Life in the Inner Courtyard was as calm as still water. Zhu Ziyang spent his mornings studying Reign Over The World with Mu En, while his afternoons were varied: sometimes he would exchange combat techniques with his senior brothers and sisters from the Inner Courtyard, other times he would take Xingcai to play around the academy. Evenings were dedicated to cultivating Undead Magic and spirit power, making his time full and tightly scheduled.
One morning, after finishing his Reign Over The World cultivation, Zhu Ziyang, as usual, went to Mu En to report on his progress.
"Teacher, what is your relationship with Bei Bei?" After reporting, Zhu Ziyang didn't rush to leave, but instead asked the question that had puzzled him for a long time.
"Heh heh, why are you suddenly asking that?" Mu En's old face broke into a smile as he spoke.
"Curiosity," Zhu Ziyang admitted frankly. "I just feel that Sister Lexuan's relationship with him is unusual."
"Oh, is that so." A hint of regret flashed in Mu En's old eyes as he said, "You should know that Bei Bei and I are both descendants of Yu Xiaogang. He should call me Great-Granduncle. As for Le Xuan, I truly wronged her. When I first met her, she was immersed in the hatred of her family being destroyed. She was only eleven or twelve then, but incredibly resilient, kneeling and begging me to help her get revenge. I was in the midst of grieving for my own lost family at the time, so I agreed to her request, but it required her to agree to one condition from me."
"What condition?" Zhu Ziyang vaguely felt that the upcoming conversation might involve some of Mu En's past misdeeds, but he couldn't help but ask.
"Alas! I was foolish at the time." A trace of shame flashed across Mu En's face as he said, "I told her that not only could I help her get revenge, but Shrek Academy would also do its best to cultivate her. However, as a condition, she needed to guard Shrek Academy for life, and become Bei Bei's child bride!"
"Child bride!" Zhu Zi Yang's jaw dropped upon hearing this. He looked at Mu En in disbelief, truly not expecting that Mu En could do such a thing, extorting a favor in return. Indeed, everyone has an unknown dark side!
"Heh heh~ Do you think what I did was despicable?" Mu En looked at Zhu Ziyang's reaction and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "That girl Le Xuan is really sensible. After I avenged her, she stayed at Shrek Academy and took on the responsibility of raising Bei Bei, until Bei Bei was ten years old and was taken back to Heaven Dou City by his family.
I deeply regret making Le Xuan agree to that condition. Because of me, that child suffered a lot of grievances. I wanted her to abandon her promise from back then, but I didn't know how to bring it up, so it dragged on until now. I originally thought I would just let things be and have the two of them marry when Bei Bei came of age, but I never expected that Bei Bei would fall for that little girl from the Tang Sect, and Le Xuan also seems to have truly given her heart to Bei Bei. Alas~ What a mess!"
"Teacher, does Bei Bei know about this?" Zhu Ziyang didn't know how to comment on the matter. Thinking of Bei Bei and Tang Ya, and then Zhang Lexuan, he just felt that this whole situation was utterly absurd. He thought for a moment and asked.
"He doesn't know." Mu En shook his head and said, "Besides Le Xuan and me, only you know about this now. I don't want to break up Bei Bei and Tang Ya, but I also feel I've wronged Le Xuan. This matter has been weighing heavily on my heart, unable to dissipate."
"Then Teacher, what do you plan to do?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"The best way now is to persuade Le Xuan to abandon that vow. Fortunately, she is still young and a genius of Shrek Academy. Her future is still long, and she doesn't need to live burdened by this damned vow," Mu En said, uncharacteristically using a vulgar term.
"Only you can talk to Sister Le Xuan about this, Teacher." Zhu Ziyang had an ominous premonition, feeling that he was about to get himself into trouble.
Sure enough, Mu En's next words confirmed Zhu Ziyang's premonition. He said, "That's natural. The mistake I made, I naturally need to resolve. However, Ziyang, you also need to help counsel Le Xuan. Her personality is stubborn, and it probably won't be easy to change her decision."
"Uh~" Zhu Zi Yang couldn't help but smile bitterly upon hearing this. He said, "Teacher, I'll do my best."
He was really asking for trouble!
—
Three days after his conversation with Mu En, Zhang Lexuan was called into the Sea God Pavilion by Mu En, while Zhu Ziyang stood outside the door, waiting for Zhang Lexuan to appear. He felt that Zhang Lexuan would most likely emerge looking distraught, as that vow had, to some extent, been the driving force supporting her until now.
Zhu Ziyang leaned casually against the wall, his gaze passing through the branches and leaves of the Golden Ancient Tree towards the distant stars in the night sky. A meteor streaked across, and the sound of a door opening came from beside him.
He immediately looked over, only to see Zhang Lexuan walking out expressionlessly. However, her slightly trembling fingers and the deep-seated gloom in her eyes told Zhu Ziyang that Zhang Lexuan was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.
"Sister Lexuan," Zhu Ziyang hesitated for a moment before calling out.
"Ah?" Zhang Lexuan responded unconsciously, then looked at Zhu Ziyang, revealing a smile that was neither quite a cry nor quite a laugh. She said, "It's Ziyang. Why are you here?"
"Sister Lexuan, I know you're in a lot of pain right now. If you want to cry, just cry. It will feel a little better once you let it out," Zhu Ziyang said.
"Can you walk with me?" Zhang Lexuan didn't cry, but instead said. Then, without waiting for Zhu Ziyang's agreement, she walked ahead towards the outside.
Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang could only follow.
Along the way, Zhang Lexuan remained silent, and Zhu Ziyang also didn't know what to say, because this whole situation was a volatile reaction that occurred when an extreme personality met someone who had been stimulated. Both sides bore responsibility, though Mu En's fault was greater, and Zhang Lexuan's was less.
They arrived at Sea God Lake. Zhang Lexuan sat down, dipping her feet into the lake water, and stared blankly at the moon's reflection on the surface. Her expression alternated between a smile, anger, sorrow, and melancholy—it was very complex.
"Sister Lexuan!"
Zhu Ziyang wanted to speak, but just as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Zhang Lexuan.
"Ziyang, why does Elder Mu want me to break my vow? Did I do something wrong?" Zhang Lexuan said, her voice as gentle as ever, but this gentleness was tinged with a hint of despair.
"Sister Lexuan, you did nothing wrong." Zhu Ziyang took a deep breath and said, "The one who erred is Teacher."
"Wuwuwu~" Zhang Lexuan suddenly burst into tears, sobbing, "He was the one who made me swear the oath back then, how can he just regret it now? I don't understand, I don't understand!"
Zhu Ziyang didn't know how to comfort Zhang Lexuan and could only watch silently. This was a knot in her heart that only she could untie once she came to terms with it.
"Wuwuwu~ Is the vow I kept for ten years worth nothing?" Zhang Lexuan sobbed, her voice filled with heartbreaking grievance, "My heart has clearly already been given to Bei Bei, and now he wants me to give up. Did he ever consider my feelings?"
Zhang Lexuan continued to cry, but her voice grew softer and softer, until finally she was only silently shedding tears without a sound.
"Sister Lexuan, is your feeling for Bei Bei truly love?" Zhu Ziyang knew it was time for him to act. While Zhang Lexuan was in despair, he needed to make her completely accept this fact and no longer cling to that dispensable vow.
"Ah?" Zhang Lexuan, hearing Zhu Ziyang's question, couldn't help but look up at him. She found that Zhu Ziyang had, at some point, released his Spirit, holding the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe. The power of Ultimate Light was fully displayed for the first time, its vast and sacred radiance shining on Zhang Lexuan's face, appearing so beautiful.
"Sister Lexuan, your feelings for Bei Bei are merely a somewhat twisted form of kinship. You are too stubborn!" Zhu Ziyang's voice was like a resonant bell, striking Zhang Lexuan's already unstable mind, causing her eyes to immediately become unfocused.
"I, I'm too stubborn?" Zhang Lexuan said dazedly.
"Yes, you are too stubborn!" Zhu Ziyang said with delight, continuing, "You should have your own life, your own future! The shackles Mu En placed on you have been broken! You should let go!"
"Yes, I am too stubborn! I should let go!" Zhang Lexuan's eyes shifted from unfocused to firm as she continuously murmured. The radiant wisdom of Ultimate Light constantly illuminated the shadows in her heart.
She gradually fell asleep.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan fall asleep, Zhu Ziyang slumped down, unable to maintain his Spirit any longer, and the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe instantly disappeared. What he had just used was the fully unleashed ultimate talent of Ultimate Light, the Grand Righteous Light. When fully unleashed, the Grand Righteous Light had the effect of dissolving a person's beliefs and obsessions, making them no longer cling to certain things, which was perfectly suited for someone with Zhang Lexuan's stubborn personality.
Of course, with his current strength, he couldn't directly dissolve Zhang Lexuan's inner obsession. So, he could only, when her mind was unstable, use the Grand Righteous Light to amplify her most prominent emotion, to devour the emotion he wanted to eliminate. Fortunately, Zhang Lexuan's feelings for Bei Bei at this time were more kinship than love, with love being very shallow, which was within his ability to resolve.
The core contradiction of this matter lay in Zhang Lexuan's status as a child bride. As long as Zhang Lexuan's feelings for Bei Bei were pure kinship, then all problems would resolve themselves.
"Is this the ultimate talent of Ultimate Light? It truly is extraordinary!" Mu En appeared beside the two at some point, his aged face filled with astonishment.
"Teacher, everything should be fine now," Zhu Ziyang said.