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"What are you talking about? You sound so happy." Li Meili asked curiously as she brought the dishes to the table.
"Auntie, we're talking about someone giving their daughter to Shi Quan."
"What?!" Li Meili immediately glared at Shi Quan with a fierce look.
"Mom, let me explain..."
At the dinner table, everyone was chatting and laughing, but Ye Lingling seemed very unaccustomed to such an atmosphere. She sat quietly beside Dugu Yan, forming a stark contrast with the cheerful Dugu Yan.
"Lingling, if there's anything you're not used to, just tell Auntie. Come, eat more," Li Meili said gently to the silent Ye Lingling, actively serving her a lot of food.
"Thank you, Auntie," Ye Lingling looked at the dishes in her bowl, a little flustered, and her eyes were a bit red.
"Auntie, don't worry, Lingling just doesn't like to talk much. She's not uncomfortable," Dugu Yan gently patted Ye Lingling's shoulder, helping her out.
"That's good, that's good," Li Meili said with a laugh, "Come, eat more."
Li Meili also didn't show favoritism and served Dugu Yan some food as well.
After dinner.
Li Meili and Shi Jian went to help Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling tidy up their room for rest. Fortunately, there was an empty room prepared in the house.
"Lingling, what's wrong?"
During dinner, Shi Quan felt that Ye Lingling's state was a bit off.
"Nothing," Ye Lingling shook her head.
"If you have anything, you can tell us directly. Sister Yanzi and I will help you."
Ye Lingling looked at Shi Quan, a different light flashed in her empty eyes, then gradually dimmed. "I know."
Shi Quan had always known that Ye Lingling was hiding something. From her reaction now, it seemed to be related to her family, but Shi Quan didn't know the specifics.
"Should I ask Xue Qinghe to investigate after we go back?" Shi Quan thought to himself as he looked at Ye Lingling's retreating figure.
In the following days.
In the mornings, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling would still Cultivate with Shi Quan. In the evenings, they would Cultivate. Although it was a holiday, Cultivating was a matter of progress or regression, so they couldn't fall behind.
In the afternoons when there was nothing to do, Li Meili loved to pull the two girls into conversation, while Shi Quan was the one who got neglected.
Ye Lingling also seemed to gradually get used to this atmosphere, a few more smiles appeared on her lips, and her eyes were no longer as empty as before.
A week later.
Outside Nuoding City.
Dugu Yan looked at the tall Nuoding City and commented, "Is this Nuoding City? It looks so small."
"It certainly can't compare to Heaven Dou City," Shi Quan said with a smile.
"Nuoding Academy should also be on holiday, just like Heaven Dou Academy, right? Your teacher shouldn't be at Nuoding Academy now, should he?"
"I don't know either. I've never gone to find him during the holidays before, but you don't have to worry. Even during the holidays, there are people on duty at the academy. We'll just ask when we get there."
Shi Quan led Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling into Nuoding City.
He came to Nuoding City to visit Dean Marde and also Master.
"Anyway, it's still early, why don't we stroll around the city first?" Dugu Yan looked at the bustling streets, and her shopping Martial Spirit began to burn.
"Sure, and we can book a hotel first."
Before coming to Nuoding City, Shi Quan had told his parents that he would stay in Nuoding City for one night before returning, because he had some matters to deal with in the evening.
Shi Quan wasn't actually familiar with Nuoding City. During his four years of study there, most of his time was spent shuttling between the academy and the mountain behind the academy. He really hadn't seriously explored Nuoding City.
After less than half an hour of strolling, Shi Quan didn't expect that he would actually run into an acquaintance.
"Xiao San, I want to eat that, hurry..." A girl's excited voice came.
The distinctive black long hair in a scorpion braid and a belt inlaid with twenty-four jade stones around the other person's waist—Shi Quan knew the identities of these two without even seeing their faces.
Nuoding City wasn't that big, but it wasn't small either. To meet them by chance like this, one had to admit it was truly fate.
"Shi Quan, let's go try it too. Look how excited that girl is; it must taste good," Dugu Yan said, pointing to Xiao Wu's location.
"No problem," Shi Quan nodded with a smile. In his current appearance, Tang San definitely wouldn't recognize him, and even if he did, Shi Quan didn't need to avoid them.
It was a pastry shop, and there were quite a few people queuing in front. People loved to join in the fun; seeing many people buying, they would curiously want to try it too. Dugu Yan had this kind of psychology.
The three followed Xiao Wu and Tang San, so they happened to be queuing right behind them.
"With so many people, the taste shouldn't be bad," Dugu Yan curiously poked her head to look inside, then pulled Ye Lingling beside her. "Lingling, let's each get one. Shi Quan's treating."
"Sister Yanzi, are you short on that much money?" Shi Quan shook his head and chuckled.
"It feels different, don't you understand?" Dugu Yan poked Shi Quan's head and glared at him.
Tang San heard the voice behind him and subconsciously turned to look. When he saw Shi Quan, his gaze clearly paused for a moment, then quickly fell on Dugu Yan, and then his brows furrowed imperceptibly. He seemed to have noticed something, and he pulled Xiao Wu forward, moving a little further away from Dugu Yan.
The three of Shi Quan were chatting and didn't notice Tang San's small actions, or rather, Shi Quan didn't care about Tang San at the moment.
After buying and paying for their food, the three of Shi Quan continued their stroll.
Not far away, Tang San looked back at the direction Shi Quan had left, with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong, Xiao San?" Xiao Wu asked, eating the delicacy in her hand.
"I feel like that person just now was a bit familiar, as if I'd seen him somewhere. It's the man who was standing behind us just now."
Xiao Wu's eyes moved, and she said, "The one who's a little handsome?"
Tang San rolled his eyes and said somewhat helplessly, "Yes."
Xiao Wu thought for a moment, eating as she spoke, "I feel a bit familiar too."
"You feel it too?" Tang San became even more puzzled, and at the same time, he said, "They should all be Spirit Masters. One of the women even has a faint smell of poison on her. Their strength shouldn't be weak."
"Poison?" Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, "How did you smell it? I didn't smell anything."
Tang San said with a faint smile, "Your nose is too busy smelling delicious things, so of course you wouldn't smell it."
"Hmph!" Xiao Wu angrily turned her head and walked in the opposite direction. Tang San shook his head indulgently and quickly hurried to catch up.
On the other side, while strolling, the three of Shi Quan saw a exquisitely decorated hotel and immediately booked a room.
After lunch, seeing that it was about time, the three then headed towards Nuoding Academy.
The tall arched iron gate was tightly shut, with only a small side door open. The young man guarding the gate was the same young man who had extorted money from his parents back then. The young man's eyes were slightly closed as he dozed off. Hearing the movement, he lazily got up and looked at the three.
After clearly seeing the appearance and attire of the three, the doorman immediately stood up and respectfully said, "Do the three of you have something to do at Nuoding Academy?"
Shi Quan asked, "I used to be a student of the academy. This time I've returned to visit Dean Marde. I wonder if the Dean and the others are at the academy?"
"Oh, so it's a former student of the academy." The doorman immediately showed a fawning smile and said, "Three sirs, Dean Marde hasn't been living in the academy since the holiday. If you want to visit the Dean, you can go to XX Street, XX Villa to find him."
"Got it." Shi Quan didn't expect such a small doorman to know Marde's address. No wonder he dared to extort those work-study students who had just joined the academy.
"By the way, is Yu Xiaogang still at the academy?" Shi Quan, who had already turned to leave, suddenly turned back and asked.
"Master?" The young man nodded and said, "Master has always been at the academy."
"That's good," Shi Quan thought to himself.
He turned and left with the two girls.
Fate really is a strange thing. Before the three of Shi Quan had walked far, they happened to run into Tang San and Xiao Wu returning.
"What a coincidence, it's them again. They should be students of Nuoding Academy, right? Shi Quan, don't you know them?" Dugu Yan looked at the departing figures of Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Know them? Of course I know them. The boy is called Tang San, his Martial Spirit is Blue Silver Grass, and the girl is called Xiao Wu, her Martial Spirit is Soft Bones Rabbit. Both of them have Innate full spirit power. They are very famous people in the academy!" Shi Quan said with a smile.
"Both have Innate full spirit power?" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both looked at Shi Quan in surprise.
Shi Quan said with a laugh, "That's right, both have Innate full spirit power. Innate full spirit power is rarely seen in a hundred years, and two appeared here at once. Didn't expect that, did you?"
Dugu Yan said, "Not only are there two Innate full spirit power users, but the key is that Nuoding Academy also produced a Genius like you. I'm starting to wonder if Nuoding Academy has some kind of magic that gathers all of you here."
"Can Blue Silver Grass also have Innate full spirit power?" Ye Lingling suddenly spoke.
"His Blue Silver Grass is not ordinary Blue Silver Grass. When he used his Martial Spirit in front of me before, I could feel a sense of oppression from a superior. I speculate that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass should possess some special Bloodline, it's just that this Bloodline hasn't Awakened yet."
"And Tang San..." Shi Quan looked around and didn't continue speaking, lowering his voice, "Let's talk about it when we get back."
He skipped this topic.
...
"Xiao San, it's them again. They seem to be coming from the direction of the academy."
"We'll ask the doorman in a bit," Tang San said after looking back. He then withdrew his gaze and went to inquire at the doorman's post, only then learning that the three were looking for Dean Marde.
"So they were former students of the academy. Maybe I saw them unintentionally before."
Tang San and Xiao Wu didn't think much of it.
On the other side.
Following the location indicated by the doorman, Shi Quan finally found Marde. Shi Quan's arrival also gave Marde a surprise...