Hu Liena recalled with a helpless look:
"He said his old dream was to break through to Grand Soul Master, find a small mountain village, marry five wives, and live out his days in peace."
Qian Renxue nodded. That dream wasn't unreasonable—pretty normal, actually.
A Grand Soul Master, settling in a village, marrying a few beautiful ordinary women to live a peaceful life? Totally logical!
"So he's probably not content with being ordinary anymore, right?" Qian Renxue asked.
Hu Liena chuckled:
"Ha! Of course, he's not content with mediocrity anymore. Now that he's grown stronger, his dreams have leveled up too."
"Now he wants to marry ten wives—and not just any women—the most beautiful on the entire continent. He said... he wants all of them!"
Hu Liena raised her fist, imitating Su Chen with a seven-to-eight-tenths resemblance.
Qian Renxue was momentarily speechless.
How could she call such a man unfaithful when he's stayed true to his heart?
This man had no one in this world to rely on. All he wanted was to marry more wives, have more children, and build a huge family.
How could that be wrong?
Qian Renxue thought of the diary entries she had read earlier and found herself completely at a loss for words.
Makes sense!
As a strong individual, wanting to live with multiple wives—Su Chen, I truly can't find a reason to criticize you!
If everyone in this world were like you, how much less killing and chaos would there be? What a beautiful future it would be!
But then, Hu Liena sighed again:
"It's a pity! He said the teacher isn't normal. If she were, he would've sent over a thick dowry by now."
"He said he's afraid if he sends a dowry, the teacher might blow up the Spirit Hall with it. He even told us to work harder and seize power as soon as possible!"
"Xue'er, what should we do?"
Qian Renxue instantly looked distressed:
"How should I know? That woman's never been normal!"
Hu Liena sighed. Now that they both knew Bibi Dong's secrets, they honestly hoped she could get better.
Live life properly!
Don't live forever in hatred and pain.
Hu Liena yawned:
"Forget it, I'm sleeping here tonight. Send someone to wait at Spirit Hall. When Su Chen and Lingling return, just bring them straight here!"
Meanwhile...
Ye Residence.
It wasn't quite a "clan"—Ye Lingling's family had few members. Just her grandmother and mother. Aside from a few elder guardians, there wasn't really anyone else.
Ye Lingling's grandmother, Ye Yongjun, was another wielder of the Nine-Hearted Begonia martial spirit—a 76th-level Soul Sage. An elderly woman with a full head of white hair.
Her mother, Yu Jing, was a young, elegant beauty—a 67th-level Soul Emperor, bearing a strong resemblance to Ye Lingling. Clearly, Lingling had inherited her father's Nine-Hearted Begonia and her mother's good looks.
The two women rushed in as soon as they heard Ye Lingling had brought a boy home.
"Lingling!"
"Good child!"
As soon as Ye Lingling saw her grandmother and mother enter, she ran up and threw herself into her grandmother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Su Chen stood by silently, waiting for Ye Lingling to let her emotions out first.
Ye Yongjun looked down at her crying granddaughter and said with heartache:
"Good child, don't cry. Tell Grandma what happened?"
Ye Lingling choked up as she replied:
"Grandma, Mom... my martial spirit evolved. From now on, our Nine-Hearted Begonia will no longer have that limitation. Every generation of our family can now possess one."
As she spoke, she summoned her martial spirit. Ye Yongjun immediately sensed a kind of overwhelming pressure—a regal aura from the very bloodline of the spirit!
For a moment...
Tears streamed down Ye Yongjun's aged face.
By logic, whenever a new generation awakened the Nine-Hearted Begonia, someone from the older generation had to pass away. Ye Lingling's father didn't have high soul power, but for the sake of the family's future, he had made his choice.
He wasn't the first sacrifice in the Nine-Hearted Begonia's inheritance... but now, he would be the last.
From now on, this martial spirit no longer had to rely on tragic sacrifices. They were finally free from this absurd fate.
How absurd was it?
The continent's number one healing spirit—Nine-Hearted Begonia—could save thousands, yet couldn't even preserve three generations under one roof in its own family.
"Good! Good child!"
Ye Yongjun comforted her granddaughter, tears flowing non-stop.
Yu Jing also wiped her tears. Only they, as family, knew how painful the burden of Nine-Hearted Begonia had been.
Ye Lingling, now regaining her composure, wiped her tears and introduced:
"Grandma, Mom, this is my boyfriend. His name is Su Chen. He gave me the immortal herb that helped my martial spirit evolve."
"Su Chen, this is my grandmother and my mother. Sorry I didn't introduce you earlier—I got emotional seeing Grandma."
Su Chen smiled and politely greeted:
"Grandma Ye, Auntie."
"I'm Su Chen."
At first, the two women were surprised to hear "boyfriend"—but the moment they heard about the herb, they got excited on the spot.
"Our benefactor!"
Both of them tried to kneel, but Su Chen quickly stepped up to stop them:
"Grandma Ye, Auntie, Lingling is my girlfriend. You're both my elders—I can't accept this kind of courtesy."
Ye Lingling, understanding Su Chen's casual nature by now, held her grandmother and explained:
"Grandma, Mom, Su Chen isn't into formality. He doesn't like being treated too politely."
"Aye."
Ye Yongjun nodded, then turned to Su Chen:
"We have no way to repay such a huge favor. For Lingling to be with you—it's truly her blessing."
"Still, we must repay this kindness. If you ever need me, say the word. Please, have a seat!"
"Gladly!"
Su Chen smiled and said:
"Grandma Ye, Auntie, please treat me like family. Just call me Su Chen, no need for formality."
For the rest of the day...
Su Chen stayed with Ye Lingling at the Ye Residence, meeting the few elders of the family. Most were around 60–70 soul power level and had chosen to remain in the Ye Family out of gratitude.
During that time, Su Chen also talked to them about going to Spirit City. No one objected—it was just a change of scenery, after all.
Meanwhile...
The Shrek Seven Devils finally reunited today.
Early morning.
Ning Rongrong dragged Xiao Wu to register at Shrek Academy, with Tang San tagging along like a lost puppy.
At the registration gate...
The trio bumped into Dai Mubai. The tension was real—gritted teeth all around—but no words were exchanged.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Wu snorted coldly, even more annoyed with this dump of a school called Shrek.
Ning Rongrong was also dissatisfied.
However...
Their main goal now was to wait for Su Chen to arrive at Shrek, so they didn't stir up trouble. They passed the entrance test just like the original plot.
Zhu Zhuqing also joined them that day, officially enrolling in Shrek Academy.
....