"Sister Xiaotao!" Zhu Ziyang was both surprised and delighted. He hadn't expected to run into Ma Xiaotao right at the academy entrance. His face lit up with joy. "You're back!"
"Ziyang!" Ma Xiaotao was equally surprised. She had just been planning to find Zhu Ziyang after settling Huan'er in—but to run into him here, what a coincidence! She quickly rushed over and leapt into Zhu Ziyang's arms, tightly embracing him.
Faced with such affection, Zhu Ziyang naturally wrapped his arms around her lithe figure in return. The familiar warmth surged through him, and even after three years apart, it felt as though no time had passed at all.
Standing off to the side, Jiang Nannan watched the two of them embracing so intimately right in front of her. She couldn't help but pout in displeasure, though she didn't act out. After all, thanks to Qian Lingyi, her tolerance had grown a lot. No matter what, she was still Zhu Ziyang's first!
The girl named Huan'er stood nearby, eyes wide with curiosity as she studied Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao. She had traveled across the continent with Ma Xiaotao for quite some time, but this was the first time she'd seen her act like this.
After quite a while, the two finally, though reluctantly, let go. Ma Xiaotao's pretty face was tinged with red, and she then noticed Jiang Nannan's unhappy expression. Even with her usually bold and carefree personality, she couldn't help but blush. She smiled awkwardly. "Nannan, long time no see!"
"Mm. Long time no see, Sister Xiaotao," Jiang Nannan replied with a slightly stiff smile and a noticeably cold tone.
Zhu Ziyang noticed the icy tension between the two girls and quickly stepped in to break it. "Sister Xiaotao, what brings you back to the academy so suddenly?"
"Ah! Well, isn't the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament coming up? I came back especially to cheer you guys on!" Ma Xiaotao replied with a bright smile, raising her eyebrows with a look that screamed "I care about you all!"
"Is that so? Then I'll have to thank you, Sister Xiaotao!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled, but as his eyes swept past her face, they stopped abruptly at the center of her brows, leaving him stunned.
There, a golden flame-shaped mark glimmered on Ma Xiaotao's forehead, and from it, Zhu Ziyang sensed an aura he knew all too well—divine essence.
Ma Xiaotao had received a divine inheritance!
"Sister Xiaotao, you…" Zhu Ziyang blurted out in shock.
"What about me?" Ma Xiaotao smiled sweetly at him, as if she'd already expected this exact reaction.
"It's nothing!" Zhu Ziyang quickly composed himself and smiled. "Can we talk tonight? I'm really curious about everything you've experienced these past few years."
"Of course!" Ma Xiaotao agreed without hesitation. "Even if you hadn't asked, I would've gone to find you."
"Oh, so now you're not even bothering to keep things discreet anymore?" Jiang Nannan nearly exploded. Watching Zhu Ziyang ask Ma Xiaotao out for a moonlit chat right in front of her was too much. Her eyes misted up with grievance.
"Nannan!" Zhu Ziyang quickly reached out to comfort her. He took her hand, gently pulled her close, and whispered into her jade-like ear, "Look at Sister Xiaotao's forehead."
Though still annoyed, Jiang Nannan instinctively followed his words and looked up. As soon as she did, she saw the flame-shaped mark—something only fellow divine inheritors could see—and she was instantly stunned.
Ma Xiaotao, in turn, also saw the osmanthus flower mark on Jiang Nannan's forehead and froze. During her divine trial, she had learned of Zhu Ziyang's divine inheritance, but she hadn't known Jiang Nannan had one as well.
Thus, both girls stood speechless, and the group fell into silence until the girl named Huan'er finally broke it.
"Sister Xiaotao, weren't you going to help me with the admission process? How did it go?" Huan'er tugged at Ma Xiaotao's sleeve, her voice soft and sweet.
"Ah! Right, almost forgot!" Ma Xiaotao snapped out of it. "All done. From now on, Huan'er, you're officially part of Shrek Academy's inner court!"
"Really? Thank you, Sister Xiaotao!" Huan'er exclaimed with joy. But for some reason, Zhu Ziyang had a feeling that her eyes didn't match the enthusiasm in her voice.
"Sister Xiaotao, who is she?" Zhu Ziyang's curiosity toward the girl deepened.
"Oh, she's someone I met while traveling the continent. Her name's Diwu Huan'er, but you can just call her Huan'er." Ma Xiaotao smiled and introduced them. "Huan'er, this is Zhu Ziyang, the one I told you about. He's a few months older than you—call him Brother Ziyang. And this is Jiang Nannan—she's also older, so you can call her Sister Nannan. Or just Nannan, I'm sure she won't mind."
"Hello, Huan'er." Zhu Ziyang greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Hello, Junior Sister Huan'er," Jiang Nannan added, also smiling—but she couldn't help noting Ma Xiaotao's choice of words. Why emphasize meimei? Was that for Zhu Ziyang's sake?
"Hello, Brother Ziyang, Nannan," Diwu Huan'er said sweetly. As expected of Ma Xiaotao's sworn sister, her voice was soft, but her demeanor was anything but gentle.
Jiang Nannan bit her lip slightly, feeling a sense of rivalry in the air. She shot a glance at Ma Xiaotao, clearly displeased.
But Ma Xiaotao didn't care. She had returned with a clear goal in mind—Zhu Ziyang. In the past, she hadn't truly resolved to compete for him. But now, with a divine future ahead, she refused to walk that path alone. Zhu Ziyang was someone she had to win over!
"Let's head into the academy. I still need to arrange a room for Huan'er on Sea God Island," Ma Xiaotao said casually, clearly unaware of recent changes.
"Sister Xiaotao, there's no more Sea God Island," Jiang Nannan corrected her. "Now it's Tianyuan Island and the Tianyuan Pavilion."
"What?" Ma Xiaotao froze, looking confused.
"Let's walk and talk," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
On the way back to Tianyuan Island, Zhu Ziyang explained everything major that had happened during her absence. Ma Xiaotao was visibly shaken—clearly, she hadn't known a thing.
By the time they arrived beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, Ma Xiaotao was in tears. As Mu En's grand-disciple, she had shared a close bond with him. Not being there for his final moments filled her with guilt. Zhu Ziyang didn't know how to console her and could only ask her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, who also hadn't made it to Mu En's farewell, to comfort her.
Perhaps it was shared sorrow, but Yan Shaozhe managed to calm Ma Xiaotao down quickly.
"Sorry, Ziyang. You must think I'm ridiculous," Ma Xiaotao said, wiping her red eyes.
"It's okay, Sister Xiaotao," Zhu Ziyang consoled her. "Teacher wouldn't want to hear you crying either. So don't be too sad."
"Mm!" Ma Xiaotao nodded. Then she called out, "Huan'er, let's go. I'll get your room ready."
At that moment, Diwu Huan'er was still staring at the Golden Ancient Tree, dazed. When Ma Xiaotao called her, she visibly shuddered, then replied, "Oh! Coming!"
As Ma Xiaotao left with Diwu Huan'er, Jiang Nannan finally got her long-awaited alone time with Zhu Ziyang. She immediately pouted and threw herself into his arms.
"Brother, you owe me!" she said playfully.
"Alright. What kind of compensation do you want?" Zhu Ziyang asked helplessly as he hugged her gently.
"I don't know!" she said, looking up with a confused expression in her beautiful eyes. "I want you to distance yourself from Sister Xiaotao, but I know you can't… so I don't even know what I want."
Zhu Ziyang fell silent, a trace of guilt flashing across his face as he looked at her flawless face. "I'm sorry, Nannan."
"Hmph! You two-timing rogue!" Jiang Nannan huffed and then rested her head against his chest. "I'm not letting you off that easy!"
With that, she opened her mouth and gently bit his shoulder. Though her face tried to look fierce, it only made her seem all the more alluring.
It didn't hurt Zhu Ziyang physically—but it was a direct hit to his soul. So he simply lifted her into his arms and vanished from the spot in an instant.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.