Shrek Academy was located in the eastern part of Shrek City, and since the group entered through the east gate, it was incredibly close to the academy.
After leading everyone back to Shrek Academy, Cai ier hurriedly rushed to Sea God Island. After all, encountering soone like Su Yu was a matter of great importance that could not be delayed.
...
Sea God Island.
Yan Shaozhe was imrsed in handling official matters when a gust of wind swept through, and a figure darted into his office.
Noticing the commotion, Yan Shaozhe looked up to see a mature and elegant woman standing before him, a smile spreading across his face.
"ier, you're back? How did the trip to the Star Dou Forest go? Was it smooth?" he asked with genuine concern, setting down his pen.
Upon seeing her husband, Cai ier's face softened with a warm smile. "It went well, very smooth. We didn't encounter any trouble, and everyone found suitable soul rings," she replied gently.
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe sighed in relief. Over the past few years, the inner court has suffered significant losses. Many promising students had perished under the elder's watch, and others, like Dai Yuoheng, had been expelled. Xu Sanshi was severely injured and incapacitated. Now, the inner court had only a handful of truly outstanding students left and could not afford further losses. This expedition included talents like Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, Xiao Xiao, and Bei Bei, so everything needed to go smoothly.
"But this ti, we also encountered a surprise," Cai ier said with a sly smile, a trace of pride in her voice.
Yan Shaozhe blinked in surprise. It had been a long ti since he'd seen Cai ier so cheerful. Intrigued, he asked, "What kind of surprise?"
Cai ier's expression grew mysterious. "Shaozhe, can you guess who we ran into in the Star Dou Forest?"
Yan Shaozhe was curious but puzzled. "Who could you have t to call it a surprise?"
Cai ier smiled knowingly. "Do you rember… Su Yu?"
The na instantly struck a chord with Yan Shaozhe. "Of course, I rember! The academy has been searching for him for so long, pouring manpower and resources into it. Even the teacher personally went to the Sun Moon Empire but ca back empty-handed. We—wait!" Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened as realization dawned. "ier, are you saying the surprise is… Su Yu? You found him?"
Cai ier nodded with a radiant smile. "Not only did we et Su Yu, but we also brought him back to Shrek City."
"What?!" Yan Shaozhe exclaid, his initial shock giving way to unrestrained joy. He bombarded Cai ier with questions, "How did you co across him? Where is he now? Why didn't you bring him directly to the academy?"
Cai ier chuckled at her husband's excitent and gestured for him to calm down. "Shaozhe, slow down. Let explain everything."
She began recounting the story of how they had co across Su Yu in the forest. The more Yan Shaozhe listened, the more he regretted the academy's earlier efforts.
"So, Su Yu has been training in the Star Dou Forest all this ti?"
"That's what he said," Cai ier confird.
Yan Shaozhe groaned, slapping his forehead in frustration. "So he's been so close all along, and we wasted ti and resources scouring the continent! If only we'd known earlier, we could have found him ages ago."
Cai ier smiled wryly. "But who could have guessed he would be there? It's not like we had any leads."
"True," Yan Shaozhe admitted with a sigh. "What's done is done. At least we've found him now."
"Where is Su Yu now?"
"He's staying at a hotel near the academy," Cai ier replied.
"Why didn't you bring him to the academy?" Yan Shaozhe asked, puzzled.
Cai ier rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think he doesn't care about appearances? Su Yu isn't just so nobody. As the Young Master of the Ice God Palace, he deserves proper respect. I already told him I would personally invite him tomorrow. We're the ones seeking his cooperation, after all."
Yan Shaozhe quickly nodded in agreent. "You're right, you're right. I was being thoughtless again. We can't treat him like an ordinary guest. Tomorrow, I'll personally go to extend the invitation. It's only appropriate."
Cai ier paused, recalling Su Yu's subtle yet aningful smile when she'd said she'd invite him herself. At the ti, she thought he had tacitly agreed. But now, reflecting on it, she realized he might have been dismissive of her rank as vice dean.
"That young man has no sense of courtesy. After these past few days, you'd think we built so rapport, but he doesn't give any respect!" Cai ier grumbled internally.
Yan Shaozhe, noticing her subtle frustration, remained clueless about her inner turmoil.
Little did she know, Su Yu wasn't simply dismissing her. He had to maintain his dignity—not just as an individual but as the Young Master of the Ice God Palace. Accepting an invitation from a vice dean, rather than the dean himself, would be beneath his station and a blow to his image. Such matters, even if trivial to others, were of utmost importance to soone in Su Yu's position.
"Méi'er, what are you thinking about?"
"Ah, nothing," Cai i'er quickly replied. "I was just thinking, how about I go with you tomorrow? After all, I've spent a few days with Su Yu and have built a little rapport. It might help smooth things over."
"Hmm... that works," Yan Shaozhe nodded after a brief pause. "You can co with tomorrow."
"Shaozhe, don't forget about Xiaotao. Make sure to inform her," Cai i'er added as if suddenly rembering sothing.
"I'll take care of it." Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Méi'er, you've had a long trip back. Get so rest while I go report this good news to the teacher."
After gently patting Cai i'er's shoulder, Yan Shaozhe turned and left the office.
With a few swift movents, he arrived at the Sea God Pavilion.
Inside, the pavilion was as illuminated as always, bathed in warm golden light.
Mu En lay reclined on a lounge chair, half-asleep.
"Teacher," Yan Shaozhe greeted respectfully, standing by his side.
Mu En lazily opened one eye and asked, "Shaozhe, what brings you here?"
"Teacher, we've found Su Yu. He's here in Shrek City now!" Yan Shaozhe said, barely able to contain his excitent.
Mu En's eyes opened fully, a sharp glint flashing through his cloudy gaze.
"Found him? How did that happen all of a sudden?"
Yan Shaozhe recounted everything Cai i'er had told him.
Mu En's expression shifted slightly as he listened, and he muttered, "So, he's been training in the Great Star Dou Forest all this ti… No wonder all our efforts to locate him were in vain.
"Such courage from the Ice God Palace… letting their young master train in such a dangerous place. The Great Star Dou Forest is no ordinary location."
Mu En's voice grew contemplative. "With the fierce beasts in that forest, even I wouldn't dare to step too far into the core zone. After all, the Beast God, Di Tian, resides there—a being far beyond even my capabilities.
"If the Ice God Palace allowed Su Yu to train there, do they no longer fear provoking the Beast God? Or perhaps the Ice Emperor is already strong enough to contend with Di Tian..."
Mu En's thoughts grew heavy. If the Ice Emperor truly possessed such power, the Ice God Palace would need to be regarded with even greater caution.
After a long pause, Mu En spoke again. "Shaozhe, personally go and invite Su Yu to visit the academy tomorrow."
"Teacher, do you wish to et him?" Yan Shaozhe asked.
"Let him explore the academy for a few days first. We need him to develop so goodwill toward us. The academy will have so requests of him, so it's best to start on good terms," Mu En explained thoughtfully.
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Understood. I'll ensure he's treated with the utmost respect."
"Good. Make sure everything is done properly. Do not slight him in any way," Mu En reminded again, concerned.
"I will see to it," Yan Shaozhe replied with conviction.
"That's settled then. Notify the academy's senior staff, and don't forget to inform Xiaotao about Su Yu's arrival," Mu En instructed calmly.
"Yes, Teacher," Yan Shaozhe said, bowing before leaving to handle the arrangents.
After Yan Shaozhe left, Mu En gazed at the ceiling, his old eyes gleaming with a mix of excitent and contemplation.
"After all this ti and effort, we found him… and in the most unexpected way.
"Is this fate's way of aiding Shrek Academy in its ti of need?
"It must be the blessing of the Sea God himself..." Mu En murmured.
...
Starlight Hotel.
After parting ways with Cai i'er and the others, Su Yu imdiately sought out a place to stay. The Starlight Hotel, the most luxurious establishnt near Shrek Academy, was his natural choice.
For soone like Su Yu, who never compromised on comfort, spending money on the best accommodations was a given. After years of hard work, he believed he deserved to enjoy life's finer things.
The Starlight Hotel was relatively new, only established two years ago, but its design evoked a strange sense of familiarity for Su Yu.
To his surprise, the hotel also housed an auction house within its premises—Starlight Auction House.
This stirred up old mories for Su Yu. The auction house belonged to the Star Luo royal family. "Looks like Xu Jiawei's influence has reached Shrek City," Su Yu mused.
After booking one of the most luxurious suites—though pricey, it was a trivial expense for soone with assets worth billions of gold soul coins—Su Yu settled in.
His suite was located on the top floor, an epito of luxury yet exuding tasteful elegance rather than gaudy ostentation.
The first thing Su Yu did was take out Snow Empress. Then, without hesitation, he headed to the bathroom for a long-overdue bath.
After days of traveling with the Shrek group, he hadn't had a proper bath. For soone as ticulous as Su Yu, this was a small tornt.
Contrary to popular belief, soul masters could still get dirty. As long as they consud ordinary food and remained connected to the material world, true immaculate purity was a myth.
Even Snow Empress, despite her otherworldly presence, needed regular baths—sothing Su Yu often helped her with.
Initially, Snow Empress found this hard to accept, given her mature mind, but over ti, she grew used to it and eventually just let it be.
Freshly bathed and draped in a robe, Su Yu stepped out of the bathroom, his damp, snow-white hair cascading down his shoulders. On his forehead, an icy-blue snowflake mark glimred faintly.
Sitting on the bed, Snow Empress kicked her little legs idly. Her doll-like face was flawless, her icy-blue eyes sparkling like gemstones.
When she saw Su Yu erge, her gaze instinctively shifted to him.
Noticing that he was fully dressed in the bathrobe, a faint flicker of disappointnt flashed in her clear eyes.
Su Yu's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Little perv, all you ever think about is inappropriate stuff."
The more ti Su Yu spent with Snow Empress, the more he realized her true nature. Her reputation for being pure and refined? Complete nonsense.
Snow Empress wasn't just fond of sneaking glances; she also had a wicked sense of humor and a surprising penchant for teasing.
Her innocent appearance was nothing but a perfect cover. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, who would believe that the famously elegant and aloof Ice Snow Empress was a mischievous old hand?
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