Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Taking Elder Mu as Master! The Matchmaking Old Gentleman (Extra)

Mu En looked at the youth before him, kindness in his smile tinged with a trace of puzzlement.

Having cultivated to his level,

his heart had long been as still as water, unmoved by external things.

Yet this boy named Huo Yuhao...

stirred in him an inexplicable sense of closeness, as though they had known each other for a long time.

"Yuhao."

Mu En sat down on the stone chair and said gently,

"Based solely on the future events you told Lexuan, I can already agree to several of your requests."

"Qualification to cultivate by the Golden Tree, Mystic Water Pills—none of that is a problem."

"As for the Tang Sect’s Mysterious Heaven Skill and Purple Demon Eyes..."

He paused slightly.

"You must promise me that you will never pass them on."

"Rest assured, Elder Mu," Huo Yuhao replied.

"Additionally, since I have already made a promise to Senior Zhang Lexuan... I will naturally fulfill it."

"If the tournament requires it, I am willing to take the stage."

As he said this,

a faint sense of guilt stirred within him.

As someone reborn,

he had long since mastered the Tang Sect’s secret arts.

The Purple Demon Eyes, which paired best with his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul—

supplemented by spiritual herbs from the Extreme North—

had already been cultivated to the third realm: Mustard Seed.

The reason he requested them now was merely to have a pretext for using them in the future, and to divert any potential trouble toward Shrek.

He did not fear trouble.

But fewer complications were always better.

Zhang Lexuan glanced at him, a flicker of appreciation passing through her cool features.

"Hehe, good."

Mu En nodded with a smile.

Without any visible movement,

a jade vial and a bamboo scroll floated before Huo Yuhao.

"Besides the Tang Sect’s secret arts, there are also two Mystic Water Pills and one Spirit Ascension Pill."

"It is not that I am stingy, but both medicines have limits to how many one may consume."

"Your Spirit Power has already reached level 48. Though the Spirit Ascension Pill’s effect will be diminished, it is better than nothing."

Seeing how thoroughly the elder had considered things for him,

Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath and bowed deeply.

"My thanks, Elder Mu."

Mu En’s smile widened, then he grew slightly serious.

"Yuhao, I have one more matter to ask."

"Please speak, Elder Mu."

Mu En rose

and paced to stand before him.

Gazing at the falling petals in the garden, he said slowly,

"You are twelve years old, yet your Spirit Power is at level 48. You possess twin Martial Souls, one of which is of an ultimate attribute..."

Standing quietly to the side, Zhang Lexuan’s beautiful eyes widened slightly at these words.

Such talent—

even for her, hailed as the youngest Spirit Douluo in three thousand years, was astonishing.

"For reasons I cannot explain, though we have only just met, I find myself trusting your character."

Mu En’s gaze was warm.

"And precisely because of that, seeing such talent fills me with joy."

"Yuhao, would you be willing to become my final disciple?"

Huo Yuhao suddenly lifted his head, his handsome face filled with complex emotion.

"From the moment Lexuan told me of the Extreme North, I knew you disliked restraints."

"The one speaking to you now is not the Master of the Sea God Pavilion, but simply Mu En."

"Yuhao, are you willing to take me as your teacher?"

Huo Yuhao no longer hesitated. His eyes reddened slightly as he performed a formal disciple’s bow. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Disciple Huo Yuhao greets Teacher!"

"Good, good, good!"

Mu En stroked his beard and laughed heartily, a strange sense of relief rising in his heart.

"Congratulations, Teacher, on gaining such a fine disciple."

Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly, her cool beauty seeming to glow like flowing moonlight, softened with warmth.

The jade bracelet at her slender wrist shimmered.

A length of azure ribbon drifted gently into her palm.

"Yuhao, you’ve come from the Extreme North. Without a storage soul tool, things must be inconvenient."

"This item is called ’Guanghan Silk.’ Consider it a meeting gift from your senior sister."

Huo Yuhao did not refuse. With both hands, he accepted the blue ribbon and replied with a smile,

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

At the sound of that address—

"Senior Sister"—

Zhang Lexuan’s lips curved upward, and the way she looked at him carried a touch more familial warmth.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Although Huo Yuhao had not formally joined Shrek, at least he had taken the first step.

In the future, under the name of "senior sister," she could slowly make her plans—there was plenty of time ahead.

Seeing his two disciples getting along harmoniously, Mu En smiled in satisfaction.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he chuckled.

"Lexuan, your engagement with Bei Bei was a result of my earlier lack of consideration."

"I have already spoken with Bei Bei. From this day forward, the two of you are peacefully released from the engagement."

Joy flashed through Zhang Lexuan’s beautiful eyes.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Mu En waved his hand, stroking his beard with a grin.

"Lexuan, you’re not young anymore. In my view, this child Yuhao—"

Zhang Lexuan’s delicate brows twitched wildly, alarm bells ringing in her heart.

Her teacher was good in every way—

except that in his old age, he had developed an incorrigible fondness for matchmaking, which truly gave her a headache.

"Teacher!"

"I’ll take Little Junior Brother to tour the academy. You should head back to the dormitory!"

She spoke rapidly,

then grabbed Huo Yuhao’s hand and hurried off.

Mu En watched their departing figures, shook his head with a light laugh, humming a little tune as he slowly made his way toward the dormitory building.

...

The evening glow gilded Shrek Academy’s green tiles and upturned eaves with a warm golden rim.

The bell signaling the end of classes drifted through the evening breeze. Students walked in twos and threes beneath corridors scented with ginkgo blossoms. From the distant training grounds came the shouts of youths drenched in sweat. The entire academy was immersed in the vibrant vitality unique to youth.

Zhang Lexuan brushed back the strands of hair lifted by the breeze, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"Junior Brother, our teacher is old. Don’t take his words to heart."

Huo Yuhao smiled knowingly.

"I understand. Don’t worry, Senior Sister."

After that—

the two fell into silence.

At the same time, they both looked toward the students laughing and playing in the distance, their youthful faces especially vivid in the setting sun.

Gradually,

curious gazes began drifting toward them.

The sight of the Inner Court’s senior sister standing side by side with an unfamiliar boy was indeed eye-catching.

"You..."

"You..."

They both spoke at once, then stopped at once.

Huo Yuhao’s expression remained calm.

Zhang Lexuan’s face still wore its usual cool composure.

But upon closer inspection—

her head was slightly lowered, her gaze following the alternating steps of her shoes, and at some point her jade-like earlobes had turned faintly crimson.

It was not that she harbored any romantic thoughts.

It was simply that the atmosphere of dusk, paired with their earlier unspoken synchronicity,

stirred a faint ripple in the heart of this usually aloof senior sister—one she found difficult to handle.

"Junior Brother, the academy cafeteria’s food is quite good. How about I treat you to a meal?"

Huo Yuhao was indeed hungry.

"Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister."

"No need to stand on ceremony."

The two gradually walked farther away.

At the corner,

Wang Dong, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou stepped out slowly.

Xu Sanshi stroked his chin and smacked his lips.

"Senior Sister and Huo Yuhao seem unusually close?"

Bei Bei nodded.

"I’ve never seen Senior Sister interact with anyone like that."

Xu Sanshi’s eyes lit up.

"Could it be... they’re together?"

"Shut up!"

Wang Dong’s sudden cold rebuke startled the three of them.

Watching her leave alone, they exchanged glances.

"What’s wrong with Wang Dong?"

"Probably in a bad mood."

Wang Dong returned to the empty dormitory.

She stared blankly at the other bed that had always remained unused.

In her mind, the image of Huo Yuhao leaving side by side with Zhang Lexuan replayed over and over.

Burying her face in the bedding, she angrily punched the pillow.

She herself could not explain why she had reacted so strongly.

It was just that whenever she saw Huo Yuhao being close to another girl, an inexplicable discomfort welled up in her heart.

...

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