Can't Come Up with a Title Anymore

Dawn.

When Tang Wulin emerged from the Sea of Spirit, his consciousness felt like a sponge soaked in water—heavy and sluggish, weighing his eyelids shut. He twitched his fingers, then suddenly froze.

A faint scent brushed against his neck. It was unlike Xie Xie's mix of sweat and laundry detergent—this was lighter, softer, like fabric freshly brought in after drying in the sun. Hair lay against his neck, fine strands tickling his skin.

He tried to move, only to realize that his entire body was pinned down.

Gu Yue occupied his whole chest and right arm. Her long hair spilled across his neck, her breathing even and steady. Her cheek rested against his chest, her eyelids lowered and lips slightly parted, as though she had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. Xie Xie was on his left, still asleep, breathing smoothly as if he were genuinely having a good rest.

Tang Wulin's mind stalled for two seconds. "...Gu Yue?"

There was no response.

"What are you confused about?" the Golden Dragon King's voice rang out in his mind, thick with undisguised mockery. "Shouldn't you be happy and enjoying yourself right now?"

"Come on," Tang Wulin replied inwardly, "I'd get struck dead for being into little girls, okay?!"

"Struck dead? Not even God Kings could electrocute us to death."

"I... You still have to consider my situation." Tang Wulin rubbed his forehead.

The Golden Dragon King chuckled and said nothing more.

Tang Wulin stopped arguing with him. What he needed to do now was wake the two of them up without making anyone feel awkward.

Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm. Slender vines crept along the floor beneath Xie Xie, swaying him gently and rhythmically. His body rose and fell as though an invisible hand were softly rocking him.

Xie Xie's eyelashes trembled, but he still did not wake up. Dragging him upright would be too violent and might leave him traumatized, so Tang Wulin decided to try a little longer.

Tang Wulin sent out several more strands of Blue Silver Grass and tried to support Gu Yue. This position would be difficult to explain, so he carefully controlled the vines' strength, slowly lifting Gu Yue off his body. Just as he was about to shift away, Gu Yue's palm suddenly slapped against his chest.

The sound was not loud, a light smack as if she had done it unconsciously. Tang Wulin was so startled that he failed to react in time, and the Blue Silver Grass snapped in that instant. Having lost its support, Gu Yue fell back down, her chin bumping against his collarbone with a muffled thud. Her closed eyes flew open, and then she froze.

Their eyes met. Tang Wulin's chest was still pinned beneath her, while her palm remained pressed against his school uniform. Through the fabric, he could feel the warmth of her hand.

"Y-you... What are you doing?" she asked first, her voice hoarse from sleep. The tips of her ears, along with the patch of skin beside her neck, had turned visibly red. Even her loose hair looked messier than before, with several strands stuck to her cheek.

Tang Wulin opened his mouth. "I just woke up, and I wanted to..."

He suddenly fell silent. He saw Gu Yue bracing herself against his chest to rise, her fingers wrinkling the fabric beneath her palm. Her face was very close to his, and he could see tiny flecks caught on her eyelashes, though he had no idea when they had gotten there.

"What is it?" Gu Yue asked.

"How about... getting off first?" Tang Wulin forced out a smile.

Gu Yue paused in silence, then pushed herself up from his chest. Her hair slipped free from where he had pinned it and fell back over her shoulders. As she bent down to stand, she casually gathered her scattered hair ends, turning her head away without looking at him or saying anything.

Tang Wulin got up from the floor as well and stretched. His back crackled loudly in a string of pops. He let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing.

But Gu Yue misunderstood the gesture.

She turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. There was a mild but unmistakable challenge in her voice. "Was I too heavy? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"N-no." Tang Wulin scratched his head and pressed down the lock of hair that was about to stick up.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The two stood there without looking at each other. Xie Xie was still lying on the floor, and Blue Silver Grass was still rocking him. Tang Wulin turned his gaze toward him and watched the vine continue to support Xie Xie's swaying body—he rose and fell faintly under the guidance of the Blue Silver Grass, like a small boat gently rocking in shallow water as he gradually neared wakefulness.

Tang Wulin simply focused all his attention on the Blue Silver Grass. The vines moved faster, their motions growing wider. Xie Xie's eyelashes began to twitch violently, his eyelids seeming to be pulled shut as he tried and failed to open them. Muffled sounds came from his mouth.

"Where am I..." His voice was hoarse and weak, carrying the confusion of someone newly awake. "Am I dead?" There was regret in his tone, as though he had already accepted it inwardly. "Sigh, after all my glorious life, I actually ended up..."

"Enough. Why are you still talking nonsense when you've just woken up?"

Blue Silver Grass helped Xie Xie up. He stumbled, but Tang Wulin reached out to catch him. "Boss." Once Xie Xie clearly saw Tang Wulin's face, his eyes suddenly lit up. "I never thought that even after we died, we could—"

"No, Xie Xie, we're not dead." Tang Wulin covered his mouth with one hand, cutting off the rest of his sentence. Xie Xie's eyes widened. He pulled Tang Wulin's hand away and pinched himself all over, confirming that he was indeed whole, warm, and still sore from the previous day's training.

Then he looked up, a grin rapidly spreading across his face as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even his voice changed. "Hehehe, hahahaha! This young master isn't dead! Ahahahaha!"

His laughter carried far through the morning light. A lamp in a distant window switched on, then off.

After fully waking up, the three set out on the road back to Eastsea Academy.

The newly risen sun shone through the gaps between the tall buildings to the east, dyeing the walls along both sides of the street a thin shade of orange-red.

Early risers had already come out. Steam drifted from the entrance of a bakery, while sanitation workers swept up the fallen leaves from the night before. The sound of brooms scraping against the ground rang out rhythmically.

Eastsea City slowly stirred to life before them, as though sunlight had given it a push. Yet this time, none of the three spoke as they walked down the road. Each remained silent, as though digesting everything that had happened during the night.

After Tang Wulin and Xie Xie returned to their dormitory and changed into their school uniforms, both flopped onto their beds. Xie Xie lay sprawled on his back with his limbs spread wide like a flattened cat. Tang Wulin lay on his side and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. Just as he was about to let out a breath of relief, he caught sight of the doorway from the corner of his eye.

A tall figure stood by the doorframe, blue hair falling over his shoulders, arms folded across his chest. He stood perfectly straight, as though he had been waiting there for a long time.

"Boss," Xie Xie mumbled vaguely from his bed, "that really scared the life out of me. I'm even hallucinating now. I can see Teacher Wu standing at our door. Hahaha, it's the weekend. How could Teacher Wu possibly—" His trailing words caught in his throat. The figure at the door moved, taking one step into the room. His shoe struck the corridor floor with a crisp sound.

Tang Wulin pulled the blanket over his head. He could clearly feel that the person standing at the door was real. That gaze pressed against his blanket as though it had substance, and he did not even want to move. "The Class Advancement Tournament is approaching," a cold voice echoed through the dormitory. "Come out for extra training."

Xie Xie's voice came from beneath his blanket, muffled like a cat caught by the scruff. "No— you— I— why doesn't Gu Yue need extra training?"

"Long Bing went to get her. She'll be here soon." Wu Changkong walked over to the bed and grabbed Tang Wulin by the back of his collar. His movement was clean and decisive, his strength as precise as though it had been measured. Tang Wulin was lifted entirely off the bed. He only had time to let out a short "Ah!" before his field of vision changed—the dormitory ceiling lights vanished, replaced by the open sky and the dark green grass of the training field.

He stood in the middle of the field, morning sunlight slanting in from the side and casting a long, thin shadow at his feet. Xie Xie landed right after him, stumbling two steps before managing to steady himself. He was still shouting, "No— this— I wasn't ready yet—"

Wu Changkong stood opposite them, the Heavenfrost Sword already condensed in his hand.

He did not answer Xie Xie's complaints. The sword tip dipped slightly, touching the field's ground. The patch of air around its edge began to fill with white mist, and a thin layer of frost formed on the surrounding blades of grass.

"Wuwuwuwuwu." Xie Xie's mood at that moment was like the roller coaster he had ridden yesterday.

Tang Wulin turned to glance toward the teaching building—Long Bing was leading Gu Yue over from the other end of the corridor. Gu Yue was still wearing her school uniform, and she had not had time to fully tidy her hair. Loose strands on one side lifted in the wind and fell back down, with one already hanging beside her eye. She raised a hand to tuck it behind her ear, then continued following Long Bing forward.

Wu Changkong withdrew his gaze and focused once more on the two people standing ready before him. His voice was neither loud nor soft. "You two warm up first. Come back after you've loosened up." He paused, as though searching for suitable words. His tone remained even, as if he were stating something that had already been decided. "You three have potential, and you work hard. I hope you can... get into Shrek."