Chapter 46

Gu Yue suddenly announced the news during lunch.

As usual, the four of them sat on the ground beneath the ginkgo tree. Lu Menge had made braised pork ribs and broccoli with garlic sauce today. Tang Wulin was placing the last rib into Gu Yue's bowl when she set down her chopsticks and said in a tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather, "I'm going back to the Star Dou Great Forest this weekend."

Tang Wulin's chopsticks froze in midair. Lu Menge's hand, which had been about to ladle soup, paused as well.

"Di Tian sent word that there have been disturbances at the Lake of Life in the forest's core area recently. I need to go back and take a look. It probably won't take more than a few days. I can visit some old friends while I'm there." Gu Yue lifted her soup bowl and took a small sip.

Tang Wulin placed the rib in her bowl, his voice lower than usual. "You're going alone?"

"Mm. The Star Dou Great Forest is my home. There's no need to make a big production out of going back."

Lu Menge set down her spoon. She tilted her head as she looked at Gu Yue, a glint flashing through her amber fox eyes—not worry, but a carefully suppressed excitement. This brat had taken the initiative to say she wanted to return to the Star Dou Great Forest. Lu Menge knew better than anyone what that place meant to her—it was the homeland where the Silver Dragon King had slept for tens of thousands of years, the territory she and Di Tian's old subordinates had guarded all their lives, and the last holy land of the soul beast lineage. Gu Yue had spoken lightly when she told Tang Wulin, but Lu Menge had noticed something: before making the announcement, she had glanced at Tang Wulin first. She wanted him to offer to go with her. She did not want to return to the Star Dou Great Forest alone, but with her awkward personality, she would rather hint at it in such a roundabout way than say it outright. Since Gu Yue would not speak up, Lu Menge would do it for her.

"Tang Wulin," Lu Menge said, turning to him as her tone abruptly shifted from lazy to solemn. "You're going too."

Tang Wulin had just swallowed a mouthful of rice and nearly choked. "...Huh?"

"That reaction—you don't want to go?"

"Of course I do—"

"Then go." Lu Menge leaned back, slipped both hands into the pockets of her white coat, and flashed an incomparably brilliant smile. "And you're meeting the parents, you know? You possess the Golden Dragon King martial soul, and those old folks in the Star Dou Great Forest are all related to dragons one way or another. You'd better make a good impression and leave Di Tian with a favorable opinion of you. He's the Silver Dragon King's guardian—Gu Yue is going home, so how could you not accompany her?"

Gu Yue's chopsticks stopped against the rim of her bowl. She raised her dark eyes to Lu Menge, her gaze plainly saying both, What are you talking about? and Say one more word and I'll freeze your thermos into a block of ice. Tang Wulin's ears had already begun to redden, but instead of lowering his head, he set down his chopsticks and straightened up, looking as serious as if he were heading into battle. "Then what should I bring? If I'm meeting Di Tian, should I bring some kind of gift... A forged weapon? Would Di Tian accept that?"

That was exactly what Lu Menge had been waiting to hear. She sat up straight and raised one finger, an odd gleam flashing in her fox eyes. "First, dye your hair yellow."

Tang Wulin's expression instantly froze. "...What?"

"Yellow hair. The golden kind that shines wherever you go." The more Lu Menge spoke, the more animated she became. "Then get yourself one of those roaring soul-guide motorcycles. Yellow hair paired with a loud bike—the standard outfit for meeting the parents. Ride that thing rumbling into the Star Dou Great Forest, and Di Tian will hear you from miles away. Now that's style."

The air beneath the ginkgo tree fell silent for an entire breath. Tang Wulin's frozen expression turned blank. Gu Yue's mouth visibly twitched. She set down her chopsticks, crossed her hands over her knees, and turned to Tang Wulin as if she had long grown used to Sister Lu's occasional bouts of insanity. "If you dress the way she says, I'm not taking you inside."

"I'm not dyeing my hair because I want to—she's the one telling me to do it." Tang Wulin pointed at Lu Menge indignantly, then turned back to Gu Yue. "Besides, what even is a loud bike? I don't even know how to ride a soul-guide motorcycle."

"You don't even know what that is? It's the kind that—" Lu Menge was still gesturing when Wu Changkong stopped her with a glance. He did not say anything, merely lowered his head and continued eating, though the curve of his lips lifted ever so slightly more than usual. Lu Menge raised both hands in surrender, but the smile on her face did not fade at all. Instead, she smiled even more happily. Leaning toward Wu Changkong, she lightly bumped his arm with her elbow. "Changkong, be fair—doesn't my plan have plenty of style?"

Wu Changkong did not answer, but he pushed the bowl of soup she had ladled earlier half an inch closer to her, telling her to drink her soup instead of just laughing.

"Fine, fine, I'm done joking." Lu Menge restrained her smile and resumed a serious tone. "Wulin, you don't need to dye your hair yellow—your hair is already black, and when you reveal your martial soul, it shines gold brighter than any yellow hair could. As for that loud-bike nonsense, you do not even need to buy one—when Di Tian sees that Golden Dragon King aura all over you, it'll carry more weight than any greeting gift. As for a present... you can bring a small forged item. It doesn't need to be too valuable. Di Tian has lived for eight hundred thousand years and has seen every treasure there is; he doesn't lack rare valuables. But he has never seen anyone forge so many little things for Gu Yue. Bring one of the Ice Spear tips, short blades, or hairpins you forged for Gu Yue—any one of them. The moment he sees it, he'll understand. This kid knows how to forge, and everything he forges is custom equipment for the Silver Dragon King. That'll be more useful than saying 'I'll take good care of her' ten thousand times."

Tang Wulin nodded earnestly, already going through in his mind which gift he should bring.

Lu Menge turned to Gu Yue, and her tone softened with rare gentleness. "It's good that you're going back to take a look. Di Tian is old. He never says it, but every time you return, he's overjoyed. Last time you brought him honey corn, and he said, 'The Silver Dragon King need not bring such human food.' Then he turned around and gnawed the entire ear clean—he did not even leave you the cob. Also, if something is wrong with the Lake of Life, don't shoulder it alone. You're a student of Class Zero now, not the Silver Dragon King sleeping alone. If you run into anything you're unsure about, discuss it with Wulin first. He may be a little dumb, but his instincts and combat strength are more reliable than any strategist's at critical moments."

Gu Yue lowered her eyes and fell silent for a moment. Sister Lu had exposed the concern she least wanted to voice—this time, she was not returning solely because of the disturbance at the Lake of Life. It had been a long time since she had faced Di Tian alone, since she had faced that lake where she had slept for tens of thousands of years alone. She had once been Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King, ruler of the soul beasts, with every soul beast bloodline sharing her origin. But now, she was also Gu Yue of Class Zero, Tang Wulin's partner, and a little silver dragon whose hair Lu Menge could ruffle whenever she pleased. She was afraid that when she stood at the Lake of Life, she would no longer know which Gu Yue she was. But Lu Menge wanted Tang Wulin to go with her. That was the same as telling her—you do not have to choose. You are both.

"...All right. I'll take him with me." Gu Yue picked up her soup bowl again, her tone returning to its usual coolness, though the rim of the bowl hid the faint upward curve of her lips.

Tang Wulin sat beside her and lowered his head as he placed the last rib into her bowl. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said, "I'm going too. It'll be a good chance for me to meet your old friends—the crooked-necked tree too. I want to see it, since you used to sit beneath it all the time." Gu Yue did not answer, but she picked up the rib and ate it. Her movements were slow, as though she were savoring a precious piece of candy.