Shrek City's Evening Breeze, a Kiss to Seal Our Love

After the pressure Di Tian had brought completely dissipated into the heavens, all of Shrek City remained immersed in an indescribable lingering dread. The sky returned to a clear blue, and sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering across the bluish-gray stone road in warm, mottled patches. Yet for the three who had just faced the Beast God, the noise and turmoil of the outside world seemed to have been shut away behind an invisible barrier.

Tang Wulin never let go of Gu Yue's hand.

His palm was warm and dry, his grip steady and firm, without the slightest frivolity or hint of testing. It was more like a cherished hold after something lost had been recovered, one he no longer wished to release so easily. Gu Yue's fingertips were slightly cool, her skin delicate as porcelain. Held so quietly by him, she neither pulled away nor responded. She merely lowered her eyes slightly, her silver-gray gaze calm and still, retaining that aloof, frosty air that kept strangers at a distance. It was as if the confrontation that had nearly shaken heaven and earth had been no more than an insignificant gust of wind. Only the faint tightening of her fingers revealed the unrest in her heart.

Na'er walked obediently on the other side, her little hand gently tugging at Gu Yue's sleeve as her small body leaned against her, quiet and dependent. She only understood fragments of the conversation in the sky, but she remembered one point with perfect clarity—her brother would not let Sister Gu Yue leave, and they would always be together.

As they made their way from the Outer Academy plaza to the student dormitories, eyes continuously turned toward them. There was curiosity, awe, scrutiny, and concealed wariness. Everyone knew that the terrifying aura that had nearly crushed the breath from all of Shrek had been directed at the three of them. Especially that girl who was always so quiet, whose temperament was cold to the extreme. She looked no more than a teenager, yet she had made such an ancient beast bow its head. Her identity and foundation were enough to ensure that no one dared underestimate her.

Faced with the gazes converging from every direction, Gu Yue did not even raise her eyelids.

She had been accustomed to being the center of attention from birth, and to being revered, looked up to, and speculated about. The loneliness of countless millennia had settled into her bones and blood, leaving her with an innate, distant pride that kept others thousands of miles away. She disliked liveliness, had no patience for disturbances, and disdained explaining herself to anyone.

Tang Wulin turned his head and looked at her. The young man's features were clean and gentle, yet deep in his golden eyes lay the weariness and tenderness of one who had crossed life and death. He knew too well what exhaustion and loneliness hid beneath that icy shell. He knew too well what a crushing fate, heavy enough to shatter a soul, rested behind her seemingly invincible pride. In their previous life, they had missed too many peaceful moments like this. Misunderstandings, concealment, helplessness, opposing positions—until, in the end, they had both walked toward a dead end. He had not even been able to hold her hand properly, nor accompany her down a road free of conflict.

But in this life, he would make up for all the tenderness he owed her.

"Ignore them." Tang Wulin's voice was low, soft enough that only the two of them could hear. His tone was calm and natural, without deliberate comfort, yet it carried a reassuring strength. "At Shrek, no one dares disturb you."

Gu Yue finally raised her eyes slowly and looked at him. Her silver-gray gaze was clear as mist and cold as frost, devoid of any unnecessary emotion. Just that faint glance was enough to express her attitude. She did not speak, merely nodding slightly in response. Distant, proud, restrained, and never quick to reveal her feelings—that was who she was.

When they reached the dormitory building, Na'er raised her little face and looked at Tang Wulin, then Gu Yue. "Brother, Sister Gu Yue, I'll go back to my room first. You two... talk slowly." The little girl was perceptive. She waved lightly, then skipped into the building, obediently leaving the two of them alone.

The empty stairwell instantly fell quiet, leaving only the rustling of the breeze through the leaves.

Tang Wulin still did not release her hand. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on their clasped hands as his Adam's apple moved faintly. Every moment since his rebirth, whenever he felt her warmth, brought him an almost unreal sense of relief.

"Di Tian will not come again for the time being." He broke the silence first, his tone steady and clear. "He respects your choice. In the short term, he won't use the fate of the soul beasts to force you."

Gu Yue withdrew her gaze and looked toward the lush forest in the distance. Her voice was light and calm, without the slightest fluctuation. "I know."

Three simple words, cold and direct, without a hint of wasted speech. She had never been one to chatter or pour out her feelings. Even if a thousand emotions churned within her, she would only bury them in her heart and wrap them in the coldest facade.

"I wasn't trying to talk to you about fate." Tang Wulin smiled softly, his laughter as warm as afternoon sunlight. "I just wanted to stay with you for a while."

Gu Yue did not answer, but neither did she leave.

She simply stood beside him, tall and poised, her aura cool and detached like a laurel tree standing alone beyond the world. Though she was so close, it felt as if countless millennia of time and fate lay between them. Yet she did not step back, did not use her elemental power to push him away, and did not shut him out with that cold, proud demeanor.

That was already the greatest exception she could make.

The wind drifted past, lifting the loose strands of hair before her forehead and brushing over her clean, fair cheeks. Tang Wulin's gaze softened unconsciously. He had seen her sacrifice herself for her people, seen her disperse as the origin of the Silver Dragon King, and seen her finally collapse in his arms... Every time he recalled those scenes, they cut into his heart like blades.

And now, she stood safely before him, alive, whole, within his reach.

He had exchanged two lifetimes for this peace.

Tang Wulin tightened his fingers slightly, still with such a gentle force that it would not make her feel pressured, yet enough for her to understand his resolve. Gu Yue's lashes trembled almost imperceptibly. This time, she did not try to pull her hand back.

"Gu Yue," he called softly.

His voice was low and deep, carrying the huskiness of longing accumulated over two lifetimes.

Gu Yue slowly raised her eyes. Her violet gaze looked calmly at him, still appearing cold and undisturbed, though deep within it was the faintest softness, one even she had not noticed.

"What is it?"

Her voice remained cool, the final note crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation. Yet this brief question was already a patience she had never shown anyone else.

Tang Wulin said nothing.

He merely lowered his head slightly, moving so slowly that she had ample time to refuse, to evade him, or to stop everything in any way she wished. He did not press closer or take anything from her. With an almost reverent care, he simply approached her bit by bit.

Their breaths quietly entwined.

Her frosty, indifferent scent and his warm, clean scent silently blended in the still air.

Gu Yue's body tensed almost imperceptibly.

She did not move away.

Only her heartbeat lost its rhythm beyond her control. It was a panic she had never felt when facing Di Tian, fate, or life and death—a panic born from being approached so gently, so dearly, for the first time in her countless years of solitude.

The next moment, Tang Wulin gently closed his eyes.

A touch, impossibly light, shallow, and tender, fell softly on the corner of her lips.

Like a snowflake melting, like a fallen leaf brushing past, it was so light it almost did not exist, yet so heavy it struck both their hearts.

It ended the instant it began.

He quickly retreated a little, still maintaining a respectful distance. He did not let go of her hand, and his gaze was so gentle it nearly overflowed, yet restrained to the utmost.

"Sorry," he said quietly, his voice as soft as a sigh. "I couldn't help it."

Gu Yue froze where she stood.

For the first time, those violet eyes, always cool as mist and never rippling, truly lost their focus. Her lashes trembled lightly, and a faint flush rose over her cheeks, so quickly that it might have seemed like an illusion of light and shadow. She did not push him away, rebuke him, or treat him with the cold distance she showed others. She simply stood motionless, even her breathing growing lighter.

The Silver Dragon King, lofty and aloof, who had never allowed anyone to cross her boundaries by even half a step, had been completely thrown off balance by a kiss lighter than light itself.

Only after a long while did she barely recover her voice.

It was still cold, still proud, still preserving the dignity carved into her bones, but the end of it trembled ever so slightly, carrying a trace of panic even she had not noticed:

"Tang Wulin..."

"You..."

She could not continue.

Her thoughts, always clear and composed, had broken into utter blankness.

Tang Wulin looked at her. Though her heart was clearly in turmoil, she still insisted on pretending to be cold and composed. His heart softened and ached at once. He gently released her hand, then very properly and tenderly rubbed the top of her head, the motion as light as though he were handling a priceless treasure.

"I know," he said softly. "I won't tease you."

"I just... missed you too much."

Those words, missed you too much, held two lifetimes of life and death, millions of miles of time, and the deep feelings of countless losses and reunions. They were light as the wind, yet heavy enough that Gu Yue could no longer push him away with indifference.

She turned her face aside and stopped looking at him, though the tips of her ears quietly flushed a pale red.

Still proud, still distant, still silent.

Yet the icy shell that had wrapped around her for countless millennia quietly cracked open at that moment, leaving a fissure that could never close again.

Through that fissure, a beam of light belonging to Tang Wulin shone in.