"Hehe, don't worry."
Neuvillette gently patted the young girl's back, speaking softly to comfort her.
"I've already driven those two away. By now, they should have returned to the Clear Sky Sect. In matters like this, neither I nor the Academy will ever force you into anything."
"If you ever want to go back, you can. If you don't, no one will ever drive you away, even if you stay at the Academy for your whole life."
"The Clear Sky Sect may be strong, but remember—you still have your teacher…"
"Uuuh… really?"
The girl froze momentarily, then threw her arms around Neuvillette's neck, clinging to him even tighter. Her tear-streaked face was like rain on blossoms, soaking into his robes.
"Thank you, Teacher…"
"All right, all right, that's enough. Get up now."
Neuvillette unconsciously patted the girl's shapely rear. Only after the action did he realize how inappropriate it was. His throat tightened, and he froze in place.
The girl, however, only flushed bright red, said nothing, and quietly rose to sit nearby with her head lowered.
Her slender, jade-like legs brushed close against Neuvillette's, as though that contact was the only thing giving her a sense of safety.
"By the way… I haven't asked you yet. What exactly is going on here?"
Neuvillette coughed twice, trying to ease the awkwardness, then asked slowly.
"When I first came to Shrek Academy, my two fathers—Da Ming and Er Ming—for some reason told me to disguise myself as a boy…"
Wang Dong'er explained softly.
"They also said, unless necessary, I must not reveal my true identity."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Neuvillette looked for sudden understanding.
"Mhm."
The girl swayed her long, flawless legs slightly, eyes shyly lowered to them, not knowing what else to say.
"In that case…"
Looking at the bashful girl, a thought suddenly stirred in Neuvillette's mind.
"How about I give you a full examination to see if there's any underlying issue?"
"Okay~"
The girl answered in a whisper, lifting her gaze. Her beautiful eyes, tinged with shyness, met Neuvillette's.
"Then I'll be troubling you…"
Clear Sky Sect.
High above the clouds stood a vast and towering fortress. Countless disciples in plain gray robes sat in meditation throughout its grounds.
At the very top of the fortress, two burly men stood silently.
Heads bowed like guilty children, they dared not meet the gaze cast down from above.
From the heavens, a figure in deep blue robes looked down, eyes vast and unfathomable like the sea, but now filled with disappointment.
Such a simple task, and they couldn't even manage it…
To think he had honored his promise, granting them divine rank as his god-officials, bringing them into the God Realm to enjoy splendor and prosperity.
Privileges even his own teacher, Yu Xiaogang, had never received.
If not for Xiao Wu's sake, he would likely have abandoned these two soul beasts on the mortal continent, left to live or die on their own.
In his eyes, everyone who had once helped him—Dugu Bo, his teacher, Dean Flender—was unworthy of reaching the God Realm at his side.
Otherwise, if conflicts arose later, he'd be accused of ingratitude when he struck them down.
Better, then, that they never come up at all.
Once they were all dead, Tang Shenwang—Tang San—would leave no one who could question him.
Looking at the two below, heads still bowed, Tang Shenwang resisted the urge to scold and instead spoke coolly:
"Put more effort into it. Next time, I don't want to hear such news again."
With that, his figure slowly dissipated into the sky.
Only after a long while did the two dare lift their heads, exhaling in relief once Tang San was gone.
"Big brother, this is too humiliating!"
The Titan Giant Ape muttered sullenly.
"We're supposed to be god-officials, but up there we're the lowest of the low. Now even down here, we're constantly being scolded and punished…"
"If I'd known back then—"
"Shut up!"
The Azure Bull Python barked sharply, cutting off his younger brother's complaints.
Glancing around, he yanked the ape's ear and whispered harshly, "Are you insane? You dare say such things out loud?"
"But it's the truth!" The Titan Giant Ape turned his head stubbornly. "He's never treated us as equals. Calling us god-officials is just words—at least when we were soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, we were free. That was real living…"
"But back then, we were both gravely wounded. Without offering ourselves in sacrifice, we had no path but death."
The Azure Bull Python sighed helplessly.
"Hmph! If I had the choice again, I'd never sacrifice for him. Damn it, if it hadn't been for Xiao Wu vouching for him so sincerely, tricking us into believing… I'd never have—"
"Enough! Don't say another word!" The Azure Bull Python cut him off sharply with a glare, adding in a low voice, "Think about it. Even his teacher, who raised him, his aunt, and his uncle, he abandoned them all on the continent to fend for themselves. After all these years, you still don't understand what kind of person he is?"
"Selfish, vindictive, narrow-hearted…"
"Shut up!"
The Azure Bull Python glared so fiercely that the Titan Giant Ape fell silent, though he turned his head away in sulky defiance.
"Forget it. As for Dong'er's situation, we'll simply do our best. Honestly, I think she's happier at Shrek Academy than she would ever be here."
The Azure Bull Python's gaze softened as he looked out over the endless sea of clouds, speaking with quiet feeling.
"Yeah."
The Titan Giant Ape finally muttered in agreement.
God Realm.
Above the boundless cloud sea, the sunset painted the sky with luminous glory.
Tang Shenwang, clad in resplendent robes, stood gazing into the horizon. His face carried a warmth and gentleness that naturally put others at ease, radiating a quiet trustworthiness.
But only those who knew him well understood the truth: behind this façade lay a soul steeped in corruption.
"Strange."
Tang Shenwang furrowed his brows.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he watched as Xiao Wu went to prepare the evening banquet—a gathering of the Shrek Seven Devils, a time to share stories and reminisce.
But the situation below was slipping out of his control.
Earlier, at the Clear Sky Fortress, his daughter's remarks had completely infuriated him.
What hidden weapons could ever compare to his own?
So he had ordered his two "dogs" locked away until they admitted their mistake.
After all, she was still a child, without a mature understanding. Picking up misguided ideas from outside and being fooled by flashy but useless things was normal.
He could forgive that.
As long as she was corrected, she would still be a good child.
But only moments later came news that his daughter had slipped away from the Clear Sky Sect. And those two useless beasts hadn't even been able to bring her back.
"What a waste of the resources I invested…"
Tang Shenwang's expression darkened, his voice cold.
Though in truth, he couldn't even recall exactly what "resources" he had ever given them. Since becoming his god-officials, the only things they had received were scraps falling from between his fingers.
Even so, a mere wisp of what leaked from the hands of a God King should have been enough to push other divine servants to new heights.
But Tang Shenwang was stingy even with that. If Da Ming and Er Ming took more than he allowed, they would be punished like dogs—scolded and beaten. Eventually, they learned not to take anything at all.
End of Chapter