Tang San found Luo Yan after dinner.
Luo Yan was sitting in the old locust tree outside Dorm Seven, swinging his legs and tossing sunflower seed shells at Xiao Wu as she passed below.
When he saw Tang San approaching, he grinned. "What is it, San'er? Does your face still hurt? I really didn't use much force."
Tang San laughed and cursed. "Screw you. You never even got near me."
He stood beneath the tree and looked up at Luo Yan. "Come down for a moment."
"What for? You want to climb up? This tree can't hold two people."
"Teacher wants to see you," Tang San said.
Luo Yan's hand paused. He looked down at Tang San, studying his expression.
"Grandmaster? What does he want with me?"
Tang San shook his head. "How would I know? He probably has some guesses about your Spirit Skill and wants to verify them."
"Then let him guess. Tell him to take his time. If he gets it right, I'll admit he's impressive."
"He asked me to call you over," Tang San said.
"I'm not a student anymore."
Luo Yan flicked a seed shell down from the tree. It landed right on Tang San's shoulder. "I dropped out early. At most, I'm an unofficial member of Dorm Seven now. Your teacher wants to invite someone over, and this is all he offers? Just words?"
Tang San brushed the shell off his shoulder, looked up at him, and smiled. "Then how should I invite you? With an eight-bearer sedan chair? Or should I write you an invitation?"
"An invitation would be nice."
Luo Yan's eyes lit up. "I've never received one before. Go tell your teacher that tomorrow at dusk, beneath the old locust tree outside Dorm Seven, he should prepare a pot of tea. I'll bring two jokes."
"My teacher doesn't drink tea," Tang San said.
"Then bring sunflower seeds."
Luo Yan said, "We can crack seeds while we talk. If the conversation goes well, I can even write him something on the spot."
Tang San sighed. "Luo Yan, he really has something he wants to ask you. He isn't trying to arrest you."
"I never said he was trying to arrest me."
Luo Yan leaned back against the trunk. "It's just that your teacher likes taking things apart the moment he opens his mouth."
"He'll split a Soul Ring into several parts and dissect a Spirit Skill layer by layer. If I go, he'll tear my Floating Life Like a Dream into seven pieces, then ask which piece is the head and which is the tail."
Tang San laughed. "You're afraid of being questioned too?"
"That isn't fear."
Luo Yan said, "It's called not wanting to attend class, understand? People who've dropped out are most afraid of teachers, especially teachers who can see right through them."
Tang San did not try to persuade him again.
He stood beneath the tree for a while, then suddenly said, "Then I'll go with you."
Luo Yan looked at him. "You'll go with me? What can you do? Stand there and hand me tea?"
"Help you run," Tang San said with a smile.
Luo Yan froze for a moment, then laughed as well. "Run? It's not like Notting City has put out a warrant for me. What would we be running from?"
"That wouldn't be so bad either."
Tang San said, "I've never tried being wanted before."
The two looked at each other and both burst out laughing.
The night wind swept past the entrance to Dorm Seven, rustling the leaves of the old locust tree.
At last, Luo Yan jumped down from the tree and dusted off his clothes.
"Fine."
He said, "Since you're smiling so maliciously, I'll go take a look."
"My teacher wants to see you, not me." Tang San turned and led the way.
"But why do I feel like you're helping your teacher set a trap for me?"
Luo Yan followed after him. "You've been getting more and more like a constable lately, always fishing for honest people like me."
"You? Honest?" Tang San did not even turn around.
"I'm so honest that I even dropped out of school." Luo Yan was utterly self-righteous.
Tang San ignored him, and the two walked along the old path toward the teachers' dormitory.
The surroundings were quiet, with only their footsteps and the occasional absurd remark from Luo Yan.
When they reached the door, Tang San finally stopped and turned back. "Go in. I'll wait outside."
Luo Yan looked at the half-open door, then at Tang San. "You really aren't coming in? What if there's an ambush inside? If I cry for help, will you hear me?"
"If you really shout, I'll go in," Tang San said.
"Then it's settled."
Luo Yan said, "If your teacher stumps me within three sentences, I'll yell."
"You can be stumped?" Tang San laughed.
"There's always someone greater out there, San'er."
Luo Yan straightened his collar and reached out to push open the door. "And beyond every teacher, there's another teacher."
He walked inside. Tang San watched the door close softly behind him, then sat down on the steps instead of going far.
The night wind was gentle, and the moon emerged from behind the clouds.
He heard Yu Xiaogang's voice from inside. "You're here? Sit."
Then he heard Luo Yan laugh. "Grandmaster, you're still awake this late? Have you come up with another theory?"
Listening outside, Tang San could not help but chuckle softly.
Inside the room.
Yu Xiaogang watched Luo Yan for quite a while before speaking unhurriedly. "You three made quite a commotion on the back mountain yesterday. I heard you used your second Spirit Skill."
"Just getting some practice in."
Luo Yan said, "I had to move around a little. Otherwise, I'd get moldy."
"I heard you made a snake, and also a... bride?" Yu Xiaogang asked evenly.
"Even Grandmaster knows about that."
Luo Yan smiled. "Notting City really can't keep a secret. Had I known, I would've gone farther away. Who would have thought the back mountain had eyes too?"
"Xiao San mentioned it." Yu Xiaogang said. "He said you were too strong, and that he wanted to become like you."
Luo Yan gave an "Oh" and leaned back. "Then shouldn't you work harder at teaching him?"
Yu Xiaogang did not smile.
He continued looking at Luo Yan, his gaze seeming to slowly search for something else beneath that ever-smiling face.
"Your second Soul Ring is a thousand-year one," he said.
Luo Yan did not deny it.
"A thousand-year Second Ring should not appear on a level-twenty Soul Master in any Martial Soul theory I know. Yet not only did you absorb it, you can use it to that extent."
Yu Xiaogang lowered his voice. "Luo Yan, do you know what that means?"
"I do."
Luo Yan said, "It means I'm pretty lucky."
"Lucky?"
Yu Xiaogang repeated it, and at last, a trace of emotion entered his voice. "Do you really think that was merely luck?"
Luo Yan looked at him.
They were close enough to see the flickering lamplight reflected in each other's pupils.
Luo Yan smiled, but did not answer immediately.
"Grandmaster."
He suddenly said, "Why do you always want to figure me out?"
Yu Xiaogang was taken aback.
"You have Tang San. You have Xiao Wu. You have so many students who want to take you as their master. Why keep focusing on someone like me, someone who dropped out?"
Luo Yan asked, slowing his words. "Is it because my Martial Soul doesn't fit your theories? Or because I make you feel that your theories might have missed something?"
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a while.
"Both," he said.
Luo Yan smiled. "Then just treat me as an exception. Don't take me too seriously."
"Even if there are more exceptions, theory is still theory. A path is still a path. You teach yours, and I'll play with mine."
"But your path has already gone ahead of theirs."
Yu Xiaogang said, "Tang San and Xiao Wu will both be watching you."
Luo Yan paused.
His smile slowly faded, and his expression became faint and distant.
After several seconds, he finally said, "That's why I came back. Not because I wanted to lead them, but because I wanted to see whether they were walking well now."
"If you truly wanted to see, you shouldn't have come back only to fool around," Yu Xiaogang said.
Luo Yan said nothing.
The night wind drifted in through the window, lifting several sheets of paper on the table.
Yu Xiaogang reached out and held them down, then looked back at Luo Yan. "I won't stop you, and I have no right to stop you. But if you still consider Tang San and Xiao Wu your friends, don't always place yourself outside everything. The more you do that, the more they'll chase after your shadow."
Luo Yan did not answer.
He lowered his head and looked at the oil lamp by his feet, nearly empty.
Its flame was tiny, ready to go out at any moment.
"Grandmaster."
He stood. "You didn't call me here tonight to ask about my Spirit Skill, did you?"
Yu Xiaogang did not deny it.
"You're afraid I'll lead them astray," Luo Yan said.
"No."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "I'm afraid you'll walk too fast, and they won't even be able to see your back."
Luo Yan stopped.
"They should chase dreams, not make dreams stop and wait for them. Think carefully—what can your guidance give them?"
After saying that, he pulled open the door. Tang San was still sitting on the steps.
Hearing the door open, he turned around. Luo Yan had already come out.
Moonlight fell across his face. That perpetually infuriating grin seemed, at that moment, to have been washed clean by something.
"Finished talking?" Tang San asked.
"Finished."
Luo Yan said, looking up at the moon. "What a bore. No tea, no chance to write anything, just a bunch of useless talk."
Tang San said nothing. He stood and walked back with Luo Yan side by side.
"San'er," Luo Yan suddenly said.
"Mm?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"You're leaving tomorrow?" Tang San stopped and turned to look at him.
"Mm."
Luo Yan did not look at him. He only watched the few clouds slowly drifting across the moon.
"I never planned to stay long. I only came back to see you all."
Tang San did not speak. Of course he knew Luo Yan would not stay long.
"Does Xiao Wu know?" Tang San asked.
"She doesn't."
Luo Yan smiled. "If she knew, she'd definitely tie me to the old locust tree tonight and hang a sign on me saying, 'Notting City's Number One Heartless Man.'"
Tang San smiled. "And you still won't tell her."
"It wouldn't be any fun if I told her~"
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