As Dai Yunze walked into the dormitory building, Tang Liu happened to reach the old man sitting in a reclining chair. He stopped and bent forward slightly, studying the old man's deeply wrinkled, aged face before clicking his tongue twice. "It's only been a few hundred years. How did you get this old? Look at your good buddy Long Xiaoyao. He's the same age as you, and he still looks middle-aged, doesn't he? Though that's partly because he drew a life-extending spirit fruit from me... Was that fellow Du Bisou's poison really that potent after all?"
As though he had sensed something, the old man raised his cloudy yellow eyes and glanced ahead.
But there was nothing in front of him except the students entering and leaving the dormitory.
The old man lowered his eyes again and dozed in the sunlight.
Tang Liu left the old man's side then, but he did not enter the dormitory building to look for Dai Yunze—he was hardly Dai Yunze's personal nanny, after all. Instead, he went to the shore of Sea God Lake and gazed at the little island in its center.
Or rather, at the Golden Tree on the island.
Tang Liu hesitated for a moment, then pushed off with his toes and slowly floated toward the island.
He knew it was not time yet.
But what if?
What if they were already inside at this point?
Above the island, Tang Liu looked into the Golden Tree, empty save for the golden Sea God's Light. He remained silent for a long while before murmuring to himself, "Maybe I should go back to sleep and wake up after a full ten thousand years."
He shook his head lightly, turned, and flew away.
But as he flew, he suddenly stopped and slapped both his