Coincidence

The high-speed soul train sped across the vast land like a silver dragon, leaving the bustling, noisy Mingdu far behind. The compartment had returned to quiet, and even the laughter and chatter of the Shrek youths in the compartment diagonally opposite gradually faded as they seemed to immerse themselves in cultivation or rest.

Outside the window, the scenery gradually shifted from industrial districts on the city's outskirts to vast stretches of soul beast forests and rolling mountains. Sunlight streamed through the pristine soul-guided glass, casting bright, warm patches of light inside the compartment.

Tang Wulin drew his gaze back from the window and let it fall upon Gu Yuena, who was quietly nestled against him. Her silver hair flowed with a soft sheen beneath the sunlight, her violet eyes gently closed, her long lashes resting like butterfly wings as though she were taking a nap. But Tang Wulin knew that, like him, her heart was not entirely at peace.

With their imminent return to Shrek City, the doubts they had deliberately suppressed—or that had been diluted by three years of warm, peaceful life—rose to the surface once more. He gently shifted the arm Gu Yuena was leaning against and drew her closer into his embrace.

Gu Yuena seemed to sense it and opened her eyes. A trace of newly awakened haze lingered in her violet gaze as she looked at him. "What is it?"

Tang Wulin did not answer immediately. Instead, he raised a hand and gently brushed aside a strand of hair at her forehead, his movements tender. Thoughtfulness filled his black eyes as he slowly spoke, his voice quiet but clear in Gu Yuena's ears.

"Gu Yue, do you remember? When we had just awakened from the Far North and left that snowfield frozen for ten thousand years..."

Gu Yuena's eyes immediately cleared, and she nodded. Though that memory remained somewhat hazy, filled with confusion and instinct, its general outline was clear.

"At that time, our memories were almost completely blank, and less than a tenth of our power remained. Even our spiritual power was like that of newborn infants, unable to extend outward effectively to investigate." Tang Wulin continued, his tone carrying the distant air of revisiting the past. "We merely followed a vague pull southward, tracing humanity's footsteps from desolation toward prosperity."

His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly against the armrest. "Then, we arrived in Shrek City. The continent's foremost city ten thousand years later—its defenses were tight, its surveillance everywhere. Yet strangely, the two of us, with unknown origins and weak auras but striking appearances, actually... entered the city that easily. We even... made our way without obstruction straight to the Inner Court, all the way to Sea God Lake."

He looked at Gu Yuena, an investigative glint flashing in his black eyes. "At the time, we were muddled and thought it all perfectly natural, as though instinct had guided us. But looking back now, was that normal? Since when had Shrek City's security—especially the Inner Court's defenses—become so... useless?"

Gu Yuena narrowed her violet eyes slightly as she, too, sank into recollection. After a moment, she said softly, "They were not useless. Back then, I vaguely sensed a faint but extraordinarily high-level spiritual power constantly enveloping us. It was not surveillance. It was more like... guidance and concealment. Our auras seemed to have been cleverly hidden by that power and blended into the surrounding environment, which was why we did not trigger any alarms or draw attention."

She paused, then added, "And at Sea God Lake, when I touched the water and my memories began surging violently, I sensed that spiritual power watching me as well. It carried a kind of... gentle tolerance. When I endured the impact of those memories, it even seemed to send me a faint soothing force."

Tang Wulin drew a deep breath. "So you felt it too. I always thought it was just my imagination. Now it seems that from the moment we awakened, through our journey south, until we entered the core of Shrek City's Inner Court, someone had been pushing all that 'smoothness' along from behind the scenes."

If you encounter advertisements asking, "Are you a real person?" simply ignore and close them. Do not scan any codes or send text messages!

He clearly shared his speculation with Gu Yuena. "Someone—or rather, some force—discovered our return long ago. Not only did it not stop us, it secretly cleared away obstacles for us and guided us to Sea God Lake, the place most crucial to the recovery of our memories."

"Who could it be?" Gu Yuena asked softly, her violet eyes equally full of thought. "Someone from Shrek Academy? The Tang Sect? Or... another existence we don't know about?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "I don't know. But one thing is certain: that force bears us no ill will. Everything it has done has helped us recover our memories and guided us to become familiar with this world again. Even when we met Di Tian in the Star Dou Great Forest and awakened Golden Speech in Aolai City, it looked as though those were our own explorations, but could this force have been creating those opportunities in secret as well?"

He recalled how readily Di Tian had accepted them and placed such high hopes in them, as well as the natural, effortless insight into soul forging at Mang Tian's Workshop in Aolai City... There had been too many coincidences. Once linked together, they were no longer coincidences.

"It seems to be... paving the way for us." Tang Wulin finally reached that conclusion. "Allowing us to pass relatively steadily through that vulnerable period when our memories were chaotic and our strength had yet to return, gradually finding ourselves again."

Gu Yuena fell silent for a moment, then placed her hand over the back of Tang Wulin's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm. "No matter what, it helped us. Without that guidance, our journey after awakening would never have gone so smoothly. Perhaps our confused memories and uncontrolled power would have caused unnecessary conflicts and trouble."

She raised her head and looked at the lingering trace of doubt in his eyes, her tone firm yet gentle. "Since it means us well, and the answer is likely in Shrek City, why should we create more worries for ourselves now? When it is time for us to know, we will naturally know."

Tang Wulin looked into her clear, trusting violet eyes, and the ripples in his heart born from the unknown gradually calmed. She was right. There was no meaning in dwelling on the fog of the past. What mattered was the present: they were together, and most of their strength and memories had returned. They were capable of facing anything.

He turned his hand over and clasped hers, their fingers interlocked, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "You're right. I was overthinking it. Perhaps this is simply a friend welcoming our return in his own way."

He drew her back into his embrace, and together they looked out the window.

The train was passing through a vast lake region. The lingering rays of the setting sun dyed the water gold and crimson, its rippling light like dancing fragments of gold. Distant mountains stood dark as ink, while mist clung to the nearby waters, forming a tranquil yet magnificent painting.

"No matter who is behind it, we have to return to Shrek City," Tang Wulin said softly, as if speaking to Gu Yuena and to himself. "To understand the Silver Dragon Spear's call, to obtain the clearest memories, and also... to give our past a true farewell. Or perhaps, a new beginning."

Nestled in his arms, Gu Yuena felt the steady, powerful heartbeat beneath his chest and softly murmured, "Mm."

They temporarily set aside every doubt and every speculation. At this moment, they simply enjoyed the peace of this journey home and the warmth of each other's company. The scenery outside flew backward, while their destination—the legendary city that carried countless legends and memories—drew ever closer with the rushing wheels.

The answer lay ahead.