As soon as he raised his eyes, the classroom of Blue Star High School was right in front of him - the sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell warmly on his arms, jumping on the golden ponytail of Mu Yao.
She took advantage of the teacher's turn to secretly push over a small piece of paper with a funny smiley face drawn on it, which read, "I stole Mom's coffee at the canteen after class, come quickly!"
On the podium, Mother Jin was writing on the blackboard with her back to everyone, her handwriting neat and powerful. As if she had a tacit understanding, she suddenly turned around, adjusted her glasses, and her eyes fell precisely on Long Jinyu. She did not blame, just smiled gently and understood, and said silently, "Be serious."
Long Jinyu felt warm in his heart, and subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to turn over the book in response, but his fingertips went straight through the table.
When his fingertips pierced the table, the unique, trivial and vivid warmth of his boyhood was like the strongest anchor, firmly holding his consciousness that was about to drift away.
The cicadas are still chirping and the sun is still shining, but the scene in front of us has begun to slowly fade away.
With this lingering warmth, his consciousness finally stopped looking back, as if the anchoring rope was gradually loosening, and he fell safely towards the deepest part of the darkness again.
Falling, as if there is no end.
Until a certain moment, in the absolute silence and darkness, a voice sounded.
In other words, it's not a sound. It's a pulse. It's a star in the vast galaxy that has the same frequency as his heartbeat, gently knocking on his door.
"...Jin Yu..."
Warmth. Indescribable warmth, growing from the core of cold consciousness, like the first seed that breaks its shell under the frozen soil.
This warmth is not unfamiliar to him - it is the origin of Ultimate Life, but it is far more ancient, mellow, and full of motherly tolerance than he possesses.
"... it's time to wake up..."
"... Your journey is not over yet..."
"... I am with you..."
Three thoughts, like three drops of sweet rain, fell into his dry Spiritual Sea.
Strength, mission, bond.
The combination of the three forms a "cornerstone" that is ten thousand times stronger than any "trunk card" and grows from within.
Chaos is dispelled.
His eyelashes trembled, struggling against his heavy eyelids.
First there is the touch - a warm wrapping feeling, like being sunk in warm jade.
Then there is hearing - the slight sound of a drop of water falling into the clear spring, regular and peaceful, like the rhythm of life itself.
Then, a glimmer of light seeped into the endless darkness.
"Well..."
At first, the field of vision was filled with a blurry emerald halo, so soft that it made people want to cry. At the same time, a very faint but familiar scent of fresh medicine penetrated the tip of the nose.
The light and shadow gradually condense and become clear.
He saw... a touch of flowing emerald, and a slender and elegant figure with her back to him, holding a glass cup in her hand, as if gently regulating the breath of life filling the air.
The figure seemed to hear the sound and trembled slightly. A drop of water in the lamp reflected the colorful colors. He paused for half a breath and then slowly turned around following the soft sound of his eyelashes trembling.
The emerald-like long hair fluttered with the movement, the dragon's horns glowed with luster under the soft light, and a face that combined the splendor of heaven and earth slowly came into view.
After turning around, a pair of green eyes came into his field of vision - those eyes contained the spring spirit of the entire forest and the eternal starlight. They were clear and deep, depositing the withered glory of thousands of lives.
She quietly stared at his confused and self-doubting face, and a very faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips. It was as light as the spring breeze blowing across the lake, but it was enough to make the fragrance of medicine around her warm.
Long Jinyu blinked and subconsciously scanned the surroundings - the soft zenith light was diffused, and the fresh air was floating in the air. This was clearly the unique ward of the Yanhuang Lingyun Medical Mansion.
"Bi...Bi Ji-senpai?!"
He blurted it out with a hoarse voice. But he denied it in the next second - there were no Swan wings, but... a pair of crystal dragon horns.
When the image of the emerald-haired dragon with horns came into his mind, he suddenly remembered a "legend" - it was Life Core, the first generation of Tianlong and Pegasus in Douluo IV. "She" was born in heaven and was born from the origin of the universe. However, because of the desire to control the Tianlong clan, she was given the dragon surname, so she was named - "Long Tianyang".
He suppressed this idea as soon as it came up: there is some similarity between the facial features, but that's it. She has nothing to do with Dragon God, and she exists across the galaxy. How could she run to Douluo Planet for no reason and save herself?
The emerald dragon girl walked to the bedside and did not immediately answer his doubts. Instead, she stretched out her fingers and the water droplets in the glass cup turned into the light of life, gently covering his still painful chest. The warm and majestic life force poured in and smoothed all the scars.
"The best thing is like water. Water benefits all things without fighting."
Her voice is like a mountain spring striking jade, ethereal and gentle.
Immediately, she leaned down, the dragon horn almost touched his forehead, and her emerald eyes looked deeply into his soul:
"But I want to fight with you."
"Fight with death for a chance of survival, fight with fate for a future, and fight to the death with everything in this world that dares to hurt you, harm you, and make you cry and bleed..."
"My lord, I am here."
"From this moment on, your pain will be healed by me. Your life will be protected by me."
She held his weak hand and pressed it gently on her heart. There was no heartbeat there, but there was a vast rhythm of life:
"Until... the end of time. This oath is made in my name of 'Emerald Dragon King Guard' and will remain forever."
With her vows, the fresh fragrance of "Shu Qi Powder" in the ward seemed to be given life, turning into little emerald green glimmers visible to the naked eye, lingering around the bed, making the entire space seem more tranquil and sacred.
The soft touch from the fingertips vaguely resonated with the breath of Dragon God deep in the blood. Long Jinyu was a little stunned. "... he...Emerald Dragon King Guard? Are you...Nine Dragon God Guards?!"
He repeated the title as if he was digesting information that was too large to be true.
All the legends, the induction of blood, the call heard when he was about to die... suddenly gathered together at this moment.
Then, in the face of absolute truth and safety, the string called "strong" that had supported him for so long could no longer support it and broke.
He suddenly reached out and hugged the emerald figure in front of him tightly, and tears burst out. It was not crying, but more like a kind of disintegration and catharsis after long-term suppression.
"Why..."
He buried his face in her shoulder and neck, his voice was hoarse and trembling, with complete dependence and grievance, "Why are you here now? I almost... I almost died... I am alone... I am really tired..."
Yu's figure seemed to be stagnant for a moment, and time seemed to slow down around her. It seemed that she did not expect that the Lord, who had shown the behavior of a "saint" not long ago, would have such a fragile side. But the next moment, her eyes softened incredibly.
She let him hold her, the dragon's tail gently wrapped around his trembling back, and her hands stroked his hair.
"It's my fault."
She whispered with unabashed pity and guilt in her tone, "You have been sleeping for too long and have made you travel so far alone... so painfully."
"But please believe it."
She stepped back slightly and wiped away his tears with her fingertips, her eyes like the firmest vow, "From now on, you will no longer be alone. Your tiredness, your pain, your road - I will share it all."
"You can cry if you want, Lord. With me, you can take off all your divinity and heavy responsibilities. You are just Long Jinyu. My...Jin Yu."