Dusk had completely settled over Shrek. Streetlights flickered on one after another, their warm yellow halos falling across the bluestone paths and stretching the Seven Monsters' shadows long and short.
Xie Xie had long been unable to contain his excitement. He dragged Xu Lizhi along at a jog, endlessly talking about how many meat buns he would eat at the victory feast. Ye Xinglan walked in the middle, seemingly casual but always attentive to the breaths of her companions on either side. From time to time, she reached out to steady Yue Zhengyu when he nearly tripped over a tree root. Yuanen Yehui brought up the rear, her steps steady, like a reassuring wall that kept every trivial worry and unease outside.
Tang Wulin walked at the front of the group, with Gu Yue beside him and Xu Xiaoyan several steps behind.
That brief moment alone beneath the intertwining starlight had been like a feather falling upon his heart—so light it left no trace, yet it unconsciously slowed Tang Wulin's steps. Every now and then, he turned his head and stole a glance at the girl behind him from the corner of his eye. She was kicking little stones by the roadside with her head lowered, starlight Soul Power drifting around her fingertips before quietly withdrawing again, as though she were hiding a small thought she did not wish to reveal too easily.
Sensing his gaze, Xu Xiaoyan suddenly looked up and met his eyes.
The instant their gazes met, she looked away as if she had been burned. The tips of her ears quietly flushed a faint red, but she still asked softly, "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else?"
Tang Wulin paused, then gently shook his head, his tone open and frank. "No, I'm much better already. Thank you."
"Mm." Xu Xiaoyan answered softly and lowered her head again, though the corners of her lips quietly curved upward.
The moment was brief, like a wisp of fragrance passing through the evening breeze—not strong or intense, yet unmistakably present.
Not far away, Adult Tang Wulin followed slowly along the outer edge of the group. He saw it all, and there was no ripple in his golden eyes, only the faintest softness, as if he were looking at his younger self.
He never interfered with the boy's growth, nor did he deliberately erase those small, perfectly appropriate concerns that belonged to their innocent youth.
Such concern was light and pure, a tenderness unique to comrades, held close to the heart.
There was no crossing the line, no testing, no entanglement.
It was merely a young man's concern for his companions, and a young woman's quiet care for the partner who fought at her side.
Walking beside Tang Wulin, Gu Yue naturally noticed that brief exchange of glances and the faint blush at Xu Xiaoyan's ears. She said nothing. She merely adjusted her pace slightly and moved half an inch closer to Tang Wulin, silently claiming her place through her actions.
Her gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin, gentle yet resolute.
As for Xu Xiaoyan's faintest, slightest bit of concern, it was like a small flower quietly blooming by the road—blooming peacefully and openly, before the evening breeze gently scattered it and returned everything to calm.
"We're almost at the dorms," Tang Wulin suddenly said in a warm voice. "Tomorrow morning, we'll cultivate on schedule. In the evening, we'll review the finals strategy again."
"Alright!"
Xie Xie was the first to answer. He ran back from ahead and waved at everyone. "I've already reserved the victory feast! Once cultivation ends tomorrow, it's on me!"
"Who wants to eat your buns?" Ye Xinglan retorted stubbornly, though she still gave him a light kick. "Remember to bring more."
Xu Lizhi immediately patted his chest. "Don't worry! There'll be plenty!"
Their boisterous laughter spread through Shrek's night, like a string of crisp wind chimes.
Tang Wulin turned back and looked at his companions behind him.
His golden eyes brimmed with the determination and warmth unique to youth.
Gu Yue was at his side, Xu Xiaoyan behind him; there was Xie Xie's clamor, Ye Xinglan's stubbornness, Yuanen Yehui's steadiness, Yue Zhengyu's gentleness, and the aroma of Xu Lizhi's buns...
Along this road, there were so many scattered little lights.
They were not dazzling or ostentatious, yet bit by bit, they illuminated the path ahead of him.
Adult Tang Wulin stood at the very back, watching the eight figures slowly walk into the light of the dormitory building.
He gently raised his hand and brushed over the lingering Dragon Emperor aura of the future at his fingertips.
The competition had ended, but the youths' story had only just turned to a new page.
These faint, pure, boundary-respecting little concerns would quietly be gathered by time and become the gentlest memories in the years to come.
And he would stand quietly at the other end of time, watching over them.
Watching these youths, step by step and in their own way, walk toward the light that belonged to them.
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