Bidding Farewell to the Tang Sect

The private room was brightly lit. Under the soul lamps, Tang Wulin's features appeared even more resolute and handsome. The two sat facing each other while Tang Fenghua waited at the side. After nearly a full day of sorting through memories and enduring the impact of so much information, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena both wore traces of fatigue, but their gazes were clearer and firmer than ever before. Those scattered fragments of memory had gradually been threaded together by an invisible line. Though vast blanks and unreachable details remained, a clear outline had already emerged of who they were, where they had come from, and why they were here.

Tang Wulin set down the dossier in his hand, which outlined the modern space fleet system, and looked up at Tang Fenghua, who stood waiting respectfully nearby.

"Master Tang," he said, his voice steady yet carrying unquestionable resolve, "what we learned today is of utmost importance to us. Thank you to the Tang Sect and Shrek for safeguarding everything through ten thousand years of change."

"It was simply our duty. You honor us too highly, Sect Master," Tang Fenghua said hurriedly, bowing.

"Gu Yuena and I have recovered much of our memories, but there are still crucial parts that have yet to connect." Tang Wulin continued, meeting Gu Yuena's gaze and receiving a faint nod in return. "Shrek City is somewhere we must visit again. We have too much history there. Perhaps it can fill in the final missing pieces."

Gu Yuena added softly, her violet eyes thoughtful, "Sea God Lake, the Golden Ancient Tree, and... that mysterious master of Sea God Pavilion. I have a feeling that there are things there that are very important to me." She did not say it outright, but both she and Tang Wulin vaguely sensed that deep within Shrek City lay deeper clues concerning their "rebirth" and the potential threat looming in the cosmos.

Understanding at once, Tang Fenghua immediately said, "I will arrange the finest soul-powered flying car and notify Shrek Academy..."

"There's no need."

Tang Wulin raised a hand to interrupt him, his tone gentle but firm.

"Our whereabouts must remain under the strictest secrecy. Informing Shrek is necessary, but only the core members of Sea God Pavilion may know. As for the journey, we have our own arrangements."

Gu Yuena also looked toward Tang Fenghua. Her voice was cool, yet carried an innate majesty, the lingering aura of the Silver Dragon King and the master of Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years ago. "Master Tang, there is one more matter I need your assistance with."

"Please give your instructions, Lady Gu Yuena."

"Spirit Pagoda." When Gu Yuena spoke those words, she paused with an extremely complicated hesitation in her tone. "Although its relationship with the Tang Sect is strained now, it still represents a bond of cause and effect that I cannot completely sever. After we go to Shrek City, we may choose an opportunity to visit Mingdu. Please use an appropriate method to let Spirit Pagoda's current highest-ranking core members vaguely learn of my existence, as well as... the possibility that I may visit."

Tang Fenghua's expression became troubled. "This... Lady Gu Yuena, the factions within Spirit Pagoda are complicated. If word leaks out in advance, I fear that Federation Parliament..."

Tang Wulin took over, "Keep it secret from Parliament for now." A sharp glint flashed through his golden eyes. "Ten thousand years ago, it was precisely the three-way balance between the Tang Sect, Shrek, and Spirit Pagoda that maintained a certain equilibrium. Now Parliament fears the technological strength of the Tang Sect and Shrek. If it learns that we have returned and are in contact with Spirit Pagoda, it will inevitably cause unnecessary turmoil. It may even affect the stability of Douluo Star and alert the threat lurking in the shadows." He was referring to that vague premonition of a cosmic-level threat and the forces that might be connected to it.

He paused, his tone softening, though it still bore the authority of the former Sect Master. "Only a few of Spirit Pagoda's most central figures need to know. They will weigh the benefits and consequences themselves. After all, Gu Yuena's return is of extraordinary significance to Spirit Pagoda." He looked at Gu Yuena, his eyes filled with complete understanding and support. He knew that fully resolving her ties to Spirit Pagoda was a crucial step toward making her heart whole.

Feeling his support, warmth surged through Gu Yuena's heart. Her grip on his hand tightened as she said firmly to Tang Fenghua, "A vague message is enough: 'The Silver Dragon has reappeared.' If they still remember the oath and their origins from ten thousand years ago, they will understand."

Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Tang Fenghua said no more and solemnly accepted. "Yes, I understand. I will handle it carefully and ensure the news remains confined to those who need to know."

Once everything had been settled, Tang Fenghua remembered something else and took out a card that gleamed with soft silver light. "Sect Master, Lady Gu Yuena, this is a credit credential with the Federation's highest authorization. The available funds are sufficient to mobilize any resource within the Tang Sect's jurisdiction. Please accept it, in case it is needed."

This time, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena almost simultaneously revealed somewhat similar smiles, containing both helplessness and understanding.

Tang Wulin shook his head and pushed the card back. "We appreciate Master Tang's kindness. But we truly have no use for this."

The corners of Gu Yuena's lips lifted into an extremely faint yet genuine curve. A glimmer like that of a little girl succeeding in a prank flashed through her violet eyes as she explained softly, "Di Tian has already prepared everything for us. Enough for us to... well, use for a very, very long time." She recalled Di Tian's respectful yet concerned expression when they had left the Star Dou Great Forest, as he handed them an apparently ordinary storage soul device whose interior space was enormous, packed with rare minerals, gemstones, and a vast quantity of Federation currency. In Di Tian's words, "Now that my lord has returned to the world, how can she go without money at her side?"

Tang Fenghua was initially stunned, then suddenly understood, and a smile appeared on his face as well. Of course. Lady Gu Yuena was the sovereign of all soul beasts. The wealth accumulated by the Star Dou Great Forest over ten thousand years likely surpassed anything ordinary people could imagine. There truly was no need for the Tang Sect to worry about their travel expenses. He put away the card and did not insist further.

All matters had been properly arranged. Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena rose to their feet, briefly bid Tang Fenghua farewell, and quietly left the Tang Sect's ancestral grounds without alerting anyone unrelated.

Tiandou City remained prosperous beneath the night sky, its soul-powered neon lights painting the heavens in brilliant colors. The two walked side by side through the bustling crowd, yet seemed to exist in a world of their own, isolated from the clamor around them. They used no transportation, merely strolling toward the edge of the city by following their memories and instincts.

"How do you feel?"

Gu Yuena asked softly, her silver hair drifting lightly in the night breeze.

"Like I've put down part of a burden, but taken on a new responsibility."

Tang Wulin answered honestly. Feeling her cool fingertips in his palm, he unconsciously tightened his grip.

"Now that I know our direction, I feel much more at ease. It's just..." He paused and turned to look at her, a trace of barely perceptible unease in his black eyes.

"Gu Yue, have you really thought this through, about Spirit Pagoda? There... may not be only pleasant memories there."

Gu Yuena fell silent for a moment, her eyes turning toward the distant, glittering stars as though reviewing that river of time spanning ten thousand years.

"It isn't a matter of whether I have thought it through, Wulin. It is a part of my past that I must face." Her voice was soft but carried unshakable determination. "I once used it, and in the end... I left my mark there. Its rise and decline were caused by me. Avoiding it cannot bring my heart true peace."

She turned back. Her violet eyes gleamed in the night, clearly reflecting Tang Wulin's figure. "And this time, I am no longer alone. With you by my side, no matter what I face, I have the courage to sort it out, let it go, or... change it."

Tang Wulin's heart stirred. He stopped and looked deeply at her. The halo of the streetlamps edged her delicate profile with soft light, and those usually cool violet eyes were now filled with trust and reliance upon him. He reached out, not to take her hand, but to gently brush aside a strand of silver hair that the wind had blown across her forehead. His movement was incomparably tender.

"Mm." Countless words ultimately became a single, most solemn promise. "No matter what you have to face, I will be by your side. You are my entire world."

There was no earth-shaking oath, only companionship that seemed plain yet weighed heavier than a mountain. Feeling the warmth of his fingertips, Gu Yuena's faint ripples of unease over Spirit Pagoda were instantly soothed. She took the initiative to place her hand in his palm, their fingers interlocking.

"Let's go, to Shrek." She smiled, like a snow lotus blooming upon an icy plain, pure and warm. "I'm looking forward to it a little. I wonder whether Sea God Lake, ten thousand years later, still carries the same vast life aura as it did in my memories."

"I'm looking forward to it too." Tang Wulin smiled as well, taking her hand and continuing forward. "I wonder whether Sea God Pavilion still has the feeling we remember. And that Pavilion Master..." Curiosity and inquiry flickered in his eyes.

"Who exactly is he? How did he survive these ten thousand years, and what has he been waiting for?"

Their figures gradually merged into the night and the crowd as they headed toward the city that held countless memories of their youth, passion, tears, and vows. This time, they were no longer the son of a God King and the sovereign of soul beasts, forced to stand opposed under the burden of their peoples' destinies. They were travelers returning hand in hand, seeking the lost fragments of their memories, untangling the causes and consequences of the past, and preparing to face together the unknown future hidden beyond the stars.

The road ahead was still long, but as long as they walked hand in hand, there was nothing to fear.