Tang Ya looked at the smiling Jiang Qingtong and pressed her lips together. "You know why I'm here."
Jiang Qingtong glanced around the high-end dessert shop they were in and shook her head. "I honestly don't know why Sect Master Tang has invited me out. Aren't we just casual acquaintances at best?"
Feigning ignorance, Jiang Qingtong spoke with ease. Tang Ya frowned slightly and bit her lip. "It's about what you said in the Star Dou Forest!"
"What exactly did I say?" Jiang Qingtong asked calmly.
Tang Ya clenched her fists under the table. After a deep breath, she said, "The matter about relocating Tang Sect to the Sun Moon Empire."
Jiang Qingtong smiled. This was exactly what she had hoped for—Tang Ya bringing it up on her own.
"So then, what are your thoughts on that matter, Sect Master Tang?"
Tang Ya said, "My question remains the same. If Tang Sect is reestablished in the Sun Moon Empire, how much support can we expect?"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head. "I can't say for sure how much the Empire can allocate. Resources are tight everywhere. But what I can promise is this: it'll be more than what Shrek Academy has given you."
That single line cut deep into Tang Ya's heart.
After the collapse of her sect and the loss of her parents, she had become especially sensitive and emotional. Jiang Qingtong's words struck her directly. Without hesitation, she made her decision.
"Miss Jiang! I've decided. I will rebuild Tang Sect in the Sun Moon Empire!"
Jiang Qingtong raised an eyebrow. "Don't be in such a rush to decide. What about Beibei? Aren't you going to ask for his opinion?"
Tang Ya gave a bitter smile. "There's no need. Beibei would never agree to it. He belongs to Shrek Academy."
"And yet, you're still choosing this path?" Jiang Qingtong asked again.
Tang Ya took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. No one can stop me from reviving Tang Sect! Even if it means letting Beibei down… I'll make it up to him once Tang Sect rises again."
Jiang Qingtong smiled. "Why think of it that way? Doesn't the Sun Moon Empire also belong to the Douluo Continent?"
Tang Ya paused and said, "To the original Three Kingdoms, the Sun Moon Empire is still seen as an outsider."
Jiang Qingtong didn't pursue the topic further. "Let's drop that. When are you planning to depart?"
"In the next few days. Once I've said my goodbyes to Beibei, I'll head out," Tang Ya replied.
Jiang Qingtong raised a question. "But if he's against it… will you still be able to leave after speaking to him?"
"Should I just leave without a word then?" Tang Ya frowned, clearly conflicted.
Since she had arrived at Shrek Academy, Beibei had been the one at her side, supporting and comforting her. Though she resented the Academy's indifference, she never doubted Beibei's sincerity.
Jiang Qingtong thought for a moment, then removed a bracelet from her left hand. It was a unique piece, connecting a ring and a wristband by a delicate string of beads.
She set it down on the table. "This is a ninth-level soul tool of the spatial type, called Moonlight of the Past. It can teleport the wearer to a preset location. I've already stored the coordinates. After you say your goodbye, inject soul power into it and it'll take you straight there."
"Ninth-level soul tool?!" Tang Ya stared in disbelief and quickly covered her mouth to avoid drawing attention.
Even if she wasn't fond of soul tools, she understood what a ninth-level soul tool meant—any one of them was enough to make even a Title Douluo take notice.
And yet, Jiang Qingtong just gave one away?
"Miss Jiang… who exactly are you in the Sun Moon Empire?" Tang Ya asked after calming down.
"You'll find out once you arrive." Jiang Qingtong smiled gently. "Don't worry, you won't regret this choice."
She pushed the bracelet toward her. "Take it."
Tang Ya hesitantly put on Moonlight of the Past, not even daring to let her hand leave her sleeve—afraid of losing something so valuable.
After parting with Tang Ya, Jiang Qingtong strolled through the streets. Soon, she spotted someone up ahead waving cheerfully.
"Elder Zhuang!" she called, running over with a bright smile.
Since her enrollment, Elder Zhuang had been visiting her often. Whether he was sent by the Sea God Pavilion to monitor her or genuinely liked her was uncertain. But Jiang Qingtong assumed it was mostly the former.
"You little rascal," Zhuang said with surprise. "You're missing one of your ninth-level soul tools."
"Elder, you have a sharp eye," Jiang Qingtong replied playfully, lifting her bare wrist. "I gave it away."
Zhuang's eyes narrowed. "You gave away a ninth-level soul tool? To whom?"
"To Tang Ya, the Sect Master of Tang Sect," she replied truthfully. "She looked pitiful, so I gave it to her."
With Shrek Academy's influence over Shrek City, it wouldn't take long for them to find out who she met. No reason to lie.
Zhuang fell silent. The Sea God Pavilion knew all about Tang Ya.
"You only gave it to her because she looked pitiful?" he asked with a frown.
Jiang Qingtong met his gaze calmly. "Do you think I'm trying to buy loyalty for the Sun Moon Empire?"
"I never said that," Zhuang waved quickly.
"Well, you're right." She smiled again. "I am buying loyalty."
Zhuang was momentarily stunned. "You shouldn't joke like that."
"I'm from the Sun Moon Empire. If I show kindness here, it's bound to be seen as recruitment, isn't it?" she replied, tilting her head slightly.
Zhuang looked at her in silence for a long while. Then he sighed. "Don't overthink things, child. No one here looks down on you for being from the Empire."
Jiang Qingtong's expression turned slightly melancholic. "Then why is Elder Zhuang still following me around?"
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