Two women walked in from outside the Cultivation room; one had a slightly fiery temperament, while the other was as gentle as water.
They were Zhang Lexuan's two good friends: Wu Ming, the "Golden Crow Holy Maiden," and Han Ruoruo, the "Golden Fairy."
"Lexuan, time's up." Han Ruoruo spoke softly, her voice tinged with a hint of reluctance.
The halo around Zhang Lexuan slowly receded, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.
This month-long seclusion had brought her Cultivation to rank 69, but at this moment, her eyes held no joy of a Breakthrough, nor the relaxation of seclusion ending. Instead, there was only a deep, unyielding weariness and silence.
She silently stood up, said nothing, but merely nodded slightly to her two friends and walked out.
Wu Ming watched her retreating back, couldn't help but quicken her pace to catch up, her tone filled with indignation:
"Sister Lexuan, I say, you did nothing wrong! That scoundrel, relying on his father being an elder, how many dirty deeds has he done?
"He forced diligent students to their deaths and got away with it! Your killing him was eliminating a scourge for the people!"
Han Ruoruo also gently took Zhang Lexuan's arm and softly comforted her: "That's right, Lexuan, don't take it too much to heart. Although the dean and the elders made you go into seclusion, everyone understands that you were right."
Zhang Lexuan's steps paused, but she remained silent. Right? Wrong? Her heart was in turmoil at this moment.
Her family was destroyed by the rampant evil Spirit Masters. Precisely because of this, ever since she was adopted by Elder Mu, she had always regarded Shrek as her only home.
Here, she cultivated peacefully, made friends like Ruoruo and Wu Ming, and spent a few simple and happy years. She thought this place was a pure land, a symbol of light and justice.
However, all these impressions began to change about a year ago.
When she accidentally found some vague clues about her background, out of curiosity, she tried to investigate, but unexpectedly discovered the shadows hidden beneath the so-called "Shrek's glory" that she had never noticed.
She found out about instructors embezzling student resources, senior students bullying junior ones, and even some more unsavory dealings.
Initially, she firmly believed the Academy was just, and each time she discovered something, she chose to report it.
At first, those reported were indeed punished, which she once found comforting, but soon she discovered that these punishments were often superficial. Not long after, those people would reappear in a different capacity, sometimes even in higher positions.
She protested, she questioned, but often received vague responses from the higher-ups and advice to "consider the bigger picture." Until that time, she reported a logistics director who embezzled student resources, but the person was lightly reprimanded.
Unconvinced, she went directly to Elder Mu, and only then was the matter handled seriously. At that time, she thought it was just an isolated incident, and that as long as the top was clear, it would be fine.
But similar incidents became more and more frequent, until this time, she investigated a teacher responsible for some of the Academy's logistics procurement, who had long oppressed and exploited commoner students who relied on work-study programs to make a living.
His methods were heinous, ultimately leading to several students, unable to bear the burden, choosing to end their lives.
She, as usual, collected evidence and reported it. Watching that person being taken away by the enforcement team, she thought justice had once again been served.
But then, one day, she received a notification from Mingmeng Commerce Association to pick up a spirit tool she had ordered for auxiliary Cultivation, and also to check some information about the moon Spirit she had previously entrusted the Commerce to inquire about.
However, at the entrance of the most luxurious restaurant near the Commerce, she saw the teacher who should have been punished! He was arm-in-arm with someone, his face flushed with joy, showing not an ounce of remorse?
As if possessed, she followed him, hiding in an adjacent private room, listening to the man boast smugly:
"...A few days in detention is enough. My old man is an elder; who in Shrek dares to touch me? Those poor wretches were psychologically weak, they deserved to die. The money saved is enough for us to live it up for a year or two..."
At that moment, she couldn't hold back. The emotions accumulated over a long time exploded, and she directly appeared to question him. However, the other party seemed to be drunk, showing no pretense, no remorse, but instead hurled insults and arrogantly declared that he would be out in no time.
Unable to restrain herself, she finally made her move, and then... amidst the other party's final curses filled with malice and contempt, she couldn't hold back her hand... and then came the Academy's judgment.
Dean Yan Shaozhe did not report it, directly suppressing the matter, but many elders, especially that person's father, were extremely displeased with her "act first, report later" and "disrespectful" behavior.
The final result was that merits and demerits canceled each other out, but she had to go into seclusion for reflection.
She couldn't understand why those high-ranking elders could turn a blind eye to the evil deeds of their descendants, and why, for the sake of so-called "face" and "stability," they would trample upon the most basic justice?
She suddenly felt that Shrek, this place she was once willing to give everything for, suddenly became somewhat strange and cold... She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the surging emotions, turned her head, and managed a forced smile, "I'm fine now. It's been a month, so the spirit tool I ordered at Mingmeng Commerce Association should be ready. I'm going to pick it up."
Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo exchanged glances, said nothing more, and just followed her... Inside Shrek City, compared to the more or less resistant atmosphere towards spirit tools within the Academy, the emergence of Mingmeng Commerce Association undoubtedly brought a new trend.
Various convenient and useful civilian spirit tools had already begun to spread among ordinary people and some Spirit Masters.
Of course, this had little to do with Shrek. It seemed that due to the so-called traditions and teaching philosophy of the Spirit department, Shrek Academy did not widely introduce them.
However, there were also rumors that the spirit tool department was unable to replicate the core components of these spirit tools, which was why they had been slow to act.
Nevertheless, many young students had long been attracted by these novel and practical spirit tools, and not a few came to purchase them privately.
People came and went at the Commerce entrance, making it quite lively. As Zhang Lexuan just walked into the Commerce, her gaze casually swept over the crowd, but she unconsciously paused slightly.
Not far away, a figure inexplicably caught her attention. It was a young man who didn't seem old but was excessively handsome, with a calm and gentle demeanor that seemed out of place with the surrounding hustle and bustle, a bit unlike someone his age.
Beside the young man, a short-haired girl with light purple hair was holding his arm, chattering about something, looking exceptionally curious.
This peculiar combination, coupled with the indescribable qualities of the young man, made Zhang Lexuan instinctively take a few more glances.
Wu Ming, at her side, followed her gaze and immediately her eyes lit up. She nudged her with her elbow, lowering her voice and laughing, "Wow! What a handsome little brother! Sister Lexuan, so you like this type?"
Zhang Lexuan snapped back, a hint of unnaturalness flashing across her face, and immediately denied, "Don't talk nonsense, I just found him a bit special."
Wu Ming chuckled, clearly unconvinced, and scrutinized the young man a few more times: "He is quite special. So young, yet he takes little girls out to play... Tsk, what a pity he's too young. If he were older, I might not be able to resist making a move."
Zhang Lexuan gave her best friend a slightly helpless look.
Wu Ming was like that; she talked big, but in reality, she kept her distance from any male student, directly sending a fireball if anyone got too close... pure bluster.
Zhang Lexuan thought to herself, but she took one last glance in the direction she had been looking, then suppressed that inexplicable feeling of concern and followed her two friends into the bustling doors of Mingmeng Commerce Association.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the Commerce, Kong Ming'an, who was being pestered by Xu Tianzhen with questions, seemed to sense something. His gaze casually swept over the direction of the Commerce entrance, then slowly retracted.
It felt like they could all be poached?
Indeed... poaching is a slippery slope, from zero to countless times, truly addictive.