Morning light in Shrek City always carried the fresh, verdant scent of plants. A breeze from the direction of Holy Soul Village swept across Sea God Lake, setting the willows along the shore gently swaying. Carrying the trophy he had just won, Tang Wulin passed through Shrek Academy's white jade archway, engraved with the names of powerful figures from every generation, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the scene in the center of the square.
A group of Inner Academy disciples had gathered around the edge of the training grounds, murmuring in amazement. He instinctively squeezed through the crowd and saw a silver figure darting across the field like a startled swan. A silver-white spear traced elegant arcs through the morning light. As its tip skimmed the ground, it stirred faint Purple Gold halos—the aura of Ultimate Ice fused with Dragon Power.
The girl wielding the spear wore Shrek Inner Academy's silver-white combat uniform, her white hair spilling over her shoulders. Most striking was that rare head of silver hair, glowing softly in the sunlight like strands spun from the finest Moonlight Silver and fluttering gently with her movements. When she spun and withdrew her spear, turning her profile toward the crowd, Tang Wulin's breath suddenly caught.
It was an exquisitely beautiful face, with skin fairer than snow and brows like distant mountains brushed with dark ink. And those eyes—clear purple-crystal pupils, long lashes trembling like butterfly wings—were unmistakably the little girl from his memories, the one who had always followed behind him and timidly called him "Brother."
"That's Senior Na'er from the Inner Academy! They say she's Master Yun Ming, the master of Sea God Pavilion's direct disciple. Her martial soul is the Silver Dragon Spear. Though she's still so young, she's already a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse and is hailed as the greatest genius of the century!" A new student nearby whispered, his tone full of awe.
Na'er seemed to sense his gaze. Her hand on the spear paused slightly, and her purple eyes looked through the crowd toward him. The instant their eyes met, Tang Wulin clearly saw a flicker of astonishment in her eyes, followed by a complex warmth, like a stone cast upon an Ice Seal lake, sending ripples spreading across its surface.
She strode toward him on long legs. Her silver-white uniform outlined a slender yet upright figure, and her steps were as light as clouds. The faint Dragon Might surrounding her made the disciples around them fall silent instinctively. Reaching him, she stopped, her silver spear resting diagonally at her side, a smile both familiar and unfamiliar curling at the corner of her lips.
"Brother?" Her voice was still crisp, but it carried a touch more coolness than he remembered, like mountain spring water dripping onto stone. "Long time no see."
Tang Wulin's throat tightened, and for a moment, he did not know what to say. The Na'er before him was no longer the little beggar girl who had needed his protection. The heroic steadiness between her brows and the restrained yet powerful aura around her spoke of how much she had changed over the years. Yet the warmth in those purple eyes was exactly as it had been in his memories, unchanged in the slightest.
"Na'er... is it really you?" He unconsciously clenched his fist, and a pale blue glow from Blue Silver Grass flashed across his palm before vanishing. "Why are you here? Where have you been all these years?"
Back then, Na'er had left without a word, leaving behind only a note written in childish handwriting. He had worried over her for a long time. He had imagined their reunion countless times, but he had never expected them to meet this way, at Shrek Academy.
Na'er's fingertips gently stroked the shaft of the Silver Dragon Spear. The dragon patterns on its body seemed to sense her emotions and gave off a faint silver glow. "I've been cultivating at Shrek all along," she said, looking at him with a smile in her purple eyes. "I knew you would definitely come here, so I've been waiting for you."
Her gaze swept over the forging hammer on his shoulder before falling on the Eastsea Academy badge on his chest. "It seems Brother hasn't been slacking off these past few years either. That little Soul Scholar with Level 3 Soul Power can now step through Shrek's gates."
Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly, his cheeks slightly red. "I still have a long way to go. You, on the other hand, have already become a senior from the Inner Academy. That's amazing." Looking at the Silver Dragon Spear in her hand, he vaguely sensed a familiar pull in his bloodline. "Your martial soul... is a dragon spear?"
"Yes, the Silver Dragon Spear." Na'er nodded softly and flicked her wrist. The Silver Dragon Spear turned into a streak of silver light and disappeared into her body. "From now on, if anyone bullies you at Shrek, just give them my name."
Those words were so much like what she had said as a child, timid yet earnest, shortly after Aunt Lang Yue had adopted her. Warmth filled Tang Wulin's heart, and his eyes grew slightly hot. "Okay."
Sunlight passed through the space between them, stretching their shadows long. The surrounding disciples had already been stunned speechless. No one had expected this aloof "Dragon Spear Goddess" to be so gentle with a first-year student.
That night, Tang Wulin sat alone beside Sea God Lake, gazing at the stars reflected across its surface. Yet his thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to many years ago.
After living a second life, he had seen too many storms and endured partings in life and death. He had even wielded the power of the Dragon God Core. Yet whenever the night grew quiet, or in the intervals between breakthroughs in strength, the image of that silver-haired, purple-eyed little girl would always emerge from the depths of his memories.
It had been one afternoon when he was returning home from school. At a street corner, he found her curled up in a corner. The girl wore thin, old clothes and was surrounded by a group of thugs. Her silver hair gave off a faint glow in the dim light, and she watched him warily like a lost little beast. He remembered taking out a wheat cake Aunt Lang Yue had just baked, which he had tucked against his chest, and offering it to her. She hesitated for a long time before carefully accepting it and taking tiny bites. Her amethyst eyes stared at him without blinking, filled with timid reliance.
"My name is Tang Wulin. What's your name?" That was what he had asked her then.
The girl bit into the wheat cake, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. "Na'er."
That was the beginning of their bond. Aunt Lang Yue pitied her for having nowhere to go and adopted her. From then on, he had a younger sister. Those days were the warmest part of his childhood. Na'er always followed behind him, calling "Brother" in her soft voice. Whether he went to cultivate Soul Power or learn forging, she would quietly stay by his side like a little tail.
He remembered how, when he successfully forged first-grade iron for the first time, Na'er had been even happier than he was, clinging to his arm and bouncing excitedly, her purple eyes full of admiration. "Brother is amazing!" He remembered how, when he felt discouraged by the slow growth of his Soul Power, she would tug at the hem of his clothes with her tiny hand and softly comfort him. "Don't be sad, Brother. Na'er believes you'll definitely become the strongest Soul Master." He remembered how, every night, he would tell her stories about soul beasts he had heard, and she would curl up beside him with wide eyes, listening with unusual seriousness until she fell deeply asleep, a sweet smile still resting on her lips.
Back then, Na'er had been as pure as a blank sheet of paper. She depended on him and trusted him. He had secretly sworn that he would always protect this sister who had suddenly entered his life, so she would never again suffer hunger or cold, nor face the storms of life alone.
But fate never went as people wished. When he was ten years old, Na'er suddenly left without saying goodbye. That day, when he came home from school, he did not see her small figure waiting for him by the door as usual. There was only a note left on the desk. The handwriting on it was childish, yet resolute: "Brother, I'm leaving. You must take good care of yourself and become stronger and stronger. When you become a true powerhouse, we'll meet again."
He searched like a madman, turning the entire city upside down, but he never found that silver-haired, purple-eyed little girl again. It was the first time he had experienced the pain of loss. In the empty room, it seemed as though her scent still lingered. He could almost hear her soft voice calling "Brother" beside his ear, but when he turned around, there was only cold air.
Later, he entered Shrek Academy and reunited with her at Sea God Lake. By then, she was no longer the little girl who needed his protection. She had become the direct disciple of Sea God Pavilion's master, wielded the Silver Dragon Spear as her martial soul, and was known as the "Dragon Spear Goddess," the greatest genius of the century. There was more heroism and composure between her brows, and a powerful aura lingered around her, but when those purple eyes looked at him, they still carried the familiar warmth.
"Brother, long time no see." Her voice was clear, but it had gained a touch of coolness.
In that instant, the longing and worry he had accumulated for so many years nearly burst from his chest. He wanted to ask where she had gone all these years, whether she had been well, and why she had left without a word. But when the words reached his lips, they became only a choked, "Na'er... is it really you?"
Having lived a second life, he already knew Na'er's identity. He knew the destiny she bore, and he knew what helplessness lay behind her departure without farewell. The avatar of the Silver Dragon King was destined to stand at the other end of fate from him. Their meeting and separation had been bound by destiny from the very beginning.
Yet he still missed the days he had spent with her. He missed that beautiful little silver-haired girl and the days when she called him "Brother" and followed at his heels. Those times had been pure and warm, free from the shackles of destiny and struggles over power. There had only been the simplest dependence and protection.
A breeze drifted over the lake, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees and pulling Tang Wulin's thoughts back to the present. He raised a hand and touched the Blue Silver Grass pendant on his chest. Na'er had woven it for him herself back then. Though it had long since faded, he had treasured it for his entire life.
In this second life, he had been given a chance to change fate. This time, he would not only protect those around him and become a true powerhouse, but also safeguard the warmth hidden deep within the years. He knew the road ahead was still filled with thorns and the torrent of destiny still raged, but he would not let regrets repeat themselves.
"Na'er," he murmured softly as he looked at the stars filling the sky, his voice firm. "In this life, Brother won't let you bear everything alone again. Our promise—I'll spend my whole life fulfilling it."
Beneath the stars, the waters of Sea God Lake rippled softly, as if responding to his vow. Those lost years and deeply buried longings all became the strength that carried him forward, supporting him as he walked steadily through this second life toward protection and reunion.
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