With Tang Sui's self-detonation, the sharp-eyed Ning Rongrong also noticed that the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night on Tang San's waist had not changed at all, which further solidified her identity.
Five years had passed, and the six of them had endless things to talk about. However, whether it was Ning Rongrong or Ma Hongjun, who had been teasing Tang Sui at first, their attention was now focused on the... significant changes in the siblings' appearances and demeanor.
"Sui Sui, you and Third Brother's hair is..."
Ning Rongrong looked at the vastly different hair colors of the siblings with some concern, especially the last third of Tang Sui's hair, which had an ominous dark red hue, a stark contrast to Tang San's refreshing dark blue, making one's mind wander.
Tang San's gaze also fell on his sister's hair. He seemed to recall the day Tang Sui's awakening failed, and his brow furrowed slightly. But Tang Sui didn't seem to care at all, using the concept of a spirit's second awakening to gloss over it with a few words, attributing the gradient hair color to a failed second awakening, but also a blessing in disguise with other unexpected gains.
Just as they were about to say more, the sound of hurried footsteps came from within the Shrek Academy.
"Who dares impersonate our little monsters? Let me see what you've got!"
A burly middle-aged man strode out of Shrek Academy, accompanied by two other unfamiliar middle-aged men, who appeared to be teachers at Shrek Academy.
After all, if someone was causing trouble at the Shrek Academy gates, the people responsible for handling it, besides the on-duty students, would inevitably include teachers from the academy.
Huh?
As Tang Sui turned her head, she saw Zhao Wuji, who hadn't changed much. She immediately grinned and waved at them, saying, "Teacher Zhao, long time no see!"
Having not seen each other for five years, Tang San's gaze was also tinged with nostalgia and excitement. "Teacher Zhao, it's been a long time."
Five years had passed since the championship match. After returning to Shrek Academy, Flander and his group had each returned to their duties, while also guarding against trouble from the Spirit Hall.
To their surprise, the Spirit Hall did not intend to make trouble for Shrek Academy. It was as calm as if the incident on the day of the championship match had never happened.
As the vice-principal, Zhao Wuji's work was now very easy. He wouldn't normally have to personally handle such matters of impersonation. However, he hadn't had a good fight in a long time to loosen his muscles. When he happened to stumble upon people impersonating their little monsters, he immediately became interested and decided to see what these people were capable of and to stretch his limbs.
But as he walked out of the academy gates with a stern face and feigning ferocity, and saw the six young men and women standing at the entrance, each with their own unique aura, Zhao Wuji froze. He even rubbed his eyes down-to-earth in front of the two teachers behind him, muttering, "Strange, am I not awake yet?"
Otherwise, why would he have the illusion of seeing grown-up versions of their little monsters?
"Teacher Zhao, it's been five years, and you've gotten even sturdier." Dai Mubai's face broke into a hearty smile, which, combined with his golden hair, almost blinded Zhao Wuji.
"You are... Mubai, Zhuqing? Hongjun and Rongrong, and..." Zhao Wuji's breath hitched as his gaze fell on Tang Sui.
"Sui Sui, are you alright?!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes widened, looking at the once tender sprout who had now grown into a graceful young woman. His expression went blank for a moment.
"Of course, I'm fine, Teacher Zhao." Tang Sui smiled at the stunned Zhao Wuji. The latter snapped back to reality, let out a joyful laugh, and strode forward, clapping Dai Mubai, who was closest to him, on the back.
"It really is you little monsters! Good, good, good! You're really back!"
Zhao Wuji was so excited that he was a little incoherent. After being slapped on the shoulder by Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, who had been hit several more times, feigned pain and said, "Teacher Zhao, take it easy! Your strength is even greater now. I don't want to be fractured by you!"
"Teacher Zhao," Tang San and the other three called out respectfully at the same time.
Zhao Wuji's eyes reddened slightly as he lowered his hand. The next second, Ma Hongjun had already pounced forward and given Zhao Wuji a bear hug.
Zhao Wuji laughed and cursed as he tore Ma Hongjun off him. His gaze fell on the group, and he looked at the one young man he couldn't recognize. Under the amused gazes of the others, he successfully guessed Tang San's identity, just like Ma Hongjun had been mistaken.
Ma Hongjun, with a grin, revealed Tang San's identity. Zhao Wuji was momentarily stunned. He had many questions, but he didn't forget that they were at the academy gates. He immediately waved his hand, saying, "Let's go into the academy first if you have anything to say."
This time, with Zhao Wuji leading the way, there was no obstruction.
The Shrek Six followed him into the familiar yet unfamiliar academy. Along the way, Zhao Wuji was not idle, chattering away to Tang San and the others, telling them about the academy's recent developments. Sudancollection.com
...
In the exquisitely decorated dean's office of Shrek Academy, Flander sat leisurely in the leather executive chair, lazily flipping through the monthly account statements submitted on the desk, occasionally lifting the teapot to refill his teacup.
He had lived a very comfortable life these past few years, not needing to bother with many things personally. Because the academy affairs were managed by Liu Erlong, the instruction of students was handled by Grandmaster, the super theorist, and the only problem of funding circulation was perfectly resolved with the attention of Emperor Xue Ye.
His spirit power had also improved significantly, reaching level eighty-three, officially becoming a Spirit Douluo.
Even Zhao Wuji had broken through the eighty-level mark not long ago.
Now, besides the elusive Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, the academy had two other Spirit Douluos of considerable strength.
Of course, he believed that in a short time, Liu Erlong, who was currently at the seventy-ninth level bottleneck, would also break through to become a Spirit Douluo, making their academy even more confident.
Contemplating his future days, Flander's expression was relaxed. Even when he heard a knock on the door, his demeanor did not change.
"The door is unlocked, come in," Flander said lazily, showing no intention of sitting up straight.
After all, only a few people would come to his office.
They were all old acquaintances, so he couldn't be bothered with formalities.
The office door was pushed open, and Zhao Wuji strode in. "Boss Flander, I've apprehended some intruders who trespassed into the academy. Take a look at them and decide what to do with them."
"Hmm? Someone trespassed into the academy?" Flander exclaimed, raising an eyebrow and coming to life. "Who dares to trespass into our Shrek—"
The rest of his words died down as several approaching footsteps could be heard.
The moment he saw them, the casual expression on Flander's face shattered. He stared with wide eyes in shock:
"You, you..."
Looking at the six familiar yet unfamiliar young men and women before him, Flander stood up from his chair with excitement, walked out from behind his desk, and uttered those four weighty words—
"Little monsters!"
"Teacher, I've missed you so much!"
A red figure shot forward and gave his teacher, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, a strong hug.
Flander, caught off guard, was almost suffocated by Ma Hongjun's embrace. He quickly patted the back of his unfilial student, urging him to let go of his poor teacher.
— Author's Notes —
PS: There's a minor sequence bug in this chapter, but don't worry, it will be fixed.