I'll Be Going, See You in a Few Years

"Who was that person just now? A teacher?"

"Yeah." Xue Xiao Ran answered casually as he entered Shrek Academy with Wang Dong.

Walking along the broad avenue, no matter where they looked, they could see at least ten kinds of plants. They had clearly all been carefully pruned.

After proceeding two hundred meters, several enormous statues ahead blocked their view. There were eleven statues in total, each ten meters tall and carved from the hardest granite.

Xue Xiao Ran froze slightly at the sight before breaking into a smile.

They all seemed like familiar faces.

There were three statues in the front row. The one in the center was an elderly man wearing glasses, with a smiling face and a medium, slightly plump build, giving off the appearance of a kindly old gentleman. A gaunt middle-aged man and a beautiful woman stood at his sides.

So that's Dean Flander, Master, and Liu Erlong. I wonder whether the three of them are safe and well in the God Realm.

"...First is White Tiger Douluo Dai Mubai, second is Sausage Douluo Oscar, and third is the ancestor of our Tang Sect, Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San."

Faint conversation drifted over from ahead. Xue Xiao Ran guessed that an upperclassman was introducing the origins of these statues to a younger student.

"Let's go look at the statues behind them," Wang Dong said. She seemed quite interested in them as well.

Xue Xiao Ran nodded and continued down the avenue into the academy.

He passed the seven people standing in front and stopped before one of the statues.

Although this statue had its back to the people of Shrek, it exuded the air of someone facing an approaching storm alone. An excessively beautiful longsword was strapped to his back, while a lifelike Ice Rose rested in his hand.

His short hair was ice-blue, his mismatched eyes blue and violet. His gaze tilted slightly backward, as if he were worried about someone behind him, while a carefree curve graced his lips. Though it was only a statue, it seemed as if the real person were standing there.

Xue Xiao Ran looked up at the statue and sighed softly before turning to Wang Dong.

"Let's go. I'll accompany you to register and settle in."

"You've finished looking already? Then let's go."

Wang Dong nodded and hurried toward the registration office.

"This senior is Xue Lei Han, known as Ice Phoenix Douluo. He held an important leading position in Shrek. During his time at Shrek, his talent was the greatest in the academy. Like Senior Tang San, he also possessed Twin Martial Souls."

Though Xue Xiao Ran said nothing, he still cared deeply about how later generations judged his father. After hearing the upperclassman finish his introduction, he started walking again.

By the time he had accompanied Wang Dong through registration, enrollment, class assignments, and other trivial matters, it was nearly dusk. Since both Wang Dong and Xue Xiao Ran carried storage rings, they did not need to haul their luggage around in bundles.

Xue Xiao Ran accompanied the somewhat downcast Wang Dong toward the dormitory without saying anything. Anything more would only deepen the sorrow of parting.

An elderly man who appeared quite advanced in age sat in front of the dormitory. He wore gray cloth robes, and the wrinkles on his face were enough to crush more than ten flies at once. His eyes were murky, his eyelids drooped low, and he looked as though he were in his final years. The sunlight between the buildings happened to fall upon him, and the reclining chair he lay in looked rather comfortable.

Wang Dong nodded to the old man. He was apparently some sort of dorm supervisor.

Xue Xiao Ran's expression did not change, and he could not make out anything unusual either. The old man seemed like an ordinary person, without the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power.

But Xue Xiao Ran did not think so. His intuition told him that this old man was no ordinary person.

When Soul Power cultivation reached its peak, one could completely conceal one's aura and become like an ordinary person.

Xue Xiao Ran believed he was the latter, but with no evidence and nothing else he could discern, he cupped his hands in greeting before heading up the stairs with Wang Dong.

The old man remained motionless in his original posture and muttered, "Interesting."

The fleeting doubt in Xue Xiao Ran's eyes had not escaped his notice. But having doubts was a good thing.

"This year's seedlings seem promising."

He yawned, then narrowed his eyes once more.

Xue Xiao Ran went upstairs and pushed open the door. Though nothing had been placed on the bed beside hers, there was a washbasin and a towel there, clearly signs that someone had already moved in.

Wang Dong silently began taking things out of her ring and arranging them on her bed.

Neither of them spoke.

Before long, a young man pushed open the door. Seeing two people inside, he instinctively checked the dormitory number again and muttered to himself, "I shouldn't have come to the wrong room."

"You are?" the blue-haired youth asked subconsciously.

Wang Dong snorted. "I'm your roommate."

"You're in this dorm too, right? Since you cleaned the dorm so well, I'll allow you to stay with me for now. There are a few rules you need to remember. First, you're not allowed to casually bring people back to the dorm. Second, don't walk around naked in the dorm and disgust people. Third, you're not allowed to snore at night. Fourth, don't disturb me. Fifth, from now on, you'll be responsible for cleaning the dorm, but don't touch my bed. Do you understand?"

Wang Dong spoke haughtily. She only wanted to vent and lessen the sadness in her heart.

"Why should I?" The blue-haired youth could not help getting angry at those words. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Wang Dong, enough."

Xue Xiao Ran spoke calmly. Knowing that her spoiled young lady temper had flared up again, he nodded to the blue-haired youth as an apology on Wang Dong's behalf.

Wang Dong wiped her eyes and ran out of the dormitory.

Xue Xiao Ran stood up, and the blue-haired youth instinctively stepped aside. The two brushed past each other.

His gaze fell on the blue-haired youth, especially his eyes. With a slight turn, Xue Xiao Ran left the dormitory.

The setting sun gradually sank lower. Wang Dong curled up, feeling utterly miserable.

What made her feel even worse was that she was about to part with Xiao Ran, yet she had still made things unpleasant between them.

At that thought, her handsome face twisted slightly, revealing the aggrieved expression of a girl.

"Go back. Classes start tomorrow."

Xue Xiao Ran's voice sounded beside her.

Wang Dong looked up and saw the jade-eyed youth with his hands tucked into the pockets of his white casual clothes, watching the sunset alongside her.

The breeze stirred his ice-blue bangs. Xue Xiao Ran seemed to be smiling.

"How did you know I was here?" Wang Dong asked.

"Whenever you get upset, you come to the highest place and stare at the sky." Xue Xiao Ran answered calmly. Whether in the God Realm or on Douluo Continent, she had always been the same. Even with her memories sealed, some old habits and preferences had not changed at all.

Wang Dong turned to look at the calm-faced Xue Xiao Ran again. She opened her mouth, then murmured softly, "I was wrong earlier."

"The purpose of the conversation wasn't wrong, but your starting point was."

"Your Soul Power Level is higher than his. On Douluo Continent, it's perfectly normal to make others do things for you, since strength is respected above all else. But your mistake was letting your emotions get out of control and taking it out on him."

A faint smile appeared on Wang Dong's face when she heard that.

She knew Xue Xiao Ran was only trying to comfort her.

"Idiot," she murmured softly.

"I'm leaving."

Xue Xiao Ran let out a breath, then turned and headed down the stairs.

"Wait."

Xue Xiao Ran paused, then felt someone wrap their arms around his back.

Because of the seal Father-in-law had placed on Wang Dong, Xue Xiao Ran was one of the few people who could get close to her. Xue Xiao Ran could not help sighing at how much Father-in-law truly doted on his daughter, leaving outsiders without even a chance to strike up a conversation with her.

If an ordinary person held Wang Dong's hand, even by accident, they would be instantly sent flying by the restriction Father-in-law had placed on her.

"We'll definitely meet again." Xue Xiao Ran comforted her as he watched lamps light up one after another throughout the vast Shrek Academy. He silently sighed at how uniquely beautiful Shrek Academy's scenery was.

"Study hard. We'll meet again in a few years." Seeing that Wang Dong still would not let go, Xue Xiao Ran turned around and patted her shoulder.

"I don't want it to be years!"

Wang Dong's voice was somewhat hoarse, and it had become feminine again.

"Be good." Xue Xiao Ran lowered his head with a smile to comfort her, but his voice carried firm resolve.

It was not that he had no expression. He had merely hidden his emotions beneath that face.

He had brought the sixth rule of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record—remaining calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, and unshaken even if the Yellow River burst over his head—to the extreme.

Perhaps only his birth parents knew what Xue Xiao Ran was truly thinking.

"If anything happens, go to Uncle Niu Tian and Uncle Titan. I'm leaving."

Xue Xiao Ran forcibly pulled away from Wang Dong, gently stroked her pink-blue short hair, then walked down the stairs.

"Pinky swear!"

Wang Dong held out her hand before Xue Xiao Ran.

"Pinky swear. We'll meet again in a few years, and you'll come to Shrek Academy to attend classes. Whoever breaks the promise is a puppy."

Xue Xiao Ran was momentarily dazed, as if he had returned to the God Realm—to that crisp sound of a pinky swear, and that little hand held out before him.

Hearing the terms of the promise, Xue Xiao Ran smiled.

"Pinky swear, hang ourselves for a hundred years, never change," they both said softly.

Wang Dong waved her fist, as if trying to hide something. "If you lie, I'll beat you to death."

"Mm."

Xue Xiao Ran chuckled softly, turned his back on Wang Dong, and walked toward the boundless evening glow.