Chapter 73: Tang San, Tang San

"What are you talking about? So happy." Li Meili asked curiously as she brought the dishes to the table.

"Auntie, we were talking about someone offering their daughter to Xiao Quan."

"What!" Li Meili immediately glared at Shi Quan with a fierce look.

"Mom, let me explain..."

At the dining table, everyone was chatting and laughing, only Ye Lingling seemed very unaccustomed to such an atmosphere, sitting quietly by Dugu Yan's side, forming a sharp contrast with the cheerful Dugu Yan.

"Lingling, if there is anything you are not used to, just tell Auntie. Come, eat more." Li Meili said gently as she looked at the silent Ye Lingling, taking the initiative to pile many dishes into her bowl.

"Thank you, Auntie." Ye Lingling looked at the food in her bowl, a little flustered, and the corners of her eyes were even a bit red.

"Auntie, don't worry, Lingling just doesn't like to talk much; she is not unaccustomed to anything." Dugu Yan gently patted Ye Lingling's shoulder, helping her out of the situation.

"That's good, that's good." Li Meili said with a smile: "Come, eat some more."

Li Meili did not show favoritism and also served Dugu Yan some food.

After the meal.

Li Meili and Shi Jian went to help Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling tidy up the room where they would rest; fortunately, there was usually an empty room prepared at home.

"Lingling, what's wrong?"

During the meal, Shi Quan had felt that Ye Lingling's state was a bit off.

"It's nothing." Ye Lingling shook her head.

"If you have any trouble, you can tell us directly. Sister Yanzi and I will help you."

Ye Lingling looked at Shi Quan, a strange light flashing in her hollow eyes, then gradually dimming, "I know."

Shi Quan had always known that Ye Lingling was hiding something in her heart. Judging from Ye Lingling's reaction just now, this matter should be related to her family, but Shi Quan did not know the specifics.

"Should I ask Xue Qinghe to help me look into it after I go back?" Shi Quan thought to himself as he watched Ye Lingling's figure.

In the following days.

In the morning, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling would still follow Shi Quan to train, and they would cultivate in the evening. Although it was a holiday, cultivation was a matter of "if you don't advance, you retreat," so it could not be neglected.

When there was nothing to do in the afternoon, Li Meili liked to pull the two girls over to chat, while Shi Quan was the one left out.

Ye Lingling also seemed to gradually get used to this atmosphere; there was a bit more of a smile at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes were not as hollow as before.

One week later.

Outside Nuoding City.

Dugu Yan looked at the towering Nuoding City and commented: "This is Nuoding City? It looks so small."

"It naturally can't compare to Heaven Dou City." Shi Quan said with a smile.

"Notting Academy should be on holiday just like Heaven Dou Academy, right? Your teacher shouldn't be at Notting Academy right now, should he?"

"I don't know either. I haven't gone to look for him during the holidays before. But you don't have to worry; even during the holidays, there are people on duty at the academy. We'll just ask when we get there."

Shi Quan led Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling into Nuoding City.

He came to Nuoding City to visit Dean Maerde, and also Master.

"Since there's still plenty of time, why don't we stroll around the city first?" Dugu Yan looked at the bustling streets, and her soul of shopping began to burn.

"Sure, and we can book a hotel while we're at it."

Before coming to Nuoding City, Shi Quan had told his parents that he would stay in Nuoding City for one night before returning, because he had some things that could only be handled at night.

As for Nuoding City, Shi Quan was actually not familiar with it. During the four years he studied in Nuoding City, most of his time was spent running back and forth between the academy and the Hou Shan of the academy; he really hadn't seriously strolled around Nuoding City.

After strolling for less than half an hour, Shi Quan did not expect that he would actually run into acquaintances.

"Tang San, I want to eat that, hurry..." The girl's excited voice came over.

The iconic long black scorpion braid and the belt inlaid with twenty-four jade stones around the other person's waist—without even looking at their faces, Shi Quan knew the identities of these two.

This Nuoding City is neither big nor small, and to be able to meet by coincidence like this, one has to say it is truly fate.

"Xiao Quan, let's go try it too. Look at how excited that girl is; the taste must be pretty good." Dugu Yan said, pointing at Xiao Wu's location.

"No problem." Shi Quan nodded with a smile. With his current appearance, Tang San definitely wouldn't recognize him, and even if he did, there was no need for Shi Quan to walk around the two of them.

That was a snack shop, and there were quite a few people queuing in front. People like to join in the fun; seeing that many people were buying, they would all curiously want to try it too. Dugu Yan had this kind of mentality.

The three of them followed Xiao Wu and Tang San, so they happened to be queuing right behind them.

"So many people, the taste shouldn't be bad." Dugu Yan curiously poked her head to look inside, pulling the Ye Lingling beside her, "Lingling, let's each have a portion, Shi Quan is treating."

"Sister Yanzi, are you short of this bit of money?" Shi Quan shook his head and chuckled.

"The feeling is different, do you understand?" Dugu Yan poked Shi Quan's head and glared at him.

Hearing the voice behind him, Tang San subconsciously turned his head to look. When he saw Shi Quan, his gaze clearly paused for a moment, then quickly landed on Dugu Yan. Then his brows furrowed imperceptibly, as if he had noticed something. He pulled Xiao Wu and walked forward, moving further away from Dugu Yan.

The three of them, Shi Quan, were chatting and didn't notice these small actions of Tang San, or rather, Shi Quan didn't care about Tang San right now.

After buying the food and paying, the three of them continued their stroll.

Not far away, Tang San turned his head and looked suspiciously in the direction Shi Quan had left.

"What's wrong, Tang San?" Xiao Wu asked while eating the delicacy in her hand.

"I feel like that person just now was a bit familiar, as if I've seen him somewhere before. It's the man who was standing behind us just now."

Xiao Wu's eyes moved, and she said: "The one who was a bit handsome?"

Tang San rolled his eyes and said helplessly: "Yes."

Xiao Wu thought for a moment and said while eating: "I also feel a bit familiar."

"You have this feeling too?" Tang San was then even more confused, and at the same time said: "They should all be Spirit Masters. One of the girls even has a faint scent of poison on her; their strength shouldn't be weak."

"Poison?" Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, "How did you smell that? Why didn't I smell anything?"

Tang San said with a faint smile: "Your nose was busy smelling all the good food, of course you couldn't smell it."

"Hmph!" Xiao Wu turned her head indignantly and walked to the other side. Tang San shook his head dotingly and hurriedly chased after her.

On the other side, the three of them, Shi Quan, while strolling, saw a hotel with exquisite decoration and immediately booked the hotel.

After finishing lunch, seeing that the time was about right, the three of them headed toward Notting Academy.

The tall arched iron gate was tightly shut, with only a small side door open; the young man guarding the gate was the very same one who had once demanded money from his parents, and hearing movement, the youth, who had been dozing with his eyes half-closed, stood up lazily and looked toward the three of them.

After seeing the appearance and attire of the three clearly, the gatekeeper youth immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Is there something the three of you need at Notting Academy?"

Shi Quan asked, "I was a student at the academy before; I've come back this time to visit Dean Maerde. Do you know if the Dean and the others are at the academy?"

"So you are a former student of the academy." Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper immediately revealed a fawning smile and said, "My three lords, after the holiday began, Dean Maerde has not been living at the academy. If you wish to visit the Dean, you can go to the XX Villa on XX Street to find him."

"Understood." Shi Quan had not expected that such a minor gatekeeper would actually know Maerde's address; it was no wonder he dared to extort those Work-study Students who had just joined the academy.

"Right, is Yu Xiaogang still at the academy?" Shi Quan, who had already turned to leave, suddenly turned back and asked.

"The Master?" The youth nodded and said, "The Master has always been in the academy."

"Good that he is," Shi Quan thought to himself.

He turned and left with the two women.

The concept of fate is truly a bit wondrous; the three of them had not walked far when they happened to run into Tang San and Xiao Wu, who were returning.

"What a coincidence, it's those two again. They must be students of Notting Academy, right? Xiao Quan, don't you know them?" Dugu Yan watched the figures of Tang San and Xiao Wu as they walked away.

"I know them, how could I not? The boy is named Tang San, martial soul Blue Silver Grass; the girl is named Xiao Wu, martial soul Soft Bone Rabbit. Both of them have Innate Full Spirit Power; they are quite the celebrities at the academy," Shi Quan said with a smile.

"Both have Innate Full Spirit Power?" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both looked at Shi Quan in surprise.

Shi Quan said with a chuckle, "That's right, both have Innate Full Spirit Power. You don't see many with Innate Full Spirit Power in a hundred years, and here two appeared at once. Didn't expect that, did you?"

Dugu Yan said, "It's not just two with Innate Full Spirit Power; the point is that this Notting Academy also produced a genius like you. I'm starting to wonder if this Notting Academy has some kind of magic to have gathered all of you here."

"Can Blue Silver Grass even have Innate Full Spirit Power?" Ye Lingling suddenly spoke up.

"His Blue Silver Grass is not ordinary Blue Silver Grass. In the past, when he used his martial soul in front of me, I could feel a sense of oppression from a superior being. I speculate that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass likely possesses some kind of special bloodline, it's just that this bloodline hasn't awakened yet."

"And Tang San..." Shi Quan looked around, did not continue speaking, and lowered his voice, saying, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

He skipped over the topic.

"Xiao San, it's them again. They seem to have come from the direction of the academy."

"We'll just ask the gatekeeper in a moment and we'll know." After Tang San looked back, he withdrew his gaze, and after inquiring at the gatehouse, he learned that the three had come to look for Dean Maerde.

"So they were former students of the academy; perhaps I've seen them inadvertently before."

Tang San and Xiao Wu did not dwell on it.

On the other side.

Following the location pointed out by the gatekeeper, Shi Quan finally found Maerde, and Shi Quan's arrival also gave Maerde a surprise...