Promise

Xia Ming returned to the hotel room and found Wu Feng sitting alone on the bed by the window, her head deeply lowered.

Her fiery red hair hung down, concealing most of her face.

At the sound of the door opening, Wu Feng's shoulders trembled involuntarily.

She slowly raised her head, her movements somewhat sluggish.

Her eyes were veiled with mist, and the corners were slightly red, as though she had just rubbed them hard.

"You're back..." Her voice was somewhat hoarse.

Then, as if she had used all her strength, she asked a question whose answer she already knew:

"Are you leaving tomorrow?"

Her voice was soft, yet it trembled slightly.

"Mm." Xia Ming nodded.

Yet Wu Feng's uncharacteristic reaction made his heart tighten slightly, and he unconsciously furrowed his brow.

Why did her reaction feel like...?

An almost absurd thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately forced it down.

How could that be? He shook his head inwardly in self-mockery.

At most, they had only known each other for a little over a month.

Within the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she was one of the beloved little princesses, and even an iron-blooded lesbian in the original story.

As for what he had done, it was merely having her accompany him as a "maid."

In just one month, he thought he could turn her straight?

That idea was far too unrealistic, and far too arrogant.

She probably just could not bear to part with someone her own age who was supposedly her master but was actually her playmate.

After all, her status in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was special. Among those her age, perhaps only Ning Tian could truly interact with her as an equal companion.

Upon hearing Xia Ming's affirmative reply, the light in Wu Feng's eyes seemed to dim a little further.

She lowered her head again, unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes in her hands. She revealed a hint of vulnerability utterly unlike her usual temperament.

After a long while, Wu Feng finally spoke in an almost inaudible voice, carrying a trace of cautious hope and the courage of someone staking everything on one last attempt:

"Can you not leave? Can you stay at our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect for a while?"

She abruptly raised her head, her gaze anxious, and even threw out what she considered an extremely tempting bargaining chip:

"My grandpa definitely still has some Soul Bones in his collection! I'll secretly take them and give them to you then!"

What a filial granddaughter you were!

Xia Ming's mouth twitched slightly.

To keep someone from leaving, she could even come up with the idea of "stealing Grandpa's family fortune." It really suited her usual style.

However, his expression did not change in the slightest. He merely shook his head calmly.

Not to mention that he would never accept Soul Bones obtained that way.

Even if someone truly gave him Soul Bones, he would not want them.

Just as Mu En had said.

The number of hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings he already expected to obtain would be enough to yield several hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones.

Unless lower-level Soul Bones possessed some special soul skill, absorbing them would only lower his potential.

"I'm returning to Shrek this time, not leaving forever."

Xia Ming softened his tone, trying to comfort her with a more practical prospect for the future.

"In four years, aren't you coming to enroll at Shrek Academy? We'll naturally be able to meet again then."

However, this consolation focused on the future still seemed far too distant to Wu Feng, who was currently overwhelmed by the emotions of parting.

After all, she was only seven years old.

In her life so far, four years was still far too long.

Thus, not only was Wu Feng not comforted, the words seemed to strike exactly at what she feared most.

She pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes reddening further. The disappointment nearly overflowed, yet she stubbornly refused to let her tears fall.

Seeing her like this, Xia Ming sighed inwardly.

He stepped forward and stopped before Wu Feng, suggesting, "Don't stay cooped up in the room.

Heaven Dou City is lively at night. Shall we go out for a walk? We can take one more look at this city before I leave."

At his words, Wu Feng abruptly raised her head. The moisture had not yet faded from her eyes, but a faint glimmer had already appeared within them.

She nodded hard. "Mm!"

Heaven Dou City was brightly lit at night.

It was already one of the top five largest cities on the continent, and with the tournament having just ended, the vast majority of spectators were still staying in the city.

At least for tonight, it was indeed lively enough.

The two children moved through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds without attracting the slightest attention.

The lights reflected on Wu Feng's face, temporarily dispelling the gloom between her brows.

She looked around curiously. Whenever some novel little trinket caught her eye, she would tug Xia Ming over to stop and look.

Xia Ming indulged her, occasionally buying cheap but amusing little items and stuffing them into her hands.

However, in the corners untouched by the lights, the faint, deeply hidden reluctance and confusion on Wu Feng's face had still not faded.

The two did not return to the hotel until late at night.

In Xia Ming's previous life, two children only seven years old failing to return home deep into the night would likely have caused a huge uproar.

But this was Douluo Continent.

Here, strength was the only measure of safety and freedom.

Even without counting Xia Ming, Wu Feng was a top-tier Martial Soul, assault-type Soul Master.

Looking across all of Heaven Dou City, her strength could still be considered one in ten thousand.

As the door opened, the silence inside instantly enveloped them, completely shutting out the last trace of liveliness beyond the door.

The smile on Wu Feng's face, barely maintained by the lights of the night market and its novel sights, faded at a visible speed.

She silently walked to the bed and sat down, lowering her head as her fiery red hair fell once more, concealing her expression.

The air in the room seemed to become heavy again.

Xia Ming saw it all and understood.

Simple amusement could only temporarily divert her attention; it could not dispel the emotions at their root.

He walked before Wu Feng. Rather than sitting down, he spoke calmly:

"Let's make a promise."

Wu Feng's body trembled slightly.

She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with startled astonishment.

"..." She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She only questioned him urgently with her eyes.

Meeting her gaze, Xia Ming continued, "Four years from now, on the day Shrek Academy's new students report in, I'll wait for you at the academy gates."

He paused before continuing, "As friends."

"Then, let me see just how far you can grow in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect over these four years.

Don't disappoint me too much."

Wu Feng stared at him blankly, and the moisture in her eyes seemed to begin gathering again.

She sniffed hard and nodded heavily.

"Mm!"

At the same time, deep within the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The Heavenly Soul Emperor bowed slightly with incomparable solemnity toward the seemingly ordinary old man before him.

"Dragon God, I'll leave it to you."

At that moment, the usual gentleness on Mu En's face had been replaced by a rare sharpness and gravity.

He nodded with extreme solemnity.

"Your Majesty overstates it."

"Likewise, this old man must entrust this matter to everyone of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Body Sect."