Liu Erlong stopped tearing down the academy, but she started tearing apart Yi Yun's peace and quiet. Ever since he had caught her Thunder Dragon Roar with one hand that day, she had become a different person. Before, she had been the most terrifying presence in the academy, and people took detours wherever she went; now, she was its biggest headache, because she had started visiting Yi Yun's courtyard. Three times a day, morning, noon, and night, more punctual than the dining hall's mealtimes.
"Little Brother Yun, are you there?"
On the first morning, Liu Erlong knocked on the courtyard gate. Tang San opened it, and the sight of her once-ferocious face now wreathed in smiles nearly made him drop the carrot in his hand.
"T-Teacher Liu?"
"Little Tang, is Little Brother Yun here?"
Tang San glanced back into the courtyard-Yi Yun was basking in the sun in his rocking chair and had not even lifted his eyelids at the sound. Tang San turned back and said expressionlessly, "Yes."
"Then I'll come in."
Liu Erlong strode into the courtyard. Tang San silently stepped aside, watching her walk toward Yi Yun, and suddenly had a premonition-the skies over this academy were about to change.
"Little Brother Yun!" Liu Erlong stopped beside Yi Yun, planted her hands on her hips, and smiled like a kindly older sister. "Let your big sister apologize for yesterday. My temper flared, and I couldn't rein it in. I nearly dragged you into it."
Yi Yun opened one eye, glanced at Liu Erlong, and closed it again. "It's fine. You couldn't have hurt me anyway."
The corner of Liu Erlong's mouth twitched. Had anyone else said that, she would have slapped them already. But since it was Yi Yun, she could only swallow it-because she could not beat him.
"Little Brother Yun, let your big sister treat you to a meal as an apology."
"Not going."
"Why?"
"Too lazy."
Liu Erlong took a deep breath. She told herself to endure it, endure it; she could not beat this man. "Then your big sister will cook for you and bring it over."
Yi Yun opened his eyes and looked at Liu Erlong. "You can cook?"
"Of course! There's nothing your big sister can't do!"
"Then go ahead. Bring it over when it's ready."
Liu Erlong left happily, her steps as light as a young girl's. Tang San stood beside the vegetable patch, watching her departing figure, and forgot to shut off the watering can in his hand. Water kept pouring out until the vegetable patch was almost a rice paddy.
Liu Erlong kept her word and arrived at noon carrying food. Four dishes and a soup: braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, garlic eggplant, and a bowl of pork rib and lotus root soup. They had color, aroma, and flavor in full measure, not much below the standard of her fighting.
Yi Yun looked at the tableful of food and raised his eyebrows. "You made this?"
"Of course!" Liu Erlong proudly puffed out her chest. "Your big sister has mastered all eighteen martial arts. Cooking is just one of them."
Yi Yun picked up a piece of braised pork, chewed it, and nodded. "Not bad. Better than Tang San's cooking."
Squatting beside the vegetable patch, Tang San paused with his hoe when he heard that, then resumed hoeing. Of course his cooking was not as good as Liu Erlong's. She had been cooking for decades, while he had only been learning for a few months. How could they compare?
Xiao Wu sat beside Yi Yun, watching Liu Erlong fuss over him, and felt a sour pang of jealousy. She knew Liu Erlong had come to apologize, but this apology was far too lavish-four dishes and a soup, even better than how she treated Yi Yun. No, she had to raise the stakes.
Ning Rongrong stood nearby, holding her "Handsome Master is the handsomest" sign, and tilted her head as she watched Liu Erlong. Zhu Zhuqing sat beneath the tree, cultivating with her eyes closed, but she had not spoken all this time.
"Little Brother Yun, what level are you?" Liu Erlong finally asked the question she had been holding in all morning.
"Guess."
"Ninety-five?"
Yi Yun shook his head.
"Ninety-six?"
He shook his head.
"Ninety-seven?"
He still shook his head. Liu Erlong's eyelid twitched. "Don't tell me you're ninety-nine?"
"Mm."
The chopsticks in Liu Erlong's hand fell onto the table. Level ninety-nine Peerless Douluos could be counted on one hand across the entire continent. She had lived half her life, and the Titled Douluos she had seen could be counted on her fingers, every one of them an old man in his seventies or eighties. This young man before her, who looked younger than she was, was a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo.
"You're lying," Liu Erlong blurted out.
Yi Yun offered no explanation. He merely raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the sky. A beam of golden light shot into the clouds, and a golden ball of light burst open in the sky, illuminating all of Heaven Dou City. Though that terrifying pressure lasted only an instant, Liu Erlong felt it-an aura even stronger than Pope Bibi Dong's, a true, pure power that made her very soul tremble.
Liu Erlong's expression changed again and again. She remained silent for a long time, then did something that left everyone dumbfounded-she picked up her wine cup and raised it toward Yi Yun. "Little Brother Yun, your big sister offers you a toast. I've offended you before. I hope you'll be generous enough to forgive me."
Her attitude made a complete about-face, faster than a carriage turning around.
Yi Yun looked at her and smiled. "Who was it that wanted to beat me to death just now?"
Liu Erlong flushed at once. "That was a misunderstanding~"
"A misunderstanding? You nearly tore down the academy."
"That was because I didn't know how strong you were. If I'd known you were a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, how would I have dared lay a hand on you?"
"So you bully the weak and fear the strong?"
"I call it judging the times and weighing the situation!"
They exchanged a look and laughed together. Xiao Wu watched from the side, feeling even more sour. Brother Yun and Liu Erlong were laughing so happily; she had never laughed like that with Brother Yun. No, she had to raise the stakes. Zhu Zhuqing kept her eyes closed, but her fingers tapped lightly against her knee, much faster than usual. Ning Rongrong held up her sign and tilted her head at Liu Erlong, looking thoughtful.
After the meal, Liu Erlong did not leave. She sat in the courtyard and chatted with Yi Yun. Their conversation went from Martial Soul cultivation to the philosophy of life, and from the philosophy of life to romantic experiences. When they reached Yu Xiaogang, her eyes reddened, but she did not cry.
"I've waited for him for so many years, and he won't even look at me." Liu Erlong's voice was a little hoarse. "Tell me, am I a fool?"
"Quite a fool," Yi Yun said.
"Can't you comfort me a little?"
"I'm telling the truth. Comforting you won't help. What you need is to let go."
"How do I let go?"
"Find something more important than that man."
Liu Erlong fell silent and looked at Yi Yun for a long time. "Like what?"
"Like getting stronger," Yi Yun said. "You're a level seventy-eight Soul Saint. How long have you been stuck at that level?"
"Five years."
"Want to break through?"
Liu Erlong's eyes lit up. "You can help me?"
"Yes, but on one condition."
"What condition?"
"Stop calling me Little Brother Yun."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Call me Brother Yun."
Liu Erlong froze, then laughed. "You're younger than me, and you want me to call you big brother?"
"The strong command respect. Age has nothing to do with it."
Liu Erlong gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "Brother Yun."
"Say it again."
"Brother Yun." It came much more naturally this time.
Xiao Wu watched from the side, squeezing the carrot in her hand until it creaked. Zhu Zhuqing's fingers tapped even faster against her knee. Ning Rongrong held up her sign, her mouth forming an O. Tang San squatted beside the vegetable patch and silently pulled out a newly sprouted radish seedling-he did not know why he was pulling it out either, but his hand was beyond his control.
After Liu Erlong left, the courtyard grew quiet. Xiao Wu sat beside Yi Yun, looking glum.
"What's wrong?" Yi Yun asked.
"Nothing."
"Jealous?"
"No!"
"Then why are you pouting?"
"I-I'm not pouting!"
Yi Yun reached out and ruffled Xiao Wu's hair. "No matter how many people come, you'll always be my little bunny."
Xiao Wu blushed and lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Then what about Sister Zhuqing?"
"Zhu Zhuqing is mine too."
"What about Ning Rongrong?"
"Rongrong is my disciple."
"What about Liu Erlong?"
"Liu Erlong is my... friend."
Xiao Wu raised her head and looked at Yi Yun, her eyes a little red. "Brother Yun, there are more and more women around you."
"I know."
"Aren't you afraid I'll get jealous?"
"I am, but you'll get used to it."
Xiao Wu bit her lip and did not argue. Because she knew Yi Yun was right-she would get used to it. Not because she was generous, but because she could not leave him.
Zhu Zhuqing rose from beneath the tree and walked up to Yi Yun. "Brother Yun."
"Hmm?"
"I want to break through too."
"You're only in the forties. What's the rush?"
"I want to grow stronger. Strong enough to stand beside you."
Yi Yun looked at Zhu Zhuqing. In those amber feline eyes was a resolve he rarely saw.
"All right. I'll teach you."
Zhu Zhuqing smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
Tang San squatted in the vegetable patch and silently finished pulling out the entire row of radish seedlings. He looked at the seedlings in his hand, then at the empty vegetable patch, and suddenly felt that perhaps he did not need this vegetable patch quite so much after all-because he had discovered that whatever he planted, none of it grew as fast as the number of women around Yi Yun.
Liu Erlong returned to her quarters, sat by the window, and looked at the moon outside. Today, she had called a man twenty years younger than her "Brother Yun," and she had said it twice. She had thought she would feel embarrassed, but strangely, she did not. Because that man was truly strong, a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, someone who stood at the pinnacle of the continent. Calling him "Brother Yun" was nothing to be ashamed of.
Besides, he had told her-find something more important than a man. Grow stronger. Growing stronger was what she should be doing, not waiting for someone who would never come.
Liu Erlong stood, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The night breeze blew in, carrying autumn's chill. She took a deep breath and suddenly felt much lighter at heart.
Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water. In the distance, Tang San's faint muttering drifted over from the vegetable patch. "They're already pulled out. I'll plant them again tomorrow..." The corners of Liu Erlong's mouth lifted slightly, and she closed the window. Tomorrow, she would go see Brother Yun again. The day after, too. And the day after that. Until she broke past level seventy-eight, until she let go of Yu Xiaogang, until she found a path that truly belonged to her.
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