The familiar voice filled Su Qing with joy, but it quickly turned to confusion.
"How did Sister Lexuan know I was coming to register today? Oh no!!! I forgot to coordinate my story with that guy Bei Bei!"
Realizing he was in serious trouble, Su Qing turned pleading eyes on the senior student from the admissions office standing before him:
"Senior, I'd still much rather go with you!"
"Hehe, you two go ahead. I'll take him to catch up."
Zhang Lexuan's gentle voice was as captivating as a first love, but Su Qing could clearly sense the bone-chilling coldness that faintly radiated from her.
"Of course, Senior Sister. We'll get back to work, then."
"Mm."
As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan naturally took Su Qing's hand and led him through the academy gates.
"Sister Lexuan, you haven't heard any rumors about me, have you?"
Though he knew he was doomed this time, he still held on to a sliver of hope. Maybe Bei Bei hadn't told her that he'd found him in the forest...
Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan was so angry she laughed.
"What rumors? Like how someone said goodbye to me, then turned around and plunged into the Star Dou Great Forest, where he stayed for over a year? Su Qing, are you trying to become a wild man?"
What angered her wasn't that Su Qing had slipped into the forest behind her back. It was that this guy had treated his life as if it meant nothing. He'd lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for a year, and if anything had happened to him in all that time, the consequences were too terrible for her to even imagine. What's more, Bei Bei had told her that there wasn't a single intact piece of cloth left on his clothes...
Yet when she'd first met him, his clothes had been completely undamaged. That meant he'd fought Soul Beasts countless times in the Star Dou Great Forest, and had probably been injured quite a few times, too. Apparently, the biggest hole was in the back of his clothes, and even sewing animal hide over it hadn't been enough to cover his skin.
When she'd heard all this from Bei Bei, the image of Su Qing being ambushed from behind by a vicious Soul Beast had immediately sprung into her mind. She couldn't bear to imagine how desperate he must have felt after being gravely injured in that ambush.
Meanwhile, a certain small golden beast sunning itself by Life Lake was wondering what Su Qing was up to when it suddenly shivered. The baffled Di Yueyao sat on a rock, scratching her big head with a hind paw as she wondered aloud:
"Eh? Is Su Qing missing me?"
"Sister Lexuan, hear me out. I went into the Star Dou Great Forest to train. It wasn't dangerous."
Su Qing tried to explain, but he couldn't tell Zhang Lexuan what had really happened. For a moment, he found himself unable to defend himself no matter what he said.
"You may think you have no ties to anyone, and that it wouldn't matter if you died. But do you have any idea how cruel that way of thinking is to the people who care about you?"
Zhang Lexuan's voice was calm, yet a dangerous aura radiated from her whole body. Su Qing could tell she was furious; the hand she had wrapped around his was gripping him very tightly.
But he didn't dare try to defend himself again. He was just curious where, exactly, Zhang Lexuan was taking him.
The two of them traveled in silence until Zhang Lexuan took him over Sea God Lake and led him to a cemetery.
"Everyone buried here was a student of Shrek Academy who died while on a mission or met with an accident during Soul Hunting. Some students' families come to pay their respects every year, but others have been forgotten ever since they were brought here. The teammates who died when you and I first met are here, too. They were orphans. No one comes to see them but me. I don't want you to end up like them, fading away in people's memories. So you'd better stay alive."
Zhang Lexuan gritted her teeth as she spoke that last sentence. Had a third person been there, they would have seen the usually composed, gentle, and steady Inner Court Senior Sister reveal a side of herself few ever got to see.
"I understand, Sister Lexuan. I won't go anywhere dangerous by myself again."
After lowering his head in apology and seeing that Zhang Lexuan had softened, Su Qing wrapped his arms around her. Her body stiffened, but she didn't push him away. Since she hadn't refused, Su Qing didn't let go for quite some time.
At last, Zhang Lexuan's emotions settled, and she pinched the soft flesh at his waist.
"That's enough. You've got some nerve, taking advantage of your Senior Sister."
"Ow! Sister Lexuan, you're ruthless!"
The sudden pinch at his waist made Su Qing cry out in pain. He immediately let go, rubbing his side as he complained.
"If you go running off to dangerous places alone again, I'll break your legs."
Zhang Lexuan glared at him. This kid was utterly out of control. He even seemed to want to court his Senior Sister. Did he not realize she was more than ten years older than him? Though, purely in terms of looks, she had to admit he was quite handsome. His personality, however, was far too troublesome.
"Then Sister Lexuan will have to take care of me for the rest of my life."
Su Qing raised his eyebrows at her, but the next moment, some clueless fool got a hard rap on the head.
"Ow—"
Seeing that Zhang Lexuan had calmed down, Su Qing finally relaxed. The two of them found a spot by Sea God Lake and enjoyed a rare moment alone together.
"By the way, did the two students from the admissions office not get a chance to give you the key to your new student dorm room?"
Only now did Zhang Lexuan remember. They'd left in such a hurry that she'd forgotten about it. But she didn't think it was a big deal. The new student dorms at Shrek were rarely full, so arranging a room for Su Qing would be easy. She didn't say that, though, and instead teased him:
"Looks like some poor little wild man will have to sleep rough again tonight. But that little wild man must be used to it by now, right?"
Zhang Lexuan's gloating didn't make Su Qing the least bit nervous. He tilted his head slightly and edged closer to her, speaking in a sarcastic tone:
"What? Sister Lexuan, the one responsible for this, can bear to let me sleep rough? What a shame. You could have earned a wild man's gratitude, and a bed that would stay warm as spring every hour of the day."
Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan was both embarrassed and annoyed. This guy talked such nonsense. She had no idea who he'd learned it from.
"You brat, how dare you tease your Senior Sister? Looks like you're asking for a beating."
As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan pinched his fair, jade-like cheek. The tender laughter in her eyes nearly spilled over.
"But Sister Lexuan started it. Still, as the one responsible, won't it break your heart to see me left homeless? Your heart's harder than stone! Boo-hoo..."
As he spoke, Su Qing clenched both hands into fists and pressed them beside his eyes, rolling them around as he pretended to cry.
"You brat, I still won't let you sleep in my bed!"
Zhang Lexuan burst out laughing at his antics. The gentle image she'd maintained for so many years shattered completely; now she was laughing with wild abandon, leaning back and forth.
"What are they laughing about?"