Journey to the Star Luo Empire, Na'er's Farewell

The frozen surface of Sea God Lake reflected the cold stars filling the sky. The evening breeze skimmed across the lake, stirring fine ripples in the ice. Na'er had just finished training with Yun Ming. Holding the Silver Dragon Spear, her silver-white combat uniform gleamed coldly in the night. Yet when she reached the bamboo grove by the lake, a familiar presence blocked her path.

Gu Yue stood quietly at the entrance to the bamboo grove, her black hair stirring in the wind. The elemental power surrounding her sent faint ripples through the air—ice and fire intertwined, carrying both an oppressive force and barely restrained agitation. She looked at Na'er, her violet eyes devoid of warmth, filled only with undisguised sharpness. "You shouldn't cling to him like that."

Na'er halted. A trace of mockery flashed through her blue eyes as the Silver Dragon Spear lightly tapped the ground. Its tip pierced the frozen earth, releasing a faint Dragon Might. "Gu Yue, in what capacity are you trying to control me? As the primary personality, or as his 'companion'?"

"Either way, I have more right to remain by his side than an 'auxiliary personality' like you." Gu Yue took a step forward. The elemental power around her suddenly condensed, and a thin layer of frost instantly formed across the ground. "Have you forgotten our wager? You approached him as an independent personality. If all he feels for you is sibling affection, then you should return to the original body and stop interfering with his life."

At the mention of the wager, Na'er's expression grew colder, unwillingness and stubbornness surging in her blue eyes. "The wager isn't over yet! I haven't lost. The destined day hasn't come, and I haven't lost to his feelings for you. Gu Yue, do you think you've won? You made him fall in love with you, yet you fell too deeply yourself. You've nearly forgotten your original mission, haven't you?"

She raised a hand to touch the hyacinth in her hair, long since withered. Tang Wulin had picked it for her that day. A barely noticeable bitterness tinged her voice. "You always call me an auxiliary personality, but don't forget—it was I who met him first. He was the one who brought me home from that street corner. He was the one who spent the purest days of my life with me. This bond came earlier and ran deeper than the time you later spent with him day after day."

"Deeper?" Gu Yue gave a cold laugh. A wisp of black destruction element gathered at her fingertips, standing in stark opposition to Na'er's white-silver Dragon Might. "What you call deep is merely his pity and protectiveness toward a 'younger sister.' The way he looks at you is indulgence and responsibility. He has never looked at you with the same burning passion he shows me. You're only using the filter of childhood and the identity of a 'younger sister' to recklessly steal his tenderness."

Her voice abruptly rose, carrying the innate dominance of the Silver Dragon King bloodline. "Do you know the fate he bears as the Golden Dragon King? Do you know how many dangers he will face in the future? All you do is drag him around to sightsee, act cute, and beg for affection. But I can fight alongside him and help him bear his burdens! What he needs is a partner who can stand with him against fate, not a 'younger sister' who needs his protection at every moment!"

"Fight alongside him?" Na'er was truly enraged as well. A dense Purple Gold radiance spread over the Silver Dragon Spear, and Dragon Might burst outward, making the surrounding bamboo rustle violently. "Gu Yue, do you dare claim you approached him without an agenda? You only wanted to use his Golden Dragon King bloodline to complete your mission! It was me—it was I who let him experience pure warmth, who made him understand that beyond power and responsibility, he could have happiness too!"

She advanced toward Gu Yue step by step, her blue eyes filled with resolve. "You keep saying you love him, yet you even hide your own feelings beneath a cold exterior. You want to protect him, yet you cannot even give him the companionship he wants most. But at least I dare to cling to him openly. I dare to tell him I want to stay by his side. You won the wager, but lost your honesty. I lost in love, but gained his sincere affection."

"Sincere affection?" Gu Yue's body trembled slightly. Complex emotions churned in her eyes—anger, unwillingness, and a flicker of panic at having her thoughts exposed. "His sincerity toward you was never love! You are merely an obsession in his heart, a regret. I am the one he holds closest to his heart! He apologized to me. He said he owed me and that he would protect me. Those are things you will never have!"

"So what?" Na'er's voice softened slightly. A trace of sorrow flashed through her eyes, but she still refused to yield. "Even if it is sibling affection, I will work to turn it into love and remain by his side. You and I are one. How could I not know what is in your heart? You fear that I will take him away from you. Even more, you fear that I will awaken the true feelings you have buried deep inside and make you forget the Silver Dragon King's mission. Gu Yue, you are more cowardly than I am."

The pressure between them grew increasingly sharp. Dragon Might and elemental power collided, making the air around them congeal. Gu Yue's dark eyes and Na'er's violet eyes locked together, each reflecting the other's figure—and that equally burning, equally unyielding love.

They were twins born from the same source, each other's shadows, and each other's greatest rivals in love. What they fought over was not merely Tang Wulin's love, but the meaning of existing as "independent individuals." Gu Yue wanted to possess all of him as the primary personality, while Na'er wanted to preserve his tenderness through the persistence of an auxiliary personality.

The evening wind swept up their hair, silver-white and ink-black intertwining like fate's entanglement. Gu Yue's fingers curled slightly as destruction and creation elements flickered alternately in her palm, yet she ultimately did not strike. Na'er's Silver Dragon Spear still gleamed with cold light, but she too withdrew most of her Dragon Might.

"This struggle will not end." Gu Yue's voice was cold and hard, though it carried a trace of exhaustion. "But I warn you—do not ruin his future with your naïveté."

"I won't let you hurt him, and I certainly won't let you have him all to yourself." Na'er refused to give an inch, her blue eyes filled with stubbornness. "He deserves pure love, not to be dragged along by your mission. Gu Yue, we'll see."

With that, Na'er turned around. Her silver-white figure vanished into the depths of the bamboo grove, leaving behind only faint Dragon Might and a nearly imperceptible sadness. Gu Yue remained where she was, watching her retreating back as complex emotions churned in her violet eyes. She knew there could be no winner in this struggle, because they had always been one, and their love had long been tightly entwined with Tang Wulin's fate, impossible to separate.

The Dragon Might and elemental power within the bamboo grove had yet to completely fade when the evening wind swept dead leaves through the stagnant air between them. Gu Yue withdrew the destruction element from her palm. The burning intensity in her dark eyes receded, leaving only a cold calm, as if their earlier confrontation had never happened.

"In three days, he and I are going to the Star Luo Empire." She suddenly spoke, her voice as calm as if she were discussing something insignificant. "It is a secret mission arranged by the academy. It will last one year."

Na'er's grip on the Silver Dragon Spear abruptly tightened. Surprise flashed through her violet eyes before being replaced by intense reluctance and panic. She instinctively protested, "Impossible! Why didn't he tell me?"

"The mission is confidential. Only core members know about it." Gu Yue glanced at her indifferently, a barely noticeable sense of superiority in her tone. "It is not that he didn't want to tell you. He could not. The situation in the Star Luo Empire is complicated. It involves a struggle between soul masters from the two great empires, and one misstep could trigger unrest. He needs to focus on the mission, not be tied down by romantic feelings."

When she mentioned "romantic feelings," she deliberately emphasized the words, as though reminding Na'er that Tang Wulin was no longer the boy who could accompany her on carefree outings. He was a soul master burdened with heavy responsibilities, one who needed to advance alongside dependable companions.

Na'er's face instantly paled. Unwillingness and grievance churned in her violet eyes. A year—an entire year. She would have to be separated from Tang Wulin for so long? She had not yet made him understand her feelings, nor had she broken free of the restraints of that "sibling affection," yet he was leaving for a distant land—and Gu Yue would be going with him.

"What do you want?" She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and looked at Gu Yue, wariness filling her blue eyes. "Don't think you can use this mission to keep him all to yourself. I won't allow it."

"I don't want anything." Gu Yue lightly shook her head. Her fingertips passed over a bamboo stalk beside her, leaving a shallow scratch. "I only came to tell you. He still cares about you in the end. After all, you are the 'younger sister' he grew up with. If you want to see him during these three days, then go. Say goodbye to him properly."

These words sounded understanding, but they concealed a blade. The words "say goodbye properly" were like a thin needle piercing the softest place in Na'er's heart—Gu Yue was implying that this might be her last chance to remain at his side as his "younger sister." When he returned a year later, the place beside him would belong only to the one who could face danger with him.

"Are you pitying me?" Na'er's voice trembled slightly, containing both anger and an indescribable helplessness. She knew Gu Yue was right. With a mission to fulfill, Tang Wulin could not be distracted by her personal feelings. And as an "auxiliary personality," she ultimately had no right to involve herself in his core affairs.

Gu Yue neither denied nor admitted it. She only looked at Na'er, and a complex emotion flashed through her eyes too swiftly to catch. "I simply don't want him to have regrets," she said slowly. "He has lived a second life, and what he treasures most are the people around him. If you keep holding it all in, then once he leaves, the longing and worry of this year will only make you suffer more."

She paused, then added, "Besides, you should understand that the one who can stay by his side and keep him safe during this year is me. Rather than fighting with me here, you should use these three days to speak with him properly and tell him you will wait for him to return. Perhaps when he comes back from the Star Luo Empire, he will see more than just his 'younger sister.'"

Gu Yue's words were like a double-edged sword. They gave Na'er hope, yet plunged her into an even deeper struggle. Tell Tang Wulin how she felt? But he only saw her as a younger sister. If she said it, would she lose even their last remaining bond? But if she said nothing, then after a year apart, with Gu Yue spending every day by his side, the distance between them would only grow greater.

Watching Na'er hesitate, a nearly imperceptible ripple passed through Gu Yue's heart. She did not truly want to fulfill Na'er's wishes. She simply understood Tang Wulin too well. If Na'er did not properly say goodbye to him, he would surely carry lingering worries in his heart, and that would affect his state in the Star Luo Empire. Besides, she wanted Na'er to see with her own eyes that Tang Wulin had chosen her as his traveling companion. She wanted Na'er to understand that the only one who could weather hardship with Tang Wulin had always been herself.

"I know what you are worried about." Gu Yue's voice softened, though it still carried an unquestionable dominance. "Don't worry. I will not speak badly of you in front of him, nor will I prevent you from saying goodbye. But remember, this is your last chance. When he returns a year from now, our wager will truly come to an end."

Na'er fell silent. Her fingers around the Silver Dragon Spear had turned white from the force of her grip. Looking at Gu Yue's cold profile, she suddenly understood something. Gu Yue was not pitying her. She was giving her one final chance at "fair competition," while also declaring her claim—Tang Wulin would be under her protection for this year, while Na'er could only wait in place.

"I will go see him." After a long while, Na'er finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally firm. "I will say goodbye to him properly, and I will tell him that I will wait for him to return. Gu Yue, don't celebrate too soon. Even if you stay by his side this year, you cannot change the fact that I am in his heart."

She turned away. Her silver-white figure gradually receded into the night, her steps somewhat unsteady, yet still carrying that unyielding stubbornness. The Dragon Might of the Silver Dragon Spear slowly faded behind her, leaving only a faint, bittersweet trace.

Gu Yue stood in place, watching her retreating back as complex emotions surged in her dark eyes. She knew Na'er would certainly go see Tang Wulin, and she knew this farewell was destined to be anything but peaceful. But she did not care, because she was confident that this year-long journey to the Star Luo Empire would make Tang Wulin fully understand who was truly the most important person in his life.

The evening wind blew through the bamboo grove once more, sweeping up fallen leaves as though sighing over the coming separation. The farewell three days later, the long wait of a year, and the fated entanglement between the two women and Tang Wulin would soon meet a new turning point amid the gathering storms of the Star Luo Empire. Yet at this moment, none of them knew what earthshaking changes this seemingly ordinary mission would bring to their lives.

The morning light by Sea God Lake carried a cool mist from the water as Tang Wulin packed for his journey to the Star Luo Empire. His forging hammer was carefully wrapped in animal hide, while protective clothing issued by the academy and the soul tools needed for the mission were stacked beside it. He had just placed the last item into his storage soul tool when a familiar voice, carrying a hint of sobbing, sounded behind him.

"Big brother."

Tang Wulin turned and saw Na'er standing beneath a willow tree not far away. She had changed out of her silver-white combat uniform and into a light purple dress. Her long hair was unbound, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. The withered hyacinth had been removed from her hair and replaced with a simple silver hairpin. Her eyes were slightly red, her violet gaze brimming with reluctance. She tightly clutched a delicate brocade box, her fingertips pale from the force of her grip.

"Na'er? Why are you here?" Tang Wulin's heart stirred. He quickly walked over, and when he saw her reddened eyes, his tone unconsciously softened. "Did you find out that I'm leaving?"

Na'er nodded, forcing back the sting in her nose as she stepped forward and placed the brocade box in his hands. "Sister Gu Yue told me that you were going to the Star Luo Empire on a mission. For one year."

At the mention of Gu Yue, her voice faltered, carrying a trace of hidden dejection that she quickly concealed. She lifted her head to look at Tang Wulin, a determined light shining in her violet eyes. "Big brother, this is for you."

Tang Wulin opened the brocade box. Inside lay a delicate silver dragon-shaped pendant. Its body had been forged from Moonlight Silver and was lifelike in every detail. A tiny violet crystal, the same color as Na'er's eyes, was set in the dragon's eye. A small character for "Na" was engraved on the back, and its edges had been polished exceptionally smooth. It was clearly something she had prepared with great care.

"I made it myself," Na'er said softly, her fingertips gently brushing the pendant. "Moonlight Silver can calm the mind, and the dragon shape can resonate with your Golden Dragon King bloodline. If you encounter danger, perhaps it can help shield you for a moment. Wear it, and it will be like having me by your side."

Warmth filled Tang Wulin's heart. He took out the pendant and put it around his neck. The cool metal rested against his skin, yet it seemed to carry the warmth of Na'er's palm. Looking at the girl before him, desperately holding back her tears, he remembered the cold winter in Noding City, their reunion at Shrek, and the laughter in the bamboo grove. Guilt and concern surged within him.

"Na'er, I'm sorry. The mission was confidential, so I couldn't tell you in advance." He raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair, his movements tender and doting. "During this year, cultivate properly at Shrek and take good care of yourself. Don't be as mischievous as before, running around everywhere."

"I'm not mischievous." Na'er pouted slightly, but the tears in her eyes could no longer be held back and slid down her cheeks. "Big brother, you have to come back safely, all right? The Star Luo Empire is so dangerous. You must protect yourself. Don't get hurt. Don't make me worry."

She threw herself into Tang Wulin's arms, tightly wrapping her hands around his waist. Her voice choked with sobs. "I'll wait for you here. When you return, we'll go see the little white squirrels in the bamboo grove. When you return, pick hyacinths for me again. When you return..."

She did not say the rest. She wanted to say that when he returned, she wanted to tell him that her feelings for him were more than sibling affection. She wanted to say that when he returned, she wanted to stand by his side—not merely as his younger sister, but as someone who could stand with him. Yet when the words reached her lips, all that remained was endless sobbing.

Tang Wulin gently patted her back, feeling her body tremble as bitterness filled his heart. He knew how deeply Na'er depended on him, and he understood the affection hidden behind that dependence. But all he could give her now was an elder brother's protection and promise.

"I promise you." His voice was slightly hoarse. "I will return safely. When I come back, I'll take you to see all the sights of Shrek. I'll take you to Noding City to see the place where we used to live. I'll take you to do everything you want to do."

Na'er nodded in his arms, her tears soaking his clothes. She knew this was only a brother's promise to his younger sister, but she was still willing to believe in it, willing to wait. Once the year had passed and he returned from the Star Luo Empire, perhaps everything would be different.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Yue's voice came from afar. "Tang Wulin, it's time to leave."

Tang Wulin gently pulled Na'er away, then raised a hand to wipe the tears from her face. His fingertips softly brushed over her cheek. "I have to go."

Na'er looked at him, nodded firmly, and forced out a smile. "Mm! Big brother, have a safe journey. I'll wait for you to come back!"

Her smile was radiant, yet deep reluctance and hope lay hidden in her eyes. Tang Wulin gave her one last look, engraving that concern and promise deep within his heart before turning to walk toward Gu Yue.

Na'er remained where she was, watching his back until the blue-haired figure and Gu Yue's black-haired figure walked away side by side and vanished at the far end of Sea God Lake. She raised a hand to touch her chest, where her beating heart was filled with longing and anticipation for him.

"Big brother, I'll wait for you to come back," she murmured softly. Her voice scattered in the wind, drifting in the direction of the Star Luo Empire.

In the morning light, the girl's figure was lonely yet stubborn. Around her neck hung an identical dragon-shaped pendant, except the small character engraved upon it was "Lin." The pair of pendants carried her concern, her hope, and the deep affection she had hidden in her heart, never spoken aloud.

The road to the Star Luo Empire was long, and the journey would last a year. This farewell was not grand or earthshaking, yet it carved a deep mark into both their hearts, becoming the warmest thought in their long wait. Far away, storms were gathering over the Star Luo Empire. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue's mission, as well as the emotional entanglements between them, were about to begin.