Questions in the Forest, Poseidon's Old Promise

Upon entering the Star Dou Great Forest, the atmosphere around them abruptly became serene and tranquil.

Ancient trees towered overhead, their layered branches and leaves blocking out the daylight beyond. Dense, rich spiritual energy filled the forest, mingled with the wild aura unique to soul beasts. The vast sea of trees stretched endlessly into the distance. Wind swept through the woods with a soft rustling sound, making this greatest secret realm on the continent seem even deeper and more mysterious.

The three traveled deeper into the forest together. No one spoke along the way, yet the atmosphere quietly began to divide.

Huo Yuhao had been troubled from beginning to end, his brows and eyes shrouded in exhaustion and sorrow that could not be dispelled. Wang Dong'er lay asleep in the Haotian Sect, with no sign of when she would return. The pain from the Valley of Questioning Emotions remained rooted in his heart, leaving his normally composed nature with a touch more confusion and daze. Wang Qiu'er remained silently by his side, saying little but never leaving him.

Along the way, she would take the initiative to scout the dangers ahead for Huo Yuhao and ward off the harassment of low-level soul beasts. Whenever he stopped in a daze, she would wait quietly without urging or disturbing him. When the forest paths became rugged and difficult, she would slow her pace to accompany him, her golden eyes concealing a tenderness and indulgence that others could not understand.

Their every word and gesture along the journey was a silent intimacy.

To outsiders, the two walked side by side, their figures well-matched and their coordination seamless. They looked exactly like close companions and lovers who depended upon each other.

Every one of those scenes fell into Tang Wulin's eyes from behind.

The youth followed slowly at the rear. His body, only recently recovered from severe injuries, still carried a hint of weakness. Yet his clear, gentle eyes gradually darkened, all their former softness fading away until only cold displeasure and unspoken indignation remained.

He carried a love that had endured across ten thousand years. He knew the torment of loving without being able to possess, of longing that sank into one's bones. He understood even more deeply the weight of promises to remain together and of never betraying one's original heart. That was precisely why he found Huo Yuhao's behavior so intolerable.

At Sea God's Fate, the sea and sky had borne witness, and the vast ocean had served as their pledge.

Back then, before all of Shrek, Huo Yuhao had made his most solemn vow to Wang Dong'er—she alone for this lifetime, guarding her with his life, never changing his heart, never failing her through the years.

That sincere and passionate promise, one that had shaken everyone present, had once been the kind of deep affection envied by countless people. It had been the purest vow beside Sea God Lake.

But now, Wang Dong'er remained unconscious, alone within the Haotian Sect's secret realm, enduring the suffering of a damaged divine soul and the silence of passing years. Yet he spent day and night in the forest with another woman, acting intimately and blurring the vows of mountain and sea he had once made.

Tang Wulin's heart grew colder and colder. Disappointment and contempt lingered within him for a long time.

He continued on in silence and stopped watching. He pressed all his emotions into his heart and merely waited for night to fall.

As the night deepened, the Star Dou forest completely sank into darkness. Bright moonlight filtered through gaps in the branches and leaves, scattering fragments of silver radiance. The evening breeze in the woods was slightly cool, insect calls gradually faded, and all things returned to silence.

The three found a relatively safe, open tree hollow to rest in. They planned to stay there for the night before continuing deeper the next day.

After traveling all day, Huo Yuhao was exhausted in body and mind. He leaned against the stone wall inside the tree hollow and slowly closed his eyes to rest. Wang Qiu'er sat beside him, guarding him quietly with a peaceful expression, still refusing to leave his side.

As the night grew deeper, two figures had already fallen into a deep sleep, their breathing long and steady.

Only Tang Wulin had no desire to sleep.

He sat quietly at the entrance of the tree hollow, staring into the dark and profound forest. He thought of Gu Yue Na deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, then of Wang Dong'er sleeping in the Haotian Sect. He remembered that ringing vow beside Sea God Lake, and the knot in his heart grew ever heavier.

Finally, he could no longer endure it.

His body shifted slightly as he rose without a sound. His steps were light and utterly silent as he slowly approached Huo Yuhao.

Under the cold moonlight filtering through the trees, Tang Wulin bent down, reached out, and gripped Huo Yuhao's collar with precision. His hold was steady yet forceful beyond refusal as he yanked the sleeping Huo Yuhao upright.

"Mm!"

Huo Yuhao jolted awake, his entire body stiffening as all drowsiness vanished instantly. His eyes flew open, filled with shock and confusion.

The night was dark, and the youth's face looked cold and sharp beneath the moonlight. His formerly gentle eyes were now covered in frost. His aura was heavy and solemn, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Wang Qiu'er, who had been sleeping lightly nearby, was disturbed by the faint movement. Her lashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the two confronting each other. Her gaze held a trace of confusion, but she did not speak to interrupt them.

The atmosphere inside the tree hollow instantly froze to the extreme.

Huo Yuhao steadied himself, frowned slightly, and asked in a low voice, "Wulin? What are you doing?"

Tang Wulin did not release his collar. His gaze locked tightly onto Huo Yuhao's eyes, and his voice was low and icy, filled with fierce accusation. Every word rang through the silent tree hollow.

"Me? I want to ask you instead, Huo Yuhao—can you face the sleeping Dong'er with a clear conscience?"

The words struck like thunder, making Huo Yuhao's entire body tremble. The confusion on his face vanished at once, replaced by endless guilt and panic.

"Do you remember the oath you personally made at Sea God's Fate? I don't know what happened in the Valley of Questioning Emotions, but I know Dong'er was willing to give up her life for you."

Tang Wulin pressed forward step by step, his gaze as sharp as a blade. Every sentence struck directly at the heart, showing not the slightest mercy.

"You said before Poseidon, heaven, and earth, before every teacher and fellow student, that you would protect her in this life, choose only her, and never betray her. You said you would offer your life as the betrothal gift and keep her safe for the rest of her life. You said mountains and seas could shift, but your original heart would never change!"

"Now she lies in a secret realm, her divine soul adrift. She sleeps every day, suffering endless torment, while you turn around and spend day and night with someone else in perfect intimacy!"

"Huo Yuhao, where is your oath? Where is your original heart?"

The night remained silent, but the questions came one after another, every word piercing his heart.

Huo Yuhao's body was rigid. His lips moved, yet he could not find a single word to defend himself.

He knew clearly that every word Tang Wulin had spoken was true.

He had never intended to betray Dong'er, nor had he ever let go of the oath made at Sea God's Fate. But over the past days, Wang Qiu'er's unwavering companionship and silent protection had indeed given him comfort amid his unbearable pain. Without realizing it, their way of getting along had become increasingly intimate, and he had lost his sense of boundaries.

His heart was filled with guilt and embarrassment. He lowered his gaze, endless self-reproach and regret churning in his eyes.

"I didn't..." he tried to explain in a low voice, but his words were pale and powerless.

"You didn't?"

Tang Wulin cut him off coldly. His gaze swept over the silent Wang Qiu'er before returning to Huo Yuhao, his tone becoming ever heavier and more solemn.

"There is nothing wrong with companionship born of affection, but you have already blurred your boundaries and bottom line. Dong'er is still alive. She is still waiting for you to wake her, waiting to reunite with you, waiting for you to fulfill the vow of mountain and sea you made back then!"

"You may be lost, confused, and in pain, but the one thing you cannot do is betray your original heart and disregard your vows while she is most helpless, lying asleep!"

"A promise witnessed by Poseidon is not something for you to use to ease your misery. It is not a retreat for when you are lost and confused! It is the responsibility and devotion you promised for a lifetime!"

Every question pierced through the fog and struck the deepest guilt in his heart.

Huo Yuhao trembled slightly. His heart felt viciously stabbed, and all his lingering hope and daze disappeared, leaving only complete clarity and self-reproach.

He finally saw the impropriety of his recent behavior and the boundaries he had allowed to become blurred.

He had never been unfaithful, yet he had already overstepped.

Wang Qiu'er stood quietly to the side. A faint light flickered in her golden eyes, but she remained silent. No one knew the turmoil surging within her heart.

The night wind through the tree hollow was slightly cold, and the moonlight was as chilly as water.

Tang Wulin slowly released Huo Yuhao's collar. His tone softened slightly, though it still carried an unquestionable solemnity.

"I do not care how much pain is in your heart or how difficult the road ahead may be."

"As long as Wang Dong'er has not awakened, and as long as your promise before Poseidon has not ended, you cannot lose your original heart or forget your boundaries."

"The deepest devotion in this world has never been companionship in times of disappointment. It is perseverance in desperate circumstances. It is never betraying one's original heart, year after year."

After speaking, Tang Wulin turned and returned to the entrance of the tree hollow, once more gazing into the dark and boundless Star Dou forest.

The frost in his eyes faded, turning again into an unyielding gentleness and longing.

He did not understand the complicated loves and grudges of others, but he always believed that one who made a promise must keep it for life.

Just as he had crossed ten thousand years, endured countless hardships and dangers, and remained unchanged in his obsession, thinking only of Gu Yue.

Inside the tree hollow, Huo Yuhao stood frozen in place for a long time.

Shame, self-reproach, and sudden understanding twisted together in his heart, leaving him completely awake.

Tonight's questioning was like a thunderous awakening. It shattered the confusion and daze that had consumed him for days, and made him remember forever that eternal vow which had echoed beside Sea God Lake and been witnessed by heaven and earth.

Within the tree hollow, the night wind slipped through the cracks, its chill seeping into the bone.

Tang Wulin's questions still echoed beside his ears, each word piercing his heart like the toll of a morning bell or evening drum, violently shattering the tender illusion Huo Yuhao had indulged in for days.

He stood stiffly in place, his back slightly rigid. The last trace of color drained from his face, leaving only profound shame and bone-deep clarity.

Yes.

He was in pain. He was confused. He suffered day and night because Dong'er lay asleep. But none of that had ever been a reason to blur his boundaries and overstep them.

At Sea God's Fate, the sea and sky had witnessed it together.

What he had promised was a lifetime, and Wang Dong'er alone.

Even if the woman he loved remained asleep and news of her was distant and uncertain, that vow had never become invalid, nor had it ever faded.

Beside him, Wang Qiu'er stood quietly in the shadows. Her golden eyes were clear and bright in the night, and she was so quiet that she was nearly silent.

No one understood her own heart better than she did.

She loved Huo Yuhao. From the first glance when they met in Star Dou, it had become an obsession lasting ten thousand years, an affection carved into her bones.

She envied Wang Dong'er. She envied the girl who could stand openly at his side, receive all his favor, and be given a vow for life. She had willingly followed him, willingly protected him, willingly become the light that silently accompanied him through suffering in the darkness where no one else could comfort him.

Throughout their journey that night, she had taken the initiative to scout the path, protect him, and accommodate him. It was not that she did not understand boundaries, but that her feelings had come willingly and could not be taken back.

She had thought that Dong'er might sleep indefinitely, and that he was drowning in grief. She thought quietly staying with him, asking for no title and seeking no reward, was the only way she could remain beside him.

But Tang Wulin's words brought her instant clarity.

Her devotion was real, and Huo Yuhao's guilt was real as well.

In his heart, there had always been room for only one Wang Dong'er.

That had not changed in the past, would not change now, and would never change in the future.

Wang Qiu'er's gaze dimmed slightly. The stubborn affection burning in her heart trembled softly, but there was not the slightest resentment—only lucid loneliness. She had always been immensely proud, the aloof Golden Dragon of Star Dou. Noble by nature, she would rather break than bend, and would never humbly beg for even a fragment of tenderness from another.

If she overstepped, she would be humiliating herself and trampling upon his original heart toward Dong'er.

After a long silence, Huo Yuhao finally slowly raised his eyes.

He turned to look at Wang Qiu'er beside him. His gaze was filled with deep guilt and apology, and his voice was low and hoarse as he spoke with utmost solemn self-reproach.

"Qiu'er, I'm sorry."

"I lost control."

"My mind has been in chaos these past days. I sank into despair, clung to the comfort of your companionship, blurred the boundaries, and crossed the line. I should not have grown so close to you while Dong'er is asleep, inviting gossip and betraying the promise I once made."

Every word was sincere, every sentence clear.

Tang Wulin's questioning that night had completely awakened him from the confusion he had been drowning in.

There was nothing wrong with his pain, but deep affection feared a change of heart most. Perseverance feared negligence most.

Wang Qiu'er gently shook her head. Her long golden lashes lowered, concealing every turbulent emotion in her eyes. Her voice was calm and indifferent, without the slightest trace of entanglement.

"It is nothing."

"I was only accompanying you to ease your mind along the way. I was the one who stepped closer. It has nothing to do with you."

She loved him, so she understood his torment.

She loved him, so she did not wish for him to bear the shackles of being called faithless.

She loved him, so she would rather restrain every feeling in her heart than force him to owe her even the slightest thing.

That was Wang Qiu'er.

Devoted, proud, restrained, and gentle. She loved to the extreme, yet was so understanding that it made one's heart ache.

Huo Yuhao looked at her distant, indifferent appearance, and the guilt in his heart grew heavier. He knew Qiu'er's feelings. Along the way, he had seen all her protection, her accommodation, and her refusal to leave his side.

Precisely because he knew, he could not selfishly consume that devotion.

"From now on, I will maintain proper boundaries."

Huo Yuhao spoke solemnly, completely drawing a line between them.

"Before Dong'er awakens, I will keep my promise with all my heart and wait quietly. There will not be the slightest improper closeness between us again."

After speaking, he took the initiative to step half a pace back, opening a distance between their bodies.

That step was not far, yet it completely separated them from all the ambiguity and intimacy of the past days.

At one side of the tree hollow, Tang Wulin rested against the stone wall with his eyes closed. He appeared to be resting calmly, but in truth, he had heard every word between them.

He did not speak again.

What he wanted had never been to separate them or harshly condemn Huo Yuhao. He only wanted to protect the vow, protect their original hearts, and protect the most basic loyalty that love deserved.

He himself had crossed ten thousand years, held onto a single thought alone, and waited bitterly for Gu Yue. Therefore, he respected perseverance most and despised fickleness most.

As the night deepened, the forest returned to silence once more.

From that moment onward, everything quietly changed.

At dawn the next day, they set off once more into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Along the way, Huo Yuhao completely restrained the dependence and daze he had shown before.

He no longer allowed Wang Qiu'er to scout for him, shield him from danger, or remain constantly at his side.

He personally handled scouting the road ahead, guarding their surroundings, clearing paths, and crossing waters.

Whenever they encountered dangerous terrain, he took the lead. Whenever they encountered soul beasts, he acted first.

He always maintained a polite, restrained, and appropriate distance between fellow disciples and companions with Wang Qiu'er.

There was no more intimate walking side by side, no low whispers, and no silent indulgence.

Only courteous travel together, seamless cooperation, and completely open boundaries remained.

Wang Qiu'er silently followed a little behind him. Watching the youth ahead carry himself with propriety and restraint, keeping his promise with all his heart, a faint bitterness flickered deep in her golden eyes before she finally concealed it all.

She still loved him.

That love buried deep in her bones would not vanish because of distance, nor would it fade because of restraint.

But from now on, her love would stop at her lips and teeth, be hidden by the passing years, and remain concealed within her protection.

She would no longer overstep, stay at his side, or allow ambiguity to remain.

As a friend, companion, and fellow disciple, she would quietly accompany him through the long road ahead.

The atmosphere within the three-person group became completely cool and proper.

Huo Yuhao kept his promise and disciplined himself. Qiu'er hid her feelings and endured in silence. Only Tang Wulin, walking calmly at the very back, kept his gaze fixed through the layers of forest, looking toward the direction of Star Dou's core from afar.

Others were correcting the boundaries of love, while he, from beginning to end, held only one person in his heart.

In the ancient forest beneath eternal stars, the wind brushed past their clothes.

Some restrained their deep affection, some held fast to their vows, and some carried a single thought for ten thousand years.

And in the deepest reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, that peerless silver-purple figure seemed to have faintly sensed the familiar pulse of a Dragon King heart crossing the years from afar, and slowly opened her violet eyes.