Azure Waves' First Feast Soothes Loneliness · Pink Paper's Childish Words Prove True Heart

The place where the two enjoyed their dinner was called—

"Green Wave Cottage"

It truly lived up to its reputation as a high-end restaurant.

The ambiance was elegant, the dishes were exquisite, and the flavors were beyond reproach.

Long Jinyu was like a country bumpkin entering the city; everything he saw felt fresh and novel.

Although he still restrained himself from eating his fill, he had genuinely tasted several types of rare soul beast ingredients and specialty dishes he had never encountered before, which certainly broadened his horizons.

Of course, the biggest "scenery" was the boy himself.

Along the way.

His sweet ensemble of long silver hair and a JK uniform drew a two-hundred-percent turnaround rate. Shock, curiosity, amazement, confusion... all sorts of gazes threatened to pin him to the spot.

If not for the ill-tempered, murderous-eyed fire maniac—the Fire Phoenix Heavenly Maiden—following him, someone likely would have come up to chat or gawk long ago.

Ma Xiaotao's "keep away" aura was in full effect, which saved quite a bit of trouble.

When paying the bill, seeing the not-so-small figure, Long Jinyu felt a pang of sympathy for Ma Xiaotao's wallet.

Leaving the restaurant, the cool evening breeze blew away the scent of food from their bodies and caused the hem of his skirt to sway slightly.

Long Jinyu subconsciously brought his legs together; he still wasn't quite used to it.

"Senior Sister."

He turned his head to look at Ma Xiaotao, who was walking briskly with her hands in her pockets, and thanked her sincerely.

"Thank you for treating me to such delicious food. It must have cost a fortune."

He was genuinely curious.

The original work never mentioned that Ma Xiaotao was wealthy; surely the inner court disciples' subsidies weren't high enough to splurge like this?

Moreover, he didn't feel like Ma Xiaotao was the type to be so particular or extravagant with her food.

Ma Xiaotao's footsteps faltered, as if she had only just remembered this.

A look of extreme unnaturalness flashed across her face, her eyes drifting to the side as she mumbled, "Oh, that... it's fine, we... have money now."

"Hm?"

Long Jinyu was even more confused.

Ma Xiaotao seemed to find it hard to speak, but seeing his clueless expression, she explained with rapid speed: "Just... when you were sleeping like a pig this afternoon, Teacher came by."

She omitted Yan Shaozhe's "you know," "you must make him feel the warmth of home," and other remarks that made her toes curl in embarrassment, as well as her own complex mix of shame and secret joy at the time, distilling only the core information:

"He gave us two cards, one for each of us, calling it... a 'mission subsidy.' He told me to help you get familiar with the environment and... take care of you a bit."

She tried hard to make her tone sound as if she had just been assigned a troublesome chore.

"There are ten thousand Gold Soul Coin inside, said to be the monthly quota. Your share is with me too; I'll give it to you when we get back. I was just... thinking about you crying... and this dress of yours, and it slipped my mind."

After saying this, she didn't dare look into Long Jinyu's eyes and quickened her pace, leaving behind only a slightly reddened earlobe.

Long Jinyu froze, then suddenly realized.

I guess Mu En and the others still have a conscience.

He muttered to himself, but then a thought occurred to him.

Ten thousand a month... is that really it? Is my Dragon God bloodline only worth this much? So stingy? Probably just some pocket money to appease me.

He immediately chuckled.

He had truly been blinded by this sudden surge of power; ten thousand would have covered his living expenses for half a year back on Blue Star. Even here, it was by no means a small amount.

He just subconsciously felt that compared to titles like "God-level Martial Soul" and "Sea God Pavilion's priority," this amount of money seemed insignificant.

However, he thought, if I asked for more, they probably wouldn't be stingy, right?

But the thought was fleeting.

After being adopted by Teacher Jin on Blue Star, although he no longer worried about clothes or food, he always kept the concepts of "don't cause trouble for others" and "be sensible" in his heart. (Though, since this is Shrek? If there's a chance to scam... ahem, to ask for more, I definitely will! Hehehe~~)

He saved almost all the pocket money Teacher Jin gave him, eventually turning it into a scarf for Teacher Jin, reference books for Mu Yao, or a homemade meal during the holidays—not particularly lavish, but full of heart.

Every time he did this, Teacher Jin would scold him with a mix of anger and heartache, but the smile in his eyes could never be hidden.

To him, as long as the money was enough, sincerity and promises were far more important than numbers.

Thinking of this, his gaze toward Ma Xiaotao softened even more.

She had just received the "subsidy," and the first thing she thought of wasn't to squander it on herself, but to take him out for a good meal...

"So that's how it is, Senior Sister is the best~!"

He took two quick steps to catch up with Ma Xiaotao, his tone relaxed.

"I was sleeping too soundly and had no idea. I'm sorry to trouble you, Senior Sister, having to be responsible for 'babysitting'."

He made a small joke.

Internal monologue: Looks like I'm still a bit useful; with me around, Ma Xiaotao's life has become quite a bit more comfortable.

A bizarre phrase suddenly popped into his mind—

Mother rising through the status of her son?

"Pfft—"

Long Jinyu was so struck by his own thought that he nearly choked, almost tripping over his own feet.

"What the hell! Ma Xiaotao has become my mother?! What kind of nonsense is this! I'm not some junior student named Wa!"

"Xiaotao rising through the status of Yu? That doesn't sound right either..."

He shook his head, trying to fling those messy associations away.

Thinking about it carefully, given Ma Xiaotao's talent, being near a Spirit Saint before the age of twenty, this cultivation speed was likely even greater than Mu En's in his youth.

These resources were rightfully hers, it was just that Shrek... was truly a bit stingy.

"Speaking of which."

His thoughts began to wander again.

"Yan Shaozhe was picked up by Mu En and became the Dean of the Spirit Soul Department;"

"Ma Xiaotao was picked up by Yan Shaozhe and is the heir to the Spirit Soul Department."

"Good grief, Shrek's 'fine tradition'..."

"...Starting with just an academy, and all the deans are acquired by picking them up?"

"And they specifically pick up phoenixes? Could this be fate? Is it some kind of destiny?"

"Speaking of fate..."

Long Jinyu's mind felt as if it were being pulled by invisible threads, drifting quietly toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, toward that brilliant and lonely golden figure.

"It can't help but remind me of that... 'little blonde' who bore the power of fate, yet could not control her own..."

Thinking of that pure, stubborn Three-Eyed Golden Lion who, for the sake of a woven emotion, went forward without hesitation only to eventually burn out completely...

That lingering regret was no less intense than his pity for Ma Xiaotao's tragedy.

"Since I have come, and I know, I cannot just watch the same tragedy happen all over again."

"She... I must find a way to pull her back as well."

"At the very least... I cannot let her live like a tool and die like a symbol."

"I must let her... truly live for herself for once..."

While his mind was off on these wild tangents, a contemplative expression unconsciously appeared on his face, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ma Xiaotao snuck a glance at him, and seeing his appearance, she couldn't help but feel worried.

Oh no, did this kid think of something sad again?

Is he uncomfortable using the teacher's money? Or does he think ten thousand is too little?... No, he looked quite happy just a moment ago.

She felt a bit awkward, not being very good at comforting people, but she still cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound casual:

"Hey, kid... look, just take what the teacher gives you, don't overthink it."

"In the future... in the future, Big Sister will cover for you. If there's meat to eat, you'll definitely get your share of the soup!"

"Uh... no, that's not it, if there's soup to drink, you'll definitely get your share of the meat!"

She seemed to realize the analogy was wrong and corrected herself with some annoyance, but it sounded even stranger.

Long Jinyu: "???"

He snapped out of his own daydreams and looked blankly at Ma Xiaotao, who had suddenly started "guaranteeing" him meat and soup.

What kind of act was she putting on now?

Seeing the bewildered expression on Long Jinyu's face, Ma Xiaotao also realized she might have misunderstood...

"What are you looking at! Let's go!" she said fiercely to cover it up, almost jogging toward the direction of the Phoenix Perch Pavilion.

Long Jinyu watched her retreating back, finally realizing belatedly what she might have been worried about, and a warmth spread through his heart.

The evening breeze was gentle, blowing through his silver-white hair. He smiled and quickened his pace, catching up to the fiery red figure ahead.

The lights of the Phoenix Perch Pavilion were already glowing softly in the distance.

Inside the room.

The lamplight was warm, yet it could not dispel the heavy sense of loneliness in Long Jinyu's heart.

"Senior Sister, goodnight." He called out to Ma Xiaotao, who was already hurrying upstairs.

"Mm, get some sleep early," Ma Xiaotao replied, though she seemed not to have fully recovered from the awkwardness of a moment ago.

He closed the door.

The room was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

A massive sense of loss slowly welled up in his heart once more, quieter than before, but also more lingering.

Transmigration was not something one could easily accept with just a good cry. He needed time, a lot, a lot of time.

I need to find something to do; I can't just sit here and let my mind wander.

"System."

He lay on the bed, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Since you can read my memories and back up my phone, can you do the same for other things? Is that possible?"

[Of course, Host~]

[What do you want to back up now? Is it more of those 'treasured' study materials? Hehehe~]

"Cut the crap... am I that kind of person?"

Long Jinyu laughed and scolded.

"It's serious business. I remember... when I was a kid, watching Douluo Continent with Mu Yao, we wrote a notebook together to organize the plot and, well, to make up for some regrets. If I remember correctly, there should be some things written in it."

He paused, his voice dropping, tinged with a sob: "It's been so long since I've looked at Peerless Tang Sect that many details have blurred... It wouldn't hurt to review. I never expected... that this thing would actually come in handy one day..." He couldn't continue, his nose beginning to sting again.

[Look at you, so pathetic...]

The system didn't crack any more jokes, its tone seemingly carrying a hint of... human-like helplessness?

[Fine, fine. I'll give it to you as a friendly gift this time; I won't deduct your points.]

As soon as the words fell, a faint light flashed, and a thick pink notebook appeared out of thin air, falling into Long Jinyu's hands.

On the cover of the notebook, in slightly childish yet neat handwriting, were the four large characters for Douluo Continent, with two names written side-by-side underneath: Jin Muyao, Long Jinyu.

Seeing this familiar notebook and Mu Yao's name, Long Jinyu's tears almost fell again.

He hugged the notebook tightly, as if holding the only token from another world, burying his face in it. His shoulders trembled slightly for a long while before he slowly calmed down.

He took a deep breath, walked to the desk, sat down, and carefully opened the notebook under the warm glow of the soul guidance lamp.

Skipping the parts about the first installment, the pages rustled until they finally stopped at the chapter for Peerless Tang Sect.

Familiar names came into view one by one:

Ma Xiaotao, Wang Qiu'er, Meng Hongchen, Zhang Lexuan, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan...

His gaze lingered on Ma Xiaotao's name for a long time, because next to it, someone had clumsily drawn a crooked little heart in red ink.

Long Jinyu's fingers gently brushed over the little heart. He froze for a moment, then let out a self-deprecating laugh, though the corners of his eyes were a bit damp: "Did I really... like her that much... when I was so young?"

He turned the page.

The title on this page was written in a delicate, neat hand, clearly Mu Yao's handwriting—Peerless Tang HE: Rescue Plan.

Below it was a long list of names:

Huo Yun'er (Huo Yuhao's mother), Jiang Nannan's mother, Tang Ya's parents, Zhang Lexuan's family..., and even Ju Zi's parents?!

Long Jinyu stared in shock.

"Save all the tragic characters from the original work? Solve it... from the root?"

He muttered to himself.

"Such a... grand idea, it's clearly something Mu Yao would write. Back then... I probably just knew how to stare at pretty girls and act like an idiot. How could I have thought of all this..."

He imagined how serious Mu Yao must have looked when she wrote these names, and a complex, warm glow rose in his heart.

[Oh? Your sister's ideas are quite interesting.]

The system interjected.

[Unfortunately, judging by the current timeline, most of the people on this list have been dead for many years. You... are too late.]

"Can you not ruin the mood at a time like this?"

Long Jinyu retorted sharply, his mood sinking even further because of the system's words.

Yes, he had arrived too late. Many regrets seemed destined from the very beginning.

He shook his head and continued flipping through.

What followed was his own handwriting, the strokes significantly more childish, and the content making him cringe so hard he could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with his toes—

"I want to awaken the Ultimate Ice martial soul! I'll suppress the evil fire for Sister Xiaotao instead of Huo Yuhao! That way, she'll be grateful to me and acknowledge me as her little brother! Then I can follow her around every day and be spoiled by her! (A happy smiley face was drawn at the end)"

Long Jinyu: "..."

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

"Huh??!"

He covered his face, feeling his cheeks burning. He vaguely remembered that when he first saw Ma Xiaotao in the comic book as a child, he had indeed been instantly struck by that long, fiery red hair and her bright, vivid image.

Children love bright colors the most. Which little boy could refuse such a strong and beautiful "big sister" who seemed to have walked right out of the flames?

Later, when Mu Yao found out, she seemed to have put her hands on her hips and said indignantly, "Only I can be your sister!", and "punished" him for it... Thinking about it now, it was truly both childish and funny.

He endured the embarrassment and continued reading.

"I absolutely cannot let Sister Xiaotao get blood on her hands! I must save Chen Fei and Lin Xi during the Star Luo Tournament! I will fight Ma Rulong in her place and completely shatter that damn Judgment Sword! I will protect my sister!"

[The host was quite interesting as a child, too.]

The system's voice carried a teasing tone.

[It seems you really like her; you can't go three sentences without mentioning Ma Xiaotao, and you're considering her in everything you do.]

"Hahaha..."

Long Jinyu let out a dry laugh, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against the paper.

"Yeah, I really do like her."

But his smile slowly faded, and his tone became somewhat ethereal and complex: "But this kind of liking... it's nothing more than the yearning and favoritism one has for a fictional character. It's an imagination I unilaterally projected onto her; in truth... it has no real meaning."

He raised his head, his gaze unfocused as he looked out at the heavy night sky beyond the window.

"But now, she is a living, breathing person. She has flesh and blood, she cries and laughs, she loses her temper and gets shy... Instead, I find myself... a little afraid to like her."

With the distance closed, the fantasy faded, and the weight of reality left him feeling at a loss.

"Fate plays tricks on people..."

He sighed in a low voice, carrying a hint of the absurdity of destiny.

"When I first 'met' Ma Xiaotao, I was still in elementary school. So many years have passed, and I never expected that now... I would be her 'peer'."

He gently closed the notebook, as if closing a chapter of dusty, childhood innocence.

He placed the notebook carefully in the corner of his bedside table and extinguished the soul guidance lamp.

The night was deep and quiet, and the moonlight spilled through the window lattice onto the floor, like a layer of silver frost.

Long Jinyu lay on the bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling for a long, long time before slowly drifting into sleep amidst his chaotic thoughts.

Beside his pillow, that pink notebook from the distant past lay quietly, like a gentle footnote connecting two worlds.

He did not sleep soundly that night; his dreams were intertwined with the past of Blue Star and the present of Douluo.

But at least, he was not facing this loneliness alone. Upstairs lived a senior sister who was soft-hearted despite her sharp tongue, the kind who would wait outside his door because he had cried.

The night at Phoenix Perch Pavilion was deep and long, yet it also nurtured new possibilities.