Xu Lizhi rolled his eyes. "Nonsense, my eyes are only on Yuanen Yehui and Xu Xiaoyan. I'm thinking who I should profess to."
"You have a death wish, don't you?" Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie replied in unison again.
Xu Lizhi looked at the two of them and broke into laughter. "You two are looking more and more like a couple with each passing day. I'll be off then." After he finished, he squeezed out of the door and immediately took off. He ran so quickly that he seemed to be flying.
Xie Xie and Yue Zhengyu exchanged looks. Yue Zhengyu suddenly leaped backward and said to Xie Xie in all seriousness, "Keep your distance! Let's keep our distance from now on."
"It's you who should be far away from me."
The news of Dai Yun'er and Long Yue coming to Shrek Academy as Inner Court disciples spread like wildfire. The information spread throughout the entire Inner Court in no time.
Although the others knew nothing about them, this generation of the Shrek's Seven Monsters was too familiar with them.
Long Yue's invincibility was deeply ingrained in their hearts. If it were not for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, with their Earth Element Imprisonment and bloodline suppression, along with the final Divine Dragon Transformation, they could not possibly have defeated such a powerful opponent.
After the competition, even Wu Zhangkong said that he was not sure if they could defeat Long Yue if they had fought one-on-one.
Long Yue was regarded as a rare talent in Star Luo Empire, and was possibly one that had not appeared for a hundred years. It was apparent just how powerful he was.
"What did you say?" Xu Xiaoyan's scream could be clearly heard even if one were a few hundred meters away.
She was not the only one. Even the other members of Shrek's Seven Monsters were staring at the duo who stood before them with mouths agape.
Upon entering the Inner Court with the arrangements made by the academy's staff, they finally met Dai Yun'er and Long Yue who had come from afar. What they heard next was truly shocking.
"What we said is true," said Dai Yun'er seriously. "We've just received word that Tang Wulin is returning to Douluo Continent on a steamer provided by Tang Sect's headquarters in Star Luo City. There are risks during a journey by sea, but Tang Sect's steamers are one of the most reliable mode of transportation. That's why we rushed here as quickly as we could. Hasn't he returned?"
Upon receiving the information about Tang Wulin, the Shrek Seven Monsters, with the exception of Gu Yue who was calm and silent, were all in shock.
"He's not dead? Our captain's really not dead? He's alive even though the small world has collapsed?" Xie Xie squalled and pranced around. His expression was one of utmost excitement.
Yue Zhengyu also swung his arm forcefully.
Dai Yun'er's eyes flickered with a strange light. "I was also astonished. I'd thought that he was... Fortunately, he's still alive. I trust the information given by Tang Sect is accurate. We'll just have to wait for him to show up."
Ye Xinglan could be regarded as one of the calmer ones. She looked at Dai Yun'er and asked, "Why're you looking for Tang Wulin?"
Dai Yun'er smiled graciously, "It's because I have something important, of course! He's my man. Since I have information about him, I need to see him for myself."
"What did you say?" Everyone stared at Dai Yun'er with their mouths agape. What they heard shocked them even more than knowing that Tang Wulin was still alive.
Dai Yun'er could not help blushing. Acting coy, she said, "We were both fighters of Tang Sect's Battle Soul Hall and were assigned on a mission to explore the small world. He was White Three, while I was White Seven. Through sheer coincidence, we were paired together. While sojourning in Dragon Valley, we had spent a few months together. When you spend that much time with someone, you're bound to have feelings for them. The rest just happened naturally. Following that, during one of our exploits, we were all of a sudden in grave danger. He sent me out ahead of himself to protect me. Later, we lost all contact with him. All these years, I've been searching for him as I've always believe that he'll be alright."
"Not too long ago, I received some information on him. He's my fiancé, so it's only natural that I come to meet him. All of you are his best friends. When he shows up, you must tell him that I'm here. If he's willing to return to Star Luo Continent with me, he'll be the emperor's son-in-law. On the other hand, if he truly does not wish to come with me, then I'll stay here. I'm willing to be just a civilian as long as we're together."
As they listened to Dai Yun'er's confession, their expressions turned incredulous. Everyone was subconsciously gazing at Gu Yue. However, to everyone's surprise, Gu Yue remained calm and did not show the slightest change in her expression.
"I thank the both of you for bringing the news regarding Tang Wulin, but he hasn't returned. We've also been waiting for him. If there's nothing else, let's adjourn this meeting," said Gu Yue drily. As soon as she gave her reply, she turned around and left.
Dai Yun'er had an air of triumph in her demeanor. She said with a smile, "I'll be waiting for him here. I believe that he'll be back at the academy once he returns."
The others said nothing. The Shrek Seven Monsters followed Gu Yue out.
"Gu Yue, don't listen to her. When the princess was talking just now, there was something odd about her voice, She didn't sound like she was telling the truth. Besides, how old were they three years ago? Captain was only fifteen then, how could they end up being together just because they spent a few months together?" Ye Xinglan remarked softly.
Xie Xie said, "But, she's come all the way to our academy. If there's truly nothing, why would she be in such a hurry? No matter what, it's still great news that our captain is well! We'll let him handle this matter when he returns."
The others nodded in agreement. Such matters were best left to the person concerned.
"How he's faring has nothing to do with me." Gu Yue suddenly hastened her footsteps and left in a rush.
'Of all times, he has to return now. Just when I've finally decided to leave a few months later. Why are you returning at this point in time? You know it hasn't been easy for me to remain calm. But now, it's a mess all over again because of your return. Why did you come back? Why did you have to come back now?'
"What do we do?" The others all looked at each other.
"We'll have to wait until captain returns. It's best we let him attend to the relationship issues himself." Yue Zhengyu shrugged. They definitely had no way of making the decision for Tang Wulin. In any case, they were in high spirits. Tang Wulin was fine, and he was coming back. What news could be better than this?
A few days later, at Shrek Academy's main gate.
When Tang Wulin alighted from the soul taxi and saw the tall gateway, he felt as though an entire generation had passed since he left.
He only knew how long he had stayed in the Dragon Valley. It was a full three years and four months!
He had accomplished the great feat of burying the remains of the Dragon Clan for a period of forty months. He was eighteen years old now turning nineteen.
'Everyone must've grown up by now. Since I've been away for so long, I wonder how much has changed within the academy?'
'My comrades, I've returned. Are you all still with the academy?'
'Na'er, I've returned, and I've made you worried.'
With all these feelings of turmoil within him, Tang Wulin took off toward Shrek City's gateway. Upon reaching the gateway, he unabashedly kissed the wall. The feeling of coming home warmed his heart immensely.
Everything seemed so familiar the moment he stepped into Shrek City. Tang Wulin eagerly went to the familiar noodle shop which Xu Lizhi had frequented with him before. Without hesitating, he ordered ten large bowls of noodles and gulped them down.
After he used the dragonball to leave the Dragon Valley, he discovered that the cabin on the cliff was empty. With no other options available, he found a way to get out of the forest by himself. After some time and much trouble, he eventually found a car that brought him back to Star Luo City.
When he reached Star Luo City, he requested help from Tang Sect. Fortunately, Tang Sect owned a commercial steamer that traveled between the two continents. He had also obtained information about the diplomatic corps from Tang Sect and found out they had returned to Douluo Continent more than two years ago.