Bibi Dong Must Be Thinking of Me

Zhu Zhuqing woke up.

She found herself still draped over Lin Yuan's back, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. A little drool had soaked into his black clothes.

She stiffened for a moment, slipped off his back, took a step away, and lowered her head to straighten her clothes.

Lin Yuan glanced back at her.

"Awake?"

Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer. She wiped the corner of her mouth and turned her face away. Her long hair hid her profile, but a flush crept up from the base of her ear.

Lin Yuan turned forward and kept walking.

"You can sleep a little longer. It's still early."

Guga jumped down from a branch and pointed a tiny hand at Zhu Zhuqing's face.

"Your face is red, Guga!"

Zhu Zhuqing turned away.

"...No, it isn't."

Little Moon crouched beside Xuanwu Guga, reached out a tiny hand, and pinched her cheek. Xuanwu Guga was squatting on the ground watching ants. The flesh of her face bunched up under Little Moon's fingers, but her eyes stayed on the ants. She hadn't noticed a thing.

"This is fun, Guga."

Little Moon kneaded one cheek, then the other, grinning from ear to ear.

Three days later.

Nuoding City's walls appeared on the horizon. The gate looked the same as ever, wood clad in iron. Lin Yuan stood before it and looked up at the walls.

Guga tugged at his trouser leg.

"We're back again, Guga."

"Yeah."

Zhu Zhuqing followed behind him and hesitated.

"Did you...come to find your family?"

Lin Yuan's steps faltered.

"No. But there's someone in the city who's almost like an older brother to me."

Dusk was falling. The Milk Tea shop's sign was still there, though its lettering had blurred. Lin Yuan stood outside looking at it for a long while, then turned toward the east of the city.

In eastern Nuoding City stood a three-courtyard house. It had blue-brick walls, dark tiles, and a winding-branch pattern carved above the entrance. One leaf of its vermilion-lacquered gate stood open. Two osmanthus trees grew in the courtyard, with a stone table and stools beneath them and several pots of flowers and greenery by the wall. It was far grander than it had been five years ago. Lin Yuan stood at the gate and knocked three times.

The door opened.

Su Yuntao stood there, stared at Lin Yuan for three seconds, then grabbed him by the shoulders.

"It's good to have you back."

His voice was a little hoarse. He turned his head away and gave Lin Yuan's shoulders two firm pats.

Sisi came out from the inner room and stopped short.

"You're taller. And thinner."

She stroked Guga's head.

"And there are so many more of you!"

Little Moon popped up beside Sisi's feet, teleported onto her shoulder, and touched her hair tie.

"Hello, Guga."

Sisi smiled and reached up to stroke her. Little Moon had already teleported away and was sitting on a ceiling beam, swinging her little legs.

Guga hopped over and pointed a tiny hand at Little Moon.

"That's Little Moon Guga!"

She pointed again at Xuanwu Guga, who was squatting by the door watching ants in a crack between the stones.

"That's Xuanwu Guga!"

Sisi bent down and picked Xuanwu Guga up. Xuanwu Guga nestled obediently in her arms, her eyes fixed on Sisi's hair tie. She reached out a tiny hand to touch it, then drew her hand back.

Su Yuntao closed the door and poured three cups of tea. "You sent money back every year, and you wrote a few letters too." He looked at Lin Yuan. "But all your letters said was that your cultivation was going well. You never mentioned anything else."

"I was too busy. I forgot to go into detail." Lin Yuan coughed.

Su Yuntao gestured around the courtyard.

"I saved all the money you sent. We moved into this house last year. Your sister Sisi said that when Little Yuan came home, he ought to have a big house to stay in, not that old rundown courtyard."

Su Yuntao sighed.

"Forget it. What matters is that you're back."

"I came back this time to settle the score from back then."

"The City Lord's Manor."

"Yeah."

"What level are you now?"

Four Soul Rings lit up beside Lin Yuan's feet. Black, all of them black, gleaming black.

"Level forty-six. A Soul Ancestor."

The cup slipped from Su Yuntao's hand and landed on the table, spilling tea everywhere. He stared at the four Soul Rings for a long time, shock all over his face, then jerked his head up to look at Lin Yuan.

"Four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. You said in your letter that you were almost a Soul Ancestor, kid, but you didn't say you'd be a Soul Ancestor with four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings."

Lin Yuan's grin spread wider and wider.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Surprise?" Su Yuntao glared at him. "Nearly scared me to death, more like. When I awakened your Martial Soul back then, I thought it was a Trash Martial Soul like Yu Xiaogang's. Who would've imagined that the kid everyone called a Trash Martial Soul would become a Soul Ancestor with four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?"

Lin Yuan clicked his tongue.

"If it had been like Yu Xiaogang's, I'd have been done for."

Su Yuntao froze, then burst out laughing.

"You brat. If the Grandmaster heard you say that..."

"He won't."

In the teachers' dormitory at Nuoding Academy.

Yu Xiaogang was bent over his desk writing notes when he suddenly sneezed, splattering ink across half the page.

He rubbed his nose and looked out the window.

"Bibi Dong must be thinking of me."

Beside him, Luo Sanpao rolled his eyes.

"Well, this really is something..." Sisi crouched down to play with Xuanwu Guga.

"I'm level twenty-nine, almost a Soul Elder. Sisi's about the same." Su Yuntao patted Lin Yuan's shoulder.

"Not bad." Lin Yuan chuckled. "You're in the same realm as the Grandmaster."

Su Yuntao's mouth twitched.

"Why doesn't that sound like a compliment?"

"Take a guess."

Sisi's gaze passed over Lin Yuan and landed on Zhu Zhuqing. Zhu Zhuqing stood in a corner in her close-fitting black clothes, her expression cool, though she looked a little stiff.

Sisi carried a cup of tea over and put it in her hands.

"Don't just stand there. Have a seat. What's your name?"

"Zhu Zhuqing."

Sisi looked at Su Yuntao, then at Lin Yuan, and the corners of her mouth lifted.

"You brought a girl home without telling us in advance?"

Lin Yuan coughed.

"We met on the road."

Guga crawled out from under the table and gripped its edge with her tiny hands.

"She even slept on his back, Guga!"

The cup trembled in Zhu Zhuqing's hands, spilling tea onto the back of one. Red spread from the base of her ears all the way down her neck, and she pressed her lips into a thin line.

Sisi covered her mouth and laughed.

"We really did meet on the road." Lin Yuan sighed.

"Mm." Su Yuntao nodded, unable to hold back his grin. "Met her on the road and carried her all the way home."

Little Moon crouched beside Xuanwu Guga and started kneading her cheeks again.

"This is fun, Guga."

Starry Guga sighed, walked over, and pulled Little Moon away.

"Stop that, Guga."

Little Moon's eyes darted around, and she slipped back to Xuanwu Guga's side. Starry Guga rubbed her forehead.

Su Yuntao stood, went to the kitchen door, and wheeled out a cart. Roast chicken, sauced beef, and steamed cakes filled it.

"Good thing you wrote ahead to say you were coming back. Your sister Sisi and I spent the whole day preparing. Otherwise, we'd never have had enough to feed all the Gugas."

Sisi brought a huge bowl of meat soup out of the kitchen, steam billowing from it.

Guga charged over first and grabbed a roast chicken leg.

"Big Brother Su is the best, Guga!"

Dark Gold Guga followed her and took a piece of sauced beef.

"...Thank you, Big Brother Su, Guga."

Little Moon had somehow already made it onto the cart. She hugged two steamed cakes, her cheeks bulging.

"Thank you, Sister Sisi, Guga."

Xuanwu Guga raised her head toward Lin Yuan, her mouth open and drool nearly dripping from it.

"Want to eat, Guga."

Lin Yuan picked her up, took a steamed cake from the cart, and placed it in her hands. Xuanwu Guga took it and obediently lowered her head to nibble, getting crumbs all over her face.

Starry Guga stood nearby watching Xuanwu Guga eat. Lin Yuan took another steamed cake and offered it to her.

"You eat too."

Starry Guga took it and bit off a small mouthful.

"Thank you, Guga."

Su Yuntao looked around at the roomful of Gugas and shook his head.

"Five of them now."

"Will there be a full dozen by the next time you come back?"

"We'll see."

It was late. Sisi prepared two rooms, then went over to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Get some rest."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

In the other room, Lin Yuan sat on the edge of the bed. Guga had fallen asleep hugging Dark Gold Guga. Dark Gold Guga hadn't pushed her away and lay with her eyes closed. Xuanwu Guga was curled up beside Starry Guga, who rested a hand lightly on her back.

Little Moon jumped down from the ceiling beam and burrowed into Lin Yuan's arms. She curled into a ball and looked out the window.

"The moon is pretty, Guga."

Lin Yuan stroked her head.

"Go to sleep."

Little Moon's eyes narrowed to slits. She tucked herself against his chest and went still.

Lin Yuan leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. Moonlight shone bright outside, casting the osmanthus trees' shadows across the paper window.

Tomorrow came the part he'd been looking forward to most—the City Lord's Manor. He would settle every last debt from five years ago, one by one.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he closed his eyes.