Heaven Dou City, the Crown Prince's Residence, afternoon.
Xue Qinghe was flipping through memorials when she suddenly stopped and looked up at the window.
Sunset Forest lay in that direction, far beyond sight.
Today was the third day since he had left.
"Three days... or five?"
She murmured the words, then shook her head and returned to her documents.
When the spy entered, she had just finished approving a memorial, her pen hovering in midair.
"Your Highness, there's an unusual phenomenon in the direction of Sunset Forest."
Her hand paused. "What kind of phenomenon?"
"A green light shot into the sky to the southeast and lasted about the time it takes to burn one incense stick.
"According to our observations, it was an outburst of Soul Power at the Titled Douluo level. It then settled down."
Xue Qinghe set down her pen, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her teacup.
Was he all right?
The thought surfaced, and she frowned.
She only needed to confirm Dugu Bo's movements.
Whether that Old Poison had broken through or not could affect the balance of power in Heaven Dou City.
Yes, that was all.
"Keep watching," she said evenly.
The spy withdrew.
Xue Qinghe stared at the water in her cup and only then noticed that her fingers had gone white from gripping it so tightly.
She slowly loosened her hold.
There was a hairline crack in the side of the teacup.
She stared at it for a long time. Fine porcelain from the imperial kiln shouldn't crack so easily.
...She must have gripped it too hard.
She blamed it on the tea being too hot, pushed the cup aside, and took another.
But when she picked up her pen, she couldn't bring herself to write.
In the end, she rose and went to the window.
A faint trace of green still lingered among the clouds on the horizon, like embers after a fire had burned out.
"I'm glad he's all right," she whispered.
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.
What was she saying? Who was all right?
She returned to her desk and picked up the documents again. This time, she managed to focus on them.
Still, her pen tip paused for a moment on the page, leaving a tiny ink blot.
Shrek Academy, training field, afternoon.
After training, Rongrong sat at the edge of the field with a waterskin in her hand, but didn't drink.
Xiao Wu came over from the field and sat beside her.
"I'm exhausted." Xiao Wu stretched, then turned to her.
"Why aren't you drinking?"
"I'm not thirsty." Rongrong fiddled with the waterskin stopper. After a brief hesitation, she said,
"Xiao Wu, I wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
"What kind of person is Chen Jieqi, really?"
Xiao Wu paused.
Rongrong didn't look at her. She kept fiddling with the stopper, head bowed.
"I'm just curious. A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor... don't you think he's extraordinary?"
There was a brief silence.
"He's all right," Xiao Wu said.
Rongrong turned to look at her. Xiao Wu's expression was calm, but something flickered in her eyes.
"Have you met him?" Rongrong asked.
"I saw him at the entrance to the Spirit Fighting Arena in Suotuo City and at the old Shrek Academy."
"What did he say?"
Xiao Wu remembered that night.
The boy in white stood at the edge of the crowd, a faint golden light around him. His gaze had been calm, without greed or covetousness.
"Nothing much," she said. "We just chatted a little."
Rongrong said, "Oh," and didn't press further.
In the distance, Dai Mubai and Oscar were competing on the field while Ma Hongjun egged them on. Their laughter rang out loudly.
"What about you?" Xiao Wu suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Why do you want to know what kind of person he is?"
Rongrong turned her head away. "I'm just curious."
Xiao Wu glanced at her but didn't call her out.
Not far away, Tang San stood at the entrance to the training field, watching the two girls from behind.
He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he saw Xiao Wu lose herself in thought and noticed the subtle change in her expression.
He clenched his fists and turned to leave.
That night, he was unable to sleep again.
Lying in bed, he replayed the look on Xiao Wu's face when she said, "He's all right."
She had clearly been thinking about that person, yet all she would say was, "He's all right."
He turned over and forced himself to close his eyes, but his mind was full of Xiao Wu's face—and the boy called Chen Jieqi.
He remembered what the other boy had said in Suotuo City: "It's also true that Blue Silver Grass has its limits."
He clenched his fist.
No. He would prove that Blue Silver Grass had no limits.
Shrek Academy, evening.
Yu Xiaogang stood beneath the brand-new signboard, softly reading,
"Shrek Academy."
The corners of his mouth twisted into a faint, bitter smile. After all the twists and turns, he had ended up back here.
"Teacher."
Tang San's voice came from behind him.
"You're here."
Yu Xiaogang turned around. His student had grown taller, and his gaze had grown heavier. There was also a layer of gloom in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Xiao San."
He nodded. "How are things at the academy?"
"Everything's ready. Dean Flender arranged it all very well."
Yu Xiaogang started inside, but suddenly came to a stop.
Liu Erlong stood inside the entrance in a black dress, her posture straight. She looked at him.
They held one another's gaze in a long silence.
"You're here?"
She spoke first, her voice very soft.
"...I'm here."
Liu Erlong nodded. Her eyes reddened, and her body trembled slightly.
Then she turned and walked farther inside.
Yu Xiaogang stood where he was, watching her retreating figure. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
Beside him, Tang San watched his teacher's expression and felt a sudden ache in his heart.
"Teacher..."
"Let's go."
Yu Xiaogang cut him off, his voice hoarse.
"Let's go inside and take a look."
He set off first and entered through the main gate.
Tang San followed, glancing back once. Liu Erlong's figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.
He suddenly thought of Xiao Wu and the way she looked at Chen Jieqi.
Clenching his fists, he hurried after his teacher.
Heaven Dou City, late at night.
Xue Qinghe sat by the window, holding the cracked teacup.
Moonlight covered the courtyard in silver.
Sunset Forest lay in that direction, far beyond sight.
"Three days... or five?" she asked herself again.
Looking down at the crack in the cup, she suddenly remembered what Chen Jieqi had said:
"When someone can see through you, you don't have to strain yourself so much to keep up the act."
She had thought she understood.
Now, she wasn't sure.
She didn't know what she was waiting for. She only knew that today was the third day.
She set down the teacup and went to bed.
When she closed her eyes, she saw Chen Jieqi standing before her, calmly saying,
"Your Highness, you don't need to be on guard every moment."
The moon was bright tonight.
Tang San sat alone at the edge of the field, hugging his knees as he gazed up at the night sky.
That sense of loss had seeped from his heart into his bones.
He didn't know what it was. He only knew that his chest felt heavy.
He remembered his teacher's words:
"It might be a precursor to Martial Soul Evolution."
Could it be?
He didn't know.
He only knew he had to grow stronger.
Strong enough that no one could take anything away from him.
He clenched his fist.
"No matter who my opponent is," he whispered,
"I'll win."
The wind swept through the training field, carrying his voice away.
No one heard him.
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The night was deep, and moonlight flowed like water.
The blue-gold sapling unfurled its tender leaves in the mist, where hot and cold air alternated.
Compared with three days ago, its stem seemed a little thicker, its blue-gold hue more lustrous.
In the depths of the night, it grew silently, unknown to all.
As if responding to the inexplicable emptiness in the heart of the boy named Tang San, thousands of miles away.
The key piece had already been played on the board. The aftershocks had only just begun to spread.