Chapter 46

Gu Yue suddenly announced the news during lunch.

Under the ginkgo tree, the four of them sat on the ground as usual. Lu Menge had made braised pork ribs and broccoli with garlic today. Tang Wulin was putting 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 talking about 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 out some soup, also paused.

"Di Tian sent word that there's been some unusual activity at the Lake of Life in the forest's core region. I need to go back and take a look. It shouldn't take more than a few days. I'll 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 fuss over going back."

Lu Menge put down her spoon. Tilting her head, she looked at Gu Yue, a glint flashing through her amber fox eyes—not worry, but a carefully suppressed excitement. This brat had actually taken the initiative to say she was returning to the Star Dou Great Forest. Lu Menge understood 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 their entire lives, the last holy land of the soul beast lineage. Gu Yue had made it sound casual when telling Tang Wulin, but Lu Menge had noticed something: before announcing it, she had looked at Tang Wulin first. She wanted him to offer to go with her. She didn't want to return to the Star Dou Great Forest alone, but with that awkward personality of hers, she would rather hint at it indirectly than ask outright. Since Gu Yue wouldn't say it, Lu Menge would say 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—don't you want to go?"

"Of course I do—"

"Then go." Lu Menge leaned back and slipped both hands into the pockets of her white coat, flashing an extraordinarily radiant smile. "And you'll be meeting the family, you know? You possess the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul. Every old geezer in the Star Dou Great Forest is connected to the dragon clan one way or another. You'd better make a good impression on Di Tian. He's the Silver Dragon King's guardian—Gu Yue is going back to her family home. Wouldn't it be wrong for you not to accompany her?"

Gu Yue's chopsticks stopped against the rim of her bowl. She lifted her dark eyes toward Lu Menge, her gaze clearly 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 put down his chopsticks and sat up straight, looking as serious as if he were preparing for 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 one?"

This was exactly what Lu Menge had been waiting for. She sat upright and raised one finger, an odd gleam flashing through 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 excited she became. "Then get yourself a ghostfire—one of those soul-guided motorcycles that goes vroom vroom vroom. Yellow hair and a ghostfire: the standard family-meeting outfit. Ride that thing roaring into the Star Dou Great Forest, and Di Tian will hear you coming from miles away—now that's style."

The air beneath the ginkgo tree went silent for an entire breath. Tang Wulin's frozen expression turned blank. Gu Yue's mouth visibly twitched. She set down her chopsticks, folded her hands over her knees, and, as though she had long grown used to Sister Lu's intermittent bouts of insanity, turned to Tang Wulin. "If you dress up the way she said, I won't let you through the door."

"I'm not the one who wanted to dye my hair yellow—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 ghostfire? I don't even know how to ride a soul-guided motorcycle."

"You don't even know what a ghostfire is? It's that kind of—" Lu Menge was still gesturing when Wu Changkong stopped her with a look from beside her. He did not speak, merely lowered his head and continued eating, though the curve of his lips had 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 grinned even wider. Leaning toward Wu Changkong, she lightly bumped his arm with her elbow. "Changkong, you tell them—isn't my plan incredibly stylish?"

Wu Changkong did not answer. However, he pushed the bowl of soup she had served herself half an inch closer to her, telling her to drink her soup instead of focusing on laughing.

"Fine, fine, I'm done joking." Lu Menge reined in her smile and returned to a serious tone. "Wulin, you don't need to dye your hair yellow—your hair is black already, but when you reveal your Martial Soul, you shine brighter than any yellow hair ever could. As for a ghostfire, you don't even need to buy one—when Di Tian sees the Golden Dragon King aura all over you, it'll carry more weight than any greeting gift. As for a present, bring a small forged item. It doesn't need to be valuable. Di Tian has lived for eight hundred thousand years and has seen every treasure there is; he lacks neither rare curios nor precious artifacts. But he's never seen anyone forge so many little things for Gu Yue. Bring one of the Ice Spear tips, short blades, or hairpins you made for her—anything will do. The moment he sees it, he'll understand. This kid knows how to forge, and every piece he makes is a custom component 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 over in his mind which gift he should bring.

Lu Menge turned to Gu Yue, her tone softening in a rare moment of gentleness. "It's good to go back and see them. Di Tian is getting old. Though he never says it, he's always overjoyed whenever you return. Last time, you brought him honey corn. He said, 'The Silver Dragon King need not bring such human food,' but the moment he turned around, he gnawed the entire ear clean—even the cob was gone. Also, if there really is something 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 encounter anything you're unsure about, discuss it with Wulin first. He may be a little dumb, but at critical moments, his instincts and combat strength are more reliable than any strategist's."

Gu Yue lowered her eyes and fell silent for a moment. Sister Lu had exposed the concern she least wanted to voice—she was returning this time not only 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, sovereign of all soul beasts, with the bloodlines of every soul beast sharing the same origin as her own. But now, she was also Gu Yue of Class Zero, Tang Wulin's partner, the little silver dragon whose hair Lu Menge could ruffle whenever she wanted. She was afraid that, standing beside the Lake of Life, she would no longer know which Gu Yue she was. But Lu Menge wanted Tang Wulin to accompany her. That was the same as telling her—she did not need to choose. She was both.

"...All right. I'll take him with me." Gu Yue lifted her soup bowl again, her tone returning to its usual coolness, though the corners of her lips curled ever so slightly behind the rim of the bowl.

Sitting beside her, Tang Wulin lowered his head and 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 to meet your old friends—the crooked-neck tree too. I want to see it, since you used to sit under it all the time." Gu Yue did not answer, but she picked up the rib and ate it. Slowly, as though she were savoring a very precious piece of candy.