Eastsea F4

Leaving Mu Chen's office, Wang Chuan followed the Association's internal corridor toward the exit. Before he had gone far, he ran into a blonde girl.

The girl looked about eleven or twelve. She wore an exquisite fiery-red dress, and though her features were delicate and beautiful, there was an innate pride between her brows.

She had originally been walking in a hurry, seemingly on her way to find someone. When she saw Wang Chuan, she stopped and looked him over. A flash of amazement crossed her eyes, only to be swiftly replaced by scrutiny and faint displeasure.

"Are you the new disciple Uncle Zhen Hua took in?"

The girl raised her chin, her tone carrying a hint of interrogation.

The moment he heard that form of address and tone, Wang Chuan immediately guessed who she was.

Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi.

He remembered that one of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association's youth division slots should originally have belonged to her. Now that he had taken it, it was only natural for the girl to be upset.

A warm, proper smile appeared on Wang Chuan's face as he gave a slight nod.

"You must be Junior Uncle Mu Chen's beloved daughter, little sister Mu Xi, right?"

"Hello, I'm Wang Chuan."

His voice was clear and pleasant, his manner courteous, and his smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

Mu Xi, who had come looking fierce and ready to demand an explanation, froze at the sudden gentle greeting and the sincere smile on his handsome face.

The questions and resentment filling her heart seemed to crash into a soft wall, dispersing more than half of them at once.

She only felt her cheeks grow slightly warm, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening. Not a single harsh word she had prepared could leave her mouth, and she suddenly became flustered, her earlier proud bearing completely gone.

"Mm..."

"Y-yes, that's me."

Mu Xi's voice unconsciously softened, even taking on a trace of bashfulness she herself failed to notice.

"Are you going to see Junior Uncle Mu Chen?"

Wang Chuan asked naturally, as if their brief confrontation had never happened.

"No..."

"Ah, yes!"

"I'm going to see my dad!"

Mu Xi suddenly came to her senses and remembered why she had come. She hurriedly went along with Wang Chuan's words, her face growing even redder.

Daring not to look at Wang Chuan again, she hastily tossed out an "I'll be going, then," lowered her head, and hurried past him like a startled little rabbit...

There was even something of a panicked retreat to it.

Watching her leave, Wang Chuan shook his head with a smile. He did not take the small incident to heart and left the Blacksmith Association directly.

Back at the familiar Eastsea Academy, Wang Chuan headed straight to the Academic Affairs Office to find Director Long Hengxu.

"Director Long."

Wang Chuan knocked on the door.

Long Hengxu, who had been working at his desk, looked up at the sound. When he saw Wang Chuan at the door, surprise instantly appeared on his face before turning into delight.

"Student Wang Chuan? It's you!"

"Why have you come back?"

"Master told me to come back and participate in the upcoming Sky Sea Alliance Grand Competition."

Wang Chuan gave a simple explanation.

"Really?!"

"Of course."

Long Hengxu abruptly rose from his seat, the joy in his eyes nearly overflowing.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"This is truly wonderful!"

He said "good" several times in a row, his excitement impossible to conceal. He did not even have time to say much more to Wang Chuan, only hurriedly telling him, "Student Wang Chuan, sit tight. I'll go find the headmaster!"

Then he rushed out of the office like a gust of wind, leaving Wang Chuan standing there alone, rather bewildered.

"I'm only back for a blacksmithing competition..."

"Why is Director Long so happy?"

Wang Chuan muttered to himself in confusion.

It was only a secondary profession competition. It would help the Academy's reputation, but it should not have been enough to make Long Hengxu lose his composure like this.

What he did not know was that Long Hengxu thought he had returned to participate in the Soul Master division of the Sky Sea Grand Competition.

With some lingering confusion, Wang Chuan left the Academic Affairs Office and headed toward the dormitory area.

As soon as he reached the tree-lined path near the dormitory building, he heard familiar sounds of playful fighting ahead.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were laughing as they chased each other, followed by a blue-haired girl with a gentle temperament and lively eyes. It was Xu Xiaoyan.

The three of them seemed to have just finished training, and the mood was light and cheerful.

"Brother Chuan!"

The sharp-eyed Tang Wulin spotted Wang Chuan immediately. He cried out in delight, abandoned Xie Xie at once, and charged over like a little cannonball.

"Wulin."

Wang Chuan greeted him with a smile, letting Tang Wulin run up before him, genuine joy filling his face.

"Brother Chuan, you're finally back!"

"I missed you so much!"

Tang Wulin grabbed Wang Chuan's arm, his eyes sparkling.

Wang Chuan chuckled and rubbed his hair.

"I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"Half a year!"

"That's already a very, very long time!"

Tang Wulin stressed it earnestly, the longing in his tone utterly genuine.

Seeing the dependence and joy in Tang Wulin's eyes, Wang Chuan's heart warmed.

"Sorry, that was my fault."

His gaze swept over Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan, who had caught up, then around the area. When he did not see that familiar silver-haired figure, he casually asked,

"Where's Gu Yue?"

"Isn't she with you?"

"Gu Yue?"

Tang Wulin answered, "She went to the Spirit Pagoda today. It seems she had something to do."

Wang Chuan's expression immediately became somewhat strange.

He had almost forgotten that in the original story, Gu Yue later became Leng Yaozhu's disciple as well...

That meant Gu Yue and he had first become "siblings," and now they were going to become fellow disciples?

This relationship...

Was a little messy.

What was this called?

Once a little sister, always a little sister.

Wang Chuan shook his head.

He cast those absurd thoughts aside.

At that moment, Tang Wulin enthusiastically introduced Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan to Wang Chuan properly.

Xie Xie was still as lively and restless as ever, sizing Wang Chuan up curiously.

Xu Xiaoyan, meanwhile, was somewhat shy and obediently greeted him.

Wang Chuan smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them. His attitude was gentle and pleasant.

At the same time, a trace of understanding flashed through his heart.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan... Eastsea Academy's F4.

It looked like they had already all gathered.

That night, Gu Yue returned from the Spirit Pagoda.

When she saw that familiar figure, who seemed to carry a somewhat different aura now, complex emotions surged uncontrollably in the depths of her purple eyes.

The warm fragments of memory belonging to "Na'er" intertwined and collided with the rational mission she bore as "Gu Yue."

Tang Wulin enthusiastically introduced the two of them.

"Gu Yue, this is my Brother Chuan!"

"Brother Chuan, this is Gu Yue from our Zero Class. She's amazing!"

Gu Yue forcibly suppressed the stirrings in her heart and tried her best to maintain her usual cool, indifferent demeanor. She gave Wang Chuan a slight nod, her voice calm and unruffled.

"Gu Yue."

Wang Chuan took in Gu Yue's fleeting daze and the calmness she was deliberately maintaining. He understood, but had no intention of exposing it.

Everyone had a path they had to walk and burdens they needed to bear. He respected her choice and was willing to protect this pure memory that belonged to "Na'er."