Seeing Liu Erlong Again

At those words, Yin Shu put down his pen and pushed up his glasses. "Oh? Let me see."

He took the envelope and turned it over. There was no signature on the front, only the character "Yu" written in one corner.

"Here to see the dean? Could it be an old friend of hers? All right, I'll pass the letter along. You can go back now."

"Yes."

Yin Shu rose, thinking, The dean was forthright and generous in her youth. She traveled far and wide and made plenty of friends. Perhaps an old acquaintance has come looking for her.

He passed several classroom buildings and headed straight for a quiet grove behind the academy.

Deep in the grove lay a lovely little garden, its flowers blooming in a riot of purples and reds.

Beside the garden stood an elegant two-story villa, its plain white walls nestled among the green shade.

Liu Erlong was watering the flowers in the garden, dressed in a long blue-green dress, her long hair loosely pinned behind her head.

Her movements were gentle. Droplets scattered from the watering can's spout onto the petals, glinting in the sunlight.

But a closer look would reveal a faint, lingering sorrow shrouding her features.

"Dean."

Liu Erlong turned at the sound, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. "Yin Shu, what is it?"

Yin Shu stepped forward and offered the letter with both hands. "Dean, someone outside the academy is looking for you. He asked me to give you this letter."

"Looking for me?"

Somewhat puzzled, Liu Erlong set down the watering can and took the envelope.

When the familiar handwriting came into view, her fingertips trembled slightly.

She slowly opened the envelope and drew out the thin sheet of paper inside.

"The wind scattered the flowers' murmurs, yet you said it was only your heart drifting.

You are the one I cannot forget; the Zen riddle you left me is one I cannot fathom.

Why did you leave with such resolve, as though we had never loved at all?

If true love is not a mistake, why must we bear endless cause and consequence..."

Every word on the paper was like a red-hot branding iron searing her heart.

It was a melody they had sung together in their youth.

During those happiest, most unrestrained, most carefree days, she had sat beside the campfire holding his hand, humming this song he had written himself.

Now, after more than a decade, those words appeared before her again, but though the surroundings remained, the people had changed.

Her gaze slowly slid to the last line on the page. There were only three words.

"I am here."

The paper slipped from her fingertips and fluttered to the ground.

Liu Erlong stood frozen, her eyes reddening as tears welled up uncontrollably.

Xiaogang...

The next second, Liu Erlong vanished.

Yin Shu stared in bewilderment. He had never seen that expression on the dean's face.

The dean, always so forthright and decisive, a woman who yielded to no man, had actually... shed tears?

At the academy gates, Yu Xiaogang stood waiting, the wind lifting the hem of his clothes and stirring his hair.

Suddenly, a rush of wind sounded behind him, accompanied by almost trembling breaths.

He turned.

Liu Erlong stood there in her blue-green dress, her eyes red, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

More than a decade had left few traces on her face, but those once-bright eyes now held far too much that could not be put into words.

"Xiaogang..."

Her voice was very soft, as though she feared that if she spoke any louder, the person before her would vanish as he did in her dreams.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the woman before him, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Only after a moment of silence did he speak. "Erlong, all these years... have you been well?"

"Xiaogang..."

Liu Erlong could no longer hold herself back. She rushed forward in two strides and threw her arms around him, locking them tightly about his waist, burying her head in his chest as her shoulders shook violently.

The longing and hurt she had suppressed for more than a decade burst through their banks in that instant.

"Xiaogang... it's been more than a decade... are you finally willing to see me?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you..."

Yu Xiaogang stiffened. His hands, hanging at his sides, slowly rose and settled gently on her back, patting it again and again.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head, catching the familiar fragrance of her hair as a dull ache welled up in his heart.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apology."

Liu Erlong's reply was muffled, and her arms tightened around him.

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, then looked down at her where she nestled against his chest. "Erlong, this time..."

"Don't leave me again this time, all right?"

Liu Erlong abruptly raised her head and gazed into his eyes through her tears, her voice pleading.

"I don't care what happened before anymore. As long as you're willing to stay, anything is fine."

Yu Xiaogang looked into her eyes, filled with unease and hope. His lips moved, and at last he gave a gentle smile, lifting a hand to wipe the tears from her face. "All right. I won't leave."

Liu Erlong froze for a moment, and her tears fell even harder, but she smiled, laughing and crying at once, disheveled yet beautiful.

She buried her face in his chest again, her voice muffled. "You have to keep your word."

"I will."

The two gatekeepers at the academy entrance had long since been left dumbstruck. They exchanged looks.

Was this... their dean?

Good heavens... just who was this man?!

Liu Erlong released Yu Xiaogang and wiped the tears from her face, regaining her usual brisk manner.

She took Yu Xiaogang's hand and headed straight into the academy, paying no heed to the two gatekeepers still standing there, slack-jawed.

"Come on, let's talk inside."

They crossed the campus and made their way to the quiet little grove on Back Mountain.

As they pushed open the garden's gate, a faint floral fragrance greeted them.

Yu Xiaogang stopped, his gaze sweeping over the irises and lilies in full bloom before settling on several wisteria plants in the corner by the wall. His eyes shifted slightly. "These flowers..."

"What do you think?"

Liu Erlong stood beside him with her arms folded and gave a deliberately casual smile.

"I planted them all myself. Back when we were together, you used to like giving me these flowers. I remember you said that in the language of flowers, irises meant... what was it again?"

"Longing."

Yu Xiaogang supplied the answer with a smile.

The smile on Liu Erlong's face faded a little. After a moment of silence, she lifted her chin again. "Oh, never mind. All that matters is that you're back."

"Mm."

Liu Erlong turned to him and changed the subject. "Right, where's Sanpao? Let him out so I can see him. It's been so long since I last saw him or held him."

Yu Xiaogang smiled. "He's changed quite a bit now."

He waved a hand. Golden light flashed, and a huge figure appeared in the garden's open space.

Liu Erlong's eyes lit up. She approached and looked him over, her eyes going wide. "This is... Sanpao?! How did he get so big!"

The current Luo Sanpao was worlds apart from the little fellow in his memories.

He had grown to roughly Yu Xiaogang's waist height, with thick, powerful limbs, a layer of pale golden scales covering his body, and a thick dragon's tail trailing behind him.

Most striking were the two small fleshy bumps rising from his back, faintly recognizable as a pair of fleshy wings that had yet to fully develop.

His head had also become sharply defined, his muzzle lengthening, already bearing something of the contours of a dragon's head.