Brother Tang

Night had fallen completely.

The sunflowers in the yard drooped with heavy flower heads. The evening breeze swept through the screen window, carrying the salty dampness of the sea and a refreshing chill.

The living room lamp cast a warm yellow glow. Huang Feng'er sat on the sofa with a thick, dog-eared copy of Administrative Professional Ability Test spread across her knees. A cup of chrysanthemum tea, long gone cold, sat on the coffee table beside her.

She had recently been preparing for the assessment to become a full employee as a city hall archives apprentice. Every night after dinner, she sat on the sofa and studied for two hours without fail.

Hearing the soft click of the front door opening, she looked up, her golden eyes sweeping toward the entrance.

Tang Wulin stood with his head lowered before the shoe bench. His canvas bag hung loosely from one shoulder, and damp sand from the shore clung to his white sneakers, leaving a trail of faint sandy prints behind him.

There was no expression on his face. The corners of his eyes were red, as if he had just cried but was forcing back more tears, his jaw clenched tight.

He did not come over with a grin to show her whatever new thing he had forged that day, as he usually did. Nor did he ask whether she had saved any braised pork for dinner.

He did not even look at her. After changing his shoes, he headed straight for the bedroom, his steps light and drifting, as though he had lost his soul.

Huang Feng'er watched his despondent back, her brows drawing together slightly.

She set down her pen and watched the bedroom door close with a click. A trace of understanding flashed through her golden eyes.

She did not follow him in to ask. She merely picked up her book again, though she turned its pages far more slowly than before.

Tang Wulin pushed open the bedroom door and closed it behind him.

The room was silent, yet Na'er's faint gardenia scent still lingered there—the scent of the shampoo Lang Yue often used. Na'er always said it smelled like home and insisted on using the same kind as her mother.

On Na'er's little bed, the rabbit plushie she hugged every day still rested beside the pillow. He had bought it for her with his forging wages last month. She had jumped with joy when she received it and had refused to let go of it even when sleeping.

Half a box of unfinished strawberry lollipops sat on the bedside table. They were her favorite flavor, and one wrapper had only been torn halfway open.

Three small ceramic cups sat on the dressing table, each labeled in marker with the names of Tang Wulin, Na'er, and Huang Feng'er. Half a cup of warm water remained in Na'er's pink cup, fine droplets clinging to its sides.

Everything was still there, neatly arranged, as though she had merely gone into the yard to pick sunflowers and would soon come bouncing back.

But Tang Wulin knew that she most likely would not return.

He collapsed onto his own bed, his back against the cold headboard, staring blankly at Na'er's empty bed across from him.

"Na'er has left."

The words echoed endlessly in his mind like an inescapable curse.

At the beach, he had held Na'er as she cried so hard that her whole body trembled. Before he had the chance to ask where she was going or how they would keep in touch, two people in plain robes had appeared before them.

When Na'er saw them, she cried even harder. Yet she still released the hand that had been clutching his waist and followed them, looking back at him every few steps.

He had just wanted to chase after them and ask what was going on, but in the blink of an eye, the three of them seemed to evaporate into the dusk by the shore, leaving behind not even a single footprint.

Two emotions churned within him, tangled together like a hopeless knot.

He was happy that Na'er had finally found her family, yet her sudden departure left an emptiness in his heart, as though a piece had been forcibly torn away. It ached and stung so badly that even breathing felt suffocating.

There was another question, like a heavy stone pressing down on his heart until he could barely breathe.

"Will we ever see each other again?"

He did not even know where Na'er had gone or who her family was.

In the vast sea of people, could they ever meet again?

"Lie down first."

Jin Qiu's voice suddenly sounded in his mind. His tone was unusually serious, lacking its usual carefree irreverence.

"Huh?"

Tang Wulin froze for a moment, still unable to pull himself out of his boundless grief. He blinked blankly, his eyes still red.

"If I tell you to lie down, then lie down."

There was a note in Jin Qiu's voice that brooked no argument.

"Don't blame me if you end up collapsing on the floor and making a fool of yourself."

Tang Wulin did not understand what he intended to do, but he obediently lay down anyway, resting his head on the pillow.

The ceiling was covered in silver star stickers. Na'er had insisted on putting them up last time, saying that if she looked at the stars after turning off the lights at night, she would have sweet dreams.

The moment he lay down, he felt a gentle golden power softly envelop his consciousness.

His eyelids suddenly became heavy. He closed his eyes lightly, and when he opened them again, his surroundings had changed completely.

The familiar Spirit Sea appeared before him.

In the boundless golden space, countless points of starlight glittered like scattered diamonds.

The eighteen golden seals still floated quietly in the void, radiating a gentle and sacred light.

The enormous Starlight Tree stood at the center of the Spirit Sea. Its leaves rustled in an invisible wind, and everything was exactly as it had always been.

The only difference was that beside Jin Qiu stood a man Tang Wulin had never seen before.

The man wore a water-blue robe, his long black hair gathered behind his head with a jade hairpin. His features were gentle and handsome, and he carried an aura that was mild yet immensely powerful. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood there quietly watching Tang Wulin.

"Come, let me introduce you."

Jin Qiu patted the man's shoulder and spoke to Tang Wulin with a mischievous grin.

"This is your biological father, Tang San. When he sealed me away back then, he left a strand of divine consciousness inside your body. No need to be polite. Just call him Brother Tang, like I do."

Tang Wulin had still been somewhat confused, but upon hearing Jin Qiu's words, he instinctively nodded politely to the man and obediently called out.

"Hello, Brother Tang."

The moment the words left his mouth, he watched the man's gentle face darken at a visible speed.

"Ah!"

Tang San raised a hand and flicked him on the forehead. It was not hard, but it hurt enough to make Tang Wulin clutch his head and squat down.

"You brat, have some respect for your elders."

Tang San spoke irritably, though there was helplessness in his tone.

"When my true body finishes handling matters in the Divine Realm and returns, I'll teach you a proper lesson."

"Tsk, what a loving father and dutiful son."

Jin Qiu stood nearby with his arms folded, laughing so hard he could barely straighten up, yet he still did not forget to fan the flames.

"Good hit. I've wanted to flick him for ages. His emotional intelligence isn't even as high as a border collie's—he doesn't even know how to comfort someone."

Tang Wulin clutched his head and looked pitifully at the two men before him. Only then did he realize that he had addressed Tang San with the wrong seniority, and his face instantly reddened to the tips of his ears.

"I know you're upset over your sister leaving."

After laughing enough, Jin Qiu finally sobered up. Seeing Tang Wulin's still dejected little face, he spoke in comfort.

"But don't worry. You will see each other again."

"Really?!"

Tang Wulin abruptly raised his head, his eyes lighting up at once. All the grief and listlessness from before vanished in an instant. His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and even the tears that had lingered in his eyes nearly fell.

"It's true."

Jin Qiu nodded, his tone certain, but he did not offer any details.

"It just isn't time yet. Train well and forge well. Once you become strong enough, you will naturally see her again."

He did not reveal Gu Yuena's identity or anything about the future.

It was too early for Tang Wulin to know such things. It would only give him more worries.

Leaving him something to hope for could instead become the motivation that drove him forward.

Tang Wulin was still somewhat disappointed that he could not learn exactly when they would meet again, but the heavy stone in his heart finally settled.