Three Years

At the southernmost tip of the Douluo Continent, beside the Endless Ocean, lay a small city called Tidewatch. Far from the Federation's political center and without any busy soul-guidance transport hubs, it had only the gentle sea breeze that blew year-round, soft white sand, and simple residents who rose at dawn and rested at sunset. For three years, an extraordinarily striking man and woman had quietly settled here, becoming an affectionate yet somewhat mysterious foreign couple in the eyes of the city's residents.

The man had black hair and black eyes, with a smile as clean and warm as the sunlight here. He called himself Tang Wu. The woman had silver hair and violet eyes, cold and breathtakingly beautiful. She usually spoke little, but whenever she looked at the man, her gaze held an irrepressible tenderness. She was called Gu Yue. No one knew where they had come from. They merely assumed they were a wealthy couple tired of the bustle of the city, who had come here to enjoy a peaceful life.

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight tore through the thin mist above the horizon, Tang Wulin would naturally awaken. Turning his head, he looked at the still-sleeping Gu Yuena beside him. Her long silver hair spread across the pillow like brocade woven from moonlight. He would rise with the utmost care, afraid of disturbing her rest, then head to the kitchen to prepare a simple breakfast. Ten thousand years ago, he had struggled for survival; later, he had run himself ragged for responsibility. Now, these trivial matters of daily life were a novel pleasure to him. Occasionally, while he was busy, Gu Yuena would gently hug him from behind, press her face against his broad back, and ask in a sleepy, languid voice, "What are we eating today?" In that moment, Tang Wulin felt his heart filled to the brim with a warmth called home.

During the day, they were the most ordinary visitors in Tidewatch City. Sometimes, they would stroll hand in hand along the beach, leaving two rows of footprints side by side and letting the tide wash them away. Tang Wulin would bend down like a big boy, scoop up a handful of seawater, and splash Gu Yuena with a mischievous grin. At first, Gu Yuena would try to maintain her cool demeanor, frowning slightly, but Tang Wulin's unrelenting "attacks" and sun-bright smile soon made her break character. Genuine laughter rippled through her violet eyes, and she began fighting back in imitation of him. The two chased and played along the shallows, water spraying everywhere as their laughter blended into the sea breeze and crashing waves.

When the sunlight grew fierce, Tang Wulin would take off his shirt, revealing a lean and perfect upper body. His muscles were smooth and powerful, a masterpiece bestowed by the Golden Dragon King bloodline and countless rounds of tempering, yet without the slightest hint of bulkiness. He displayed it without concern, while Gu Yuena sat on a nearby reef and watched him wrestle with the waves, or dive beneath the water to catch strange shells and starfish, which he would present to her like treasures. Whenever her gaze rested upon him, it always carried admiration, longing, and a trace of barely perceptible pride.

They would also visit the city market, using the "living expenses" Di Tian had prepared—an enormous sum by the standards of this small city—to buy the freshest seafood and local fruits. Tang Wulin had even developed an interest in cooking. Although his first few attempts had nearly burned down the kitchen of their seaside cottage, under Gu Yuena's barely suppressed laughter and "guidance," he had now become quite competent, capable of making several tasty home-cooked dishes.

Evening was when they most often sat on the terrace outside their home to watch the sunset. The setting sun painted the sky and sea in magnificent shades of orange-red, while the cries of seagulls returning to their nests drifted over from afar. The two shared a thin blanket and leaned against each other in reclining chairs. They said nothing, merely watching quietly as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon and stars lit up one after another. These three years had been the time when, after confirming their feelings for each other, they had truly laid down every burden and belonged solely to one another. There was no responsibility as co-ruler of the soul beasts, no duty as master of the Tang Sect, no pressure to save the world. There was only themselves in each other's eyes, and the steady warmth in their clasped palms.

The cold pride Gu Yuena possessed as the Silver Dragon King had long since quietly melted away amid this day after day of ordinary tenderness. She had learned to smile without reservation and would even act spoiled around Tang Wulin. When he deliberately teased her, she would show the adorably indignant expression of a young girl. Every one of these changes existed only because of the man called Tang Wulin at her side. He was her armor and her weakness, the harbor she had finally found after crossing ten thousand years of frozen solitude.

However, that tranquility was shattered tonight by a faint, subtle unease.

It was deep into the night. The waves gently lapped against the shoreline reefs. Tang Wulin held Gu Yuena in his arms and was about to fall asleep as usual when he keenly sensed that the woman in his embrace had tensed slightly instead of relaxing as she normally did.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, his fingers gently combing through her silky silver hair.

Gu Yuena frowned faintly, her violet eyes glimmering with confusion in the darkness. "Wulin, just now... I seemed to sense a very faint, but very clear, guidance."

"Guidance?" Tang Wulin grew serious as well.

"Yes." Gu Yuena adjusted her position in his arms, making herself more comfortable as she spoke thoughtfully. "I can't say exactly what it is. It's vague, but the direction is very clear... from the central continent, in the direction of Shrek City. It feels as though something... is calling to me."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a strange note. "Gu Yue, recently... I've been having the same dream over and over."

"A dream?"

"Yes." Tang Wulin's gaze seemed to pierce through the roof toward the distant north.

"I dreamed of the Silver Dragon Spear I left at Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago."

Gu Yuena's violet eyes abruptly constricted, and even her breathing stopped for an instant. The Silver Dragon Spear! It was her weapon from ten thousand years ago, bound to her life itself, which she had later given to Tang Wulin before the final battle.

Tang Wulin continued describing the dream, his tone hazy as though speaking in his sleep. "It just lies there quietly, placed horizontally before the Golden Ancient Tree, as if it's sleeping. But recently, in my dreams, it hasn't been so peaceful anymore. The spear trembles faintly and gives off a soft silver glow... It seems to have developed a will of its own, as if it wants to tell me something. It's urgent, but I can't hear it clearly..."

He lowered his head and looked at Gu Yuena. His black eyes were especially bright in the night. "This dream has become clearer and clearer. It appears almost every night."

Gu Yuena's heartbeat involuntarily accelerated. Propping herself up, she stared at Tang Wulin in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly. "You... you dreamed of it too? I... these past few days, I've vaguely dreamed of similar scenes as well! They just weren't as clear as yours. I only felt a familiar call, one belonging to my origin, also coming from the direction of Shrek City!"

The two looked at each other in the darkness, seeing shock and understanding in each other's eyes.

For three years, they had immersed themselves in the happiness of their present lives. Yet some things were carved into the depths of the soul and could never truly be cast aside. Their bloodlines, their divine weapons, and their countless ties to Shrek and the Golden Ancient Tree would not completely fall silent merely because they were separated by distance and their hearts had found peace.

"The Silver Dragon Spear... the Golden Ancient Tree..." Gu Yuena murmured. "They are together. Is it a coincidence, or...?"

"Could Shrek Academy have encountered some problem that requires us?" Tang Wulin guessed. As the former master of Sea God Pavilion, he felt an inescapable sense of responsibility toward Shrek.

Gu Yuena shook her head. A silver gleam flashed through her violet eyes as the keen perception belonging to the Silver Dragon King slowly awakened. "It doesn't feel like that. This sensation... feels more like it originates from the Silver Dragon Spear itself, as well as... a power that shares my origin. It's a... resonance, or perhaps a sign of something?"

She lay back against Tang Wulin's chest, listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat as her chaotic thoughts gradually calmed. She said softly, "Wulin, we've been happy for three years. These three years have been the easiest, happiest time of my life. I'm grateful that I was able to have memories that belonged completely to us."

Tang Wulin held her tightly, resting his chin against her forehead. "Me too. These past three years have been like stolen treasure."

"But," Gu Yuena raised her head, her gaze already resolute, "some karmic ties must eventually be brought to an end. Since certain calls come from a part of our souls, we cannot truly turn a blind eye to them. The Silver Dragon Spear is part of me. If it and the Golden Ancient Tree are stirring at the same time, it cannot be a small matter."

Tang Wulin looked at her without the slightest surprise in his eyes, only complete trust and support. "I understand. Our peace is important, but if that peace is built upon ignoring potential dangers and our own roots, it will eventually be broken. Rather than wait passively, we should take the initiative and investigate."

He paused, his tone becoming lighter and carrying a trace of anticipation. "Besides, now that you mention it, we should go back and take a look. See what Shrek has become after ten thousand years. See Sea God Lake, see... the places that may still be familiar."

A gentle smile blossomed once more on Gu Yuena's lips. She reached out and interlaced her fingers with Tang Wulin's. "All right. Then let's go back and take a look. Together, we'll find out what that disobedient spear and that ancient tree are trying to tell us."

Once the decision had been made, the inexplicable restlessness in their hearts instead subsided. In its place came a calmness in the face of the unknown and a firm resolve to walk forward hand in hand.

The next day, when Tidewatch City's residents saw "Tang Wu" and "Gu Yue" again, the two were still walking hand in hand on the beach, still smiling at one another. Yet attentive people might have noticed that their eyes held less of the complete relaxation accumulated over the past three years, and a little more of a barely noticeable sharpness of readiness, along with deeply buried nostalgia.

They still enjoyed the southern sunlight and sea breeze, but part of their hearts had already flown to the central continent, to that city which carried countless memories of their youth, passion, tears, and regrets—Shrek City.

Their peaceful time had not ended, only temporarily come to a pause. A new journey, one to seek out their roots and answer the call, was about to begin. This time, they would no longer fight alone, nor would they bear opposing destinies upon their shoulders. They would join hands and face everything together.