To be honest, getting familiar with Mu En had its advantages.
As long as he was still alive, he remained the strongest soul master in Shrek Academy—and the true authority behind it.
Mu En thought Ye Qing didn't recognize him.But having read the original story, Ye Qing identified him instantly just by that iconic wheelchair.
At first, Mu En hadn't approached Ye Qing without reason.He had personally confirmed the boy's soul condition before—there was no way his judgment as an Ultimate Douluo was wrong.
Letting him "bask in the Golden Tree's light" had been a calculated suggestion.
Yet when Ye Qing's soul actually recovered, even Mu En was surprised.
A defect that severe… could really heal?
Out of curiosity, when he once saw Ye Qing fishing, Mu En joined him—asking Yan Shaozhe to prepare a rod—observing him while enjoying the sun.
In the end, he learned nothing… but got hooked on fishing instead.
As for Ye Qing—
After spending a year learning the Douluo language, and another year and a half finishing the Douluo Primer, he had nothing left to do.
At five years old, without awakening his martial soul, he couldn't cultivate yet.With such a huge lake at his doorstep, was it strange for a fishing enthusiast to cast a few lines?
And so, one old man and one child became fishing buddies—strangely enough.
Of course, Ye Qing did have some "finding a backer" intentions.
In today's Shrek, Mu En was the only one with true vision—powerful, influential, and aside from his nearing end, almost flawless.
Even Ye Qing's great-grandfather worked under him.
With such a massive "thigh" right in front of him—why wouldn't he hold onto it?
Especially since his chosen ability might cause trouble in the future.If anything went wrong, Mu En might even step in to protect him.
After all… Mu En had even spared Ye Xishui before.
If he just maintained the image of an obedient, harmless kid—
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
As the sun began to set, the two filled and emptied their bucket of fish again and again.
Neither cared about the fish—they simply enjoyed the thrill of the catch.
In the end, all the fish were released back into Sea God Lake.
Still, to prove he hadn't come up empty, Ye Qing kept one large fish, threading it with Blue Silver Grass to bring home for roasting.
Stretching, he waved goodbye to Mu En and began packing up.
This was their usual routine—fish until sunset, then leave separately.
Ye Qing once offered to push Mu En back, but he politely declined—likely to avoid revealing his identity.
But today, Mu En spoke up.
"Child, you're five this year, right?"
"Yeah. Five. I'll awaken my martial soul next year."
"I have a grandson—Bei Bei. He's also five. If you get the chance, you two should meet."
Ye Qing froze.
Bei Bei?
After living here for over two years, he hadn't met any original characters.He thought he had arrived too early—
But maybe not.
Seeing his reaction, Mu En smiled.
"Don't worry. My grandson has a good temperament. I'm sure you'll get along."
"Yeah, sure!" Ye Qing nodded, curious about the future Tang Sect senior disciple.
He had no interest in joining the Tang Sect—but making friends? That was always useful.
Not for anything else—
Just in case he ever needed a righteous group beatdown.
Though… thinking about it, didn't this generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters all join the Tang Sect?
Yeah… probably just normal friends then.
Tang Sect… say no more.
Ye Qing sighed, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle, looking oddly melancholic.
Mu En chuckled at his antics.
"When the chance comes, I'll introduce you."
Ye Qing nodded—then suddenly grinned and stretched out his hands.
"Old man, do you still have that tea? Give me some more—ran out at home."
Time to farm some rewards.
Mu En shook his head helplessly, pulling out a wooden box and handing it over.
"Here. You're always after my tea."
Grinning, Ye Qing thanked him, holding the box in one hand and the fish in the other, skipping home happily.
"Slow down, don't fall."
"Got it!"
His voice echoed as his small figure disappeared down the path.
After he left, Mu En's cloudy eyes cleared slightly as he stared after him.
"That child… truly a miracle."
"Under the Golden Tree's influence, his soul didn't collapse—it became more stable."
Back when Ye Qing first arrived, his soul had been unstable—after all, it was a fusion of two souls.
But Mu En mistook that fluctuation for incomplete healing.
As time passed, Ye Qing's soul stabilized—
And Mu En credited it all to the Golden Tree.
Classic.
When in doubt—blame it on something mysterious.