The Legend of the Dragon King

The glow of the Twin Dragon Dagger in Xie Xie’s hands dimmed. He stared blankly at Yuanen Yehui, prettily pouting in front of him.

He simply could not believe that this was really happening. Yuanen Yehui looked all sorts of flirtatious. She behaved as if she was another person. This was not the cold Yuanen Yehui he had always known.

‘S-s-she!’

A person was not a stalk of grass or a tree. How could a person ever be emotionless?

As she looked at the foolish fellow in front of her, Yuanen Yehui could not restrain herself and gave him a good smack on the head.

The two of them descended from the skies and dropped onto their lotus leaves.

Yuanen Yehui’s beautiful face had slightly reddened when she let go of him.

Xie Xie only truly understood the situation at that point.

“Ah!” He suddenly gave a loud shout as he leapt high in the air.

However, he immediately remembered Xu Lizhi’s sorrow after the great joy before this. He quickly controlled his body and descended lightly on the lotus leaf like a willow.

“Yuanen, I love you. From this day on, if you told me to go east, I will not go west. If you want me to catch a dog, I won’t go after a chicken. From this day on, I’m yours!” Xie Xie did not land on his own lotus leaf, landing on Yuanen Yehui’s instead.

Although Xu Lizhi was much chubbier than he was, in terms of the thickness of their faces, Xu Lizhi could not compare to him even with both sides of his face combined. Xie Xie was already hugging Yuanen Yehui as he leaped with joy.

“Hey, hey! We’re not even in the final segment yet! Be mindful of your conduct,” said Tang Yinmeng with a smile from far away.

When Tang Wulin saw this, he could not help but sigh in relief. Finally! Xie Xie had finally gotten what he was hoping for after all these years of pining.

He was genuinely happy for them. He also instinctively shifted his gaze to a faraway direction.

Xu Lizhi had succeeded; Xie Xie had succeeded, but what about himself?

It was a rare sight that Yuanen Yehui did not blast this fellow away. She only pushed his body further from herself slightly. She said softly, “Let go of me at once. If you continue to embarrass me, I’ll go back on my word.”

“You can’t!” Xie Xie hastily let go of Yuanen Yehui. As he looked at the beautiful face in front of his nose, his breathing became noticeably heavier. He had finally risen to the ranks of a mother-in-law from a daughter-in-law! Although this was an odd choice of phrase to apply to a man, it aptly described how Xie Xie was feeling.

Xie Xie pulled on Yuanen Yehui’s hand. He stretched his right arm and guided his lotus leaf toward himself. He stepped onto it and brought her with him as they returned to his original position.

The perturbed, depressed, and stifling feelings he had felt before this was completely gone now. He looked around charmingly. The triumphant look on his face even made Yuanen Yehui start to doubt if she had made the right choice by selecting him just like that.

In any case, there was only one more girl that had not made her choice.

“According to the rules, the female students who have not removed their bamboo hats in this segment must wait until the final moment before they’re allowed to make their choice. Female Number Seventeen, will you pick the male student whom you admire?”

All of Tang Wulin’s awkwardness disappeared in this instant. His gaze sailed a hundred meters across the lake’s surface and landed directly on that girl. Everyone’s gaze was also concentrated on her. This was especially true for those who had already guessed her identity.

Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui had also calmed down. They looked at Number Seventeen standing far away from them. Then, they looked at Tang Wulin and the three girls around him. The expressions of the duo turned slightly grim.

Why was she unwilling to reveal her face? He had returned, so should she not be jubilant? What kind of problem had gone down between the two of them that made them not acknowledge each other even though they were already face-to-face?

Under everyone’s focused stares, Female Number Seventeen shook her head lightly after a brief moment of silence.

Her movement was very slight and simple, but it made Tang Wulin, standing atop his lotus leaf, feel as if he had fallen into an abyss.

She shook her head. She did not make a choice. She really did not pick him. She had not picked anyone, or even removed her bamboo hat.

Without a doubt, this meant that she had no one whom she admired, and she was not interested in finding her partner in this year’s Sea God’s Fated Date Festival.

Tang Wulin felt as if something had suddenly taken hold of his heart. He immediately found it hard to breathe.

His eyes were slightly blurred, and the edges of his lips now had a faint bitterness.

Everything that they had experienced together overflowed in his heart. ‘Why did you not pick me?’

…

Every encounter was a reunion after a long separation.

He had been looked down upon because of his lack of talent, fought with his roommate soon after he entered the academy and was assigned to Class Five, which was the weakest. All these were sent his way by destiny.

He had felt helpless once and was also lost. Even if his heart and mind were strong, in the darkness, he was still a child.

In the unseen world, he had met someone after a long wait.

It was a peaceful, sunny day. Thin wisps of clouds hung in the skies. The gentle breeze brought a faint aroma with it.

On the field where everyone was drenched in sweat, he met with a pure white figure unexpectedly. She had delicate and pretty features, long black hair and black eyes. She seemed to have a strange air about her as she walked.

“Why are you wearing iron chains?”

“To train my body of course! Teacher has higher expectations of me. You’re sharp.”

When they were eating, she seemed to have taken notice of his shocking appetite. She passed him her own buns.

“I can’t finish mine. You have them.”

A single gesture had pulled them closer to each other. Everything was so smooth, it was like a concern from an old friend.

She was Gu Yue, and like the deep waters of an ancient well, she held many secrets within her. She was also like the broad, cold moon which cleared and brightened his eyes.

He was a humble Bluesilver Grass, while she was the beloved child blessed by the Elements. One of them went with the flow, while the other went against it. In the rapid torrent of time, they were reunited with each other after a long separation.

…

‘I’ve been hugging you tightly no matter which side you took.’

They displayed tacit agreement in the Class Promotion Tournament and assisted each other in the spirit ascension platform. They became friends in the truest sense of the word.

When he came back smelling like barbeque, she could tell that he had met with another girl. When his crystallized form fell from midair, she caught him with her own body without hesitation to prevent him from shattering.

‘I’m cold toward others. I’ll only smile for you.’

When faced with the choice of whether she wanted to join Tang Sect, her answer was no.

He was afraid. He was afraid that the people around him would leave one after the other, just like his parents and little sister had done.

“Who says I’m leaving you?”

“I’ve only chosen not to enter Tang Sect, not leave Class Zero. Joining or not joining an organization doesn’t change my being at some place.”

‘I won’t leave you. I’ll be with you forever.’

…

When they were young, time trickled sluggishly as they snuggled up to each other warmly.

On the soul bus, the sea was on the east. It was a boundless patch of blue, the sea seemed to melt into the skies.

He looked at the beautiful scenery which flitted past the window. In his daze, he softly called out the name of his little sister. A silver silhouette disappeared from his mind as quickly as it appeared. When he reopened his eyes, what he saw was her looking astonished.

She smiled faintly and gave him a glass of water. There was only plain water inside the class. Its temperature was perfect and it nourished his heart.

The sunlight fell on her face, which seemed to make her skin glitter in a translucent manner. He realized, as if for the first time, just how beautiful she was.

The sparkling glow from the sun made her rest her head gently on his shoulder. Her breathing gradually calmed down.

Without realizing, he had shut his eyes as well. His body felt warm and fuzzy. All his exhaustion silently faded away amidst the feeling of the moment.

There were hardly any words. This scene was like a monochrome fragment of the years they spent together.

…

With you, I would not be sad even if I died.

On the Skysea Alliance Tournament, she was suddenly attacked and could not react in time. The only thing she could do was bind her own hands and await her death.

Suddenly, her body felt a warmth. He had hugged her and used his back to bear the brunt of the attack.

Bright red bloodflowers bloomed in her eyes, but there was no sadness or regret on his face. There was only a faint smile.

‘How I wish I can accompany you on the roads that you’ll take in the future. But, I’ll never forget my original intention. I want to protect you like this forever. You, who I hold so dear. Unfortunately, this might be the last time I’ll be able to do this.’

She was flustered. She cared not about using up her own life force. She utilized her purest life’s light to mend his damaged body.

She did not care. She wanted him to live on.

‘You’ve said that there’s no contract in the world that can surpass the friendship between two persons who share the same fate.

…

‘After you had grown up, you were still you.’

Time flew past as swiftly as an arrow. Days and months flashed past like a weaver’s shuttle.

Three years had gone by. For some unknown reason, her attitude toward him had changed. She was not as friendly as she had been, and she even seemed to be distancing herself from him.

They sat for the Highest Hall Examination. They passed, but she was still distant.

“I don’t want to.”

“She hit you. I’m not happy.”

She turned around and looked straight into his eyes. There was no suspicion or reluctance on her part. She stated her reason plainly, without being open to other options.

‘Thank you. Thank you for still being the person who’d do anything for me. So nothing has changed after all.”

…

‘When I have the ability to obtain justice, I’ll come back.’

She was picked on. Faced with the imposing manner of the elders, he did not have an ounce of fear within him. He stood beside her, being neither haughty nor humble.

This was because, she who was being picked on was the person he wanted to protect.

“Tell me, is there justice in Shrek Academy?”

The answer was resolute and scornful.

He felt powerless. In the face of absolute strength, was he truly unable to protect others, even his own companions?

He raised his head.

“Elders, I forfeit my rights to take up Shrek Academy’s entrance examination. One day, when I have the ability to obtain justice, I’ll come back.”

For her, he wanted to give up on his ideals.

‘Even if the world deserted you, I would still walk by your side.’

…

He had not returned for the whole night. She waited without saying a word.

She leaned on a great tree with her eyes closed. A few drops of dew hung on her long lashes. Under the illumination of the dawn, the entire scene looked like a scroll painting.

He looked at her in a daze. This moment was seared deeply into the depths of his heart.

“You’re awake.”

“Why are you sleeping here?”

“It was already very late, and you hadn’t come back. I came out to look for you but I saw that you were still meditating, so I didn’t disturb you.”

She said it plainly as if she was talking about something insignificant.

There was a smile at the corners of his lips. He did not know why, but when he looked at the young lady before him, he had no intentions of saying the words ‘thank you’.

Life did not always need grand and spectacular surprises. Sometimes, simple ease and nonchalance were enough.

…

‘Even if we disband, I’ll still follow you.’

They had had a quarrel among their team. The others had disagreed with his opinion.

For the others, crafting battle armor using spirit alloy was too lofty a goal and unthinkable, like a divine steed which soared across the heavens.

However, she believed in him completely, standing at his side without hesitation.

“Forget it. I think I have been indulging in my wildest fantasies.”

“No, I want to craft my one-word battle armor using spirit alloy.”

When she saw her stubbornness and determination, at that moment, his heart was filled with warmth.

‘With you by my side, why should I be afraid even if I had to go against the whole world?’

…

‘Martial soul fusion. I’m in you, and you’re in me.’

When they were faced with a powerful opponent, he still stood in front of her. He knew that they would surely lose, but he was not timid or overcautious.

He was a person who could bear with her pride and waywardness, just because it was her.

He was a person who would trade his life for hers to protect her.

Her gaze gradually became lost. She opened her arms just like that and embrace him tightly from behind.

There was no hesitation, only complete trust from her body and mind. Everything seemed to return to the days of their youth.

That time, he was still a little boy who admired his senior. She was still a little girl who loved to quarrel.

There seemed to be a vast dome above their heads which witnessed this mighty ritual.

They had won, but they had fainted; her hands seemed as if they had grown out of his body. The two of them could not be separated no matter what. They had obtained victory and glory while they in each other’s arms.

When two people traveled on conflicting roads, their fates might be severed. What endures forever was surely their martial souls and the bond between their spirits. Were they not each other’s partner?

…