently, comforting her.
"Mn." Liu Erlong pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Alright then, Mistress, you should rest and think about how you'll treat Teacher from now on. Remember—your change of attitude must be gradual. Don't rush it, understand? I'll go check on Xiao San and the others."
"Mm, alright. Mistress remembers."
"Good."
With the matchmaking plan between Grandmaster and Liu Erlong brought to a perfect close, Qian Jue left her room, leaving her alone inside.
"Ah…"
"Hehe…"
Liu Erlong collapsed onto her bed, her lips curled in a silly smile, her mind filled with images of a future together with Grandmaster. Her eyes shone with dreams of the days to come.